It may not come as a surprise but the world as a whole is getting richer. Some people have more disposable(可自由支配的)income to spend on luxuries such as holidays, cars, TVs and smart phones. Recent data has shown that the number of people living in extreme poverty has halved in recent decades. So should we celebrate the fact that more of us now have a better standard of living?

Maybe not. While the gap between the rich and the poor in some countries is narrowing, there is still a lot of inequality in other places-some people have a lot of money and opportunities and others don't. A recent report by Oxfam and Credit Suisse revealed how divided many of us are when it comes to wealth. A lot of the money in the world is in the hands of very few people. In fact, 48% of global wealth is owned by the richest l% of the population.

But some countries are attempting to reduce this inequality and make the poor, less poor. According to David Bryer from Oxfam, Brazil has been taking "some really sensible measures--measures around having more progressive tax, around investing in a higher minimum wage and investing in central public services." Having a higher minimum wage can help people eat better and seek a better education. And more people with more money buy more things-and factories can produce more. In turn, a factory which produces more will need more workers. So, more jobs are created.

Other wealthy individuals are doing their bit to help reduce inequality. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, earned a lot of money from his company but when he retired, he and his wife Melinda, created a foundation to help the poor. He thinks that rich people should, of course, pay their taxes but he also advises that they should all "look at taking their wealth and being philanthropic (乐善好施的 ) , both in their own country and to help the global poorest."

Bill Gates feels that giving money to help poor people is "fulfilling". But if other super-rich people don't want to experience this fulfillment then, according to Oxfam, very soon the wealthiest l% will soon own more money than the rest of the world's population. Do you think that is fair?

Too much work and too much wine go together like biscuits and cheese, a new international study finds.

Employees who work more than 48 hours a week are 11% more likely to over consume wine than those who work a standard week, Finnish researchers say.

The study looked at more than 300,000 people in Australia, Europe and North America. No differences were seen between men and women, says the study.

Risky wine consumption is considered as more than 14 drinks a week for women and more than 21 drinks a week for men. About 20% of Australians drink at travels that put them at the risk of life time harm from injury or disease.

Drinking wine can affect the liver(肝脏)or cause brain damage, heart disease, high blood pressure and increases the risk of many cancers.

Study author Marianna Virtanen said while wine might help reduce the stress of working long periods of time, risky consumption could lead to difficulties in the workplace, such as poor performance.

The European Union Working Time Directive makes sure that workers in EU countries have the right to work no more than 48 hours a week, including overtime.

"But many people, for example well-educated managers and professionals, work much longer hours to achieve faster promotions, income increases, and more control over work and employment, ” said Prof. Virtanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

In Australia, it's recommended that healthy men and women drink no more than two standard drinks a day.

In my ninth-grade World History class, Mrs. Bartlett announced a new project. In groups, we were to create a newspaper around the culture we were studying. On a piece of paper, we wrote the names of three friends we wanted in our group. After collecting all the requests, Mrs. Bartlett informed us that she would take into consideration the names we chose and would let us know the results the next day. I had no doubt that I would get the group of my choice.

The next day, after the bell rang, Mrs. Bartlett called for our attention. She started to call out names. When she reached Group Three, Missy, my best friend’s name, was called. The second, third and fourth members of the group were called. My name was not included. There must be some mistakes! Then I heard it. “The last group: Mauro, Juliette, Rachel, Karina.”

I could feel the tears well in my eyes. How could I face being in that group—the boy who barely spoke English, the one girl who was always covered by long skirts, and the other girl who wore strange clothes. Oh, how badly I wanted to be with my friends. I fought back tears as I walked up to Mrs. Bartlett. I was determined to convince her I should be in the “good” group. “Why...?” I started. She gently placed a hand on my shoulder. “I know what you want, Karina,” she said, “but your group needs you. I need you to help them get a passing grade on this assignment. Only you can help them.”

I was shocked. I was amazed. She had seen something in me I hadn’t seen. “Will you help them?” she asked. I stood straighter. “Yes,” I replied. I couldn’t believe it came out of my mouth, but it did. I bravely walked to my group and sat down.

Halfway through the week, I felt myself enjoying the company of these three misfits(行为怪异的人). I grew sincerely interested in learning something about them. Mauro was struggling with the English language and his lack of friends. Juliette was also alone, because people didn’t understand that she was only allowed to wear long skirts or dresses because of her religion. Rachel wanted to be a fashion designer. They weren’t misfits, just people that no one cared enough about to try to understand except Mrs. Bartlett.

I did learn something that week. I was given a chance to see other people in a new light. Mrs. Bartlett gave us an A on that assignment. We should have handed it right back, for she was the one who truly deserved it.

