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　　Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population．Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago．Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time．In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion．

　　Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load．In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them．In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die．In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child．In most contemporary(当代的)societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not．We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age．Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them．In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty．Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness．

　　When older people become senile(衰老的)or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families．In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died．Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person．To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent(疗养的)hospitals have been built．These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups．While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping(倒垃圾的)grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel．

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　　Beginning college is exciting：new ideas to explore，new challenges to be met and many decisions to be made．Your future begins here．

　　However，you will find college life is different from your previous school environment．Many of us can be easily overwhelmed by the details of running a well-balanced life．While some of us may have the know-how，I guess there are more of us who can benefit from learning about the experiences of others who have walked the college halls before you．

　　The following you may find of use about life on campus．

　　●Plan well．There are so many new things to do at a new college or university．Give yourself time to make new friends and become familiar with the campus，but don't forget why you are there．Give some time for social activities and manage your time wisely．

　　●If you don't have a “system” for planning your time now(like a day timer，a computer date book)，get one．Most of all，don't depend on your memory．

　　●Don't miss the guidelines．The restrictions，rules and regulations of all kinds can usually be found in your student's handbook．Consider them well-balanced food for thought．What dates are important? What pieces of paper need to be handed in? What can/ can't you do in your student residence(住处)? Who has the right for what? What do you need to complete to graduate?

　　●Write the word “STUDY” on the walls of our bedroom and bathroom，and maybe it will help to write it on a piece of paper and stick it on the telephone，TV and the kitchen table．Consider this-you are paying thousands of dollars for your courses．You pay every time you have to repeat or replace a course．

　　●Build your identity．This is the time for you to decide what to do and what not to do．Take as much time as you need to explore new ideas．Do not be afraid of the beyond．This is learning to make good choices．

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　　Throughout the world, boys and girls prefer to play with different types of toys．Boys typically like to play with cars and trucks, while girls typically choose to play with dolls．Why is this? A traditional sociological explanation is that boys and girls are socialized and encouraged to play with different types of toys by their parents, peers, and the “society”．Growing scientific evidence suggests, however, that boys' and girls' toy preferences may have a biological origin．

　　In 2002, Gerianne M．Alexander of Texas A＆M University and Melissa Hines of City University in London surprised the scientific world by showing that monkeys showed the same sex?typical toy preferences as humans．In the study, Alexander and Hines gave two masculine toys(a ball and a police car), two feminine toys(a soft doll and a cooking pot), and two neutral toys(a picture book and a stuffed dog)to 44 male and 44 female monkeys．They then assessed the monkeys' preference for each toy by measuring how much time they spent with each．Their data showed that male monkeys showed significantly greater interest in the masculine toys, and the female monkeys showed significantly greater interest in the feminine toys．The two sexes did not differ in their preference for the neutral toys．

　　If children' s toy preferences were largely formed by gender socialization, as traditional sociologists' claim, in which their parents give “gender appropriate” toys to boys and girls, how can these male and female monkeys have the same preferences as boys and girls? They were never socialized by humans, and they had never seen these toys before in their lives．

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　　The first time that I had heard the term“EQ”was in the fall of 1995 when the book Emotional Intelligence，by Daniel Goleman，was widely covered by the American press．The widespread research presented in the book supported my own observations and doubts about life and emotions，and told me that I was on the right track to go after happiness．The research continues to confirm what I had concluded on my own：These feelings are extremely important to individual health，happiness，and social harmony．This might seem a bit obvious，but it was not always obvious to me．

　　I grew up in a family where we didn't talk about feelings．We talked about ideas，concepts and principles．As a result，I could tell you what I thought about everything，but I couldn't tell you how I felt about anything．After several failed relationships，I took time off to reflect on my life and realized I had made many decisions which resulted in unhappiness for myself and others．After studying the literature on emotions and feelings，I concluded that most of my poor decisions could be directly due to what is now called low emotional intelligence，or low EQ，for short．Previously，I struggled to find happiness through the traditional routes-material success．Now，however，I realize that：

　　There's not much point having either wealth or relationships if you aren't happy．

　　It is hard to be happy with others if you aren't happy yourself．

　　It is hard to be happy alone if you don't feel good about yourself，i．e．have high self-esteem and self-confidence．

　　It is hard to have good feelings about yourself if you don't have good emotional management skills．

　　Emotional management skills，the main subject of EQ，are，therefore，one of the most basic elements of happiness．

