Most academics would view a post at an elite university like Oxford or Harvard as the crowning achievement of a career—bringing both honour and access to better wine cellars. But scholars desire such places for reasons beyond glory. They believe perching on one of the topmost branches of the academic tree will also improve the quality of their work, by bringing them together with other geniuses with whom they can collaborate and who may help spark new ideas. This sounds reasonable. Unfortunately，as Albert Laszlo Barabasi of Northeastern University，in Boston (and also, it must be said, of Harvard), shows in a study published in Scientific Reports, it is not true.

    Dr Barabasi and his team examined the careers of physicists who began publishing between 1950 and 1980 and continued to do so for at least 20 years. They ranked the impact of the institutions these people attended by counting the number of citations each institution's papers received within five years of publication. By tracking the association of individual physicists and counting their citations in a similar way, Dr Barabasi was able to work out whether moving from a low to a high-ranking university improved a physicist's impact. In total, he and his team analysed 2,725 careers.

    They found that, though an average physicist moved once or twice during his career, moving from a low-rank university to an elite one did not increase his scientific impact. Going in the opposite direction, however, did have a small negative influence. The consequence is that elite university do not，at least as far as physicists are concerned，add value to output. That surprising conclusion is one which the authorities in countries such as Britain, who are seeking to concentrate expensive subjects such as physics in fewer, more elite institutions—partly to save money, but also to create what are seen as centers of excellence—might wish to consider.

                                       Cell phones：Is there a cancer link?

    Could your cell phone give you cancer? Whether it could or not, some people are worrying about the possibility that phones, power lines and Wi-Fi could be responsible for a range of illnesses, from rashes to brain tumors.

    Some say there is evidence to support the growing anxieties. David Carpenter, a professor of environmental health sciences at the university at Albany, in New York, thinks there's a greater than 95 percent chance that power lines can cause childhood leukemia (白血病). Also there's a greater than 90 percent chance that cell phones can cause brain tumors. “It's apparent now that there's a real risk, ”said Carpenter.

    But others believe these concerns are not justified. Dr Martha Linet, head of radiation epidemiology (流行病学) at the US National Cancer Institute, has looked at the same research as Carpenter but has reached a different conclusion. “I don't support warning labels for cell phones, ”said Linet. “We don't have the evidence that there's much danger.”

    Studies so far suggest a weak connection between EMFs (电磁场) and illness—so weak that it might not exist at all. A multinational investigation of cell phones and brain cancer, in 13 countries outside the US, has been underway for several years. It's funded in part by the European Union, in part by a cell phone industry group. The final report should come out later this year, but data so far don't suggest a strong link between cell phone use and cancer risk.

    I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.

    I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving and never to come back was hardly in my head then.

    The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism（乐观）, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times.”

    My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers（移民局官员）, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.

    From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles go away at last! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.

    One spring day, once the flowers have begun to open, a bee will hover (盘旋) and zip through your yard and dive-bomb your picnic table. While you're thinking about avoiding an attack, that bee is focused on something else entirely: me.

    A honeybee has about six weeks to live. Today, like most days, her task is to fly as many as three miles from home, stick her long, straw-like tongue into a hundred or so flowers. When the bee has had her fill, she'll fly home. There the bee will deposit what she has got into the mouth of one of her co-workers, who will relay it to another, and so on for about 20 minutes, until the mixture is ready to be placed into the comb. Then she and her 50 000 or so mates will hover in the dark all night every night, flapping their wings to create hot, breezy conditions to remove the water from the mixture. Several sunrises later, they will seal me off in a golden cell of beeswax. In her lifetime, our bee may visit 4,000 flowers, and yet will produce only one-twelfth of a tea spoon of me.

The average American consumes nearly a pound and a half of me every year, in tea, on toast, and beyond. If I do say so myself, I am a timeless treasure. Literally—I never go bad.

Alas, my good health is not guaranteed. The problem lies in the growth of industrial agriculture and the use of pest control chemicals, as well as changes in weather patterns, all of which reduce the number of flowers bees have to visit I'd appreciate your letting your own garden grow just a little wild My future depends on all of us fostering spring and summers wild flowers, thus helping the bees, who give so much—to you, to me—without ever asking for anything in return..

