Vice premier Wu Yi poses for a group photo with women at home and abroad in Beijing on March 7, 2006．

　　She is known as “China’s iron lady”, but impresses the world with her soft tone and charming smiles．

　　She dreamed of becoming a great entrepreneur(企业家)in her youth, but turned into the only female figure in China’s core(核心)of political power．

　　Elegant and intelligent, Vice-PremierWuYi, 67, is the world’s third most powerful woman, according to a Forbes magazine list published on Friday．It also said German Chancellor Angela Merkel overtook US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the world’s most powerful woman, with Rice ranking the second．

　　But Wu is not the only influential Chinese woman to feature on the list．She is joined by Wu Xiaoling, 59, vice-governor of the People’s Bank of China, and Yang Mianmian, 65, chairwoman and executive director at the Haier Group, the world’s fourth-largest manufacturer of household appliances．They respectively(分别)rank 35th and 70th on the list of the world’s 100 most powerful women．

　　China’s resource-starved and fast-paced economy has kept Vice-Premier Wu busy this year, the US-based magazine said．

　　“Among the issues on her very full plate are addressing intellectual copyright concerns and trade imbalances while developing new markets, ” it said．

　　She announced more than US＄18 billion worth of government contracts(协议), including an estimated US＄5 billion order for Boeing aircraft, while visiting the United States in April．

　　She also travelled to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on an official goodwill visit, part of international efforts to settle the DPRK nuclear issue．

　　“In my eyes, Wu is a wise and capable woman, and a little bit aggressive．Her kind smiles always give others a sense of security,” said Chen Ruya, who works for a foreign consultancy company in Beijing．

　　“Her outstanding performances in China’s diplomatic activities guaranteed her place on the list, ”Chen said．

　　Besides Wu, Merkel and Rice, the rest of the top 10 are business executives, led by the chief executive-designate of PepsiCo, Indian-born and educated Indra Nooyi．

　　In its assessment(评估)of Wu Xiaoling, Forbes said, “no other woman is more powerful in the world of finance in China than Wu Xiaoling．”

　　Yang Mianmian is one of China’s most powerful businesswomen．She became chairwoman and an executive director of Haier in January last year．“Our long-term goal is to become a global top three white goods manufacturer,” Yang wrote in an April letter to shareholders．

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　　Most people feel lonely sometimes, but it usually only lasts between a few minutes and a few hours．This kind of loneliness is not serious．In fact, it is quite normal．For some people, though, loneliness can last for years．Now researchers say there are three different types of loneliness．

　　The first kind of loneliness is temporary(暂时的)．This is the most common type．It usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention．The second kind, situational loneliness, is a natural result of a particular situation－for example, a family problem, the death of a loved one, of moving to a new place．Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems, such as headaches and sleeplessness, it usually does not last for more than a year．

　　The third kind of loneliness is the most severe．Unlike the second type, chronic(长期的)loneliness usually lasts more than two years and has no specific cause．People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and becoming close to others．Unfortunately, many chronically lonely people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition．

　　Psychologists agree that one important factor in loneliness is a person’s social contacts, e．g．, friends, family members, co-workers, etc．We depend on various people for different reasons．For instance, our families give us emotional support, our parents and teachers give us guidance, and our friends share similar interests and activities．However, psychologists have found that, though lonely people may have many social contacts, they sometimes feel they should have more．They question their own popularity．

　　Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons：they are unhappy and unable to socialize and there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease．While temporary and situational loneliness can be a normal, healthy part of life, chronic loneliness can be a very sad, and sometimes dangerous, condition．

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　　Today, air travel is far safer than driving a car on a busy motorway．But still there is a danger that grows every year．Airliners get larger and larger．Some airplanes can carry over 300 passengers．And the air itself becomes more and more crowded．If one large airliner struck into another in midair, 600 lives could be lost．

　　From the moment an airliner takes off to the moment it lands, every movement is watched on radar screens．Air traffic controllers tell the pilot exactly when to turn, when to climb, and when to come down．The air traffic controllers around a busy airport like London-Heathrow may deal with 2500 planes a day．Not all of them actually land at the airport．Any plane that flies near the airport comes under the orders of the controllers there．Even a small mistake on their part could cause a terrible accident．

　　Recently such a disaster almost happened．Two large jets were flying towards the airport．One was carrying 69 passengers from Toronto, the other 176 passengers from Chicago．An air traffic controller noticed on his radar screen that the two planes were too close to each other．He ordered one to turn to the right and to climb．But he made a mistake．He ordered the wrong plane, the first plane turned towards it．Fifteen seconds later it flew directly in front of the second plane．They avoided each other by the smallest part of a second．The distance between them was less than that of a large swimming pool．This is an example of the danger that grows every year．

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　　It remained a question who had to be the pioneer life on a new island．In fact, few people knew it．Thousands of years ago, in the middle of an ocean, miles from the nearest island, an undersea volcano broke out．The hot liquid rock piled higher and higher and spread wider and wider．In this way, an island rose up in the sea．

　　As time went on, hot sun and cool rains made the rock split and break into pieces．Sea waves dashes against the rock．In this way, soil and sand came into being．

　　It is well known that nothing lived on the naked soil．And then the wind and birds brought plant seeds, spiders and other creatures there．Only plants could grow first．Only they, in sunlight, could produce food from the minerals of the soil, water and air．While many animals landed on the island, they could find no food．A spider spun its web in vain, because there were no insects for its web to catch．Insects could not stay until there were plants for them to eat．So plants had to be the pioneer life on this new island．

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　　One of the largest youth organizations in the world is the 4-H, an organization of clubs for young people between 9 and 19．The main purpose of 4-H is to provide young people with the practical skills and understanding they will need to become useful members of their communities．The four H’s stand for head, heart, hands, and health．?

