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　　Ants are amazing．They can carry things on their backs many times their own size and weight．And they work as a team to build huge underground homes．

　　But beware if you want to play with this insect because a new species of killer ant has arrived in China．

　　Red fire ants will attack anything from pets to humans if disturbed．

　　These ants, named for their burning sting, have been found in Hong Kong and some cities in Guangdong Province．Experts warned that inland cities such as Beijing should also look out for their possible invasion．

　　Originally from South America, these ants entered North America in the 1930s．They were then transported to Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan more recently．

　　They became a big concern outside South America because they have no natural enemies elsewhere．

　　Red fire ant mounds(蚁丘)have been found everywhere from open grasslands to vegetable gardens．They have also been known to invade air conditioners and traffic lights because of their attraction to electrical current．

　　The pest eats away plants roots, stems, leaves and fruits．When a red fire ant mound is disturbed the ants will attack．And repeated stings could lead people to have chest pains and shock．In extremely rare cases it could cause the person to go into a coma or even die．

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　　Well, Mrs．Evens, I've done my best to look after David．I've tidied his room up every day, got him a meal whenever he needed one and made sure he's always had a clean shirt to put on．It's not been easy, you know．David has had the best of attention, I must say．But now because I asked him to give up bringing that American friend of his home he has got quite miserable and unfriendly．He comes in at all hours and his behavior－well it's quite hard to put up with－and it's all because of this friend．I'm sure he's a bad influence．You see, David's a visitor and doesn't fully understand our ways．

　　He used to study most evenings．He's got through quite a bit of work．He did up his room quite nicely, with bookshelves and large posters．He'd ask Mr．Smith and me up for a drink and cheer us up with songs from his country．He's very good on the guitar, you know．

　　I don't want to appear as if I'm running after him but it's about time we made it up, I'm sure he's upset because I told him off．It might be a good idea to take him out for a meal, perhaps even with his friend．I don't know whether it will do any good but we can try．I'm glad I've had this little chat with you, Mrs．Evens, and I'll let you know how I get on．

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　　Internships are hard to find, and if you ever do one, you'll remember the experience．An internship can help you by supporting you passion, or it can encourage you to explore your field further or switch to another．This is part of the trial and error stage to get you on the right path．

　　Mao Heng stuck with her initial idea of going into law．She interned at a number of places during her college years．The first one was a secretary at a small law firm．“I did a lot of random stuff, nothing professional,” Mao recalls．

　　However, it was the secretarial experience that led to more important internships in her junior and senior years．She worked in counseling at the Xicheng District Courtin Beijing and on a hotline set up by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security．

　　“The experience was tremendously helpful; I saw the gap between me and the successful lawyers, and focused on more than just tests in my studies．”

　　Some interns feels that their ability has been wasted by their bosses．Heng thinks there is an answer to this．“The first thing is to treat everything seriously．Then when your superior sees your ability, ask for more challenging tasks．Don't wait for others, search for opportunities yourself．”

　　Wang Dandan, who is a journalist working for a real estate magazine, interned at Carrefour just before she graduated from college．The internship told her that she was not suited for business．“After working at Carre four, I knew that I had to find a totally different job．I became associated with media．”

　　Though Wang did not follow the career path with Carrefour, she says she was really grateful to the company．“What I learned might sound very ordinary．But before that experience, I remember laughing at my elders whenever they told me：“Until you get out there in the real world, you really don't know how much you don't know．”

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　　BACK in the 1960s, Bulgari, the Italian fine jewelry company, brought back a 1000-year-old Roman tradition of putting coins into jewelry as a signature look in its own heavy gold necklaces, bracelets(手镯)and rings．It is a charming bit of aesthetic(美学的)currency that the company continues to revisit in its designs today．

　　As it happens, coin pieces are now much in demand, thanks to a new crop of designers who are putting their loose change into a variety of attractive investment options, or designs．

　　Meanwhile, in Paris, at the Balenciaga fall collection, Nicolas Ghesquiere showed old coins swinging from the edge of ties．Coin coincidence or value-added fashion?

　　“People are into old-looking things, and coins are more directly real if you are trying to get an antique look,” said Lisa Levine, a jewelry designer with a shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn．Her earrings and charm bracelets are loaded with an international representation of swinging coins, including Tunisian francs, Jamaican cents, German pfennigs and French centimes donated by friends from their preeuro piggy banks．

　　More rustic(乡村的)pieces incorporating ancient Roman coins turn up in the delicate(精致的)hand-hammered gold settings of rings and bracelets designed by Gurhan Orhan, a celebrity favorite since he moved his company from Istanbul to New York a decade ago．And coins sold in the old street markets of Tel Aviv inspired the Agasi ＆ Tamar collection of Einat Agasi and Tamar Harel Klein．They may not qualify as bus fare, but they fit the metallic fashion trends of the season to the penny．

