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　　You're out to dinner．The food is delicious and the service is fine．You decide to leave a big fat tip．Why?The answer may not be as simple as you think．

　　Tipping, psychologists have found, is not just about service．Instead, studies have shown that tipping can be affected by psychological reactions to a series of different factors from the waiter's choice of words, to how they carry themselves while taking orders, to the bill's total．Even how much waiters remind customers of themselves can determine how much change they pocket by the end of the night．

　　“Studies before have shown that mimicry(模仿)brings into positive feelings for the mimicker,” wrote Rick van Baaren, a social psychology professor．“These studies show that people who are being mimicked become more generous toward the person who mimics them．”

　　So Rick van Baaren divided 59 waiters into two groups．He requested that half serve with a phrase such as, “Coming up!” Those in the other half were instructed to repeat the orders and preferences back to the customers．Rick van Baaren then compared their take-home．The results were clear－it pays to mimic your customer．The copycat(模仿者)waiters earned almost double the amount of tips to the other group．

　　Leonard Green and Joel Myerson, psychologists at Washington University in St．Louis, found the generosity of a tipper may be limited by his bill．After research on the 1,000 tips left for waiters, cabdrivers, hair stylists, they found tip percentages in these three areas dropped as customers' bills went up．In fact, tip percentages appear to plateau(达到稳定水平)when bills topped ＄100 and a bill for ＄200 made the worker gain no bigger percentage tip than a bill for ＄100．

　　“That's also a point of tipping,” Green says．“You have to give a little extra to the cab driver for being there to pick you up and something to the waiter for being there to serve you．If they weren't there, you'd never get any service．So part of the idea of a tip is for just being there．”

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　　Americans are queer people：they can't rest．They have more time, more leisure, shorter work hours, more holidays, and more vacations than any other people in the world．But they can't rest．They rush up and down across their continent as tourists; they move about in great herds to conferences; they search the wilderness; they flood the mountains; they keep the hotels full．But they can't rest．The scenery rushes past them．They learn it．Battles and monuments are announced to them on a tour bus．They hear them, but they don't get them．They never stop moving; they rush up and down as Shriners, Masons, Old Graduates, Bankers－they are a new thing each day, always rushing to a reunion or something．So they go on rushing about till eventually the undertaker(殡葬工)gather them to a last conference．

　　Americans are queer people：they can't read．They have more schools, and better schools and spend more money on schools and colleges than all Europe．But they can't read．They print more books in a year than the French print．But they can't read．They cover their country with one hundred thousand tons of Sunday newspapers every week．But they don't read them．They're too busy．They use them for fires and to make more paper with．They buy eagerly thousands of new novels at two dollars each．But they read only page one．Their streets are full of huge signs．They won't look at them．Their streetcars are filled with advertising; they turn their eyes away．Transparent colors, cart wheels, and mechanical flares whirl and flicker in the crowded streets at night．No one sees them．Tons of letters pour into the mail boxes, through the houses, and down the garbage cans．No one reads them．

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Woman'’ Day

　　Published by ACP Magazines Ltd, 54 Park St, Sydney

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　　●No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without written agreement from the copyright holders．

　　Subscription(订阅)rate：Australia for one year(52 issues)＄150.00 or six months(26 issues)＄75.00．

　　Tel．(02)9213 6116　Fax：(02)9267 4363

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　　We convince ourselves that life will be better once we are married, have a baby, then another．Then we get frustrated because our children are not old enough and that all will be well when they are older．Then we are frustrated because they reach teenage years and we must deal with them．Surely we'll be happier when they grow out of the teen years．

　　We tell ourselves our life will be better when our spouse(配偶)gets his/her act together, when we have a nicer car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire．The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now．If not, then when?Your life will always be full of challenges．It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all．

　　For the longest time, it seemed that life was about to start－real life．

　　But there was always some obstacles(挫折)along the way, an ordeal(苦难)to get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a bill to be paid．Then life would start．It finally dawned on me that those obstacles were part of life．Little by little, that point of view also helped me see that there isn't any road to happiness．

　　Happiness is the road．So, enjoy every moment．And bear in mind that ________．So stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten pounds, to gain ten pounds, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage(借款)to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn… before deciding to be happy．

　　Happiness is a voyage, not a destination．There is no better time to be happy than…NOW!Live and enjoy the moment．

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　　“Help!Help!Help!” a resident screamed over the phone, “I am being eaten alive by mosquitoes!”

