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　　Dieters are often advised to stop drinking alcohol to avoid the extra calories lurking in a glass of wine or a favorite cocktail．But new research suggests that women who regularly consume moderate(适度的)amounts of alcohol are less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers and are at lower risk for obesity(fatness)．

　　The findings, reported this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are based on a study of 19,220 United States women aged 30 to 40 who fall into the “normal weight” based on their body mass index．Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston tracked the women’s drinking habits over 13 years．About 60 percent of the women were light or regular drinkers, while about 40 percent reported drinking no alcohol．

　　Over the course of the study, 41 percent of the women became overweight．Although alcohol is packed with calories, the nondrinkers in the study actually gained more weight over time：nine pounds, on average, compared with an average gain of about three pounds among regular moderate drinkers．The risk of becoming overweight was almost 30 percent lower for women who consumed one or two alcohol drinks a day, compared with nondrinkers．

　　The findings are certain to be confusing for women who continue to receive conflicting messages about the health benefits and risks of alcohol．Although moderate drinking is associated with better heart health, regular drinking also increases breast cancer risk．

　　The trend toward less weight gain among drinkers doesn’t appear to hold true for men．A 2003 study of British men showed that regular drinkers gained more weight than nondrinkers．Studies suggest that drinking alcohol has different effects on eating habits among men and women．Men typically add alcohol to their daily caloric intake, whereas women are more likely to substitute(替代)alcohol for food．In addition, there may be differences in how men and women metabolize(代谢)alcohol．Metabolic studies show that after men drink alcohol, they experience little if any metabolic change．But alcohol appears to slightly speed up a woman’s metabolism．

　　The findings don’t mean women should rush to drink alcohol to lose weight．Other research shows that once a person is already overweight, her alcohol metabolism is more efficient, and so an overweight woman may gain more weight from alcohol than a lean(瘦的)woman．The data do, however, suggest that for many women facing weight problems, the extra calories are probably not coming from alcoholic drinks．

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　　By now you are probably feeling the effects of the TV writers’ strike---the decision of television writers to stop working．With few new TV shows, I present to you a list of shows available on DVD worth your viewing time to keep you going during this painful period．

　　Arrested Development is one of the funniest and most clever shows ever to have appeared on network TV．With a most perfect cast(全体演员), the show sets out to cover the daily happenings of the Bluth family, a group of selfish staff who manage to still put family first．

　　For more comedy goodness, I recommend one of the sharpest comedies to have ever broadcast, 30 Rock．Starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, two stars with impressive comic timing, the show gives you a glimpse into the making of a sketch show(幽默短剧),similar to Saturday Nigth Live, from the funny writers to the self-centered cast all the way up to the boss．

　　If you are looking for something more serious, or perhaps Friday Night lights might be more to your liking．If you are a fan of football, this show is probably for you．If you are a fan of great drama, both soapy and serious, this show is probably for you, If you are a fan of good-looking people, this show is definitely for you．

　　If those shows were not enough for you, might I recommend a show with a more heart-pounding excitement? The Amazing Race, after twelve seasons, still remains one of the most exciting shows on TV．Teams of two travel the globe with little to no money and experience far-out adventures in an attempt to remain the last team standing．

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　　Dior was born in Normandy in 1905, and his family’s original plans for him included a career in the diplomatic service, but by the time he was twenty-three, with his parents’money, he opened a small art gallery in Paris．By 1931, the money had been used up．Dior’s friends in the art gallery, asked him to draw and he took his first step at designing and drawing．His first job was with Lucien Lelong from whom Dior learned his craft(手艺)．

　　In February,1947, Dior started the New Look in his first major Paris collection．He was backed by a famous textile producer, Boussac, who looked after the dollars, while Dior looked after the fashions．Dior knew nothing about cutting and sewing, but he was good at fashion design．

　　The New Look started an entirely different look to costume, with a tiny waist, a rounded shoulder and a shapely bust(胸围), usually with a low-cut neckline and a long full skirt．To women who had lived through the war years, the femaleness of the New look was a great success, for people were tired of tile extremely plain, wartime restrictive fashions．

　　It is said that dresses by Dior were “constructed like buildings”, but young people were attracted to his design, and all over the western world, manufacturers plunged(投入)into the production of his new style．Dior’s revolutionary designs lighted up a whole cycle of fashion, rounded, gentle, feminine, a delight in elegance．A New Look House of Dior opened in 1948, followed by one in London．Considered as King of Couture(women’s clothing)for years, the Dior empire grew until it covered every country in the western world, and included furs, hosiery, jewelry, perfumes, men’s wear and on and on．More than 1,000 people worked at the Paris headquarters then．

　　His sudden death in 1957 when he was 53 years old did not stop the growth of the House of Dior．Even now, so many years after his death, his name is closely connected with fashion throughout the world, and indeed is one of the most recognized names in the world, His first, great New Look, with its long skirts was an expression of freedom in the late 1940s．

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　　Some American parents might think their children need better education to compete with those in China and other countries．But how much do the parents themselves need to change?

