In so many ways, cyberspace mirrors the real world. People ask for information, play games, and share hobby tips. Others buy and sell products. Still others look for friendship, or even love.

　　在许多方面网络空间反映了真实世界。人们找寻资料、玩游戏及分享兴趣嗜好的秘方。其他人买卖东西。更有人在找寻友谊，甚至爱情。

　　Unlike the real world, however, your knowledge about a person is limited to words on a computer screen. Identity and appearancemean very little in cyberspace. Rather, a person's thoughts--or at least the thoughts they type--are what really count. So even the shyest person can become a chat-room star.

　　但是不同于真实世界的是，你对一个人的认知只限于电脑荧幕上的文字。身份及外表在网络空间里没有太大的意义。反而，一个人的思想或至少他们在荧幕上所打出来的思想才是真正重要的。所以即使一位最害羞的人也可以成为聊天室里的热门人物。

　　Usually, this "faceless" communication doesn't create problems. Identity doesn't really matter when you're in a chat room discussing politics or hobbies. In fact, this emphasis on theideas themselves makes the Internet a great place for exciting conversation. Where else can so many people come together to chat?

　　通常这种看不到对方面孔的沟通并不会产生问题。当你在聊天室讨论政治或嗜好时，身份并不那么重要。事实上，这种对意见本身的强调让互联网络成为一个精彩有趣的谈话场所。世界上还有哪些地方可以让这么多人一起闲聊他们的兴趣？

　　But some Internet users want more than just someone to chat with.They're looking for serious love relationships. Is cyberspace a good place to find love? That answer depends on whom you ask. Some of these relationships actually succeed. Others fail miserably.

　　但是有些互联网络使用者想要的并不只是聊天的对象。他们在找寻认真的恋爱关系。网络空间是一个寻找爱情的好地方吗？那要看你问谁。这类恋情有些真的成功，有些则悲惨地结束。

　　Supporters of online relationships claim that the Internet allows couples to get to know each other intellectually first. Personal appearance doesn't get in the way.

　　网络关系的支持者宣称互联网让情侣先在思想上认识对方，而个人外表不会造成阻碍。But critics of online relationships arguer that no one can truly know another person in cyberspace. Why? Because the Internet gives users a lot of control over how others view them. Internet users can carefully craft their words to fit whatever image they want to give. And they don't have to worry about what their "nonverbal" communication is doing for their image. In a sense, they're not really themselves.

　　但是网络恋情的批评者认为没有人能够真正在网络空间认识一个人。为什么呢？因为互联网络让使用者轻易地掌握别人如何看待他们。互联网络使用者可以依据他们想要给的形象精心推敲措辞。而且他们不用担心他们的形象受到非语言沟通的影响。就某方面来说，他们并不是真正的自己。

　　All of this may be fine if the relationship stays in cyberspace. But not knowing a person is a big problem in a love relationship. With so many unknowns, it's easy to let one's imagination "filling the blanks". This inevitably leads to disappointment when couples meet in person. How someone imagines an online friend is often quite different than the real person.

　　所有这些都不是问题，如果这个关系只局限于网络空间。但是在一个恋爱关系中不认识对方是个大问题。这么多的未知数很容易让一个人的想象力“填入答案”。当这对情侣碰面时，这类情形不可避免地将带来失望。一个人对网络朋友的想象通常和真实的情况有很大的差异。

　　So, before looking for love in cyberspace, remember the advice of Internet pioneer Clifford Stoll:"Life in the real world is far richer than anything you'll find on a computer screen."

　　所以在网络空间找寻爱情之前，先记得互联网络先驱克利佛.斯托的忠告：“真实生活比任何电脑荧幕上找得到的东西都丰富得多。”

　　If you have ever been attracted by a person's scent, it may be their genes you smell. Researchers believe that women can identify men based on differences as small as a single gene.

　　如果你曾经被某人的气味所吸引，实际上你闻到的是他们的基因。研究人员认为，女人能在一个单基因的基础上辨别男人之间的差别。女人根据小到单基因的差别就能辨别男人的不同。

　　In the most recent issue of Nature Genetics scientists look at the link between women's preference for the odors men give off and a group of genes called the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)--which are an important part of the body's immune response.

　　在最新出版的一期《自然遗传学》杂志上，科学家阐述了女性对男性发出气味的喜爱与主要组织相容性复合体(MHC)这组基因之间的关系。MHC是人体免疫系统反应的重要组成部分。

　　A group of 49 women were asked to smell 10 boxes which contained pieces of T-shirts that had either been worn by men or contained a familiar household odor such as bleach or clove.

　　让受试组的49位女士闻装有男人穿过的衬衫或含有家常气味如漂白剂味或丁香味的10个盒子。

　　The men who had worn the T-shirts were selected based on their MHC genes, and were told to sleep in the shirt for two consecutive nights while avoiding other scents entirely, such as colognes and even contact with other people.