　　When 4-H clubs first began in America in the early 1900s, members were mostly young people from rural(乡村的)areas．The focus was on farm projects, such as raising pigs and growing and canning food．Today over 75％ of the club members come from towns, cities, and suburbs, and hundreds of projects exists, each adapted to its geographical area．While rural districts abound in conservation, forestry, and farm management projects, projects in urban(城市的)areas often involve nutrition(营养学), health, automotive care, and money management．?

　　The 4-H program in America is a joint service of the U．S．Department of Agriculture, state universities, and county governments．Additional funding(供以款项)is provided by business firms and private organizations．Members of the clubs are guided by volunteer adult leaders and their teenage assistants．In the clubs, 4-H’ers learn about and work on solving serious problems that face their communities, issues like environmental protection and community safety．?

　　In addition to the 4-H clubs in the U．S．states and territories, more than eighty countries, have adapted the 4-H idea to fit their own needs．In the less developed countries, many clubs offer courses in proper nutrition and in new farming technology．

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　　Although more and more people are exercising regularly, experts note that eating right is also a key to good health．Nutritionists(营养学家)recommend the “food pyramid” for a simple guide to eating the proper foods．At the base of the food pyramids are grains and fiber．You should eat six to eleven servings(份)of bread, cereal, and rice every day．Next up to the pyramid are vegetables and fruit; five to nine daily servings from this group are recommended．The next pyramid level is the dairy group．Two or three servings a day of milk or cheese help maintain good nutrition．Moving up the pyramid, the next level is the meat, poultry, fish, beans and nuts group, of which everyone should eat only two or three servings a day．At the very top of the pyramid are fats, oils and sweets; these foods should be eaten only infrequently．

　　You don’t have to shop in health food stores to follow the guidelines．One easy way to plan menus that follow the food pyramid is to shop only in the outer aisles(走廊)of the grocery store．In most supermarkets, fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, fresh meat and frozen foods are in the outer aisles of the store of the store．Grains, like rice, bread and cereal, are located on the next aisles, the first inner rows．Finally, the farthest inside of the store is where you will find chips and snacks, cookies and pastries, soda pop and drink mixes．These are the kinds of foods that nutritionists say everyone should eat rarely．If you stay in the outer aisles of the grocery store, you won’t be tempted to buy foods you shouldn’t eat, and you will find a wide variety of healthy foods to choose from．Another benefit of shopping this way is that grocery shopping takes less time．

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　　How many men do housework?Recently a European commission(委员会)tried to find out people’s ideas and reactions to the women’s movement．As part of their survey(调查), they asked many men and women the question, “Who does the housework?” The men answered very differently from the women!

　　The housework they asked people about were：preparing meals, washing dishes, cleaning the house and babysitting．48％ of British husbands said they did these things．37％ of Danish(丹麦的)men helped in the house．But only 15％ of Italian men said they did the housework; many of them said they never helped at all!

　　But there was an interesting point of view from the wives．According to British wives, only 38％ of their husbands helped in the house．And Italian wives said that their husbands hardly ever helped．The Italian and British men did not tell the truth! The Commission found that Danish men were the most truthful husbands．Their answers were the same as their wives’ answers．

　　Do the men you know help in the house?Do you think the survey gives a true picture in your experience?Write and tell us what you think．

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　　When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings．

　　Week by week her list grew：I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on．I tried to hear all this as long as I could．At last, I became very angry．I ran to my father with tears in my eyes．

　　He listened to me quietly, then he asked．“Are the things she says true or not?Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like?Well, you now have that girl’s opinion．Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true．Pay no attention to the other things she said．”

　　I did as he told me．To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true．Some of them I couldn’t change(like being very thin), but a good number I could－and suddenly I wanted to change．For the first time I go to a fairly clear picture of myself．

　　I brought the list back to Daddy．He refused to take it．“That’s just for you, ”he said．“You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself．But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt．When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you．Our world is full of people who think they know your duty．Don’t shut your ears．Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do．”

　　Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments．In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice．

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　　Everyone has an ambition to travel．But those who cannot do so themselves might find it interesting to work in a travel agency, arranging journeys for other people．Brian Lawtey does this, working in a small travel agency in an industrial city．Most of his work is concerned with holiday, both at home and abroad．Every autumn, the agency sends out hundreds of booklets full of attractive, colored photographs, describing the holidays that their customers will be able to have the next year．Soon, people begin to come into the office to book their holidays：perhaps a week’s skiing in Austria in January, perhaps a cruise to the Caribbean in February, perhaps a seaside holiday in Spain in May, or a tour of Africa．Brian often has to advise people on what holidays will be suitable for them, and they always have a lot of questions．Last year, for example, a lady of eighty-two wanted to book for a mountaineering holiday in the Alps, and Brian had great difficulty in persuading her that it would not be suitable．In the end, she decided to go for a Mediterranean cruise instead．

　　Arranging journeys for people who have to travel abroad on business is often very complicated, but Brian enjoys this work．For example, last spring Mr Perry, a director of chemical firm, went on a business trip, and Brian arranged it all for him．First, Mr Perry traveled to London by train, and stayed overnight in a hotel near the airport, because his plane left early the next morning．He flew to Frankfurt in Germany, where he spent the morning discussing business．Then he went on by train to Zurich, where he stayed the night．After a meeting the next morning, he caught a plane for Tokyo, and spent three days there before going to America．He had business in Seattle, Chicago and New York, and stayed some time in each of those places．From New York, he flew back to London, and then got home by train．The next day he telephoned the agency to thank Brian for arranging everything so well for him．