One of the most debated issues about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don't drink tend to die sooner than those who do.The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is this：many of those who give up alcohol are actually former hard­core drunks who had already brought health problems associated with drinking.

    But a new paper suggests that abstaining(戒除)from alcohol does tend to increase one's risk of dying，even when you leave former problem drinkers out.The most shocking part—abstainers'(禁酒者)mortality rates(死亡率)are higher than those of heavy drinkers.

    Moderate(适度的)drinking，which is defined as one to three drinks per day，is associated with the lowest mortality rates.Moderate alcohol use is thought to improve heart health，circulation and sociability，which can be important because people who are cut off don't have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.

    But why would abstaining from alcohol lead to a shorter life？It's true that those who abstain from alcohol tend to be from lower socioeconomic classes，since drinking can be expensive.And people of lower socioeconomic status have more life stressors(压力因素)．

    Though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for many diseases，heavy drinkers are less likely to die than don't drink. One important reason is that alcohol strengthens social interactions，and social interactions are vital for maintaining mental and physical health.Nondrinkers show greater signs of depression.

    The authors of the new paper are careful to note that even if drinking is associated with a longer life，it can be dangerous：it can affect your memory severely and it can lead to falls and other troubles that can affect your life.There's also the dependency issue：if you become addicted to alcohol，you may spend a long time trying to get off the bottle.

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    Sleep, as we know, is important to us because it helps restore tired organs and tissues in our body. But how much sleep do we actually need?

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    For most of us, eight hours seems to be about the right amount. Yet we know that there are a great many people who get along perfectly with less sleep and some who may even need more. A great deal depends on the way we live. But a good general rule to follow is to sleep as long as we have to in order to feel happy and be able to work at our best when we are awake.

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    There are actually different levels of sleep. There is a deep sleep and a shallow sleep. In a shallow sleep our body does not get the same kind of rest as it gets in a deep sleep, so that after eight hours of a shallow sleep we may still feel tired. But a short deep sleep can be very restful.

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    Alexander the Great was able to get a deep sleep whenever he needed it. Once, during the night before an important battle, he remained awake longer than anyone else. Then he wrapped himself in a cloak and lay down on the earth. He slept so deeply that his generals had to wake him three times to give command to attack!

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    Normally when we go to sleep, our “ sleep center” blocks off nerves so that both our brain and our body go to sleep. One prevents us form wanting to do anything and the other makes our internal organs and limbs go to sleep. But someone will fall asleep (brain sleep) and keep on marching, because his body is not asleep!

    English seems 1 the passport(护照) to our modern society. About half the world's newspapers and 75 2 of the world's mail is 3 English. Many countries have special shortwave radio broadcasts in English and some have 4 English-language newspapers. Most scientific books and magazines5 first in English. Many jobs 6 a reading or speaking knowledge of the 7.

    English has a large 8 of speakers. Even 9 there are more 10 speakers of Chinese 11 English, the use of English is 12 widespread. It is spoken 13 a native language in 14 seven countries, and there are more than 35 countries 15 have English as one of their official languages. That 16 that the government publishes laws and information in 17, and sometimes classes at schools 18 in English. In countries that 19 speakers of many languages, English is sometimes the unofficial language. In these countries English is used 20 in business, education, and government.

    When I was about 6, I really wanted a new bike! I told my parents my birthday wish but I knew there was little hope, for my family could hardly afford one.

    On my birthday my parents told me they had my gift outside in the backyard. Immediately I rushed out to the yard. There was my bike, but it wasn't the bike that I thought it would be. This one was pink, old and worn with age. I was so disappointed. I thought I hurt my parents because I could see the disappointment on their faces when they noticed my expression. I got on the old bike and rode it, feeling bad because I had made my parents feel that way. So I put on a smile, rode as fast as I could and didn't look back.

    My parents gave me much more than just a rusty (生锈的) old bike. They gave me a life lesson about love. When you give something out of love, it doesn't matter what it actually is. What matters is the love in it. I like to remember this story because giving a gift is not about money or something else. It's about how much love you can feel from it. Do remember, a gift that costs $2 isn't necessarily any less valuable than one that costs $100 or even more.

    Johnny Jennings is 86 years old, but he first visited the Georgia Baptist Children's Home when he was 18, and the visit changed his life forever.

    A child ran up to Jennings, begging to be adopted, and it was at that moment that Jennings realized his life's mission. From that day forward, Jennings did everything he could to help, and that turned out to be quite a lot. Since he wasn't ready to adopt a child of his own, he decided to contribute financially. Since he wasn't wealthy, he did so by collecting paper and aluminum (铝) products and cashing them in for money. That may not sound like it would amount to much, but Jennings has donated more than US$400,000 over the past 30 years. That's a lot of paper products.

    Over those 30 years Jennings has become a cornerstone of the children's home.

But how does he get all that paper? Now that people know about his efforts, the paper pretty much comes to him. People drop it off at his house after collecting it through churches, organizations or in their own lives. Jennings also collected pennies, and as they say: A penny saved is a penny earned. Well, he's saved 24 miles' worth of pennies. It's the truth. "84,480 is a mile of pennies," Jennings said. "We finished 24 miles. We had most people from church collecting pennies." Each and every mile was a donation to the church.

    One of Jennings' favorite events is the church's annual meeting, which is when he presents his check each year. During this time, the kids who live in the children's home are also in attendance and he loves the opportunity to spend time with them. Jennings has served on the board for 45-year terms. "I've been a trustee for 20 years," Jennings said. "I'm just part of the family." And what a special family it is, thanks in large part to Johnny Jennings.

WHO'S WHO IN THE ZOO?

    Is it amazing that the WHO'S WHO IN THE ZOO makes it fun for young children to save? With the help of Standard Bank's Kidz APP and the Big Five animal friends, teaching your children about managing their cash has never been more fun. Let the WHO'S WHO IN THE ZOO show your little ones what it means to earn and save money as well as share in the enjoyment of spending their well－earned cash.

Elephant

    As your children use the mobile app to complete various actions—achieving savings goals, completing missions and achieving wishes—here various medals will be rewarded.

    Earned medals are displayed in the elephant habitat as well as locked medals still to be achieved.

Leopard

    Reward your kids with pocket money for completing 'missions': household chores, achievements, etc.

    You can create a mission for your child, or your child can request a new mission. Once created, it must be accepted. The mission needs to be completed by your child and approved by you before you can pay him or her.

Lion

    Help your children create and fulfil wishes. Wish cards and their savings progress can be tracked from your banking app.

    Once their savings goal is reached, lion will inform you of their achievement.

Buffalo

    Kids can request to withdraw cash or purchase airtime and data using their savings.

Rhino

    Rhino shows your child's latest account balance and transactions.

    Download the Standard Bank's Kidz APP from Apple App Store on the phone. Use the comment section to interact with other Standard Bank customers and bank consultants.