Both men and women are livinglonger these days in industrialized countries.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Ingeneral, they can expect to live six or seven years more than men. One reasonfor this is biological.

      One important biological factor thathelps women live longer is the difference in hormones between men and women.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Between the ages of about 12 and 50,women produce hormones that are involved in fertility(生育能力). These hormones also have a positive effect on the heartand blood flow. In fact, women are less likely to have high blood pressure orto die from heart attacks.

       {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Theyhelp the body defend itself against some kinds of infections. This means thatwomen generally ger sick less often and less seriously than men. The commoncold is a good example: women, on average, get fewer colds than men.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Scientists are still not exactly sure howinfluence aging, but they believe that they do. Some think that a woman's bodycells have a tendency(向) to age more slowly than a man's. Others think that a man's body cells have a tendency to age more quickly.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A．However,women, on average, live longer.

B .The biological factorplays an important part.

C. Women are also helped bytheir female genes.

D. The female hormones alsoprotect the body in another way.

E. Recent research seems tosupport both of these possibilities.

F. Therefore, women are morehealthy than men and can live a better life.

G. Hormones are chemicalswhich are produced by the body to control carious body functions.

    A group of graduates, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. They talked about the present-day hot topic—Happiness, but conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

    Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and different kinds of cups-porcelain（陶瓷的）, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some extremely beautiful—telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

    When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.”

    “Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup. But you consciously went for the best cups…And then you began coveting each other's cups.”

    “Now consider this: life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. God brews（酿造）the coffee, not the cups…Enjoy your coffee! The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”

    Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

    Leave the rest to God.

    Knowing the “right” thing to say and do as parents is not easy. But what if I told you there's ONE word you can add to your vocabulary that will help set your kids up for success for the rest of their lives? You'd let it flow effortlessly from your parenting lips, right?

    Well, that word is “practice”. It generates confidence and a “can do” attitude in kids when you use the word “practice” in place of the more commonly used word “try”. And here's why.

    “Try” means failure, or at the very least, doubt. From a very young age, we are always told to “try this”, “try that” and “try, try again”… “just try”. But “try” suggests the act of wondering what will happen instead of a clear intention of success.

    How many times have you heard someone say they tried something over and over, and it didn't work? Or that they will try to call you or come over and never show? Our subconscious(潜意识的) programming tells us that “try” is a way out for many. It's a word we use when we don't expect success or don't want to do something. We usually think, “Oh well, at least I tried.”

    The word “practice”, however, is different. Practice always makes you better. everyone who is good at something has practiced－doctors, musicians, athletes, students, speakers, singers and the list goes on and on. Did they try it the first time to see if they wanted to pursue it? Yes, but when it came to improving, they practiced. Even toddlers learning to walk are practicing. They have every intention of working successfully, and they keep at it until they do… and that in itself is a great lesson for us adults.

    When my sister Mertie told me she had put out tomato plants last summer, I was quite impressed.

    Since she was a garden-beginner, Mertie researched exactly how far apart to space her tomato plants; what kind of fertilizer to use; how to keep away the bugs（害虫）, etc. Once they were planted, she took care of them daily, anxiously awaiting the juicy tomatoes to appear. But, day after day, her plants were tomato-less while all of her neighbors who had also put out tomato plants were already enjoying the fruit of their labor.

    Frustrated (upset), Mertie gave in and went to the market to search fresh tomatoes. While paying, Mertie told the farmer her troubles. The farmer paused to think for a moment and then asked, "Well, what kind of tomatoes did you plant?"

    "I think they were called Big Boy," Mertie remembered.

    "Well there's your problem," the farmer explained. "Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes have a 95-day growing period whereas regular tomato plants produce fruit in as few as 70 days…you just have to wait a little longer for the Big Boys."

    With that new knowledge, Mertie went home with excitement, knowing they would be worth the wait.

    Thinking about my sister's gardening experience, I had to smile. She just didn't know that Big Boy tomatoes took longer--neither did I--but once she discovered that information, she was no longer discouraged and upset about the lack of tomatoes on her plants. Instead, she was encouraged and excited to see them a few weeks later.

