I"m usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today"s children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.Why are America"s kids so stressed The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation—brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things—and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.Given that we can"t turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation cope.At the top of the list is nurturing a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress.To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.Limit the amount of virtual violence your children are exposed to. It"s not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale.Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn"t have to ruin your life. The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people"s state of mind are ______.
A. surprising
B. confusing
C. illogical
D. questionable
I don"t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it"s like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, awards—was viewed through the lens of gender politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus right brain, or nature versus nurture, 1 would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations: I don"t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn"t want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist After all, I don"t study sociology or political theory.Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women"s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how may of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don"t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don"t tell them "war" stories. Instead, I have given them this:the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that"s a sight worth talking about. Why doesn"t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again
A. She feels unhappy working in male—dominated fields
B. She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination
C. She is not good at telling stories of the kind
D. She finds space research more important