About ten men in every hundred suffer from color-blindness in some way. Women are luckier: only about one in two hundred is affected on this matter. Perhaps, after all, it is safer to be driven by a woman!

There are different forms of color-blindness. In some cases a man may not be able to see deep red. He may think that red, orange and yellow are all shades of green. Sometimes a person cannot tell the difference between blue and green. In rare cases an unlucky man may see everything in shades of green — a strange world indeed.

Color-blindness in human beings is a strange thing to explain. In a single eye there are millions of very small things called "cones". These help us to see in bright light and to tell the difference between colors. There are also millions of "rods", but these are used for seeing when it is near dark. They show us shapes but no color.

Some insects have favorite colors. Mosquitoes（蚊子） prefer blue to yellow. A red light will not attract insects, but a blue lamp will. In a similar way human beings also have favorite colors. Yet we are lucky.

With the aid of the cones in our eyes we can see many beautiful colors by day, and with the aid of the rods we can see shapes at night. One day we may even learn more about the invisible colors around us.

Some people think that they will get ill if they will use their brains too much. It is not truly. Through many studies，scientists show us that the less you use your brains，the better they will be，but the cleverer you will become. Of course，if you want to keep your mind clear and active，you must take proper rest and study properly. To the teenagers，use their brains in the morning is good for your health.

There are various ways to rest. One of them is a peaceful rest. Sleep is a perfect example. As we all know，lack of sleep can do great damage for our health. Another is an active rest. For example，take a walk outdoors，and do more exercises every day. In everyday life，eating some eggs，meat，fresh vegetables and fruit are also good for the brains.

   What’s your opinion on spicy food? Some people cannot handle even the smallest amount of chili peppers in their dinner while others can’t get enough of them.

Scientists have long been puzzled by why some people love the chili while others loathe it. Plenty of research has been done on the subject, dating as far back as the 1970s. Previous results showed that a love of chilies is related to childhood experiences, and that cultural influences affect our taste too. But the latest study has found that a person’s love of spicy food may be linked to his or her personality (性格) more than anything else, CBC News reported.

“We have always assumed that liking drives intake — we eat what we like and we like what we eat. But no one has actually directly bothered to connect personality with intake of chili peppers,” said Professor John E. Hayes from Pennsylvania State University, who led the study.

But before you look at the study, you should first know that “spicy” is not a taste, unlike sour, sweet, bitter and salty taste. It is, in fact, a burning feeling that you feel on the surface of your tongue. This got scientists thinking that maybe a love of spicy food is brought about by people’s longing for thrill, something they usually get from watching action movies or riding a roller coaster.

In the study, 97 participants, both male and female, were asked to fill out questionnaires about their personality, for example, whether they like new experiences or tend to avoid risks. They were then given a glass of water with capsaicin (辣椒素), the plant chemical that makes a chili burn, mixed into it.

By comparing the answers to the questionnaire and what participants said they felt about the spicy water, researchers found that those who tended to enjoy action movies or take risks were about six times more likely to enjoy the spicy water.

Interestingly, we used to believe that the reason why some people can withstand (耐受) spicy food is that their tongues have become less sensitive to it. However, this latest study has found otherwise. “It’s not that it doesn’t burn as badly, but that you actually learn to like the burning feeling,” Hayes explained.

   Do you like eating processed meat? If you do, think twice now if you want to eat such meat for the sake of your health.  Why? "It's because eating processed meat can cause cancer, " World Health Organization （WHO） experts said last Monday.

Processed meat is the meat that has been preserved by salting, smoking, drying or canning. Experts from the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer （IARC） in Lyon, France studied 800 patients.  The experts connected processed meat, such as hot dogs and bacon, with at least three kinds of cancer.  A person who eats 50 grams of processed meat per day— about two pieces of bacon— increases his or her risk of bowel （肠） cancer by 18 percent.

The IARC has included processed meat in its Group 1 list, for which there is " enough evidence" of its connection with cancer. Tobacco is also on the Group 1 list.

The experts also said red meat, including beef, lamb and pork, is "probably" carcinogenic （致癌的）to humans. Dr. Kurt Strait is with the IARC. He said in a statement that the risk of cancer increases with the amount of meat a person eats. Health experts in some countries advised people against eating large amounts of red and processed meat. But those suggestions had been centered on the increased risk of heart disease and obesity.

However, meat industry groups protest the result of the WHO's study.  They say that meat is part of a balanced diet.  They also say the causes of cancer are broad, and include environment and lifestyle factors.

The WHO's report cites （引证） the Global Burden of Disease Study's project, which shows that diets high in processed meat lead to 34, 000 cancer deaths per year worldwide.

Amazing Benefits of Listening to Music

If you love listening to music, you’re good company. 【小题1】

★Music makes you happier.

When you listen to music, your brain produces a special matter. It biologically (生物学上) causes listeners to feel emotions like happiness, excitement, and joy. So next time you need an emotional increase, listen to your favorite tunes for 15 minutes.

★【小题2】

Listening to music you enjoy reduces levels of the stress in your body. This is an important finding since stress causes many illnesses. To stay calm and healthy during a stressful day, turn on the radio.

★Music helps you sleep better.

A study showed that students listening to classical music for 45 minutes slept better than students who did nothing. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try listening to a little Bach or Mozart before bedtime.

★Music helps you eat less.

【小题3】If you’re looking for ways to reduce your appetite (食欲), try dimming the lights and listening to soft music next time you sit down for a meal.

★Music strengthens learning and memory.

Researchers discovered that music can help you learn and recall information better. 【小题4】 Memorize these results. You now have a strategy to study more effectively for your next test.

★Music raises IQ and school performance.

Research shows that taking music lessons predicts higher school performance and IQ in young children. 【小题5】