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　　Bringing up children is hard work, and you are often to blame for any bad behavior of your children．If so, Judith Rich Hams has good news for you．Parents, she argues, have no important long-term effects on the development of the personality of their children．Far more important are their playground friends and neighborhood companions．Ms Harris takes to bits the assumption which has dominated(支配)developmental psychology for almost half a century．

　　Ms Harris's attack on the developmentalists “nurture” argument looks likely to reinforce(加强)doubts that the profession was already having．If parents matter, why is it that two adopted children, reared in the same home, are no more similar in personality than two adopted children reared in separate homes?Or that a pair of identical twins, reared in the same home, are no more alike than a pair of identical twins reared in different homes?

　　Difficult as it is to track the precise effects of parental upbringing, it may be harder to measure the exact influence of the peer(同龄人)group in childhood and adolescence．Ms Harris points to how children from immigrant homes soon learn not to speak at school in the way their parents speak．But acquiring a language is surely a skill, rather than a characteristic of the sort developmental psychologists hunt for．Certainly it is different from growing up tensely or relaxedly, or from learning to be honest or hard-working or generous．Easy though it may be to prove that parents have little impact on those qualities, it will be hard to prove that peers have vastly more．

　　Moreover, mum and dad surely cannot be ditched completely．Young adults may, as Ms Harris argues, be keen to appear like their contemporaries．But even in those early years, parents have the power to open doors: they may initially choose the peers with whom their young associate, and pick that influential neighborhood．Moreover, most people suspect that they come to resemble their parents more in middle age, and people's child-rearing habits may be formed partly by what their parents did．So the balance of influences is probably complicated, as most parents already suspected without being able to demonstrate it scientifically．Even if it turns out that the genes they pass on and the friends their children play with matter as much as affection, discipline and good example, parents are not completely off the hook．

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　　People who sell goods and services over the telephone are called telemarketers．India, the Philippines, China and South Africa are among the countries where telemarketing is a growing industry．Others, such as Mauritius, want to enter the business．

　　This should not be difficult for countries with the technology and interest．Many international companies have started to move their call centre jobs to nations where the wages are lower．People may have no idea if a call worker is on the other side of the world．

　　Most call centres are used not only for telemarketing．Workers also help customers．They collect information for companies．And they handle claims and record keeping．In fact, India's call centre industry has been described as “the back office of the world”．About 70 companies there do telemarketing for American businesses．

　　Some experts estimate that more than 250,000 telemarketing jobs have already moved out of the United States．These and other jobs in the services industry are expected to continue to leave the country．

　　The Forrester Research group expects more than 3 million jobs in the services industry to move within the next fifteen years．It says that they will go to countries like India, Russian, China and the Philippines．As a result, the company says, the United States will lose more than 130,000 million dollars in wages．

　　This amount could increase depending on how a legal battle over a nation ‘do not call' list is settled．More than 50 million Americans have signed on to a new government list to prevent phone calls from telemarketers．These calls often interfere with family time or dinner．The American government supports the do-not-call list, which took effect this month．Telemarketers could face large fines for violations, though some kinds of calls are still permitted．

　　The industry says the list violates the right to free speech．In addition, lawmakers who represent areas with call centres worry about the loss of jobs．The fear is that more Americans call centres will close or move overseas if the list is enforced(强制执行)．

　　An appeal court ruled that the government may continue to enforce the do-not-call list for now at least．A final ruling could come from the United States Supreme Court．

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　　Every year more and more plants and animals disappear and they will never to be seen again．Strangely, it is the most intelligent but most thoughtless animal that is causing most of the problems－man．Nature is very carefully balanced and if this balance is disturbed, animals can disappear alarmingly fast．Every day, thousands of species of animals draw closer to extinction．There are countless numbers of species which may become extinct before they are even discovered．

　　In many lakes the fish are dying．Fishermen are worried because every year there are fewer fish and some lakes have no fish at all．Scientists are beginning to get worried too．What is killing the fish?

　　The problem is acid rain．Acid rain is a kind of air pollution．It is caused by factories that burn coal, oil or gas．These factories send smoke high into the air．The wind often carries the smoke far from the factories．Some of the harmful substances in the smoke may come down with the rain hundreds of miles away．The rain in many places isn't natural and clean any more．It's full of acid chemicals．When it falls in lakes, it changes them too．The lakes become more acidic．Acid water is like vinegar or lemon juice．It hurts when it gets in your eyes．It also kills the plants and animals that usually live in lake water．That is why the fish are dying in lakes．

　　But dead fish may be just the beginning of the problem．Scientists are finding other effects of acid rain．In some large areas trees are dying．Not just one tree here and there, but whole forests．At first scientists couldn't understand why．There were no bugs or diseases in these trees．The weather was not dry．But now they think that the rain was the cause．Acid rain is making the earth more acidic in these areas．Some kinds of trees cannot live in the soil that is very acidic．

