For many men and women today ,the image that a watch communicates is more important  than the time it tells. “Complications”-----features that go beyond simple timekeeping-----are an important part of a watch’s image. Today’s watches offer a host of complications that suit almost  any personality. These features include altitude trackers ,compasses, lunar calendars, USB drivers ,and even devices that measure the effectiveness of golf swings!

Creativity is also a key element in today’s watches ,for men as well as women. The Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash makes watches that don’t even look like watches .The company’s popular Shinshoku model uses different color lights to tell the time .It looks more like a futuristic bracelet than a watch .Another Japanese watchmaker , EleeNo, makes a “handless” watch .Using a ring of circles to keep time, this watch makes an excellent conversation piece.

    In the past, the image of a man’s watch was quite different from that of a woman’s. Men’s watches tend to be bolder, larger, and more complicated than women’s watches, which were more likely to look like jewelry. Today, the differences between men’s and women’s watches are disappearing. Watchmakers are adding diamonds to their fine watches for man. And for women, they’re designing larger watches that contain complications. For example, some women’s watches now have calendars that show the phrases of the moon. Others show the time in two different cities, a handy function for business travelers. However, women still pay more attention than most men to the external beauty of a watch. And unlike men, women are still more likely to purchase watches that suit particular items in their wardrobes.

According to the passage, one type of watch complications can show you ___________.

   A. appointments for the day            B. which direction is north

   C. how much weight you’ve put on      D. a list of telephone numbers

What is the true information about the watch made by EleeNo?

   A. It uses different hands to keep time.    B It’s rather popular

   C. It doesn’t look like a watch           D. It’s much fun to talk about

What is the main topic of this article?

   A. Why women are likely to buy more watches than men?

   B. The differences between men’s and women’s watches.

   C. Current trends in the watch industry.

   D. Useful tips for purchasing watches.

Women work harder than men at university and get better degrees as a result, according to a study at Brunel University.

?? The research, which followed 200 students for four years, found that women consistently outperformed men in their studies even though they had started their courses with almost identical A-level grades.

?? An analysis of the results showed that while 65 percent of female graduates were awarded, only 35 percent of male graduates did as well. Girls are known to outperform boys at school, but this research showed that trend continued at university.

?? Fiona Smith, who led the research, said, “The research shows that the difference has something to do with schools in general.”

?? “It also shows something about the inequality for working women in terms of pay and promotion. Women work harder at school, harder at university, and do better at both, but they still receive less pay.”

?? The research found that female students were more faithful, less likely to miss lectures, and more likely to believe that their marks reflected their abilities than male students. Female students were also more likely to ask for and receive support from their professors.

?? Women were also more likely to choose their universities because they liked the courses offered.

?? In contrast, men were more likely than women to miss lectures due to “other affairs” and “laziness”, and to believe that playing sports was an important part of university life.

?? Generally, people think that women’s success comes from more emphasis on coursework, but the research showed that female geographers at Brunel did better in their exams than in their coursework.

?? Dr Smith said, “Most women feel that getting good grades is the most important part of university life. They believe that they need to work harder in order to compete in the male-dominated (男性主导的) environment they will encounter at work. Good grades are viewed as an ‘insurance policy’ for success. Men, on the other hand, prefer going out and playing sports to academic work.”

?? “This research shows how important it is to get all young people working hard and teach them the value of higher education,” he said.

1.The research at Brunel University showed that women ________.

A. did worse than men both at school and at university

B. got better grades than men

C. paid little attention to their courses

D. often missed classes

2.Which of the following about men is TRUE according to the passage?

A. They work as hard as women.

B. They spend as much time on courses as women.

C. They play a lot more than women.

D. They consider good grades to be an “insurance policy” for success.

3.We can infer from the results of the research that ________.

A. women do better both at school and at university

B. female students are more likely to ask for and receive support from their professors

C. compared with men, women are in an unfavorable condition in the male-dominated world

D. it’s easier for women to get rises in pay and promotion

4.The main purpose of the research is to _________.

A. give the government some advice on higher education

B. show us some information about higher education

C. show the sex difference in higher education

D. make all students work hard and realize the importance of higher education

Hair loss can be an emotionally troubling experience for some women. Luckily, experts do have suggestions on how to treat and prevent this condition.

According to Dr. Robert Jones of the Hair Transplant Center in Oakville, ON, hair loss in women is largely genetically determined—he estimates that nearly 80 to 90 percent of hair loss in both men and women is due to a family history of the condition. But some women can experience hair loss as the result of a thyroid dysfunction, pregnancy hormones or because of side effects of medicines such as antidepressants and birth control pills. Nick Dimakos, founder of SureThik International in Toronto, agrees stress and lower-than-normal levels of estrogen (雌性激素) are other contributing factors to hair loss in females. Low levels of iron and over-use of chemical hair products such as artificial dyes (染料) can also lead to thinning hair, which can be especially difficult for women, for whom hair loss is much less socially acceptable than it is for men. “Women lose about 25 percent of their hair before even noticing there’s a problem,” Dimakos says. “It can be devastating (毁灭性的) for them.”

