男士在下午六点最"听话"

    A woman may not always gets what she wants... but she may stand more chance if she waits until 6 pm to ask for it. This is the time when a man is likely to grant a loved one’s wishes, according to a poll（调查投票）.
    Anything from taking out the rubbish（垃圾） to a romantic weekend away is likely to be looked on more favourably¹ if broached² at the end of the working day.
    Henpecked husbands should, however, steer³ clear（避开、绕开） of having a row mid-afternoon. That’s because 3 pm is the best time for the fairer sex to win an argument, the poll of more than 1,000 men and women found.
    And when it comes to asking for a pay rise or promotion⁴, a woman would do best not to pounce⁵ on the boss when he or she arrives for work in the morning, but to wait until 1 pm.
    This is the time that managers are likely to be most receptive to employees’ demands, according to the poll carried out for pharmaceuticals⁶ giant and contraceptives manufacturer Bayer Schering Pharma.
    Women, however, will be glad to know that they are not the only sex affected⁷ by ‘mood swings’, with the male mindset also changing over the course of the day.
    Some 86 per cent of the 1,019 men and women polled said they were aware of regular peaks and troughs in their mood. But, perhaps not surprisingly, less than half of these had even thought of capitalising on the phenomenon.
    The findings suggest that by being more in touch with biorhythms, or the body’s natural rhythms, we could get what we want more often.
    Mood can be affected by hormones⁸, including those in contraceptives as well as stress, food and alcohol.
    Commenting alongside Bayer’s poll, Evie Bentley, a psychotherapist with a special interest in biorhythms, said: ‘Each biorhythm cycle is regulated by the brain, which controls what hormones and how much of each are produced in order to balance bodily functions.
    ‘A great deal of how a person feels physically⁹, intellectually, and emotionally, is caused by their biorhythms.
    ‘For example, the hormones in our bodies can affect our moods. It is important to choose the right contraceptive option for you to ensure you are in tune¹⁰ with yourself, to complement¹¹ your natural rhythms.’（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 favourably   

adv. 善意地，赞成地 =favorably

参考例句：

• The play has been favourably commented by the audience. 本剧得到了观众的好评。
• The open approach contrasts favourably with the exclusivity of some universities. 这种开放式的方法与一些大学的封闭排外形成了有利的对比。

2 broached   

v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体

参考例句：

• She broached the subject of a picnic to her mother. 她向母亲提起野餐的问题。 来自辞典例句
• He broached the subject to the stranger. 他对陌生人提起那话题。 来自辞典例句

3 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

4 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

5 pounce   

n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意

参考例句：

• Why do you pounce on every single thing I say?干吗我说的每句话你都要找麻烦？
• We saw the tiger about to pounce on the goat.我们看见老虎要向那只山羊扑过去。

6 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

9 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

10 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

11 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。