Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track.

    But while it's long been believed that endorphins (脑内啡）—chemicals in the body that cause happiness — are behind the so-called “runner's high”，a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew.

    According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素）may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.

    To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice.

    Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise, along with many other chemicals. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety.

    But after being given a drug to block their endorphins the change. However, when their endocannabinoids were block with a different drug, their runner's high symptoms seemed to fade.

    “The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner's high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,”Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker.

    Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it's already well known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety.

    The UK's National Health Service even prescribes (开药方)exercise to patients who are suffering from depression.

    “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can boost your mood if you have depression, and it's especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的）depression,” it wrote on its website.

    It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we're feeling down, we know that all we have to do is put on our running shoes.

    Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

    For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents' home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement and have strong opinions about everything.

    Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.

    But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.

    That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They'dget back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.

    We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life and new horizons.

    We eventually arrived at my parents' doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.

    I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.

    Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of journey—and the best part of yourself.

    Attitudes toward new technologies often fall along generational lines. That is, generally, younger people tend to outnumber older people in face of a technological shift.

    It is not always the case, though. When you look at attitudes toward driverless cars, there doesn't seem to be a clear generational divide. The public overall disagree on whether they'd like to use a driverless car. In a study last year, of all people surveyed, 48 percent said they wanted to ride in one, while 50 percent did not.

    The fact that attitudes toward self-driving cars appear to be so steady across generations suggests how transformative the shift to driverless cars could be. Not everyone wants a driverless car now——and no one can get one yet ——but among those who are open to them, every age group is similarly engaged.

    When it comes to driverless cars, differences in attitude are obvious based on factors not related to age. College graduates, for example, are particularly interested in driverless cars compared with those who have less education: 59 percent of college graduates said they would like to use a driverless car compared with 38 percent of those with a high-school diploma or less.

    Where a person lives matters, too. More people who lived in cities and suburbs said they wanted to try driverless car than those who lived in rural areas.

    While there's reason to believe that interest in self-driving cars is going up, a person's age will have little to do with how self-driving cars can become mainstream. Once driverless cars are actually available for sale, the early adopters will be the people who can afford to buy them.

Adult Education Courses

Resolving (解决) Conflict in Friendships Conflict is surely a common problem in life and friendships. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} That's because there isn't enough depth to guarantee all the trouble it takes to smooth over the disagreement. Unfortunately, even when the friendship reaches a deeper level, conflict continues to happen and can break apart a relationship. Here are some resolutions. 

Resolve it the day it happens. One rule my parents follow in their marriage is that they don't go to bed angry with each other. They always attempt to resolve things the day it happens so that in the morning, it's a fresh start with no past grudge (怨恨). I've found I need a short cool down period so that I don't act in anger. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Whatever you do, don't let things ride for too long. 

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Sometimes if you sit down and talk things over, you begin to see where the other person is coming from. Realize that everyone has been created differently with various talents, abilities, and personality traits. For example, you might be a leader while your friend is more of a follower. You may be frustrated with him or her for not being very decisive. Yet it is important to understand that each person is unique and needs to be appreciated. 

Initiate resolution. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Even when you think the other person is wrong，it's not a bad thing to say "I'm sorry if I offended you in that way." If you're honest and genuine in delivering your words, there's a good chance your friend will respond positively. 

Most importantly, be loving in what you do. Try to focus on peacefully resolving the disagreement. It is not a most pleasant task to resolve conflict in any friendship. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Don't expect too much. 

B. Try to see the other person's perspective. 

C. Be the first person in a fight to say sorry for your part. 

D. Many shallow friendships end up being ruined after an argument. 

E. To say sorry bravely when a conflict breaks out is a better resolution. 

F. However, it is worth the efforts because it results in a deeper friendship. 

G. For some, counting to one hundred before saying anything may be an option. 

Shuttlecock (毽子) kicking is a traditional popular folk game, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (date) as far back as the Han Dynasty.The fun game gained popularity during the Tang Dynasty, when {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (store) specializing in the shuttlecock business appeared. In the Qing Dynasty, shuttlecock kicking reached its peak in terms of both making techniques and kicking skills.

To make a feather shuttlecock, a piece of cloth wrapped around a coin {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (need). Through the coin hole you can stick some feathers, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} function is to delay the rising and falling of the shuttlecock.

There {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (be) a great number of variations in styles and methods of kicking. With one leg fixed on the ground, the shuttlecock is kicked by the inner ankle of {#blank#}6{#/blank#} other. Some other styles include kicking the shuttlecock backwards and forwards between two people. Those who advance to a high level of mastery can perform some actions that are {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (fair) wonderful. The challenge of the increasingly difficult levels of shuttlecock kicking has made it a popular and timeless game among Chinese children.

Playing with shuttlecocks is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (benefit) to health. When people are kicking shuttlecocks, various parts of the body need to work together, which enhances balance capabilities and physical flexibility and helps them strengthen their legs. Besides, shuttlecock kicking is convenient {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (play). It can be practiced just about anywhere and anytime.

Since the establishment of the Chinese Shuttlecock Kicking Association in 1987, the national shuttlecock kicking tournament has been held annually, appealing {#blank#}10{#/blank#} people of all ages.