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　　Where did all the tigers go? That's what Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants to know．India's Sariska Project Tiger Reserve was once home to 26 tigers．Now it's home to none．Singh has ordered a police investigation into the disappearance, and created a new taskforce to save the rare animals．

　　Tigers are an endangered species．Half of the world's tiger population lives in India．For years, tigers have been disappearing from India's national parks, but Sariska may be the last straw．

　　"Finally, it's come to this：at Sariska, there are no more tigers, " said Sybille Klenzendorf, a senior biologist for tiger conservation at the World Wildlife Fund．"Now the government has to react．"

　　On Thursday, Singh held the first meeting of forest officials, wildlife experts, and community leaders．They plan to count the nation's remaining tigers, and to come up with a plan to keep them safe．

　　"The tiger has always been a symbolic animal for the Indians, " Klenzendorf told the reporter．"They were the first country to establish a reservation just for tigers．"

　　It's not hard to guess why the tigers are disappearing．Poachers can sell the big cats for ＄50, 000 each．Tiger skin and bones are popular in Chinese medicine．A single tiger tooth can fetch ＄120．Recently, a gang of poachers admitted to killing 10 tigers in Sariska and were arrested．

　　"Indian tiger poaching is probably the biggest conservation problem in modern times, " said Belinda Wright, the head of the Wildlife Protection Society of India．

　　Poaching isn't the only problem．Many poachers use advanced technologies, like night glasses and long-range binoculars．Forest security officers are paid so poorly that few of them bother to track down the poachers．Even if a security guard were to find a poacher, many carry only a stick to carry out the law．

　　Tiger fans hope that Singh's plans mean end for the poachers and hope for the endangered species．

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　　The situation is that familiar-deadlines are approaching, time runs out, disorder and confusion fills the day．The feeling is just as familiar－a slightly faster heart rate, and shortness of breath．Yes, it is panic time．

　　It's too late to kick yourself with “I should have started on this sooner．” or “it was a mistake to accept this tight deadline．” The only thing left to deal with the situation is to panic more efficiently．

　　1．Focus．

　　Panic happens when you are on an overload－too many things to do, too much pressure, too little time．But if you focus on the tasks that you need to take care of, and line them up in a logical list, you can have better control of a highly stressful and wild situation．

　　2．Get rid of distractions．

　　Time wasters and unnecessary activities are the last things you need during this time．Let everyone know you are on panic mode and should not be disturbed unless it is an emergency．

　　3．Watch your time．

　　Don't be too engaged in one detail that you reduce your timing for the other important details．Mind the time and deal with each task so that you can finish all of the required activities sufficiently．

　　Try to solve a panic situation as quickly as you can so that you can rest and get back your energy and strength for the next one．

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　　As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have．It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen, a washing machine and a microwave oven．Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need．You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week．

　　Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for．Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world．They feel that the long-hour work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes．Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them．

　　Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year．One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz．They used to work in central London．He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank．They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny(保姆)．Most evenings Daniel wouldn't get home until eight or nine o’clock and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings．They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by．

　　Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales．“I always wanted to have a farm here, ” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift．It's taken sometime to get used to, but it's been worth it．We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays．However, I think it's made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier．”

　　Liz, however, is not quite sure．“I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours．I'm not really a country girl, but I suppose I'm gradually getting used to looking after the animals．One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children．My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all．”

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　　It was a dark and stormy night．I was about to go to bed when I heard a tapping sound on my window．

　　"Who's there? " I shouted．Suddenly there was a flash of lightning; I saw a face at the window．It looked like an alien(外星人)…an alien that I had seen on the television show, "the X files"．

　　I felt very scared．I ran to my bed and pulled my blanket over my head．I started to shout for my parents but there was no reply．Then I remembered that they were at a fancy dress party．

　　I looked out of my blanket but it was too dark to see anything．Then I heard footsteps．They were getting louder and louder．I ran to my drawer to take out my camera and started to take pictures in the direction of the window．Soon the footsteps died off．

　　The grandfather clock struck．It was 12 midnight．I went back to my bed and tried to sleep．But I could not sleep．I felt too frightened．I sat up, and my mind was full of thoughts．Time passed…finally, I fell asleep．

　　I woke up only after eight and decided to find out what it had been．I found some footprints outside my bedroom window．I measured them with a ruler and found them to be exactly the same size as my father's shoes．I then went to town to get the film developed．I didn't realize that I did not use the flash until I saw the black photos．

