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　　For some scientists, every day is Groundhog Day．But these researchers aren’t looking for a shadow．They’re trying to figure out how groundhogs each year put themselves into a state of nearly being dead．Body temperature quickly goes down, metabolism(新陈代谢)nearly shuts down, and heart rate slows to something nearly dead．Something changes these normally warm-blooded animals into cool balls．

　　But what? The answers could have deep implications(暗示)for umans．Explaining the mystery of hibernation(冬眠)is necessary for the attractive deep-space travel．If future generations are to stand an interplanetary journey(星际旅行), researchers must learn how to use animal-like hibernation．More immediately ,scientists believe the secrets of hibernation could drive great advances　in stroke(中风)treatment, injury survival and even weight control．

　　“Why is it that this animal can eat like persons who are fat for several months and then shut off for a number of months?” asked Gregory Florant．He studies groundhogs, trying to understand how their energy regulation can change so greatly．

　　Contrary to popular ideas, hibernating animals don’t sleep for the winter and wake up in the spring．Hibernation is not sleep．An animal will periodically wake and then go back down into a state known as torpor(蛰伏)．The particular mark of hibernation is a great rise and fall in metabolism-wild swings(突然转变)in body temperature and blood flow that a person could not stand．

　　Since so many different mammals can hibernate, scientists believe the ability for human to survive similar changes of metabolism is probably buried in the genetic code, which remains a mystery．“We are mammals, therefore we share genes with other mammals that can do this,” Dr．Florant said．“We haven’t discovered what genes are directly involved．”

　　But researchers have recently gained some important breakthroughs about the process．

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　　Happiness, rather than working hard, is the key to success, according to research published yesterday．Cheerfu1 peop1e are more 1ikely to try new things and challenge(挑战)themselves, which strengthens their good emotion and leads to success in work, good relationships and strong health, say psychologists(心理学家)．

The findings suggest that happiness is not a “feel-good” luxury(奢侈品), but is necessary for people’s well-being．What is more, happiness can also reach an entire nation, with people in “happy” nations being more likely to help others．

　　The link between happiness and success was studied by a team from the University of California Riverside, led by Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky．

　　First, they examined questionnaires that ask peop1e about their 1ives．“For example, they show that happy people are likely to earn higher incomes” said Lyubomirsky．Having established the link, they wanted to discover the cause．

　　“Almost always it has been taken for granted that things that connect closely to happiness are the causes of happiness, but it could be just the opposite that those things are likely to be caused by happiness,” said Professor Ed Diener from the University of Illinois, another author on the paper．

　　“There was strong evidence that happiness leads people to be more sociable, more generous and more productive at work, to make more money, and to have stronger immune(免疫)systems, ”said Lyubomirsky．

　　The research shows that while success can put a spring in someone’s step, peop1e need happiness in the first place to achieve success．

　　According to the study, around 4 out of 5 people in modern industrialized nations arc happy at any one time．

　　Success was not just about earning lots of money．“ We describe success as having the things that culture or society values, whether it be friends, close family, money and income, or long life,”said Diener．

　　However, sorrowful people arc not predetermined to lead a life of failure．

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　　What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others．These may show strengths that you can use in your work．A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career．A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work．So it is important to know the subjects you well in at school．On the other hand, you may not have any specially satisfactory standard．Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value．A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details．This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs．

　　Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work．You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills．If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it．If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers．You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example．Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job．

　　Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself．You may be all thumbs when you handle tools, perhaps you are a poor speller or can’t add up a column of figures．It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist．Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background．You should not be apologetic about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work．

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　　London-Big Ben, the landmark London clock renowned for its accuracy and chime(钟声), stopped ticking for 90 minutes, an engineer said Saturday．

Officials do not know why the 147-year-old clock on the banks of the River Thames stopped at 10∶07 pm on Friday．It resumed keeping time, but stalled again at 10∶20 pm and remained still for about 90 minutes before starting up again, a spokeswoman for the House of Commons said．