　　A new book called Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua has caused a debate about cultural differences in parenting．In Chinese culture, the tiger represents strength and power．In the book, Ms．Chua writes about how she demanded excellence from her daughters．She said that she had a clear list of what her daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were not permitted to do, such as attending a sleepover, having a play date, watching TV or playing computer games and getting any grade less than an A．

　　Many people have criticized Amy Chua．Some say her parenting methods were abusive(辱骂的)．She even admits that her husband, who is not Chinese, sometimes objected to her parenting style．But she says that it was the way her parents raised her and her three sisters．

　　Ms．Chua makes fun of her own extreme style of parenting．She says she eased some of the pressure after her younger daughter rebelled and shouted, “I hate my life! I hate you!”

　　Ms．Chua says she decided to retreat when it seemed like there was a risk that she might lose her daughters．But she also says American parents often have low expectations of their children’s abilities．“One of the biggest differences I see between Western and Chinese parents is that Chinese parents assume strength rather than fragility(脆弱),” she said．

　　“The beginning of this intense discussion has to do with what it means to be a successful parent and what it means to be a successful child,” said Stacy Debroff, who has written four books about parenting．

　　Ms．Debroff says Amy Chua’s parenting style is not limited to Chinese families．She says it represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants(移民)seeking a better future for their children．

　　But she also sees a risk．When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life．Stacey Debroff advises parents to develop their own styles of parenting and not just repeat the way they were raised．

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　　A lazy Susan is an addition to a table, which is designed to assist in moving food from one person to another while dining．This is accomplished through the use of a turntable(转盘), which usually moves the food in a circle when pushed by those at table．In this way, the food never has to be picked up and passed around the table．Instead, it remains in place as the lazy Susan is turned about．

　　A lazy Susan may also be a part of a kitchen cabinet．One may spin the lazy Susan in order to find certain goods stored in it．From the outside, a lazy Susan appears to be two cabinets．When one of these cabinets is pushed, however, both doors move and the lazy Susan is revealed inside．

　　Whether the lazy Susan is on a tabletop or within a cabinet, it can be made of a variety of materials．Most commonly, a lazy Susan is made of either plastic, wood or glass．Some people believe that Thomas Jefferson invented the lazy Susan, though it was referred to as a dumb waiter(上菜升降架)at that time．It is said that Jefferson invented the lazy Susan because his daughter complained she was always served last at table and, as a result, never found herself full when leaving the table．Others believe that Thomas Edison was the inventor, as he is believed to have invented the turntable for his phonograph(留声机), which later developed into the lazy Susan．

　　Regardless of who invented it, it wasn’t until 1917 that the term lazy Susan was created in an advertisement for the invention．In Britain, however, the term dumb waiter is still used rather than the term lazy Susan．The reason for the name lazy Susan remains a mystery．One theory is that it was named after either Jefferson’s or Edison’s daughter, both of whom were named Susan．

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　　After a year of preparing herself, Laura Dekker has been given permission to sail around the world．“I was so happy that I almost jumped into the river,” Laura said, after learning of the court’s verdict(判决)．

　　The 14-year-old was born on a ship in the South Pacific, and currently lives with her father on a boat．When child protection agencies heard about her plan to sail alone, they took the case to court and prevented her from making such a dangerous voyage．

　　Since the decision, though, Laura had been preparing with her father to convince the court that she was ready．Later on, she received the books and other materials she would need for school while she was at sea．She added safety equipment to a new, big ship．And she took her first aid course to learn several survival skills, like how to put out fires on the boat, take care of her own injuries and deal with lack of sleep．She also planned a safer course－adding alternate routes(备用路径)to avoid pirate attacks, and planning a course that would have her on dry land as she moved from port to port across the globe．

　　Even with all of the added preparations, the trip still has its risks．In early June, 16-year-old Abby Sunderland, an American, had to abandon(放弃)her attempt to become the youngest sailor to travel around the world．Her ship’s mast(桅杆)broke due to rough waters in the Indian Ocean, and she was rescued by a French fishing ship．

　　Laura plans to take longer than Abby for her voyage, and is using a larger and more stable boat．If she finished successfully in less than two years, she will take the title from current record-holder Jessica Watson, of Australia, who was 16 when she completed the journey．

