A large number of women in Western European countries wish that they were born men. The number is said as high as 60% in West Germany. “Women often wish that they had the same chance as men have, and believe it is still men's world,” said Dr James Holden, one of the scientists who did the study.

    Anne Harper has a very good job for an international oil company. She also believes in “Women' s Liberation(解放)”. “I don't wish that I were a man,” she says, “and I don't think many women do. But I do wish that people would stop looking down upon us women. At work, for example, we often do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs that are usually the best ones and open only to men. If you're a man, you have a much better chance of leading an exciting life. How many women pilots are there ... or engineers or scientists?”

     Stephen Hawking is perhaps the world's most famous living physicist. To the public, he's best known as an author of bestsellers such as The Universe in a Nutshell and A Brief History of Time, which have brought an appreciation of theoretical (理论上的)  physics to millions. He is regarded as having one of the brightest minds on the planet. But outstanding astrophysicist (天体物理学家) Stephen Hawking has admitted that he did not learn to read until he was eight years old.

    In a public lecture at the Royal Albert Hall, Professor Hawking also admitted that he was not active in studying while at Oxford University, where he studied physics, and that only the news that he might die young from motor neurone (运动神经元) disease made him focus on his work.

    Professor Hawking said, “My sister Philippa could read by the age of 4 but then she was brighter than me.” He said that he was common at school and was never further than halfway up his class. “My classwork was very untidy, and my handwriting was very bad in the teachers' eyes,” he said. “But my classmates gave me the name Einstein, so probably they saw signs of something better.”

    But he said that it was when doctors told him that he probably only had a few years to live at the age of 21 that he began to focus on his work, which resulted in some of his early achievements. He said, “When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and there are lots of things you want to do.” Hawking serves as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, where he continues to contribute to both high-level physics and the popular understanding of our universe.

    Judy Wright and her husband decided to move closer to their son, Chris, who lived in Georgia. About a month after the move, Judy fell ill, suffering from her ongoing battle against Parkinson's disease.

    Her condition worsened rapidly and she required medical care at home. The family hired a nursing aid who canceled at the last minute. Instead, a woman named TunDe Hector showed up in her place.

    One day, TunDe shared a story with Judy and her family. She remembered a particularly difficult day in 2014, when a stranger had helped her with a kind gesture. She had run out of gas, and with only$5 in her pocket, was walking to a gas station, gas can in hand. A man saw her walking and turned his car around. He paid for her gas and gave her all the cash left in his wallet. Upon hearing the story, Judy's son, Chris, took off his hat and said, "That was me!” He was the stranger that had helped TunDe on that difficult day.

    During the care of Judy, the Wright family learned about TunDe's family and her own dream. The nursing aid, TunDe hoped that one day she could become an OB-GYN nurse.Her tuition was past due(逾期) and she had a family to care for, but she was determined to achieve that goal for herself and her family.

    Judy died on July 9,2017. Instead of flowers, her family asked mourners(悼念者) to donate to TunDe's education , to assist her in paying for her nursing school. In less than a week, they raised more than $8,000 and presented her with the surprise check.

    Here are some music festivals that you might be interested in.

    Boogie

    Tallarook, VIC(26－28 March)

    Boogie is definitely kid-friendly, but with a few rules. Kids are welcome, but need to be fully supervised(监管) at all times and out of the licensed area by 10 pm. Kids under 8 years old are admitted for free. Kids between 8 and16 get in cheaper. There are some activities for kids and a great kid-friendly area.

    Splendour in the Grass

    Byron Bay, NSW(24－26 July)

    Look, Splendour can be pretty crazy, so if you and your kids are out of practice with handling festivals and the stress they can sometimes bring, maybe you should try starting smaller. But if you feel like you can do it, then your kids are welcome to hit Splendour with you. The usual rules apply — you'll need to have them with you at all times if they are under 16 and they can't go into bars. If the child is under 11, then they will get in for free.

    The Gum Ball

    Hunter Valley, NSW(22－24 April)

    We didn't originally include the Gum Ball because they took last year off and we wanted to make sure they were definitely returning. Not because we have anything against them. On the contrary, they are one event that manages to balance brilliant music and a family-friendly vibe(氛围).

    Bellingen Turtlefest

    Bellingen(30 September－2 October)

    Great music for a great cause! Bellingen Turtlefest has been set up to raise funds and awareness for the critically endangered Bellinger River Snapping Turtle, while giving families a chance to enjoy some great music at the same time. There's a kidzone, sideshows, workshops and markets, but also an education center and some guest speakers so that the kids (and you) can learn a thing or two while you're at the event.

    Did you know that Albert Einstein could not speak until he was four years old, and did not read until he was seven? His parents and teachers worried about his rnental ability.

    Beethoven's music teacher said about him，"As a composer（作曲家）he is hopeless." What if this young boy believed it?

    When Thomas Edison was a young boy, his teachers said he was so stupid that he could never learn anything. He once said, I remember I used to never be able to get along at school. I was always at the foot of my class…My father thought I was stupid, and I almost decided that l was a stupid person. "What if young Thomas believed what may said about him?

    When the sculptor(雕刻家)Auguste Rodin was young; he had difficulty learning to read and write. Today, we may say he had a learning disability. His father said of him, "I have an idiot(白痴) for a son." His uncle agreed. "He's uneducable," he said. What if Rodin had doubted his ability?

    Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor because he was thought to have no "good ideas". Enrico Caruso was told by one music teacher, "you can't sing. You have no voice at all." And an editor told Louisa May Alcott that she was unable to write anything that would have popular appeal.

    What if these people had listened and become discouraged? Where would our world be without the music of Beethoven, the art of Rodin or the ideas of Albert Einstein and Walt Disney? As Oscar Levant once said, "It's not what you are but what you don't become that hurts."

    You have great potential. When you believe in all you can be, rather than all you cannot become, you will find your place on earth.