　　There has been speculation(推测)that a recent period of hot weather may have been to blame．Temperatures in London reached 90 ℃ on Saturday, and forecasts called it England’s hottest day in May since 1953．

　　Big Ben, which is operated by the Palace of West-minister, survived attacks by German Luftwaffe bombers during World War Two, continuing to mark the time to within 1.5 seconds of Greenwich Mean Time．

　　However, the clock has experienced occasional problems．In 1962, snow caused the clock to ring in the New Year 10 minutes late．In 1976, the clock stopped on April 30, 1997, and once more three weeks later．

　　Big Ben is actually the clock’s 13-ton bell, which was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the British commissioner of works at the time the clock was built．

　　The official name for the Gothic tower holding Big Ben is St．Stephen’s Tower．Standing 315 feet tall, it was completed in 1858 after an 1834 fire destroyed most of the Palace of Westminister．

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　　The first reality TV show in the world was called Expedition Robinson and it was shown in Sweden in．Half the population of the country watched the final event and a new kind of TV program was born．Two years later in Holland, the first series of Big Brother was filmed．Again, it was a great success and the final program was watched by 15 million people．Now more than 20 countries around the world have Big Brother or Expedition Robinson on their TV screens．The ordinary people who take part in the programs are known by millions of people in their own countries and reality TV has become big, big business．

　　For the TV producers, reality TV is a dream coming true because many of the programs cost nothing to make．At some point, the television viewers are asked to telephone the program to vote or to apply to take part in the show．It is the cost of these telephone calls that pays for the shows．One of the most popular shows is Pop Idol．In the show, a group of attractive young people are made into pop stars．TV viewers vote for their favorite person on the show．The winner makes a record and millions of copies of the record are sold．His or her pictures are published on the covers of magazines or on the front pages of newspapers, and then, they are quickly forgotten．

　　But not everyone is happy about reality TV．In Portugal two TV channels got into trouble because they showed too much of the personal lives of the people in the shows．In France, reality TV is called“ubbish TV” and the TV studios of Big Brother were attacked three times in one week．In Greece, Big Brother was described as “against human rights and civilization”．

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　　I dreamed I had an interview with God．“So you would like to interview me?” God asked．“If you have the time,” I said．My time is eternity(永远，来生).” God smiled, “what questions do you have in mind for me?” “What surprises you most about human beings?” God answered, “That they get bored with childhood, they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again．That they lose their health to make money, and then lose their money to restore their health．That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither the present nor the future．That they live as if they will never die, and lie as though they had never lived.” God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while．And then I asked, “As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?” “To learn they cannot make anyone love them．All they can do is let themselves be loved．To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others．To learn to forgive by practising forgiveness．To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound(深刻的)wounds in those they love, and it can take many years to heal(治愈)them．To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but is one who needs the least．To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply have not yet learned how to express or show their feelings．To lean that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently．To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves.”“Thank you for your time,” I said humbly．“Is there anything else you would like your children to know?” God smiled and said：“Just know that I am here always.”

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How to Make a Budget(预算)

　　Most likely, you aren't the family breadwinner．But doing a small job or getting a weekly allowance(零花钱)would put some money in your pocket．For kids and grown-ups alike, money is easy to spend．If you aren't careful, it can be going in no time．

　　Being responsible with your money is an important skill to learn and the sooner you start the better．Whether you are tracking your spending or saving for something special, creating a budget can help you deal with your expenses and plan for the future．All you need are paper and a pencil and some self-control．

　　First, take a look at our sample monthly budget．Then, use a separate sheet of paper to plan your own．In the first two columns, list your sources of income and how much you expect to earn from them．In the third and fourth columns, list what you expect to spend your money on and the amount．The left-hand total should be more than or equal to the right-hand total．If it is, you have an effective budget．

　　Budgets are not complex, but sticking to them can be tough．When planning your budget, be realistic about your expenses．If you know that you drop $18 at a movie, don't write $12 in that space simply because you wish you were spending less．If you are eyeing a big purchase, such as a $150 skateboard, spend less and save more until you have the total amount．No matter how attractive it may be, avoid spending your savings．

One day, you will thank yourself!