　　Designers with interest in old money judge the artistry of ancient coins with a jeweler's eye for clarity, but other factors also come into play．Elizabeth Locke is particularly choosy about the Greek coins, describing winged horses, gods and emperors that she uses in her pendants(垂饰)and charms：they had best be handsome, like Alexander the Great．

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　　Intensive treatment of gum(齿龈)disease may lead to improved blood flow and significantly reduced inflammation(炎症)in the body, a new study reports．

　　Previous studies had come to similar conclusions, but this was the first clinical trial, the researchers said．

　　The researchers randomly(随便地)assigned 120 people with severe gum disease and no other chronic(慢性的)infections to ordinary care or intensive periodontal(牙齿周围的)treatment．Then they measured blood vessel elasticity, a test of blood flow efficiency, at one, two and six months afterward．

　　At first, the blood flow efficiency declined in the periodontal group．But it improved significantly compared with the other group when tested two and six months later．

　　There were no significant differences between the groups in such heart disease risk factors as levels of high-density or low-density lipoproteins, total cholesterol or blood levels of C-reactive protein．The study, published March 1 in The New england Journal of Medicine, included only people with severe gum disease, and the authors wrote that it was not clear that similar improvements in vascular(脉管的)function would be seen in people with less serious periodontal problems．

　　Maurizio S．Tonetti, the study's lead author, explained in an interview that gum disease, along with other chronic inflammation, might contribute to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries(动脉)．Dr．Tonetti is the executive director of the European Research Group on Periodontology．

　　“People should not think that this is the cause of heart attacks,” he said．“It's one of many things that can contribute．But investing in oral health, both in terms of prevention and treatment, may not only be good for your smile and chewing, but for your overall health as well．”

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Exploring a Range of Motions

　　By MELENA RYZIK

　　Published：March 29,2007

　　“FIRST time for fear, second time for fun” is the unofficial motto of this trapeze(吊秋千)and acrobatics(杂技)academy．The brightly colored studio may be short of amenities(no locker room or towels), but it's a place for newcomers who want to overcome their addiction to gravity in small group classes．

　　First, there's “ground school” where we learned the proper jumping-off stance(姿势)(hips forward, chest up, one arm extended)and “the trick”：hanging, knees around the bar．

　　After a mere 10 minutes of practice on the floor and a low-hanging trapeze, you fasten a rope to your waist and climb a ladder to a platform 18 feet high．Two instructors wait there to walk you through steps．Before you realize you're ready, they call out “Hep!(行进时为使步伐一致的吆喝声)”and you jump．Twenty minutes after class started, I was, to my own surprise, flying through the air upside down and backward．

　　Wow! Or “Whoooooo!” as Zoe Muntaner put it her first time．As an experienced skydiver, she also felt shaky．“It's exactly the same fear,” she said．

　　The few students got plenty of practice through turns．Randy Kohn, an instructor, told us when to bend our knees and release our arms．At first, the hour-long class seemed more mentally than physically challenging; the only thing that hurt were my palms, though later my upper body ached．But apparently, swinging works your trapezoids(小多角骨), legs and core．“You always have to stay tight for everything, otherwise none of the tricks will work,” Mr．Hedglin said．

　　Flying may build strength．But it's the rush that will bring me back．

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　　The sometimes tense relationship between presidents and New York City mayors was seemingly set 30 years ago with the famous Daily News headline following President Gerald R．Ford's decision not to help the city out from a financial crisis．(“Ford to City：Drop Dead,” it read．)

　　But yesterday provided something of a role of the opposite：President Bush came to promote strong national economic data and to do it in the glow of a New York City economy that he said was “booming with a bond rating(债券评级)at an all-time high, and unemployment near an all-time low．”

　　The moment highlighted the unique relationship Mr．Bush has with New York City, to which he has been linked since the 2001 terrorist attacks, even though he is unpopular with many voters here．

　　And as he spoke at the Federal Hall National Memorial on Wall Street for an event held by the Association for a Better New York, he addressed an audience that included not only business leaders but also three New York City mayors-one of them a Republican, two of them Democrats．

　　There was Mayor Michael R．Bloomberg, a late-blooming Republican, who kept his distance from the president throughout the 2005 mayoral campaign in case the president's low poll(选举投票)ratings rub off on him．

　　Mr．Bloomberg seemed to receive slightly louder applause than Mr．Bush did yesterday, though, to be fair, both were warmly received and many of Mr．Bloomberg's own officials were in the audience．

　　But Mr．Bush did not seem to take offense either way．

　　“Mr．Mayor, thanks for being here, I appreciate your coming,” Mr．Bush told Mr．Bloomberg．“You're doing what people want you to do, and that is to lead this city．”

　　Then there was former Mayor David N．Dinkins, the liberal Democrat．“Mr．Mayor-David Dinkins, thank you for being here,” Mr．Bush said from the lectern．“Proud you're here．”

　　His warmest words were for Mayor Edward I．Koch, the Democrat who crossed party lines to endorse Mr．Bush in 2004．

　　“And it's good to see my buddy(密友), Mayor Ed Koch,” Mr．Bush said．“Mr．Mayor, thank you for coming．”

