Ever wonder why sometimes a hug is all you need ? You can't explain it , but there's just something comforting about being in your wife's arms after a rough day or giving mom a hug after a long time apart . A new study says the warm feeling in a hug is more than just skin deep . Researchers from the University of California , Berkeley believe that this loving feeling could have anti-aging benefits . Oxytocin , sometimes referred to as the " love hormone " or the " trust hormone , " is responsible for those indescribable feelings we get when we're bonding with a lover or a loved one . Levels of the hormone drop as we age , and evidence suggests that could be a contributing factor to the _ of our bodies as we age . Muscle loss in particular is one of the major side effects of aging , with our bodies losing up to 5 percent of our muscle mass each decade past our 30s . In the study , published in the journal Nature Communications , researchers injected oxytocin into older mice with muscle damage . The older mice had lower levels of the homeone than younger mice initially . But after nine days , the older mice who were given the hormone healed better than those who did not . In fact , their ability to repair muscle damage was up to 80 percent that of the younger mice . The results were not only fast-acting , but provide hope for future uses of the hormone in a variety of anti-aging capacities . " This is good because it demonstrates that extra oxytocin improves aged tissue stem cells without making muscle stem cells divide uncontrollably , " study co-author Wendy Cousins said in a statement . Previous uses of anti-aging molecules have also been associated with higher cancer risk , but researchers are hopeful that oxytocin can be useful in humans without this risk . In the future , researchers of Berkeley say oxytocin could be used to fight other age-related health issues by improving bone health and even being used as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy . Now go out and give someone a hug . What can be learned from the research ? A) All the older mice healed faster in the research . B) Older mice healed better than younger ones after 9 days . C) Extra oxytocin in older mice controlled muscle cell division . D) Mice with oxytocin injection improved the ability to repair muscle damage .
D
Ever since Canadian psychiatrist Michael R. Phillips, who works in China, released his report saying China's suicide rate from 1995 to 1999 reached 0.023 percent, the country has been ranked among those with the highest suicide rates in the world. But Jing Jun, a professor of sociology in Tsinghua University, challenges that view and presents the true picture through his nationwide research. Jing and his students took one year to set up the first national database on suicide rate to grasp the overall trend of suicides in China. They collected data from the Health Statistics Annuals of the World Health Organization (sample size 10 million), and the country's Health Statistics Annuals (which cover 100 million people). The database covers 23 years, from 1987 to 2009. Jing calculates the suicide rate in China based on these data. Though the suicide rate was comparatively high in the early years, his study shows it has dropped in recent years, as opposed to the ascending trend in the rest of the world. According to Jing's calculation, China's suicide rate had dropped to about 0.01 percent in 2004. In 2009, the figure dropped further to 0.007 percent, which is rather low compared with the global rate of 0.016 percent. Even if the "missing" suicides were added, China's suicide rate in 2009 would still be below 0.008 percent.[:Zxxk.Com] Jing has found that one of the main reasons why the suicide rate has dropped was the steady and big decline in the number of suicides committed by rural women. In the early years, researchers generally agreed that the suicide rate among Chinese women was higher than among men, which is pretty rare in the rest the world. But the suicide rate among Chinese women, especially in rural areas, has declined remarkably in recent years. In fact, it is almost equal to that of Chinese men. As a sociologist, Jing regards suicide as a social issue, and believes improvement of social policies will reduce the suicide rate even further. More people's lives can be saved if the authorities adjust to... In Jing's opinion, what should be done to reduce the suicide? A) Pay more attention to rural women. B) Continue to improve social environment. C) Set up more mental health centers. D) Make policies to prevent suicides.
B
Q: Picture the scene: You come home after work feeling too exhausted to cook -only to find a delicious meal worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant waiting for you. It sounds like a fantasy, but it could be about to come true thanks to a robot chef developed by British scientists. Those scientists have come up with a set of robotic arms so smart that _ are capable of cooking meals all by themselves. The device will be sold from as early as 2017 as part of a purpose-built high-tech kitchen. Scientists at Moley Robotics spent almost 18 years developing the hands. According to its creators, the arms can chop, stir, whisk and baste well enough to recreate almost anything you would care to eat, whether it is a simple home-cooked supper, or a complicated creation designed by a world-class chef. The hands move a little slowly, hovering strangely above the work surface whenever they are not busy, but they imitate human movements closely enough that they can do things such as wiping a spoon on the edge of a pan to prevent drips. Mr Oleynik, who is leading the project, said, "All the things which are possible with the hand are possible here. There is no limitation. A lot of people want to go to Michelin-starred restaurants, but they are quite expensive and may be quite far from the home. This is an opportunity for people to enjoy very good food, and for a reasonable price. " The only cuisine that is off the robot's menu at the moment is sushi, which requires extremely steady pressure and nimble fingers to make, but the team plan to conquer that as well by the time it goes on sale. What can we infer from the passage? A) Hands of a robot chef can perform exactly like a cook. B) Robot chefs are available at shopping malls. C) Michelin-starred restaurants are suitable for many people. D) It is uncertain when the robot can cook all kinds of food.
A: D
*Question*
Scientists around the world have been studying the warming of waters in the Pacific Ocean known as El Nino . The appearance of El Nino is known to affect the weather around the world. Scientists still do not completely understand it. Yet they now find they can use it to tell about the future in different areas of the world. One example is the work of two scientists at Columbia University in New York, Mark Cane and Gordon Eshel. A scientist of Zimbabwe , Roger Buckland worked with them. They have found that when El Nino appears, Zimbabwe has little or no rain. This means corn crops in Zimbabwe are poor. The last El Nino was in 1991 to 1993. That was when southeastern Africa suffered a serious lack of rain. The scientists wrote about their recent work in the publication Nature. Their computer program can tell when an El Nino will develop up to a year before it does. They suggest that this could provide an effective early warning system for southern Africa, and could prevent many people from starving. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A) Scientists come to understand how El Nino appears. B) Three scientists from the USA work on this subject. C) Southern Africa suffered a serious drought and many people died from hunger. D) El Nino has something to do with Zimbabwe's poor crops.
**Answer**
D