Instead of working overtime in hopes of getting a pay rise, maybe you should go to the gym, as itcould make you just as happy as that extra money.
An interesting new study shows people who are physically active have a greater sense of well-being(幸福) than those who are inactive, and that active people feel as good as inactive people who earn$25,000 more per year.
Researchers from Oxford and Yale Universities used data collected from
1.2 million Americans. They were asked, "How many times have you felt mentally unwell in the past 30 days, for example because of stress, depression, or emotional problems? " They were also asked about their exercise habits, choosing from 75 different physical activities, including mowing the lawn, doing housework ，running, weightlifting, and cycling.
The researchers found that people who exercised often felt bad for an average of 35 days per year while inactive people felt bad for an additional 18 days. All exercise types had a good influence. Social physical activities, for example team sports, were considered to have a better influence although cycling ranked highly.
However, it is possible to get too much exercise. According to a study, the mental health of those who exercised for more than three hours a day suffered more than that of those who weren't physically active.
The proper amount seems to be three to five times per week, lasting 30 to 60 minutes each.
Children are excited to find brightly wrapped(包装的) presents under the tree on Christmas morning. They can't wait to open the wrapping and get the toys that were on their wish lists, such as toy cars. But after the excitement wears off, those toys are usually left to the corner of the toy box and the kids are searching for something else to do. But it doesn't have to be that way.
A study from the University of Toronto found that giving your child experiences as a gift, instead of toys, improves your child's intelligence and makes stronger parent-child bonds. "Often the focus is only on whether someone likes a gift rather than focusing on a fundamental purpose of gift giving. Knowing that will foster(培养) relationships between the giver and the receiver," said lead researcher Cindy Chan.
Chan suggested that when you are buying a holiday gift or birthday gift, you should buy something that kids can experience with you. This can be movie or concert tickets, a CD from a performance you already saw to keep the memory alive. For example, for kids, a trip to a museum, going ice-skating or a book that the family can read together over and over again are valuable gifts.
It is found that giving your kids too many toys can be counterproductive(适得其反) and make kids at a loss. The best way to make kids happy is to spend time together.
So, if you want happy and intelligent kids, spending time with them and making memories are the best gifts you can give them. That's not to say that there shouldn't be any toys but change the focus from getting things to making lasting memories.
When Clara Harlowe Barton was 11 years old, her older brother was seriously injured in a fall. Barton spent two years nursing him back to health until he fully got well. Although she had this early nursing experience, Barton would not work as a nurse until later in life.
At the age of seventeen, Barton worked as a teacher in Massachusetts. Twelve years later, she opened the first free public school in New Jersey. The school grew from only six students on the first day of classes to more than 200 students by the end of the school year. When the school opened in the fall of 1853, Barton was surprised to learn that a man had been hired as the school's head teacher, being paid twice her salary ( 工 资) to run the school that she had set up and made successful. Outraged at this news, she quit her teaching position. "I may sometimes be willing to teach for nothing, but if paid at all, I shall never do a man's work for less than a man's pay," she said.
In 1861, the Civil War began; Barton began collecting supplies ( 补 给 ) and got passes from the government to send her supplies and services to the front line and field hospitals. And then she became known as the "Angel of the Battlefield".
In 1869, Barton took a trip to Switzerland where she learned about the International Red Cross. Later, Barton set up the American Red Cross. Under Barton's leadership, the American Red Cross helped thousands of people in need.
During her lifetime, Barton gave her life and effort to the service and the care of others as a teacher, a Civil War nurse, and founder of the American Red Cross.
If you expect to work in the future in the travel industry, you should begin learning Chinese.
That's because Chinese people spent nearly $258 billion in total on international travel last year. That's more than twice the combined amount spent on international travel by people from the United States and Germany, the next two biggest-spending nations. The Chinese are relative（相对的）newcomers when it comes to traveling beyond their nation's borders and only a small percentage of them travel outside of China each year. Given the size of that nation's population, even that small percentage represents well over 100 million Chinese travelers to foreign destinations.