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　　I got married in 2008．My husband and I are very emotional and have loads of dreams in life．Now I want to share a hidden part of my life．

　　After one month of my marriage, I started working because I could not sit home．To accomplish our dreams, we are both working hard day and night in spite of belonging to a good family．Life is very strange．When any turn happens, one cannot know．

　　I started working because I was very ambitious．I used to wonder about people who worked to earn their bread but I never knew in my wildest dreams that I would be part of the crow who work to earn a livelihood．

　　I was blessed with a daughter in November, 2009．She was just three months and 15 days old when I rejoined my job．My husband supported me and my family supported me but I never wanted to work again because I belonged to a family where a mother should give her full attention to her child．

　　Keeping all the values aside that I learnt from my parents, I went back to work and will work till my last breath．

　　I missed my daughter every second．She has started recognizing and throwing expressions for likes and dislikes．I cannot share my feelings with anyone, as I do not want anyone to know that I am broken completely from inside．

　　My husband and my daughter are my greatest strength but I ignore them just to earn money and fulfill my dreams that I have．

　　If one day, my daughter complains to someone about her mom, please tell her that she is my reason for survival and happiness and she is the only one who brings smile to my face．

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　　As a boy, Charles Robert Darwin collected anything that caught his interest：insects, coins and interesting stones．He was not very clever, but Darwin was good at doing the things that interested him．

　　His father was a doctor, so Darwin was sent to Edinburgh to study medicine, and was planned to follow a medical career．But Charles found the lectures boring．Then his father sent him to Cambridge University to study to be a priest．While at Cambridge, Darwin’s interest in zoology and geography grew．Later he got a letter from Robert Fitzroy who was planning to make a voyage around the world on a ship, the Beagle．He wanted a naturalist to join the ship, and Darwin was recommended(推荐)．That voyage was the start of Darwin’s great life．

　　As the Beagle sailed around the world, Darwin began to wonder how life had developed on earth．He began to observe everything．After he was home, he set to work, getting his collection in order．His first great work The Zoology of the Beagle was well received, but he was slow to make public his ideas on the origin of life．

　　Later Darwin and Wallace, another naturalist who had the same opinions as Darwin, produced a paper together．Darwin’s great book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection(《物种起源》)appeared．It attracted a storm．People thought that Darwin was saying they were descended from monkeys．What a shameful idea! Although most scientists agreed that Darwin was right, the Church was still so strong that Darwin never received any honors for his work．

　　Afterwards, he published another great work, The Descent of Man．His health grew worse, but he still worked．“When I have to give up observation, I shall die,” he said．He was still working on 17, April, 1882．He was dead two days later．

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　　In the United States, 30 percent of the adult(成年人)population has a “weight problem”．To many people, the case is clear：we eat too much．But scientific evidence(证据)does little to support the idea．Going back to the America of 1910, we find that people were thinner than today．Yet they ate more food．In those days, people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn’t watch TV．

　　Several modern studies, moreover, have shown that fat people do not eat more on average(平均)than thinner people．In fact, some investigations(调查), such as a 1990 study of 3,545 London office workers, show that fatter people eat less than slimmer people．

　　Studies show that slim people are more active than fat people．A study by a research group of Stanford University School of Medicine found the following interesting facts：

　　The more the men ran, the more fat they lost．

　　The more they ran, the more they ate．

　　Thus, those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost the greatest amount of body fat．

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　　Welcome to Franklin Hotel．To make you stay as enjoyable as possible．We hope you will use our facilities(设施)to the full．

　　Dining Room：Breakfast is served in the dining room from 8 to 9∶30 a. m．Also the room staff(服务员)may bring breakfast to your room at any time after 7 a. m．If this happens, please fill out a card and hang outside your door when you go to bed．Lunch is from 12 to 2∶30 p. m．Dinner from 7∶30 to 9 p. m．

　　Room service：This operates 24 hours a day; phone the reception desk, and your massage will be passed on the staff．

　　Telephones：To make a phone call．Dial(拨)“0”for reception and ask to be connected．We apologized for delays if the lines are very busy．These are also public telephones near the Reception Desk．Tell Reception if early calls are needed．

　　Shop：The hotel shop is open for presents, gifts and goods from 9 a. m. to 5∶30 p. m．

　　Laundry：we have a laundry in the building, and will wash, iron and return your clothes within 24 hours, ask the room staff to collect them．

　　Bar(酒吧)：The hotel bar is open from 12 to 2 p. m. and 7 p. m. to 1 a. m．

　　Banking：The reception staff will cash cheques and exchange any foreign money for you．