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　　Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for the toy cars, a study has shown．The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences．

　　Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants aged nine months to 36 months．The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys．Some were stereotypically boys' toys - a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy．The rest were girls’ toys：a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set．They were placed a meter away from the toys, and could pick whichever toy they liked．Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded．

　　Of the youngest children(nine to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did．Among the two-and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it．The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched．There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice．

　　Dr Brenda Todd said：“Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization．Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference．But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys．There could be a biological basis for their choices．Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects, probably through hunting instincts(本能), while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the color of a newborn baby．”

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　　For centuries, the body's blood has been linked closely with the emotions．People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer．For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer．He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone's life as nothing．

　　Cold can affect other parts of the body．The expression "get cold feet" has nothing to do with cold or your feet．The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do．For example, you agree to be president of an organization．But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organizations will be your responsibility．You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation．

　　The expression "give someone the cold shoulder" probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face．You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you．Or, to someone who has lied about you to others．

　　A cold fish is not a fish．It is a person．But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth．A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone．Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted．Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy．Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers．

　　"Out in the cold" means not getting something that everybody else got．A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise－he was left out in the cold．And it is not a pleasant place to be．

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　　BEIJINCG, Feb．28, 2008(Xinhua)－China plans to carry out its first spacewalk in second half of the year, an official of the nation's manned space program said here on Thursday．

　　The Shenzhou VII spacecraft will be launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern province of Gansu late in the year and the astronauts will leave their spaceship for the first time, the official told Xinhua．

　　Compared with the previous two manned space flights, the upcoming Shenzhou VII space mission is more complex．Besides the spacewalk, the crew is also expected to perform extra-vehicular work such as fixing and tightening equipment．The spaceship will also release a small inspection satellite, which keeps an eye on its own performance．

　　China may live broadcast the first ever spacewalk．"The Shenzhou VII spaceship is able to live-broadcast the walk, but it has not been decided whether the spacewalk will be broadcast in a live or recorded version," the official told Xinhua．

　　Breakthroughs have been made in significant techniques related to the spacewalk．Research into the development of spaceship and rockets has been going smoothly, and astronauts have undertaken extensive training, according to the official．

　　The Shenzhou VII mission will start the second phase of China's three-stage space program．said the official．

　　In the second stage, China plans further breakthroughs in manned space flight, such as space walks．In this phase, China will put into orbit a space laboratory staffed by humans for short periods and create a fully-equipped space engineering system．

　　In the third stage, China will build a permanent space station and a space engineering system．Astronauts and scientists will travel between the Earth and the space station to conduct large-scale experiments．

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　　Reading is thought to be a kind of conversation between the reader and the text．The reader puts questions, as it were, to the text and get answers．In the light of these he put further questions, and so on．

　　For most of the time this “conversation” goes on below the level of consciousness．At times, however, we become aware of it．This is usually when we are running into difficulties, when mismatch is occurring between expectations and meaning．When successful matching is being experienced our questioning of the text continues at the unconscious level．

　　Different people converse with the text differently．Some stay very close to the words on the page; others take off imaginatively from words, interpreting, criticizing, analyzing and examining．The former represents a kind of comprehension that is written in the text, while the latter represents higher levels of comprehension．The balance between these is important, especially for advanced readers．

　　There is another conversation that from our point of view is important, and that has not to do with what is read but with how it is read．We call this a “process” conversation as opposed to a “content” conversation．It is concerned not with meaning but with the strategies we employ in reading．If we are skilled readers, our ability to hold a content conversation with a text is usually pretty well developed．Not so our ability to hold a process conversation．It is just this kind of conversation that is of importance when we are seeking to develop our reading to meet the new demands being placed upon us by studying at a higher level．

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　　Glynis Davis：

　　I first piled on the pounds when I was in the family way and I couldn’t lose them afterwards．Then I joined a slimming club．My target was 140 pounds and I lost 30 pounds in six months．I felt great and people kept saying how good I looked．But Christmas came and I started to slip back into my old eating habits．I told myself I’d lose the weight at slimming classes in the new year…but it didn’t happen．Instead of losing the pounds, I put them on．I’d lost willpower and tried to believe that the old bag of fish and chips didn’t make any difference－but the scales don’t lie．

　　Roz Juma：

　　To be honest, I never weigh myself any more．I’ve learnt to be happy with myself．It seemed to me that I would feel sorry about every spoonful of tasty food that passed my lips．My idea is simple．You shouldn’t be too much thinking about food and dieting．Instead, you should get on with life and stop dreaming of a super thin body．This is obviously the size I’m meant to be and, most of all, I’m happy with it．

　　Lesley Codwin：

　　I was very happy at winning Young Slimmer of the year．I’d look in the mirror unable to believe this slim lady was me! That might have been my problem－perhaps from then on I didn’t pay any attention to myself．Winning a national competition makes everything worse, though．Because you feel the eyes of the world are fixed upon you．I feel a complete failure because I’ve put on weight again．

　　Ros Langfod：

　　Before moving in with my husband Gavin, I’d always been about 110 pounds, but the pleasant housework went straight to my waist and I put on 15 pounds in a year．Every so often I try to go on a diet…I’m really good in a few days, then end up having the children’s leftovers or eating happily chocolate－my weakness．I’d like to be slim, but right now my duty is the children and home．I might take more exercise when my kids are older．

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I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz concert last Friday．The advertisement in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theatre box in Richland Hills any day between 10∶00 and 4∶00．Since I work from 9∶00 to 5∶30, the only time I could go to the theatre was during my 45-minute lunch break．Unfortunately, the theatre is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good．But if you are lucky, you can make the round trip in 45 minutes．Last Monday．I stood at the bus stop for 15 minutes waiting for the bus, By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip．So I gave up and went back to the office．The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again next day．On Thursday, my luck changed．I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly 20 minutes．When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the box office, I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour．Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line．I caught the next bus and headed back across the town．By Friday I realized my only hope was to make the trip by taxi, it was expensive, but I felt it would be worth it to hear the concert．The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but felt like an hour to me．When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line．The reason, however, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets．