Yet Chinese citizens flew, on average, just 65 miles last year vs. the 227 miles flown on average by US residents（居民）, the 285 miles flown on average by Germans, the 271 miles flown on average by those from the United Kingdom, and the 632 miles flown by the average Canadian last year.
China's high total spending on international travel and its low average number of miles flown on international travel may show that while only a small percentage of China's residents actually travel outside their homeland, those who do spend a lot of money don't go that far. But there are reasons for China's low average of miles travel on international trips. A small percentage of Chinese now have enough money to travel internationally, while the number of people who do travel outside of China is growing fast every year. Besides, a large percentage of Chinese people traveling abroad stay close to home.
However, as more and more Chinese gain the financial ability to travel internationally and as Chinese become more and more interested in visiting destinations farther and farther away from home, their spending on international travel and the average distances flown will both rise rapidly.
Protecting Your Eyesight
Nowadays most people have bad eyesight. Don't take your eyes for granted. Here are some tips on protecting your eyesight.
Eat for good vision.
Protecting your eyes starts with the food on your plate. Nutrients such as vitamin C and vitamin E may help avoid vision problems. You can choose green vegetables, eggs, beans and other non-meat protein sources.
Wear sunglasses for good vision.
Choose sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays. If you wear contact lenses, choose the ones that offer UV protection. It's still a good idea to wear sunglasses for more protection.
Quit smoking.
Smoking makes you more likely to get cataracts, optic nerve damage, and macular degeneration (黄斑 退化). If you have tried to quit smoking before and started smoking again, keep trying. The more times you try to quit smoking, the more likely you are to succeed.
Staring at a computer screen can cause so many problems: dry eyes, headaches and neck, back and shoulder pain. To protect your eyes, you can position your computer so that your eyes are level with the top of the monitor. This allows you to look slightly down at the screen. Try to avoid glare on your computer from windows and lights. Use an anti-glare screen if needed. Every 20 minutes, rest your eyes by looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Visit your eye doctor regularly.
Everyone, even young children, should get their eyes examined regularly. They can also find some eye diseases, such as glaucoma (青光眼). The earlier diseases are found, the easier they are to be treated.
A. Eye exams help you protect your sight and see your best.
B. Look away from the computer for good eye health.
C. Use safe sunglasses.
D. At least every two hours, get up and take a 15-minute break.
E. Wear glasses when examined under the guidance of your doctor.
F. Regularly eating nutritious foods can lead to good eye health.
G. It will cause your eyesight to fail.
It's strange, but I don't really remember the hurricane (飓风）itself. It all happened so 1 . I was sitting in my room when the roof (屋顶) just2 . All of a sudden, there was the sky where the roof had been and I was very 3 . Without a roof, staying inside was really4 . It was August, so it was really hot and it smelled so 5 everywhere because much rotten food was thrown on the streets! Living in the 6 air, we became breakfast, lunch and supper for the mosquitos(蚊子). We had lost our home and everything in it. But Mom kept on7 us that whatever happened, we should always try to see the good side of things. Anyway, we were all together and safe. Mom's words made us feel 8 . I remember us all lying under the midnight 9 and looking up at the stars. Even though we had lost a lot, moments like those gave us 10 for the future.
Although it was only a few days before we were 11 , it felt like months. We were taken to another town in a faraway county. Now, one year has 12 and I'm back home in New Orleans. We are working together to 13 our home and our lives. Now we have another chance to look up at the 14 of New Orleans, their beauty inspiring us and giving us15 to move on.
On the (one) day of my high school life in the USA, I showed a great interest in one of the (lecture), marketing lecture. My teacher, Mrs.Tolman, (recommend) that I should register a national marketing club (call) DECA which attracts many students with interest in business. So I did. The biggest challenge was (collect) money for the marketing competition later in the year by selling candles. Mrs.Tolman said the competition was due in a week and that 40 percent of the income would go into my personal account, made me (addict) to the selling. At beginning, I tried to sell some candles to my host mom. She said that if I could show the candles (confident) and do a wonderful sales presentation, she would certainly buy some. I started my topic with a firm handshake. Then I focused all the different kinds of candles and the special sales I could offer and convinced her that our candles were the best choice for gifts and home decorations. Finally she bought three candles.