　　Recent rainfalls have produced an early hit of blood-seeking mosquitoes．Once flooded, eggs laid during the drought along water banks hatch(孵化)quickly, flying off to seek hosts such as people, birds, and other animals．

　　The flood mosquitoes are big and aggressive．They chase you down, drill into your skin and take your blood, causing pain and itchiness．“I have lost a pint of blood to those suckers,” a Spring Hill resident claimed．“Mosquitoes are killing my kids,” a Ridge Manor woman shouted．

　　Residents are urged to protect themselves when going out, especially during the hours of dusk and dawn．Long-sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and hats will help keep mosquitoes at bay．

　　Mosquito Control has already received hundreds of service requests this month．When calling in, residents need to provide their name, address, phone number and nature of the problem．Technicians will respond by investigating the problem and making proper treatment and notification to resident．

　　Mosquitoes grow in almost any kind or amount of water．Controlling mosquito larvae(幼虫)is vital to mosquito control．Confined in their water habitat, larvae are treated and eliminated before they mature and “take to wing．” Field technicians check their areas searching for mosquitoes breeding in lakes, ponds, drainage ditches and they treat the water with a host of larvicides(杀幼虫剂)．

　　It is important to understand that mosquito control is much more than sending a spray truck(airplane or helicopter in other counties)to kill adult mosquitoes．Night-time spraying is actually the last defense after all the above procedures have been done, but there are still mosquitoes present in the area．

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　　If U．S．software companies don't pay more attention to quality, they could kiss their business good-bye．Both India and Brazil are developing a world-class software industry．Their weapon is quality and one of their jobs is to attract the top U．S．quality specialists whose voices are not listened to in their country．

　　Already, of the world's 12 software houses that have earned the highest rating in the world, seven are in India．That's largely because they have used new methods rejected by American software specialists．For example, for decades, quality specialists, W．Edwards Deming and J．M．Juran had urged U．S．software companies to change their attitudes to quality．But their quality call mainly fell on deaf ears in the U．S-but not in Japan．By the 1970s and 1980s, Japan was grabbing market share with better, cheaper products．They used Deming's and Juran's ideas to bring down the cost of good quality to as little as 5％ of total production costs．In U．S．factories, the cost of quality then was 10 times as high：50％．In software, it still is．

　　Watts S．Humphrey spent 27 years at IBM heading up software production and then quality assurance．But his advice was seldom paid attention to．He retired from IBM in 1986．In 1987, he worked out a system for assessing(evaluating)and improving software quality．It has proved its value time and again．For example, in 1990 the cost of quality at Raytheon Electronics Systems was almost 60％ of total software production costs．It fell to 15％ in 1996 and has since further dropped to below 10％．

　　Like Deming and Juran, Humphrey seems to be winning more praises overseas than at home．The Indian government and several companies have just founded the Watts Humphrey Software Quality Institute at the Software Technology Park in Chennai, India．Let's hope that U．S．lead in software will not be eaten up by its quality problems．

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　　Psychologists in Britain have said that the last full week of January is the most depressing time of year and called next Monday “Blue Monday”．Blue is a slang way of saying unhappy．

　　Mondays are generally seen as the worst day of the week because people feel tired at having to go back to work after a weekend with a different sleep pattern．

　　There are various reasons why more people feel depressed at this time of year．Many people have unpaid credit card bills for the Christmas presents they bought, and pay day is often not until the end of the month．

　　As the party season is over, people feel stressed because they have to go back to real life－work; and they may be unhappy with their body image after bingeing on booze, chocolates, and other food at Christmas time．

　　People may have already failed in their New Year's resolutions(决定), such as giving up smoking．The bad weather in January can also contribute to people feeling fed up．

　　Some companies are taking this quite seriously and offering counseling for any staff who is feeling depressed．They hope that helping people as soon as there are signs of depression will avoid absenteeism(旷工)．Evidence shows that unreasonable managers who contribute to their staff feeling fed up at this time can expect an uncooperative workforce．

　　However, it's not all bad!Many people feel optimistic at this time, that things can only get better．Psychologists offer suggestions of how to overcome feeling blue．These include spending 15 minutes doing a “gratitude exercise” thinking about and writing down what you are grateful for, such as health, family, friends and so on．