    It makes me wonder how many of us have "Big Boy" dreams in our hearts, yet we just don't realize that they are of the "Big Boy" variety so we are discouraged and worn out with the waiting process. Instead of waiting with excitement, we give up on our dreams and figure we must have done something wrong to stop them from coming to pass. Frustrated, we see other people's dreams coming true, and we wonder why ours haven't yet been achieved.

    As time went on, Philip's deformity was accepted like one boy's red hair and another's unreasonable obesity. But meanwhile he had grown horribly sensitive. He never ran if he could help it, because he knew it made his limp more noticeable. He stood still as much as he could, with his badly shaped foot behind the other. Because he could not join in the games which other boys played, their life remained strange to him; sometimes they seemed to think that it was his fault if he could not play football, and he was unable to make them understand. He was left a good deal to himself. He had been inclined to talkativeness, but gradually he became silent.

    The biggest boy in his dormitory, Singer, took a dislike to him, and Philip, small for his age, had to put up with a good deal of hard treatment. About half-way through the term there was a game called Nibs. It was a game for two, played on a table or a form with steel pens. Soon nothing was seen but boys playing this game, and the more skilful acquired vast stores of nibs. But in a little while Mr. Watson made up his mind that it was a form of gambling, and forbade the game. Then he ordered all the nibs in the boys' possession be handed in. Philip had been very skilful, and it was with a heavy heart that he gave up his winning; but his fingers itched to play still, and a few days later, on his way to the football field, he went into a shop and bought a pennyworth of J pens. He carried them loose in his pocket and enjoyed feeling them. Presently Singer found out that he had them. Singer had given up his nibs too, but he had kept back a very large one, called a Jumbo, which was almost unconquerable, and he could not resist the opportunity of getting Philip's Js out of him. Though Philip knew that he was at a disadvantage with his small nibs, he had an adventurous disposition and was willing to take the risk; besides, he was aware that Singer would not allow him to refuse. He had not played for a week and sat down to the game now with a thrill of excitement. He lost two of his small nibs quickly, and Singer was jubilant, but the third time by some chance the Jumbo slipped round and Philip was able to push his J across it. He crowed with triumph. At that moment Mr. Watson came in.

    "What are you doing?" he asked.

    He looked from Singer to Philip, but neither answered.

    "Don't you know that I've forbidden you to play that game?"

    Philip's heart beat fast. He knew what was coming and was dreadfully frightened, but in his fright there was a certain exultation. He had never been swished. Of course it would hurt, but it was something to boast about afterwards.

    "Come into my study."

    The headmaster turned, and they followed him side by side. Singer whispered to Philip:

    "We're in for it."

    Mr. Watson pointed to Singer.

    "Bend over," he said.

    Philip, very white, saw the boy quiver at each stroke, and after the third he heard him cry out. Three more followed.

    "That'll do. Get up."

    Singer stood up. The tears were streaming down his face. Philip stepped forward. Mr. Watson looked at him for a moment.

    "I'm not going to beat you. You're a new boy. And I can't hit a cripple. Go away, both of you, and don't be naughty again."

    When they got back into the school-room a group of boys, were waiting for them. They set upon Singer at once with eager questions. But he did not answer. He was angry because he had been hurt.

    "Don't ask me to play Nibs with you again,' he said to Philip. 'It's jolly nice for you. You don't risk anything."

    "I didn't ask you."

    "Didn't you!"

    He quickly put out his foot and tripped Philip up. Philip was always rather unsteady on his feet, and he fell heavily to the ground.

    "Cripple," said Singer.

    For the rest of the term he tormented Philip cruelly, and, though Philip tried to keep out of his way, the school was so small that it was impossible; he tried being friendly and jolly with him; he abased himself, so far as to buy him a knife; but though Singer took the knife he was not placated. Once or twice, driven beyond endurance, he hit and kicked the bigger boy, but Singer was so much stronger that Philip was helpless, and he was always forced after more or less torture to beg his pardon. It was that which rankled with Philip: he could not bear the humiliation of apologies, which were wrung from him by pain greater than he could bear. And what made it worse was that there seemed no end to his wretchedness; Singer was only eleven and would not go to the upper school till he was thirteen. Philip realized that he must live two years with a tormentor from whom there was no escape. He was only happy while he was studying and when he got into bed. And often there recurred to him then that queer feeling that his life with all its misery was nothing but a dream, and that he would awake in the morning in his own little bed in London.