　　When I reached home, I told my father the whole incident and he started to laugh．I started laughing too when he told me that he had dressed up as an alien for the party．Today, I am still amused to think I was so afraid of my own father．

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　　A disheveled(头发凌乱的)man appeared in court Thursday on charges of murdering a Chinese woman whose fight with her attacker was seen on webcam(摄像头)by her boyfriend in China．Police refused to release any details about the crime or its possible motive．

　　The body of York University student Liu Qian, 23, of Beijing, was found Friday in her apartment in Toronto a few hours after her boyfriend witnessed the attack, police said．

　　She was found undressed from the waist down but there were no obvious signs of sexual attack or trauma(创伤)severe enough to kill her．Police say it may be weeks before the results of an autopsy(尸体解剖)are known．

　　Brian Dickson, 29, stood before the court in a wrinkled white shirt and blue jeans as a charge of first-degree murder was read out．He did not enter a plea．His case was held over until April 26．

　　Dickson was arrested Wednesday．Police only announced his name and his age and asked the media not to publish any photos of Dickson, saying it could compromise the investigation．Toronto police spokesman Tony Vella declined to respond to the request further．

　　Liu's father, Liu Jianhui, who arrived from China after being informed of his daughter's death, thanked authorities for their quick action．

　　“I sincerely thank the people concerned with my daughter's case, ” he told reporters after the arrest．“Our daughter was studying very hard．”

　　Police released no motive or details about Dickson, but one friend described the Toronto man as an aspiring actor．

　　Patricia Tomasi, a friend of Dickson's, told The Associated Press that she acted in a play at a local theater in Toronto with Dickson in 2007．

　　“He doesn't seem like the type but that's what they always say, ” Tomasi said．“He's tall with boyish good looks．I don't know much about him except that he wanted to be an actor．”

　　Dickson attended York University where he studied global politics, but did not earn a degree from there．

　　He later worked for the Atlantic Council of Canada(ACC), where he served as an assistant to the president Juilie Lindhout．According to his biography on a newsletter from the Atlantic Council of Canada, Dickson has also been a running instructor and has been involved with Developments in Literacy, a Pakistani aid organization that raises money for children in Pakistan．

　　A statement from the Atlantic Council of Canada on Thursday said it was not council policy to comment on staff, but it confirmed that Dickson had been an intern(实习生)with the council from September 29, 2008, until March 27, 2009．

　　Liu was chatting with her boyfriend, Meng Xianchao, by webcam at about 1 am．Friday when a man knocked on the door, police said．

　　Meng reported seeing a struggle break out between the two before Liu's webcam was shut off．Meng contacted other friends in Toronto who in turn called police．

　　The victim's father, Liu Jianhui, said his daughter studied at Beijing City University before moving to Canada, where she met Meng．

　　Liu Qian's laptop computer, webcam and mobile phone were taken from the apartment the night of the attack, police said．Police said the online chat was on a live streaming camera and was not recorded, though investigators were trying to figure out if there was any way they could recover it．

　　York University, whose campus is located near one of Toronto's rougher neighborhoods, is one of Canada's largest universities with more than 53, 000 undergraduate and graduate students．About 3, 200 of York's students come from more than 150 foreign countries, the university's website says．

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　　Traditional fairytales(童话)are being given up by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study found．

　　Research uncovered that one in five parents has got rid of old literature such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel in favor of more modern books．

　　One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the gruesome details of Little Red Riding Hood．

　　And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplesliltshin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and killing．

　　Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it forgives stealing．

　　The survey of 2, 000 adults was completed to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM(格林童话剧), which starts tonight at 9pm on Watch, and sees six drama series based on traditional fairytales．

　　The survey found a quarter of parents questioned wouldn't consider reading fairytales to their kids．

　　And 52 percent of the parents said Cinderella didn't send a good message to their children as it describes a young woman doing housework all day．

　　Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said： "Bedtime stories are supposed to calm children down and send them off to sleep soundly．But as we see in GMMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic so it's understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children．As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five-year-old child could take them too literally．Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales as we see in GRIMM, good will defeat evil and there is always a moral to the story．"

　　The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares．The most popular book read at bedtime is now 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle．

　　However half of parents said traditional tales are "more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids' books, such as The Gruffato, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr．Men books．

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