　　Taking up a new hobby, doing some exercise, going to bed earlier, eating a healthy breakfast, and listening to some exciting music, are all recommended as ways to feel more cheerful．To avoid feeling blue next January, experts say that the best things to do is to plan better next December．Spend less on presents, eat and drink less over the festive period, and make more realistic New Year's resolutions．

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　　A．Associate Product Manager－New Grad－Beijing

　　Responsibilities include working with engineers to define products, understanding user needs, researching markets and competitors, and predicting future product directions．As you gain more experience, there's an opportunity for promotion within the organization．

　　Requirements：

　　☆Bachelor's degree and more than one year of job experience．

　　☆Strong organizational and analytical skills．

　　B．Director of Education－Sylvan Learning Centers－Long Beach, California Job description：

　　As a successful director of education, your primary responsibility will be to champion the Sylvan developed curriculum, ensure the quality of the education standards and teachings staff as well as grow the business in your center．We require：

　　☆Bachelor's degree and at least 2 years of teaching experience．

　　☆Managerial experience．

　　C．Area Export Manager-Beijing Import＆Export Corporation-Beijing

　　Highly dynamic company is looking for bright, experienced salesperson who will be responsible for the export of frozen seafood and other commodities between China and the USA, Australia, and Canada．

　　Qualifications：

　　－Excellent level of English, spoken and written．

　　－Excellent communication and organizational skills．

　　－Experienced salesperson with proven results in fast－moving consumer goods essential, preferable in frozen seafood market．

　　D．Subeditor－MEDIA CONTACTS－London

　　Working in the fascinating world of law and enforcement(执法), you will be making sure that you are meeting the exceptionally high standards of copy for this company．As part of a team of six, you will be meeting tight deadlines on a daily basis and ensuring regular flow of articles onto the website．Must have a keen eye for detail and confidence in working with challenging copy．Proven track record in subediting, and a practical knowledge of publishing law are required．

　　E．

　　Job description：Medilife requires able, reliable trainers who can demonstrate the qualities of flexibility and loyalty and join their young, fun-living team．Successful applicants will receive excellent hourly rates．Suitable training provided to the right applicant．

　　F．

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　　When Chato's barking didn't stir Jerrica Seals, the recently adopted dog tried nibbling on the teenager's leg, to get the girl out of her burning house．

　　No one was hurt．Fort Myers firefighters responded at about 7 a. m．

　　Five people lived in the Garcia home．That was neighbor Janice Hamilton's main concern when she looked out of her window Friday and saw the flames．“I just threw my pants on to run outside and make sure they knew how many people lived there,” Hamilton said．“It was scary．”

　　“Seals called me screaming,” said Leticia Vega, 36, the sister of Seal's boyfriend, Javier Garcia, 23, who owns the home．“She said the dog woke her up barking, jumped on the bed and bit her on the leg．”

　　It is said that Garcia's brother brought Chato home several weeks ago after the animal wandered onto a Lehigh Acres construction site．Since then, Vega said, Chato had been mostly quiet－until it mattered．“He doesn't usually bark．” Vega said．“He's really friendly．”

　　According to deputy fire chief Steve Clyatt, possibly the fire started because of an inadequate extension cord used on a window air conditioner．More than half of the home was burned down．There was extensive smoke and water damage in the remainder of the structure．Estimates for repair costs were unavailable．“I'd say it's unlikely they will recover this, but I've been surprised before,” Clyatt said．

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　　He was once referred to as the Picasso of poetry．Beloved by Chileans of all classes, he is one of the most widely read and respected poets in history．And this year is the 100th birthday of Pablo Neruda(1904-1973)．

　　Born with the name Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto, he was a tall, shy and lonely boy．He loved to read and started to write poetry when he was ten．The American poet Walt Whitman, whose framed picture Neruda later kept on his table, became a major influence on his work．

　　However, his father did not like the idea of having a poet for a son and tried to discourage him from writing．To cover up the publication of his first poem, he took the pen name Pablo Neruda．

　　In 1924 Neruda gained fame with his most widely read work “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair''．Yet his rich experience as a diplomat and exile made him go beyond the theme of love．His work also reflected the political struggle of the left and development of South America．He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971．

　　Neruda loved the sea which he saw as creative, destructive and forever moving．He found inspiration in the power and freedom of the waves and the seabirds on the coast．“I need the sea because it teaches me,” he wrote．“I move in the university of the waves．”He loved how the sea forever renewed itself, a renewal echoed in his work．