　　Now scientists are also beginning to study the effects of acid rain on larger animals．For example, they believe that some deer in Poland are less healthy because of acid rain．If deer are hurt by the rain, what about people?This is the question many people are beginning to ask．No one knows the answer yet．But it is an important question for us all．

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　　What did you dream about last night?Did your teeth fall out or did you fly?Maybe you died or someone you know did．Or maybe you were back in high school．These are among the most common dreams people have and they all mean something．Here are some of the most common dreams and their interpretations or symbolism．

　　Dreams of flying．Dreams of flying represent feelings of freedom that may result from an instance when you overcome a limitation or obstacle．Usually, children have more flying dreams than adults, because children are more open to their possibilities, and adults have often accepted limitations imposed by society．

　　Teeth falling out．Food in a dream is symbolic of knowledge because food nourishes the physical body and knowledge nourishes the soul．Teeth are a means to break down food or knowledge．When your teeth fall out in a dream, it could signify that you feel ill - equipped to break down the knowledge that you have available, that the way you break things down has changed．That change can be either positive or negative．

　　High school dreams．High school is a place of learning from the past, and dreaming of being unprepared for a high school test can indicate a struggle to access information you need to handle in your life．

　　Recurring dreams and nightmares．Recurring dreams are your subconscious(潜意识)mind's way of trying to get your attention．A recurring dream is a step down from a nightmare that is a louder, more insistent way your subconscious mind communicates．If you have a recurring dream, try to stop in the dream and identify what the dream is trying to tell you．That could mean asking someone who is chasing you what he or she wants．A woman dreamed for years that an old, haggard woman was chasing her around her home．When she finally stopped in the dream and asked the old woman what she represented, the old,woman suddenly turned into a beautiful young woman and replied, "I represent your question of ' what if?' "

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　　Roger Federer and Serena Williams have been named as 2009' s world champions by the International Tennis Federation(ITF)after topping the year-end rankings．

　　Federer, who wins the honour for the fifth time, completed a career Grand Slam(大满贯)at Roland Garros before winning his 15th Grand Slam ride at Wimbledon．

　　And Williams won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, her llth major success．

　　The pair will receive their awards at the annual 1TF world champions dinner in Paris in June．

　　Federer regained the world number one ranking from Rafael Nadal after his Paris victory and his Wimbledon win over Andy Roddick saw him surpass Pete Sampras' haul of Grand Slam titles．

　　He was also runner - up at the Australian Open and the US Open and helped his country retain its Davis Cup world group status．

　　"It is an honour for me to be named ITF world champion for a fifth time．It was an incredible(不可思议的)year for me both on and off the court," said the 28 - year-old Swiss star whose wife Mirka gave birth to twin girls in July．

　　"To win my first Roland, Garros title, break the all - time Grand Slam record and regain the number one ranking is amazing．It means a lot to me to finish the year again at the top．"

　　Williams takes the award for the first time since 2002．As well as her Grand Slam wins, she won the season - ending WTA Championships in Doha．sealing the top ranking in the last event of die year．

　　She also took the doubles year award with sister Venus after taking their career total to 10 Grand Slam titles．In doing so, she joins Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis as the only players to become singles and doubles world champions in the same year．

　　American twins Bob and Mike Bryan were named as the men' s doubles world champions for the sixth time in seven years．

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　　April 22,2010 will be the 18th celebration of the annual Take Our Daugluers to Work Day(TOD), a project the National Ms．Foundation for Women of America(NFW)developed to expose girls to expanding opportunities for women in the workplace．

　　The program offers, millions of girls a first - hand view of the many career opportunities available in their futures．Now that women make up 46 peroent of the U．S．workforce, girls can find role models in every occupational field-from politics to molecular biology to professional athletics, to name just a few．TOD encourages girls to focus on their abilities and opportunities, not just their appearance．

　　The NFW developed the project more than a decade ago to address the self-esteem problems that many girls experience when they enter adolescence．At school, boys often receive more encouragement in the classroom, especially in math．science and computer science, the academic fields that tend to lead to the highest salaries．Women receive on average only 73 cents for every dollar that men are paid．and remain vastly underrepresented(数量不足)in top executive positions and technology fields．TOD aims to give girls the confidence and inspiration they need to develop successful careers, particularly in non-traditional fields．

　　Perhaps because the program had become so widespread and successful, TOD had been criticized for excluding boys．and it was expanded in 2003to include boys．The program's official website states that the program was changed in order to provide both boys and girls with opportunities to explore careers at an age when they are more flexible in tenns of gender stereotyped roles．"We should also show boys that becoming a child care provider is as acceptable a choice as becoming a police officer or CEO," added Sara K．Gould．executive director of the NFW．

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　　A businesswoman, a mother of four, an international fashion icon(偶像), a woman committed to making the world a better place for women and children－Queen Rania of Jordan is truly changing the world．

