With the development of science and technology, new inventions, especially new electronic products, have made people's lives easy and convenient. But as the saying puts: A coin has two sides.

    One day, I was walking in the park with a friend and his cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. There we were, walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day and…I became invisible, absent from the conversation.

    The telephone used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel? Every advance in communications technology is a tragedy to the closeness of human interaction. With email and instant messaging over the Internet, we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another. With voice mail, you can conduct entire conversations without ever reaching anyone. If my mom has a question, I just leave the answer on her machine.

    As almost every contact we can imagine between human beings gets automated, the alienation(疏远) index goes up. You can't even call a person to get the phone number of another person any more. Directory assistance is almost always fully automated.

    Pumping petrol at the station? Why say good morning to the attendant when you can swipe(刷)your credit card at the pump and save yourself the bother of human contact?

    Making a deposit at the bank? Why talk to a teller who might live in the neighborhood when you can just insert your card into ATM?

    Pretty soon you won't have the burden of making eye contact at the grocery shop. Some supermarket chains are using a self-scanner so you can check yourself out, avoiding those check-out people who look at you and ask how you are doing.

    I am not against modern technology. I own a cell phone, an ATM card, a voice mail system, and an email account. Giving them up isn't wise…they're a great help to us. It's some of their possible consequences that make me feel uneasy.

    More and more, I find myself hiding behind e-mail to do a job meant for conversation. Or being relieved that voice mail picked up a call because I didn't really have time to talk. The communications industry devoted to helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier.

    So I've put myself on technology restriction: no instant messaging, with people who live near me，no cell phoning in the presence of friends, no letting the voice mail pick up when I'm at home.

    The single, decisive factor that made it possible for mankind to settle in lasting communities（社区，聚居地）was agriculture. After farming was developed in the Middle East in about 6500 BC, people living in family units did not have to be on the move continually searching for food or hunting their animals. Once people could control the production of food and be assured of a reliable supply of it, their lives changed completely.

    Farming was a revolutionary discovery. It not only made settlements possible and later the building of cities but it also made available a reliable food supply. With more food available, more people could be fed. Population therefore increased. The growing number of people available for more kinds of work led to the development of new social formations. With more and more food, a community could support a variety of workers who were not farmers.

Farming in the world over has always relied upon a dependable water supply. For the earliest societies this meant rivers and streams or regular rainfall. The first great civilizations grew up along rivers. Later communities were able to develop by taking advantage of the rainy seasons.

    All of the ancient civilizations probably developed in much the same way, in spite of a few differences. As villages grew, the production of more numerous goods became possible. Cloth could be woven from wool. Houses made of wood, brick, and stone could be put up.

    The science of mathematics was an early outcome of agriculture. People studied the movements of the moon, the sun, and the planets to work out seasons, By doing so they created the first calendars（日历）. With a calendar it was possible to find out the arrival of each growing season. Measurement of land areas was necessary if field was to be divided accurately. Measurement of amounts, for example, of seeds or grains was also a factor in farming and housekeeping. Later measures of value as money exchange became common.

    All of the major ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China appeared in the 4th millennium（千年）BC. Historians still argue over which one came into being first. It may well have been the Middle East. This place reaches out from the Nile River in Egypt northward along the coast of former Palestine, then eastward into Asia to include Mesopotamia. In this area people settled along the riverbanks and practiced field agriculture. This kind of farming depended on the reproduction of seed, normally from grain crops.

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    We've all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.

    What's the problem? It's possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It's more likely that none of us start a conversation because it's awkward and challenging, or we think it's annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it's an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.

    Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can't forget that deep relationships wouldn't even exist if it weren't for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. "Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk," he explains. "The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them."

    In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. "It's not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband," says Dunn. "But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also."

    Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. "Small talk is the basis of good manners," he says.

    ⒈Siem Reap, Cambodia

    Siem Reap is a fast-growing city with plenty of new hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. But many people are here not because of the city itself, but for the things nearby: amazingly well-preserved ancient temples. Even if you have the worst jet lag (时差反应) ever, drag yourself out of bed to be at Angkor Archaeological Park when it opens. The sunrise over Angkor Wat is worth losing sleepover.

    ⒉Rome, Italy

    Rome is a city of contrasts (差异) — where else on earth could be home to both the Vatican and La Dolce Vita? Rome is unique in that it offers a great combination of different art, culture and food. If your preference is for sports, then Rome also has a lot to offer. In terms of music and live entertainment, a lot of the most famous Italian and international artists also tend to include Rome on European and world tours.

    ⒊New York, America

    The first time you go to New York, go ahead and be a sightseer- everyone should visit the Statue of Liberty, the Met, Times Square, etc. But on a return trip, pick a neighborhood and go deep. You will find hole-in-the-wall bars, strange shops...Exploring the non-touristy side of New York is an extremely rewarding experience for a traveler.

    ⒋Istanbul, Turkey

    Europe and Asia meet in Istanbul. Throughout this energetic city, you will find centuries-old churches and markets happily coexisting (共存) with modem restaurants, galleries and nightclubs. Though no longer a capital, Istanbul is the heart of the Republic of Turkey and the financial center with a large population.

    LaVonn was helping out in her dad's store when a little boy, about five or six years old, came in. He was wearing a brown and oversized coat with dirty, old clothes beneath it. His shoes were broken, and only one had lace (鞋带). The boy looked around the store, picked up several items, examined them one by one and then carefully put them back on the shelf.

    LaVonn's dad walked over to the child and asked if he could help. The little boy said, "I'm looking for a gift for my brother." After 20 minutes, the child picked up a toy airplane. He held it carefully in his hands as if it were made of glass and carried it to LaVonn's father.

    "How much is this?" he asked. "My brother loves airplanes." LaVonn's dad answered, "How much money do you have?" The little boy reached into his coat and pulled out some small change (零钱). He spread his money out on the table and began to count. "I have twenty-seven cents," he answered. Her dad picked up the coins and said, "The airplane costs exactly twenty-seven cents! Wait here and I'll pack it up for you."

    The little boy walked out of the store with the gift and a smile of total satisfaction on his face. LaVonn made her way back to the shelf and she found the plane was priced at $11.98.She never mentioned it to her father. Her father didn't say anything more about it either, but she realized later, "My best gift that Christmas was seeing my dad's love in action."

I hadn't got exercise lately and felt a bit dizzy. I was a little1 . One of my friends invited me to show up to see a2 that they said would help me feel better. Little did I know that I was about to see something I would never forget.

They introduced a young3 , Mr Patrick Henry Hughes. He was4 onto the stage in his wheelchair and began to play the piano. His fingers5 across the keys as he made beautiful music. He then began to sing as he played, and it was even more beautiful. For some reason,6 , I knew that I was seeing something special. Ten minutes later, someone came on the stage and7 a video of Patrick Henry Hughes.

Patrick was born with no eyes and a tightening of the joints which left him8 for life. Before his first birthday, he9 the piano. On his second birthday, he asked to play it. His father was10 . "We might not play baseball, but we can play music together. "

Today, Patrick is a11 at university. His father attends classes with him and he has made nearly all "A" s. He is also a trumpet player of a band. He and his father do it together — they12 all the band practices and the half-time performance in front of thousands of people.

But even more than his13 musical talent, it was Patrick's attitude to gratitude that touched me. I will never forget that night, that smile, that music, but most importantly, that14 attitude to gratitude. Gratitude can change your attitude,15 your life forever.