A high school student has a science test on Monday but spends most of the weekend playing video games and does not start studying until late Sunday night. This kind of avoiding or delaying of work that needs to be done is called procrastination (拖沓). It has been said that up to 95% people procrastinate at least sometimes, and about 20% of them do it too much.     31    

The first factor is how pleasant or unpleasant people find a task. Research shows that people put off tasks they find unpleasant. Someone who loves bicycles might not delay fixing a tire, while someone who does not may put it off.

    32    For example, those who have low expectations of success are more likely to delay starting a job. On the other hand, those who believe they can perform well take on challenging tasks rather than avoid them.

    33    learn might not seem useful to the present. Sometimes, it is hard to see the benefit of making an effort when the ward is too far away.    34    

Lastly, another factor is whether or not people can use self-control. Those who have less self-control can easily be drawn away from their work. Interestingly, age is said to be associated with self-control.    35    .

If procrastination is a problem for you, the first step to reducing it is identifying the reasons behind it. It is only by understanding the roots of your problem that you can choose the appropriate method for yourself.

‘‘You're too small, Ginny. You'll never make an Olympic team,” said my first-ever rowing ___, way back in the late winter of 1978. I had just confessed(承认)my ____, which was admittedly outsized at that point, to somebody whose emotional ____ could play a key role.

Maybe my dream wasn't ____reality. After all, I had tried out for the national team for the first time the previous year and been cut, and I lacked the____that most Olympic rowers possess, not to mention much experience as an athlete, but____,1 was shocked by my coach's response.

1 left the gym in a panic. As I walked, I began to____my future, making room for my coach's opinion, pushing my dream aside into a dark corner. A small inner voice had joined forces with the coach's. “Maybe he's ____.”

But then, another voice ____. "What does he know? Why does he get to decide?" My coach didn't have faith ____me but that didn't necessarily mean I had to give up on myself so quickly. By the time I arrived back at my apartment,1 was ____at my coach and my dream was back on center stage.

___came easy when it came to fulfilling that dream. But l was____by my love of the beauty of rowing. I wanted to row among the best and I refused to stop____ I achieved my goal.

I made that 1980 team,____not getting to compete at the Olympics. I kept____four more years, and finally won silver at the 1984 Olympics.

Everything I have today is a(n) ____of sticking with that dream, all those hours on the water, in the weight room, and in the stadium. They got me here,____I know now that big ambitions need not just time to develop, but firm____in them. And I will not allow anyone else to____ for me what's possible.

The "cello chair"

I have always loved the rich sound of the cello(大提琴).     56    , as a young journalist in New York in the late 1970s, I never imagined that I could play one

One day, I    57    (mistake) knocked on the wrong door in an office building. An elderly man opened the door, and behind him were a dark cello and a    58    (wood) chair with the design of a lyre (里拉琴) on it.

For a moment, I forgot    59    I was looking for. I asked, "Do you play the cello?"

“Yes," he said. "Do you want to become one of my students?"

“Yes," I responded, almost     60    thinking.

When I had my first lesson a few days later, I told the teacher, Heinrich Joachim, that I    61    (answer) yes on impulse(冲动)."I'm not sure whether I can be a musician, "I said. Mr. J assured me that with practice and     62     (devote) to the instrument, I could become    63    . I told him that I'd once had a beautiful voice, but finally I lost it. "The cello," Mr. J promised, "will give you back your voice." I bought a cello and began to go for weekly lessons. "Don't just listen to the sound. Feel it!" said Mr. J I made steady progress. I studied with him for seven years, until I got         64    (marry).

Mr. J died in 2002. Soon afterwards, I received a special    65    from his son, Andrew - Mr. J's “cello chair".

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

Arthur, a young painter, went to France to surround himself with beauty and inspiration. He lived on the cheap, painted every day, visited museums, traveled to picturesque places, bravely spoke to everyone he met, and showed his work to anyone who would look at it. One afternoon, he struck up a conversation at a cafe with a group of charming young people, who turned out to be some fancy nobles.They took a liking to Arthur and invited him to a party that weekend in a castle in the Loire Valley. They said this was going to be the party of the year. It would be attended by the rich and famous and by several crowned heads of Europe. Best of all, it was a masquerade ball(化妆舞会)."Dress up, " they said, "and join us!"

Excited, Arthur worked all week on a costume(服装)that he was certain would be highly impressive. He held back on neither the details nor the imagination of this creation. Then he rented a car and drove three hours to the castle. He changed into his costume in the car and went up the castle steps. Arthur entered the ballroom, proud.

Upon arrival, he immediately realized his mistake.

This was indeed a costume party but this was a themed costume party. The theme was “a medieval court". All around him, the wealthy and beautiful were dressed in fancy clothes, wearing sparkling jewels. Arthur, on the other hand, was dressed as a Lobster (龙虾), wearing a red coat, red tights, red ballet slippers, and giant red claws, Also, his face was painted red. And he was the only American in the room, too