　　Rania was bom in Kuwait, in 1970．Shortly after Iraq invaded that country in 1990, her family fled and settled in Jordan．After graduating from a business school, Rania became successful in the business world．

　　When she was just 22, she went to a dinner party that changed her life forever．It was there that she met Jordan' s Prince Abdullah．Six months later, Rania and Abdullah had a royal wedding and started a family．

　　After the death of her father–in–law, King Hussein, in 1999, Prince Abdullah was crowned King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Rania became the world' s youngest living queen．

　　In her role as Queen, Rania has become well known around the world for her charity work and her efforts to improve educational opportunities for girls．She is an outspoken advocate of women' s rights, education reform, and child abuse．She is also well-known for her efforts to remove Western stereotypes(旧观念)about the Muslim world．

　　Rania explains that there is a direct relationship between increasing education and eliminating poverty．" You can change the course of a nation through education," she says．" One of the most important things you can do for a girl is empower her with her education．Once she has the education she can then have control over her income, she can change her life, she can have choices．"

　　In the future, Rania says, she hopes for a more open and secure world．"We look at problems happening halfway across the world and we think,' Well, that' s their problem．But it' s not," she says．" When you solve somebody else' s problem, you are solving a problem for yourself, because our world today is so interconnected．"

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　　Man's best friend could be one of the environment's worst enemies, according to a new study that says that your pet dog's carbon pawprint(碳足迹)is more than double that of a sports car．

　　Yet this point of view, made by New Zealanders Robert and Brenda Vale, has angered pet owners who feel they are being picked out as troublemakers．

　　The Vales, researchers in sustainable(可持续的)living, looked at popular brands of pet food and calculated that a medium-sized dog eats about 164 kilos of meat and 95 kilos of grain a year．

　　Combining that with the energy needed to produce that food, it means a medium-sized dog has an annual footprint of 0．84 hectares(公顷), about twice the 0.41 hectares required by a sports car driving 10,000 kilometers a year, including energy to build the car．

　　“Owning a dog really is quite an extravagance(奢侈), mainly because of the carbon footprint of mean．Other animals aren't better for the environment,”the Vales say．

　　Cats have an eco-footprint of about 0．15 hectares a year, while two hamsters(仓鼠)are the same as a television and even the goldfish burns energy equal to two cellphones．

　　However, Reha Huttin, president of France's 30 Million Friends animal rights foundation says pets are too important to human life to be got rid of．

　　“Everyone should work out their own environmental effect,”Huttin argude．“I should be allowed to say that I walk instead of using my car and that I don't eat meat, so why souldn't I be allowed to have a little cat to reduce my loneliness?”

　　The Vales give some solutions to reduce pets' environmental effect, including reducing pets' meat intake．But they said that, as with buying a car, humans should take the environmental effect of their future compainon into account．

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　　Imagine your body is like the house you live in．Every day, your family creates rubbish．The rubbish builds up until it is put out for the weekly garbage collection．

　　Now, say you put three bags of garbage out．but because one of the collectors was away sick, only two bags are collected．You take the leftover bag inside to be put out again next week．The following week you put on another three bags．plus the leftover bag from last week．But again, only two bags are collected．Imagine this cycle is repeated over the following weeks．

　　This is a simple description of what happens to your body when your kidneys(肾脏)don't work efficiently．Your body is nol thoroughly emptied of waste products．Other areas of the bodv such as blood pressure and red blood cell production are affected and the insidious process that may lead to kidney failure begins．

　　It's not uncommon for people to lose up to 90％ of their kidney function before deveoping any symptoms．There may be no warning signs．This makes early detection(诊查)difficult．

　　Kidney's main job is to remote toxins(毒素)and unwanted water from our blood．Every day our kidneys clean an average of 200 litres of blood．Kidney failure may be a gradual and silent process, going unnoticed because there is no apparent pain．

　　Research shows that more than 35％ of the patients requiring dialysis(透析)do not see a kidney specialist before they have to do so．Some risk factors for kidney disease such as age and genetic make up are out of our control; however, some changes in lifestyle may help prevent kidney damage．Two major risk factors for kidney disease, diabetes(糖尿病)and high blood pressure, have been on the rise over the last few decades．Both conditions are chiefly affected by being overweight and not getting enough exercises, which are the potential risk factors for the kidney disease．

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　　When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California．Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times．Polly's son, Jim．had great difficulty in school．He was classified as educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers．But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room．His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride．Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident．After his death, his mother submitted(提交)this letter to the newspaper．

　　Today we buried our 20-year-old son．He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night．How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time．If I had only known I would have said,“Jim, I love you and I'm very proud of you．”

　　I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him．I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people．

　　When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn't to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc．, your angry feelings won't amount to much．

　　I won't get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance．Tell your young people what you would want them to hear if you knew it would be your last conversation．The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died．He called me to say,“Hi, Mom!I just called to say I love you．Got to go to work．Bye．”He gave me something to treasure forever．

　　If there is any purpose at all for Jim's death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care．