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　　I was 9 years old when I found out my father was ill．It was, but I can remember my mother's words as if it were yesterday：“Kerrel, I don't want you to take food from your father, because he has AIDS．Be very careful when you are around him.”

　　AIDS wasn't something we talked about in my country when I was growing up．From then on, I knew that this would be a family secret．My parents were not together anymore, and my dad lived alone．For a while, he could take care of himself．But when I was 12, his condition worsened．My father's other children lived far away, so it fell to me to look after him．

　　We couldn't afford all the necessary medication for him, and because Dad was unable to work, I had no money for school supplies and often couldn't even buy food for dinner．I would sit in class feeling completely lost, the teacher's words muffled as I tried to figure out how I was going to manage．

　　I did not share my burden with anyone．I had seen how people reacted to AIDS．Kids laughed at classmates who had parents with the disease．And even adults could be cruel．When my father was moved to the hospital, the nurses would leave his food on the bedside table even though he was too weak to feed himself．

　　I had known that he was going to die, but after so many years of keeping his condition a secret．I was completely unprepared when he reached his final days．Sad and hopeless, I called a woman at the nonprofit National AIDS Support．That day, she kept me on the phone for hours．I was so lucky to find someone who cared．She saved my life．

　　I was 15 when my father died．He took his secret away with him, having never spoken about AIDS to anyone, even me．He didn't want to call attention to AIDS．I do．

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　　There are two types of people in the world．Although they have equal degrees of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy, the other becomes miserable．This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, and events, and the resulting effects upon their minds．

　　The people who are to be happy fix their attention on the conveniences of things：the pleasant parts of conversation, the well-prepared dishes, the goodness of the wines, and the fine weather．They enjoy all the cheerful things．Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the contrary things．Therefore, they are continually discontented．By their remarks, they sour the pleasures of society, offend many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere．If this turn of mind were founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be critical．The tendency to criticize and be disgusted is perhaps taken up originally by imitation．It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors．The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it are convinced of its bad effects on their interests and tastes．I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit．

　　Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious consequences in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck．Those people offend many others, nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect, and scarcely that．This frequently puts them in bad temper and draw them into arguments．If they aim at obtaining some advantage in rank or fortune, nobody wishes them success．Nor will anyone stir a step or speak a word to favor their hopes．

　　If they bring on themselves public disapproval, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their misconduct．These people should change this bad habit and condescend(俯就)to be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others．If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them．Other wise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels．

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　　Many people insure themselves against death．The beneficiary (受益人) may be a wife or a child．For a few dollars a traveler flying from Australia to New York can insure himself for many thousands of dollars．If he should then find himself crashing into the side of a mountain, he will at least be happy at the thought that his family will not be left penniless．It is only fair to add that the safety record of most airlines makes this insurance rather unnecessary．Insurance against death is a legal gamble．The insurance company has complicated tables of statistics which show the average length of life of people in different occupations．

　　They may calculate, for example, that the average life span of a clerk is sixty years．At 38, Mr．Lee has a “life expectancy” of twenty-two years．He may want to insure himself so that when he dies his heir (继承人) will receive $ 1,000．He will have to pay a larger sum each year than, say, Mr．Cole Whose “life expectancy” at the age of 26 is thirty-four years．

　　The gamble arises because the company hoes that each clerk will continue to pay premiums(保险费)until he is at least sixty years old．If Mr．Lee dies after he has paid premiums for two or three years only, the insurance company will lose heavily．But if he lives to the age of sixty or beyond, the insurance company will make a profit．

　　The average length of life sometimes varies from one occupation to another and from one part of the world to another．In some jobs the death from accident or disease is higher than in others．

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