There is no surefire (一定成功的) way to prevent hair loss, but there are steps you can take to reduce the amount of hair you lose. Dimakos recommends visiting your doctor because early discovery and treatment can prevent unnecessary hair loss. He also recommends using mild hair products, avoiding hair dyes or extensions, avoiding smoking and taking vitamin B12 if you suspect hair loss may be in your future. Wearing hair in a ponytail (马尾辫) or braid (辫子) regularly can also lead to weakened hair that is likely to fall out, so it may be best to avoid wearing these styles too often.

Of course, if your hair begins to lose, you’d better seek treatment.

? Hair transplants

Very few women turn to hair transplants because unlike men, women suffering from hair loss usually have thinning hair all over their heads rather than only in one area. If there is not enough hair somewhere else on the head that can be taken to fill in the gaps, a transplant cannot be performed.

? Minoxidil

Found in Rogaine, an over-the-counter (OTC) product, this is a medicine that lowers blood pressure. But it can also slow down or stop hair loss, says Dimakos. This option may work for some women, but it is important to consult your physician before taking any type of medication.

Veronica

By Mary Gaitskill.

Pantheon Books, $ 23.

This attractively dark novel from the author of Bad Behavior and Two Girls, Fat and Thin is narrated by a former Paris model who is now sick and poor; her reflections on beauty and cruelty have clarity and an uncanny bite.

On Beauty

By Zadie Smith.

Penguin Press, $ 25.95

In her new book, a cultural – politics novel set in a place like Harvard, the author of White Teeth brings everything to the table: a crisp intellect, a lovely wit and enormous sympathy for the men, women and children who read her story.

Saturday

By Ian McEwan.

Nan A. Talese / Doubleday. $ 26.

As exciting and as carefully constructed as anything McEwan has written, this astringent (尖锐的) novel traces a day in the life of an English neurosurgeon who comes face to face with senseless violence.

De Kooning: An American Master

By Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan.

Alfred A. Knopf, $ 35.

A brilliant biography, impressively researched and absorbingly written, of the talented immigrant who stood at the vortex (中心) of mid – 20th – century American art.

A History of Europe Since 1945

By Tony Judt.

Penguin Press, $ 39.95.

Judt’s massive, learned, truthfully detailed account of Europe’s recovery from the wreckage of World War Ⅱpresents a whole continent in panorama (全景) even as it sets off detonations (爆炸) of insight on almost every page.

1．According to the passage, the most probable non – fiction novel is          .

A．Veronica         B．Saturday

C．On Beauty              D．A History of Europe Since 1945

2．If you’re fond art, which of the following would be your favorite?

A．On Beauty              B．Saturday

C．Veronica          D．De Kooning : An American Master

3．The novels published by the same company are           .

A．On Beauty & A History of Europe Since 1945

B．Saturday & De Kooning : An American Master

C．Veronica & On Beauty

D．A History of Europe Since 1945 & Saturday

4．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Mary Gaitskill is the author of both Veronica and Bad Behaviour.

B．On Beauty describes the stories that happened in Harvard.

C．Two authors finished De Kooning : An American Master together.

D．A post – war Europe can be found in A History of Europe Since 1945.

5．Which of the following novels are written by Zadie Smith?

A．On Beauty & Bad Behavior

B．Saturday & De Kooning : An American Master

C．On Beauty & White Teeth

D．Veronica & White Teeth

Hair loss can be an emotionally troubling experience for some women. Luckily, experts do have suggestions on how to treat and prevent this condition.
According to Dr. Robert Jones of the Hair Transplant Center in Oakville, ON, hair loss in women is largely genetically determined—he estimates that nearly 80 to 90 percent of hair loss in both men and women is due to a family history of the condition. But some women can experience hair loss as the result of a thyroid dysfunction, pregnancy hormones or because of side effects of medicines such as antidepressants and birth control pills. Nick Dimakos, founder of SureThik International in Toronto, agrees stress and lower-than-normal levels of estrogen (雌性激素) are other contributing factors to hair loss in females. Low levels of iron and over-use of chemical hair products such as artificial dyes (染料) can also lead to thinning hair, which can be especially difficult for women, for whom hair loss is much less socially acceptable than it is for men. “Women lose about 25 percent of their hair before even noticing there’s a problem,” Dimakos says. “It can be devastating (毁灭性的) for them.”
There is no surefire (一定成功的) way to prevent hair loss, but there are steps you can take to reduce the amount of hair you lose. Dimakos recommends visiting your doctor because early discovery and treatment can prevent unnecessary hair loss. He also recommends using mild hair products, avoiding hair dyes or extensions, avoiding smoking and taking vitamin B12 if you suspect hair loss may be in your future. Wearing hair in a ponytail (马尾辫) or braid (辫子) regularly can also lead to weakened hair that is likely to fall out, so it may be best to avoid wearing these styles too often.
Of course, if your hair begins to lose, you’d better seek treatment.
? Hair transplants
Very few women turn to hair transplants because unlike men, women suffering from hair loss usually have thinning hair all over their heads rather than only in one area. If there is not enough hair somewhere else on the head that can be taken to fill in the gaps, a transplant cannot be performed.
? Minoxidil
Found in Rogaine, an over-the-counter (OTC) product, this is a medicine that lowers blood pressure. But it can also slow down or stop hair loss, says Dimakos. This option may work for some women, but it is important to consult your physician before taking any type of medication.