A French has just launched a bottled red wine flavored with cola.

Bordeaux-based winemaker Haussmann has already had success with grapefruit and passionfruit-flavored red wine and white wine. Their newest wine, Rouge Sucette, which translates to Red Lollipop, is made from 75 percent grapes and 25 percent water, with added sugar and cola flavoring. It is meant to be served chilled.

Why the break with tradition?

Wine sales in France is down. In 1980, more than half of adults bought wine almost daily, but the number has dropped to just 17 percent today. And so according to Pauline, company spokeswoman for Haussmann, wine makers need to attract younger drinkers and women.

“The cola flavor is to answer to a new kind of need and a market demand,” she tells us, “Tastes develop in time and we have to adapt.”

French restaurant expert Fred gives several factors behind the downward trend in wine drinking among the French: the financial crisis, which brought with it the death of the long lunch hour; reduced legal limits for driving under the influence of alcohol; and a general move towards healthier living.

Cola wine may seem out of step with French ways, but that’s because a lot of people have the wrong idea about what those ways really are.

Pauline says. “We’re changing with the times. We have a strong foundation of food and wine.” Of the different aromas that Haussamann tested, “cola was the best mix,” she says. “That made many people interested, and they were curious to taste it.”

The thirst for sweeter drinks isn’t limited to France. “Think about it,” says Fred, “You have all sorts of champagne cocktails. So what’s the difference between those and red wine and Coca-Cola? It’s about marketing.” Pauline insists Rouge Sucette isn’t just wine mixed with cola, anyway. It contains only the essence of cola, making it perhaps a bit more refined, though with a very similar flavor.

So how does a Frenchman like Fred think about it?

“It’s refreshing and kind of fun,” he says. “I don’t think I would buy it, but if I was going to drink it, I would make it myself, because I would feel a bit better about it.”

A woman in a long, frilly(镶褶边的) skirt dances. She moves her feet quickly to complicated rhythms. Her costume includes high-heeled shoes and a fringed shawl (流苏披肩). She holds her a    52     overhead and claps her hands. Her body posture is up-right and graceful. She is a flamenco(弗拉明戈舞) dancer. She has p    53     for many years to be able to dance like this.

Flamenco is a type of music and dance from southern Spain. Modern flamenco started about 200 years ago, b    54    the roots of flamenco go back even farther.

Southern Spain is a place where many cultural influences meet. About l,000 years ago, the Roman people travelled to this area. They brought with them a tradition of song and dance. They also brought musical instruments that are used in flamenco.

The Roman people came in contact w    55     the traditions of other people in the region. As these cultures m    56     and influenced each other, the unique art form of flamenco developed.

Flamenco began with songs. Sometimes a singer sings a sad song. Another kind of song is comic and lighthearted.   Guitar playing was first used just to accompany singers, but it d    57     to become the main instrument in flamenco music.

Flamenco has s    58     around the world, in some countries, flamenco mixes with other local forms of music, such as pop and jazz. Still, southern Spain remains a center for this art form. One large flamenco festival takes place every other year in the city of Seville. It brings together huge crowds of flamenco artists and fans.

Why Do We Care So Much About Our Hair?

If you stress over your tresses(女性的头发) to the point that unruly hair ruins your mood, you’re not alone. A survey showed that 23 percent of women don’t want to leave their house on a bad hair day.

“That sounds extreme? Not when you consider that young girls receive more compliments for their hair, smile or eye color than for their soccer skills or math expertise,” says Dr Marianne LaFrance, a psychologist at Yale University. “From early on, women are given the message that appearance is massively important, and it can become marker for their success in life,” says LaFrance.

Hair can be a significant piece of that puzzle. In a Harvard study, women who felt like they looked younger after a cut, color or both showed a drop in blood pressure, suggesting that a simple haircut can make your body more youthful.

So the question is, if your hair can make you feel amazing, is that a bad thing? For the most part, no. “Your outward appearance projects things about you, and people will make judgments about you based on that,” says Art Markman, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas. Hair plays a role because it frames your face and it’s a prominent part of first impressions, so it’s natural to care for it.

What’s more, Professor Markman says, when you look good, it gives you an extra feeling of confidence, which allows you to take risks. You might find the nerve to speak to someone you normally wouldn’t,   or do something gutsy (大胆的) in an office presentation. “There’s research that shows when you’re in a positive mood, a lot of things go better,” he says.   

Besides riding a good-hair high to social and work success, you can use hair to shape your   identity (身份). “Because hair is so malleable (有可塑性的) , it can give women a feeling of control over their bodies which they don’t otherwise have,” says Viren Swami, psychologist at the University of Westminster in London.