　　One former mayor who was not there：Rudolph W．Giuliani, the man at or near the top of many polls of possible Republican presidential contenders(竞争者), who, according to an aide, was at tending a fund-raiser out of town．

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　　Every two years, cities around the world make bids to the International Olympic Commission(IOC)to host the Olympic Games．Today, cities are selected through a much more rigorous(严格的)process．

　　Any city that wants to host the Olympic Games puts in its name to the IOC and is considered an “Applicant City”．For the next ten months, the IOC investigates the city on several points：

　　1)The city must prove that it is big enough to handle the Olympics．They also need to show that they can handle the high level of security needed at the games．

　　2)The city needs to convince(使明白)residents that the expenses of covering the Olympics(which may be covered by raising taxes)are worth it in city improvement and new jobs．

　　3)The city needs to maintain a highly positive media exposure to carry the games．

　　If the IOC decides that a city has fulfilled the three points above, the city is considered a “Candidate City” and goes into the second phase of the process．After submitting(提交)an application and an application fee, the IOC makes a final judging on which city is the best candidate for the coming Summer or Winter Olympic Games．

　　The costs for bidding for the Games is incredibly high．Bid committees must pay an application fee(The fee for hosting the 2012 Olympics was US＄150,000)to the IOC．Following these fees, the cities generally need to begin large construction projects like building the “Olympic Village”, new sports arenas(比赛场)and stadiums, and transportation systems．

　　If the Olympics are so expensive, why do cities want to host the games? Cities bid for the Olympics for a variety of reasons：the desire to show pride in their city and their country, the eagerness to be in the international spotlight for two weeks, the opportunity to bring new jobs into the community, and to build up tourism to that city．

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　　Walk through the Amazon rainforest today and you will find it is steamy, warm, damp and thick．But if you had been around 15,000 years ago, during the last ice age, would it have been the same? For more than 30 years, scientists have been arguing about how rainforests like the Amazon might have reacted(反应)to the cold, dry climates of the ice ages, but until now, no one has reached a satisfying answer．

　　Rainforests like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO₂ from the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming．Currently the trees in the Amazon take in around 500 million tones of CO₂ each year; equal to the total amount of CO₂ giving off in the UK each year．But how will the Amazon react to future climate change? If it gets drier, will it still survive and continue to draw down CO₂?Scientists hope that they will be able to learn in advance how the rainforest will manage in the future by understanding how rainforests reacted to climate change in the past．

　　Unfortunately, getting into the Amazon rainforest and collecting information are very difficult．To study past climate, scientists need to look at fossilized pollen, kept in lake muds．Going back to the last ice age means drilling deep down into lake sediments(沉淀物), which requires specialized equipment and heavy machinery．There are very few roads and paths, or places to land helicopters and aero planes．Rivers tend to be the easiest way to enter the forest, but this still leaves vast areas between the rivers completely unsampled(未取样)．So far, only a handful of cores have been drilled that go back to the last ice age and none of them provide enough information to prove how the Amazon rainforest reacts to climate change．

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　　There is good and bad news for parents today．The word “mother” has been voted the most beautiful word in the English language．But “father” failed even to make it on to the list of the 70 best words compiled(汇编)in a survey of thousands of non-English speakers across the globe．From Ankara to Zurich, “mother” was voted above “love” “smile” and “blossom”．

　　“Mother-in-law” was also nowhere to be seen．Funny that maybe the hyphens(连字符)disqualified it．

　　In second place was “passion”, followed by “smile” “love” and “eternity”, with “fantastic(难以置信的)”“destiny” “freedom” “liberty” and “tranquility” completing the top 10．

　　The results were revealed by the British Council which carried out a huge survey of more than 40,000 people in 102 non-English speaking countries．

　　The study was undertaken to celebrate the group's 70th anniversary－and it threw up a few surprising entries to the list．

　　“It's interesting that ‘mother’, the only word of the 70 that describes a direct relationship between people, came top of the poll(投票)”, said British Council spokesman Greg Selby．“It is great to see words in the survey that are so positive and suggestive of the British Council's purpose－words such as freedom’ ‘liberty’ ‘peace’ ‘renaissance’ and ‘destiny’．”

　　Those surveyes were allowed to choose their words on either meaning or sound, said Mr．Selby．This explained why words that are satisfying to pronounce, like “flip-flop”, made the list．

　　Famous mothers like Kate Winslet, Elle Macpherson and Claudia Schiffer have all done their bit to make the word popular．

　　Kate, 28, even pulled out of Woody Allen's new film to spend more time with her young family．

　　Singer Robbie Williams is proud to declare his love for his mother, while comedian Peter Kay endured a marathon British tour to pay for a new house for his mom．

　　The mood was added to by Britney Spears, yesterday as she expressed her love for her mother．

　　She said：“My mom was and still is a supermom．She is just so much fun and I think the reason why I relate to her so well is because she's young mom．”

　　She added：“Mom, thanks for being the best role model-you rock．”

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