　　提供自己穿过衬衫的男子是按他们MHC基因选出来的，他们连续两夜都穿着这件衬衫睡觉，其间完全避开其它气味，如古隆 香水，甚至不与其它人接触。

　　The women were then asked to rate each scent based on their familiarity, intensity, pleasantness, and spiciness, as well as choose the one odor which they would choose if they had to smell it all the time.

　　然后，要求女士们依据自己熟悉、强烈、愉悦和馨香的感受，将闻过的气味分类，并从中挑一种她们终身都能够接受的气味。

　　"A clear pattern emerged," said Dr. Carole Ober, co-author of the study and a geneticist at the University of Chicago. "The women did not choose scents of men with genes totally similar to their own, or totally dissimilar to their own. They chose men with an intermediate level of difference."

　　“一种清晰的分类模式出现了，”该项研究的合作者，芝加哥大学的遗传学家Carole Ober博士说。他说：“受试女士没有选择基因完全与自己相似或相异男人的气味，而是选择了有适度差别的男人气味。”

　　"The real surprising thing is that there was something special about paternally from one's father inherited genes," said Wayne Potts, an expert in the area of MHC research at the University of Utah.

　　犹他大学专门研究MHC的专家Wayne Potts说：“真正令人惊奇的是该研究结果与父系遗传基因有特殊关系。”　Moreover, the women showed no preference for odors from men with the same gene types as their mothers, but did show a preference for odors from men who shared genes they inherited from their fathers.

　　受试女士不喜欢与自己母亲有相同基因类型的男士气味，但却偏爱具有与她们从父亲身上遗传而得基因的男人气味。

　　Experts believe there are two major reasons for preferring a mate with different genes than your own. The first is that parents with more diverse MHC genes will give rise to offspring with better immune systems, and the second is that by avoiding mates who have very similar MHC types, you also avoid inbreeding.

　　专家认为，人类爱选与自己基因相异的人为配偶的主要原因有两点，一是具有较大差异MHC基因的父母生出的后代具有较好的免疫系统，其次是避免配偶有非常相似的MHC基因型，这样可以避免近亲繁殖。

　　In fact, previous studies have shown that married people tend to have different types of genes than their spouse.

　　事实上，以前的研究也表明已婚的人趋向于与配偶有不同的基因。

　　At the same time, however, the propensity to choose someone with slightly similar genes can also avoid the problem of outbreeding--the mixing of genes that are too different.

　　然而，与此同时，选择稍微相似基因的人为配偶也能避免远系繁殖——差异太大的基因组合问题。

　　"The best is in the middle range and no one knew that before," said Martha McClintock, co-author of the study and a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago，"Everybody always says different is better, well you get different, different, different, and then it becomes a point where it's no longer better."

　　该项研究的合作者，芝加哥大学的心理学教授Martha McClintock说：“适度遗传差异是最好的，以前没有人知道这个道理。人人都说有差异比较好，你可能得到这样那样的遗传差异，然后，差异大到某一程度时就不再好了。”

　　Potts cautions that choosing an odor from within a box may not represent what actually happens in the real world when women are attracted to their mates.

　　Potts提醒说，从盒子中选闻气味不能代表现实生活中女性被男子身上散发气味所吸引的实际过程。

　　"It's the wrong emphasis to say that this means that they're going to prefer MHC similar males when it comes to mating," said Potts. "There is other social context."

　　Potts说：“以此证明女性喜欢选择MHC基因相似的男人做配偶是错的，因为选择配偶还有其它的社会内容。”

　　"That is one of the molecular missing links," said Potts. "We don't know exactly what the odorants are."

　　Potts说: “这儿有一个分子连接错位，但我们不知道专管发出味道的遗传基因的确切位置。”

　　Potts explains that one hypothesis is linked to the ability of MHC molecules to stick to very specific pieces of protein in cells. These MHC molecules and the proteins stuck to them are what is believed to be detected as an odor.

　　Potts解释说，一种假设是与MHC分子粘到细胞内特定蛋白质的能力有关，据称，就是这些MHC分子和粘在上面的蛋白质发出了可闻到的味道。

　　Whatever the mechanism, this study disproves the assumption that humans have a poorly developed sense of smell.

　　无论该研究的机理如何，该研究至少推翻了有关人类嗅觉发育不良的假设。

You　can't　buy　love，but　with　a　Japanese　piggy　bank　that　combines　thrift　with　virtual　romance，you　can　at　least　save　up　for　it.

　　金钱买不到爱情，但有了日本推出的一款能让你在存钱的同时享受虚拟浪漫的储蓄罐，你至少可以为爱情存点银子。

　　“Ikemenbank”，or　“handsome　men　bank”，is　a　heart-shaped　electronic　piggy　bank　with　an　LCD　screen　that　allows　its　owner　to　conduct　a　virtual　affair　with　a　cartoon　character　while　watching　the　coins　pile　up.

