Being sociable looks like a good way to add years to your life. Relationships with family, friends, neighbours, even pets, will all do the trick, but the biggest longevity boost seems to come from marriage or an equivalent relationship. The effect was first noted in 1858 by William Farr, who wrote that widows and widowers were at a much higher risk of dying than their married peers. Studies since then suggest that marriage could add as much as seven years to a man's life and two to a woman's. The effect holds for all causes of death, whether illness, accident or self-harm. Even if the odds are stacked against you(the conditions are not favourable),marriage can more than compensate. Linda Waite of the University of Chicago has found that a married older man with heart disease can expect to live nearly four years longer than an unmarried man with a healthy heart. Likewise, a married man who smokes more than a pack a day is likely to live as long as a divorced man who doesn't smoke. There's a _ , however, as partners are more likely to become ill or die in the couple of years following their spouses; death, and caring for a spouse with mental disorder can leave you with some of the  same severe problems. Even so, the odds favour marriage. In a 30-year study of more than 10,000 people, Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School describes how all kinds of social networks have similar effects. So how does it work? The effects are complex, affected by socio-economic factors, health-service provision, emotional support and other more physiological mechanisms .For example, social contact can boost development of the brain and immune system, leading to better health and less chance of depression later in life. People in supportive relationships may handle stress better. Then there are the psychological benefits of a supportive partner. A life partner, children and good friends are all recommended if you aim to live to 100.The best social network is still being mapped out, but Christakis says:" People are... Linda Waite's studies support the idea that  _  . A) older men should quit smoking to stay healthy B) Marriage can help make up for ill health C) The married are happier than the unmarried D) Unmarried people are likely to suffer in later life
B

The inventor of the world wide web,Tim BernersLee,has won an important award which comes with a prize bag of one million euros (PS671,000).The "Father of the Web" was named as the first winner of the Millennium Technology Prize by the Finnish Technology Award Foundation.He said he had just been "in the right place at the right time" and did not want his photo taken. In 1991,he came up with a system to organize,link and browse  Net pages which revolutionized the Internet.The British scientist was knighted  for his pioneering work in 2003. Sir Tim created his program while he was at the particle physics institute,Cern,in Geneva.The computer code he came up with let scientists easily share research findings across a computer network.In the early 1990s,it was called the "world wide web," and is still the basis of the web as we know it. The famous man never went on to commercialize his work.Instead he worked on expanding the use of the Net as a channel for free expression and cooperation. "The web is encouraging new types of social networks and opening up new ways for information management and business development.The web has significantly improved many people's ability to obtain information central to their lives,"said Pekka Tarjanne,chairman of the Millennium Technology Prize award committee. Just under 80 people from 22 countries were nominated  for the prize for their work in the areas of health,communication,new materials and the environment. The Millennium Technology Prize was set up by the Finnish Technology Award Foundation,an independent body backed by the public and private money which aims to recognize outstanding creations. Sir Tim currently heads up the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston,where he is now based as an academic. Which of the following best describes Tim BernersLee? A) Optimistic. B) Modest. C) Ambitious. D) Careful.
B

You get all sorts of demands, and the mark of a good hotel is to supply whatever is asked for without sounding surprised. If a guest asks for rubbers gloves, you don't ask why. You say, "No problem. What color1 do you want?"   There have been some demands which, much as I would have liked to fill, I couldn't. A Japanese businessman, for example, thought the manager of a hotel was like his girlfriend so he asked me to marry him to the woman he loved. There was one time, however,  _ . A young man thought that if he asked his girlfriend to marry him at the Ritz she would say yes. He asked us to put the ring in a cake, and she accepted.    Top hotels are used more and more to impress. They are used for doing business. If you've got something to sell, take your clients  to the best hotel where the surroundings are quite helpful. A friend of mine working at Savoy Hotel tells the story about a man who gave him 5 pounds to say "Good morning, Mr. Smith saying, "I do wish they would leave me alone at this place."   According to Julian Payne, the most powerful people in any hotel are the porters, who carry bags for hotel guests. "Porters can do almost anything. They can get you tables at the best restaurants or tickets for a popular concert. Don't ask me how they do it or what their deal is because I don't know. Most of them have been there for years. They know more about the history of the hotel and the guests than anyone else. They are invaluable. A head porter will come in even on his day off so he can say hello to someone he remembers visiting the hotel years ago." Why are the porters considered the most powerful people in expensive hotels? A) They sell tickets for concerts B) They can complete difficult tasks C) They know the history of hotels D) They usually work in a hotel for a long time

B