The TED speaker series features “ideas worth spreading.” With over 1,400 to choose from, we've selected a few that are perfect for students.

    Larry Smith: Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career

    We humans have an excellent ability to make excuses for ourselves. Larry Smith, a professor of economics at the University of Waterloo in Canada, tells us why most of us will fail to have a great career. But there is a way out— if you try to pursue your passion.  

    Andy Puddicombe: All It takes Is 10 Mindful Minutes

    Between dance team, volunteering and—oh, right—lectures, your life's crazy factor is about to go way up. In this entertaining and informative talk, mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe teaches us how to be “healthier, more mindful and less distracted” by taking just 10 minutes out of the day to be more present.

    Shane Koyczan: To This DAY for the Bullied and Beautiful

    This talk is sure to stay with you. Shane Koyczan's “To this DAY” is an affecting spoken-word poem about bullying and being different that gained over 10 million views on YouTube. In this talk, Koyczan gives a live reading of the poem, along with some stories about his background.

    Susan Cain: The power of Introverts (性格内向者)

    Does a cup of tea and a good book sound like a perfect Friday night? In this personal talk, Susan Cain argues that introverts have important talents and abilities. Our culture may value being social and outgoing, but the world needs all kinds.

    The Great Pyramid(金字塔)was built nearly 5,000 years ago for a king called Khufu. It is on the west bank of the Nile River. In fact, all the pyramids along the Nile River are on its west bank. The ancient Egyptians thought of the rising of the sun as the beginning of life and the setting of the sun as the end of life. This is why their bodies were buried on the west of the Nile.

    It is very hard to realize just how big the Great pyramid is. It has over 2,000,000 pieces of stones. Most of these big stones weigh two and a half tons each. Some even weigh fifteen tons. Without machinery, the ancient Egyptians cut and moved and lifted each of these stones. Almost all the stones came from the east bank of the Nile, and they were taken across the river in boat. It took more than 100,000 people twenty years to build the Great Pyramid.

    The Great Pyramid is over 450 feet high today. Each of the sides of the Pyramid is 755 feet long. It takes about twenty minutes to walk all the way around it.

    Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let's have a look.

    People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies. We sometimes say that people who are nervous have ants in their pants. Sometimes, people may get caught with their pants down. They are found doing something they should not be doing. And, in every family, one person takes control. Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do. Then we say she wears the pants in the family.

    Pants usually have pockets to hold things. Money that is likely to be spent quickly can burn a hole in your pocket. Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants. If you have less money than usual, you may have to tighten your belt.

    I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. I really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat, which means I instantly spend it.

    Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people.

    My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie, and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him well think he is too serious and never shows his feelings openly. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve.

    The Children's Groundwater Festival, first organized by the Groundwater Foundation 19 years ago, is celebrated every year in Nebraska, a state of the central United States in the Great Plains. After organizing the festival for 16 years, the foundation passed the program on to the local community of Grand Island, Nebraska. The festival is an annual event for fourth and fifth graders of Nebraska. It is an interesting and energetic day filled with hands­on education. Water magic, folk singers and musicians, storytellers, and bird shows add to the happy atmosphere during the festival. There are also some educational activities:

    Gooey Garbage: Children build a landfill (废物填埋场) and learn how a properly­built landfill can protect groundwater.

    Water Races: Children learn about water pollution by racing a drop of water through a model.

    Well in a Cup: By building a small aquifer (蓄水层) in a cup, children learn about aquifers and drinking water wells.

    Taster's Choice: Children drink different types of water, from tap water to bottled water. Then they are taught about the treatment process of each type of water.

    There's No New Water: Students are taught to make a special glass container and learn about the water cycle.

    The Children's Groundwater Festival not only has a great influence on Nebraska's people. So far, similar festivals have been held in nearly 40 American states, Mexico City, several provinces in Canada, and New Delhi, India. People everywhere are realizing the importance of educating young people to learn and care about groundwater.

    For more information about this festival, remember to watch our program tomorrow evening. I'll be waiting for you.

    Many languages are disappearing and languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over. Yet Maori promises to have a rosy future given that New Zealanders are showing great enthusiasm for speaking this local language.

    A "Maori renaissance (复兴)" blossomed in the 1970s as language activists championed their cause and Maori fought for greater political power. But until 2013, just 3.7 percent of New Zealanders spoke the language fluently, and many predicted it would soon die out. Now New Zealand's government is erasing prejudice and struggling to increase the percent of population who can speak basic Maori by 2040 to 20. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardem said last month that her newborn daughter would learn both Maori and English. "It's an official language, so why should we dismiss its universal availability and its much more common use?" said Ms. Ardem, adding that she also planned to study the language. Grassroots are also spreading it by word of mouth Answering the phone with the greeting "kiaora" (hello) or ending an email withunga mihi' (thanks) has become a fashion. Maori is gradually becoming part of New Zealand's mainstream popular culture.

    Ajit Kumar Samah, a famous professor in Auckland University, published a book—Coniagious: why Maori catches on, where he introduces readers to the popularity of Maori and expresses his great anxiety for the lack of teachers who have the competence to teach the Maori language.

    People are not on the same wavelength, however. Suggestions on officially replacing English-language place names with traditional Maori ones have been rejected. So when a police car was designed using Maori, it was condemned by some as ridiculous because of the higher Maori rates of arrest and imprisonment.

It's not hard to be poetic about the broad and deep benefits of spending time in natural spaces,from amazing national parks to the simple loveliness of a walk around a city park or tree-lined neighborhood street, and some time working in the dirt of your own garden.

A new study from researchers at Clemson University has found another benefit to simply putting your body in a natural space: it can lower the amount of money you spend on health care.

"The mechanisms linking nature and health are very diverse," said Matthew H. E. M. Browning, the principal investigator on the study, "but the benefit is believed to be in part because being in green space can decrease stress, promote healthy behaviors and enable you to breathe fresh air."

Browning and his team used satellite data to investigate how much green space was within 250,500 and 1,000 meters(820,1,640,and 3,280 feet) of five million northern California residents who were insured by Kaiser Permanente. They then determined the costs the insurance company paid out to those same members over a two-year period. They took into account age,gender,race and a number of neighborhood characteristics including population density and education levels.

Even with all these factors included into their analysis, the researchers found that those who lived near the most green space had an average of $374 less per year in health care expenses compared to those who lived farther from natural spaces.

The researchers hope their findings will support public policies that prioritize(优先考虑) natural elements in residential areas. For you, maybe this learning will inspire you to plant a tree or a potted flower today-or create a beautiful garden to enjoy, with a view of some health-giving, green goodness.