For more than twenty years scientists have been searching for signs of life on other planets. Most of these searches have been done over the radio. The hope is that someone in outer space may be trying to get in touch with us. Scientists also have sent radio and television messages on spaceships traveling through space, on the chance that someone may be receptive （善于接受的） to such messages.

    Scientists are using powerful radio telescope to listen to signals from about 1,000 stars, all within 100 light years of earth. In addition, they will scan (扫视) the entire sky to “listen” for radio messages from more distant stars. Using a computer, they will be able to monitor more than eight channels at one time. Scientists are looking for any signal that stands out from the background noise.

    Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy （银河星系）, scientists find that five percent are like our sun. Perhaps half of them have a planet like earth. Such a planet would be a reasonable distance from the star for temperatures to be right for the evolution of life. Based on the inhabitable (that can be lived in) planets in our galaxy, most scientists agree that chances are likely that one or more of these planets support some life.

    However, many scientists wonder whether intelligent （有智力的） life exists on other planets. Some believe that twenty years of searching without any intelligible （可理解的） messages shows that no one is out there. They say that the evolution of intelligence comparable to ours is unlikely.

    Other scientists believe that our search hasn't been long enough to rule out the possibility that intelligent life exists in our galaxy. Although our sun family in only about five billion years old,  our galaxy is about 20 billions years old. In that time, some scientists think it is likely that civilizations are much more advanced than ours. Perhaps these civilizations send us no signals; perhaps we have not recognized the signals they have sent us. If we hope to find intelligent life, these scientists believe that we have to keep looking.

    Maybe you have heard the expression—when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when you want to do business in France, you have to get to know French culture, to make marketing plans, and to run your business by local laws.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The French take great pride in their language, so anyone who does not speak it may run the risk of being disrespected by his French colleagues or business partners. Also, another reason why learning French is important is that it is a great way to show every possible French business partner that you care and respect their country's culture and language.

    The first thing you should do when meeting someone new is to shake his hand firmly and always look the person in the eye. In social meeting with friends, kissing is common.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}The French will sometimes introduce themselves using their surname first, followed by their first name.

    Dress well.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Your business clothing is a reflection of your success and social status. Always try to be tasteful and stylish. Women are advised to dress simply but elegantly. Wearing make­up is practised widely by businesswomen.

The French are passionate about food, so lunches are common in doing business in France, which usually consist of an appetizer, a main meal with wine, cheese, dessert and coffee, and normally take up to two hours.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Do not begin eating until the host says “bon appetite”. Pass dishes to the left, keep wrists above the table and try to eat everything on the plate.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} This may suggest that you find the food tasteless. If eating in a restaurant, the person who invites always pays.

A．The French draw information about people based on their appearance.

B．This is a time for relationship building.

C．Remember to be as polite as possible.

D．Language should be the focus of anyone planning to do business in France.

E．Be careful with adding salt, pepper or sauces to your food.

F．Use Monsieur or Madame before the surname.

G．Make an appointment with your business partner in advance.

    I didn't just read a book in print, on an e-reader or even on a mobile phone. Instead, I read a book on dozens of devices. I was not trying to set a Guinness World Record. I wanted to answer a question I often hear: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}? So I set out to try them all, reading a chapter on each: the Amazon Kindle, the first and second generation Apple iPads and mobile phones. To be fair, I also read a chapter in that old-fashioned; form—a print book.

    The book I chose was The Alienist. For the first chapter, I turned to an Amazon Kindle. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. The kinder is light. Its six-inch screen is the perfect size for reading, and reading on its black-and-white-E-Ink display doesn't harm your eyes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, and on average you charge the device only once a month. My only complaint with the Kindle design was the placement of the keyboard at the bottom of the device.

    Despite the small screen on a mobile phone, I found reading on one to be simple and satisfactory. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, but all of the phones on which I read chapters felt somewhat similar.

    If I had wanted to, I could have bought my book through dozens of e-book apps in the Apple App Store. Most are free and offer access to thousands of free e-books or paid versions. Both iPads 1&2 offer an immersive(身临其境的)reading experience. I found myself jumping back and forth between my book and the web, looking up old facts and pictures of New York City. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    For the last chapters of the book, I read the print one, which is still my favourite choice.

    Since we are comparing devices. So I guess I need to choose one. In the end it might come down to Kindle. But if money is tight, go for print. My used print book cost only $4 from Amazon.