Queen Rider

    Bonnie Wyndham got out of her mother's car and looked at Almonside School. "I'll make you sorry I've come here," she told her, pleasantly. Her mother was getting out of the other door at the time so she didn't hear, but Bonnie wouldn't have cared if she had. Her mother knew her feelings. Mrs. Wyndham looked about her. Almonside was a funny school, all bits and pieces, buildings hidden away amongst the trees on a wooded hillside; very confusing at first sight. Then she saw the signs on a post: science block, gymnasium, riding centre ...

    "Riding centre," said Bonnie, showing a sudden interest. "Headmaster's study," said her mother. "This way."

    Bonnie followed her mother along a broad drive that curved between trees.

    "I wish you'd walk beside me instead of following me like a dog," said Mrs. Wyndham wearily, but she didn't seem to expect Bonnie to do so.

    A few minutes later, her mother was talking to Bonnie's new headmaster in his study, while Bonnie herself sat and waited outside the door. Suddenly, Bonnie jumped up. "Why should I just it here?" she said to herself. "I'll be thrown out before very long, anyway," she said mentally to the door, "so why not get it over and done with?" She left the building and headed for the riding centre in the direction indicated by the sign.

    There was a nice old building where the horses were kept, and a large structure for indoor riding. Bonnie looked about her, but there was no one in sight. There was a certain reverence about her manner as she approached the animals. Bonnie treated horses with respect. The horses were very well looked after, she could tell that at once.

    Almost every stall was occupied, and she wandered along looking carefully at each horse and judging it. "They know what they're doing here," she told a small pony as she ran a finger along its nose. It was the next horse that pulled her up short. "But aren't you the best of the lot!" she said. He was brown with a touch of white. Lively, probably, but Bonnie liked that. "You know, I have the feeling we've met before," said Bonnie, stroking his neck.

    "It was in my dreams and I was riding you to victory in some big competition." Over the stall was his name: Maverick.

Suddenly, she couldn't resist the temptation to ride the horse. "I wonder where I can find a bridle for your head, and a saddle for your back. Can't be far away." The room containing all the riding equipment was — Bonnie was delighted to discover — unlocked. Absorbed in the pleasurable task of putting a saddle on Maverick's back, she forgot all about her mother and the headmaster. When she sat up high on the big horse outside the building, she felt like a queen, mistress of all she could see. Her nickname at her previous school had been Queen Bee, and she laughed delightedly as she remembered it. You're the best horse I've ever sat on, Maverick, ' she said admiringly, "and when I say that I'm not kidding, I can assure you, because I know about horses, even if I don t know about anything else."

    She nudged him into a walk, then into a trot. "If I stay here, I think you and I could be great friends," she confided. She went round and round the paddock. The rhythm was exhilarating, a little breeze whipping smartly past her cheek and making it glow. She could tell Maverick trusted her, and she felt certain that he'd jump well.

    He has been called France's youngest leader since Napoleon Bonaparte. Emmanuel Macron, age 39, swept to victory in France's second-round of presidential election which was held on May 7, 2017. He defeated Marine Le Pen by a large margin of 62% of votes. He was inaugurated (就职) as President.

    Both of Macron's parents were doctors, and he attended one of the most prestigious (有声望的) schools in France, Lycee Henri Ⅳ. From there, he became an investment banker and economy minister. Unlike the other presidential candidates, he has always worked outside of the government.

    In April 2016, he created his own political movement, called En Marche! (On the Move!), recruiting (招募) more than 20,000 members. His party's ideals were neither right-or left-winged, but more independent. As his party became more and more successful, Macron began to think about presidency, something he'd always been interested in. In November 2016, he announced his decision to run in the 2017 election.

    Macron's campaign relied on his political movement. He struggled to win votes from both parties in France, as well as from the working class. In addition, he was the only candidate that was pro-EU, or supportive of European Union.

    While in office, Macron's biggest focus will be on improving the economy. A total of €50 billion will be dedicated to job training and creating green and sustainable energy. Macron also plans to cut down on corporate taxes, improve the public education system, and lower the unemployment rate by 2.7%.

    Following the election is the selection of the president's cabinet (内阁). The Prime Minister position was given to Edouard Philippe, mayor of Northern Le Havre. However, Macrons cabinet is surprising—one France has never seen before: a gender-balanced cabinet. Out of the 22 seats available, 11 will be taken by women and 11 will be filled by men. This percentage is much higher than other European countries.

    With each change of leadership come new ideals and changes to the country. Macron needs a parliament (议会) that will support his hopes and dreams for the future of France.