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　　WASHINGTON(Reuters)－People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer(胰腺癌), an unusual but deadly cancer, researchers reported on Monday．

　　People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk, the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found．

　　Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits, said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota, who led the study．

　　"The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin(胰岛素)in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," Pereira said in a statement．

　　Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Pereira and colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years．

　　Over that time, 140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer．Those who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer．

　　Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere．

　　"Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare．Favorite pastimes(消遣)are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries," he said．

　　But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious．

　　"Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal(因果的)connection or not," said Mayne, who serves on the board of the journal, which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research．

　　Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with 230,000 cases globally．In the United States, 37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34,290 die of it．

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　　Reader Janet Maynard has a lot of young bushes in her garden and is suffering from “watering can elbow”．So for Janet and anyone else who doesn't want to waste time, effort and water, here are my top tips for keeping plants refreshed in thirsty times．

　　Water in the evening if possible, rather than leaving it till you see things suffer．That way the roots can take up the water in cool soil overnight．

　　Violently jetting hoses(皮管)mess up the soil structure and may expose delicate roots．Use a rose(喷头)on a can．Aim low – don't waste water wetting leaves, even though they look pretty and "refreshed"．

　　The most valuable and easily damaged plants need the most attention, such as newly planted trees, bushes and climbers．Remove any water-keeping mulch(护根物)you may have put around the base, then water it thoroughly at least two gallons, slowly．Don't aim your can rose at the stem – which we all usually tend to do．Aim the water in a wide circle so that the whole of the area under the plant is watered．You could even make a channel in the soil right around the plant so that the water is held in place as it soaks(浸透)in．Replace the mulch．Repeat each week even in showery weather for the first summer．

　　How much water for pots? Fill up the gap between the top of the soil and the top of the pot．Let the water soak right in and then fill it again．Do this daily in hot weather for most summer potted plants．

　　Stand pots in saucers(垫盘)– it makes a big difference．But remember to check that the plants are not sitting in water for days on end when the weather turns wet．Roots will rot．

　　If the fertilizer in pots really dries out, the water may get straight out of the pot without being absorbed．Correct this by standing or floating the pot in a bucket of deep water until it sinks and no bubbles rise．

　　A push-button watering can makes for more efficient watering, and recycled water bottles upside down with a needle which has a hole on the end are useful, too, for pots．

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　　Many people enjoy an adventure story．Others like mysteries that lead the reader to an exciting discovery．The story of the young British naturalist Charles Darwin combines both of these．That is why the author and illustrator(插图画家)Rosalyn Schanzer chose to write the children's book “What Darwin Saw”．The book was published just in time for the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth on February 12, 1809．

　　Rosalyn Schanzer carefully gathered Darwin’s thoughts and observations from his diaries, letters and books．Many of the words in the book are Darwin’s own．She also traveled to the Galapagos Islands and South America．She researched some of the places Darwin had visited on his trip on the ship, the Beagle in the 1830s．She took thousands of pictures, which helped her create the book’s beautiful and colorful drawings．These pictures show young readers what led Darwin to form his great discovery：the evolution of species through natural selection．

　　“What Darwin Saw” tells of the adventures of a young man who traveled around the world as a scientist．The voyage of the Beagle took Charles Darwin to South America, where he rode horses with cowboys and met Native Americans in Argentina．He reported the eruption of the Osorno Volcano and experienced an earthquake in Chile．Darwin’s observations showed him that environments can change very quickly and a great deal over time．

　　Rosalyn Schanzer brings to life the clues that suggested to Darwin that living things evolve, or change, over time．She illustrates the unusual tortoises, birds and lizards that Darwin studied in the Galapagos Islands．She shows how Darwin came to understand that these island animals had differences, developed over time, that helped them survive．And she explains the theory of evolution through natural selection in a way that both children and adults will enjoy．

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　　Remember those highly charged first days? They were full of real-life tests where there was always something new to learn, and not always from a book．One of my first lessons occurred on my first day of kindergarten, when I got on the wrong bus－as my older sister still likes to remind me．

　　Life’s minor embarrassments do happen, and I know I can’t protect my own children from them．I just try to teach them to laugh at theirs like I do at mine．

　　My daughter Erin started on the wrong foot in the 1st grade, at a new school where she knew no one．All the other 1st graders couldn’t resist opening and closing, closing and opening their new desks．Wouldn't you know Erin would neither open nor close? She came to find out she was sitting on the wrong side!

　　Even getting around in a new school can be a challenge．Erin's older sister, Molly, almost missed her first lunch in junior high．The school secretary came to her rescue, arming her with the knowledge that while the gym and flex space were next door to each other, lunch was served only in the latter．

　　The first day sometimes has pitfalls for Mom and Dad, too．Once, I managed to stockpile(储备)Molly and Erin's school supplies as they went on sale the previous year．I thought everything was ready for the first day－oh, yeah! My victory dance was short-lived, however．After day one my ladies rushed off the bus, both worried and confused, saying “Mom, we need wide-rule not college-rule paper, and three 2-inch notebooks instead of two 3-inch ones! And for standardized testing, standardized No．2 pencils only, please．”

　　Perhaps my favorite first-day memory happened the first time my two daughters went to full-day public school together, when I was understandably emotional．Erin noticed my red eyes and white smile．“You are happy and sad, huh, Mommy?” Such a sensitive girl! She added, “Just like the time when you were crying and laughing after the car stopped running on the ice and we were OK．” Well, at least I could laugh!