　　“帅哥储蓄罐”是一款心形的带有 液晶显示屏的电子储蓄罐，它的主人可以在存钱的同时与里面的卡通人物发展一段虚拟的恋情。

　　Thelove　story　ends　when　the　bank　is　filled　with　100pieces　of　500yencoins.Whether　it's　a　happy　ending　or　a　heartbreaking　one　depends　on　how　well　users　communicate　with　their　virtual　lovers，said　manufacturer　Bandai　Corp，a　toy-making　unit　of　Namco　Bandai　Holdings.

　　据“帅哥储蓄罐”制造商、南梦万代控股公司下属的万代公司介绍，这段恋情会在储蓄罐存满100枚500日元硬币的时候结束。至于结局是喜还是悲，就得看主人跟里面的虚拟恋人交往得怎么样了。

One in five US workers regularly attends after-work drinks with co-workers.

　　One in five US workers regularly attends after-work drinks with co-workers, where the most common mishaps range from bad-mouthing another worker to kissing a colleague and drinking too much, according to a study released on Tuesday. 

　　Most workers attend so-called happy hours to bond with colleagues, although 15 percent go to hear the latest office gossip and 13 percent go because they feel obligated, said the survey conducted for CareerBuilder.com, an online job site.

　　As to what happens when the after-work drinks flow, 16 percent reported bad-mouthing a colleague, 10 percent shared a secret about a colleague, 8 percent kissed a colleague and 8 percent said they drank too much and acted unprofessionally.

　　Five percent said they had shared a secret about the company, and 4 percent confessed to singing karaoke.

　　While 21 percent of those who attend say happy hours are good for networking, 85 percent said attending had not helped them get closer to someone higher up or get a better position.

　　An equal number of men and women said they attend happy hours with co-workers, with younger workers age 25 to 34 most likely and workers over 55 least likely to attend.

　　Overall, 21 percent of workers attend happy hours with co-workers and, of those, nearly a quarter go at least once a month.

　　The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 6,987 full-time employees between February 11 and March 13.

　　Harris Interactive said the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.

　　据本周二发布的一项调查显示，美国有五分之一的员工会定期在下班后跟同事去喝几杯，每当这个时候，诸如讲同事坏话、亲吻某位同事、以及醉酒等糗事就要上演了。

　　这项为在线求职网站CareerBuilder.com所做的调查表示，虽然去参加所谓“欢乐时光”的人中有15%是去搜罗最新的办公室流言，13%是迫于无奈才去的，大多数员工去那里都是为了拉近同事关系。

　　在被问及下班后的欢饮时光都会做些什么的时候，有16%的人表示会讲同事坏话，10%的人会散播某位同事的秘密，8%的人会亲吻某位同事，还有8%的人表示他们会喝醉酒，做出反常的举动。

　　有5%的人说他们会传播一些跟公司有关的秘密，另有4%的人表示会唱卡拉OK。

　　参加欢乐时光的人当中有21%表示此类活动有助于人际关系，85%的人则表示参加此类活动并不能让他们跟某些高层人士更加接近，也不会对他们升职有什么帮助。

　　男性和女性跟同事共赴欢乐时光的人数是一样的，年龄在25到34岁之间的年轻员工是最有可能参加此类活动的人群，而55岁以上的员工参加的可能性是最低的。

　　总的来说，有21%的员工下班后会与同事共赴欢乐时光，而他们当中有近四分之一的人每月至少去一次。

　　这项调查是哈里斯互动公司代表CareerBuilder.com在2月11日至3月13日之间进行的，共有6987名全职雇员参加。

　　哈里斯互动表示该调查结果会有正负1.2个百分点的采样误差。 

 

电视节目Friends

　　1. TV is probably one of the best inventions of mankind.

　　We sit for hours in front of the TV watching a variety of channels, you know glued to the tube. And be happily entertained.

　　2. The TV show I like the most is an American Sitcom on NBC called “Friends”.

　　The show is so big worldwide, and fans are in millions.

　　To me it’s entertainment and English learning because they speak English so cool.

　　3. Our family got cable very early, so one day I was watching this commercial on TV about this show. I didn’t understand it because the people were speaking so fast, but I heard all the audience laughing. So I said to myself this is funny. I need to watch it. So I bought some DVDs. I think it was in the year 2002

　　4. The show lasted for 10 years. It’s basically about six very different friends staying close for an unusually long time. They grew up together, and they were always there for each other. It’s very warm.

　　5. I like the show because it shows me that people can genuinely care about each other. We live so lonely nowadays especially in the city. And this show provides some kind of a friendship utopia that we can take shelter in. That kind of friendship is what everybody wants. I learned true friends should listen to each other, give each other understandings and supports and respect the choices each makes