A. Battery life is outstanding

B. Which e-reader is the best for reading books

C. Shopping on Amazon for the Kindle is simple

D. Should students make use of the devices to read

E. No wonder a lot of readers also speak highly of it

F. Reading on the Amazon Kindle is a joy in many aspects

G. The brightness and size of the mobile phone's screen did vary

More than half of the 1,000 consumers surveyed by Credit Karma said they have impulsively(冲动地) shopped to deal with feelings of stress, anxiety or depression. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they've maxed out (刷爆) a credit card in the past year.

As for age, 68 percent youngsters, responded by saying they have experienced it in the past, compared to 53 percent of the middle-aged and only 26 percent of the old

In regards to genders, 48 percent of men and 31 percent of women who have stress spent said they had purchased alcohol when stressed. Eighty-two percent of women stress spent on clothing compared to 52 percent of men. Women also lead stress spending for jewellery, 42 percent, compared to 22 percent for men with men stress spending more for electronics 44 percent while 30 percent for women.

In fact, shopping to reduce stress can actually help you live a healthier life by making sure that your blood pressure is lowered. Shopping to relieve stress is also called shopping therapy (疗法) as a form of reducing stress.

The survey found that that 82 percent had only positive feelings about their purchases and that the positive mood boost that followed those purchases was long-lasting.

However, the side effect of shopping therapy, for many, can start out as a relatively harmless mood booster but could possibly grow into a financial loss, cause conflict, and therefore add a large amount of stress to a person's life.

We've all heard the advice to "get out of your comfort zone" by taking on a new challenge. A recent study goes a step further: Make discomfort a direct goal. That's more likely to motivate you {#blank#}1{#/blank#} if you only focus on what you hope to learn.

In the first of five experiments, the researchers assigned several hundred students training at Second City Chicago {#blank#}2{#/blank#}（participate） in a small-group improvisation（即兴） exercise, and then instructed half of the group that their goal during the session was "to feel awkward and uncomfortable." The rest, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（that） in the control group, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}（tell） to "feel yourself developing new skills." Members of the first group kept at the exercise longer than the others did and took {#blank#}5{#/blank#}（great） risks.

Experiments {#blank#}6{#/blank#}（involve） other dimensions of personal growth—engaging in expressive writing, learning about gun violence, and hearing about opposing political {#blank#}7{#/blank#}（belief）—produced similar results.

Reframing anxiety as excitement has been proven a way to improve singing in front of strangers, and thinking of stress as {#blank#}8{#/blank#} means to boost achievement demonstrated a stress-management technique.

"When people reinterpret negative experiences as {#blank#}9{#/blank#}（function）, they are more willing to engage in tasks that call forth those experiences," the researchers explain. "Instead of seeing discomfort as unrelated to the goal {#blank#}10{#/blank#} a signal to stop, they will start perceiving it as a sign of progress toward their goal."

In San Francisco, a large group of sea lions move themselves out of the bay waters and hang out on PIER 39, which is a popular tourist destination. According to dock（码头）officials, this is the most sea lions seen in the region in 15 years.

"Over 1,000 sea lions have been counted this week," PIER 39 harbormaster Sheila Chandor told many different media. "The surge in sea lions is usually a good sign of their strong population and healthy living environment," said Adam Ratner, Director of Conservation Engagement at the Marine Mammal（海洋哺乳动物）Center in Sausalito, California.

"California sea lions are sentinels（哨兵）of the ocean," Ratner said. Their population to some extent reflects the health of the ocean. Therefore, seeing a large number of California sea lions is clearly a good thing.

For nearly 35 years, the slippery（滑的）residents have been a star attraction for tourists. That autumn in 1989, PIER 39 had just been repaired, but the ships had not yet been moved back. At that moment, the sea lions' unexpected arrival not only attracted fans but also created enemies. According to a website, some dock residents and workers were scared away by the strong and very unpleasant smell and noise of their new neighbors, while others saw these animals as a bright spot after the destructive Loma Prieta earthquake.

The officials sought help from the Marine Mammal Center to find a way to deal with sea lions. Ratner said that the final decision is to let the sea lions stay and coexist with humans. "The fact proves that this is really a good thing," he said. "This is just a proof of how we can truly work together and think about how we can share our coasts with marine mammals and other wildlife in a way that benefits all the parties involved."