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.

    ⒈Larry 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.

    ⒉Andy 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 “more healthy, more mindful and less distracted” by taking just 10 minutes out of the day to be more present.

    ⒊Shane 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.

    ⒋Susan 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 word needs all kinds.

    Whether in your life or work, the following things are not the reasons for you to feel embarrassed. It's OK and just move on.

⒈Mistakes while learning

    There will be times when you have people above you(a boss) or even next to you(a coworker) that will get really annoyed with you for“ruining"  something "important".{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Even if you make mistakes and get a punishment, persevere and push on. You do not need to be embarrassed for learning from your mistakes.

⒉Food choices

    People are different and have different taste buds（味蕾）.Whether it is healthy or not, food is a choice and it is part of life.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}  You do not need to be embarrassed for food you do or do not like. Tell them, "It is a personal choice I have made, and I am committed to it.”

⒊Your past

    Allowing positive experiences to define, limit, improve, and outshine（凸显）you may cause you to be caught up in the past and unable to truly live in the present. Whether your history is positive, negative, or somewhere in between, don't hold on to the negative experiences and let it reflect your current behavior，{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

⒋The clean lines of your car／home／workspace

    When everyone gets in the car, you realize your Starbuck bags are still on the floor. So what? Think about it this way: everyone has a "messy" aspect of their life. Maybe their home is completely clean, but the relationship with their spouse（配偶）is messy. Someone's car gets washed once a week, but his/her work life could use some help.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} We don't apologize to others about our personal limitations. By being outwardly embarrassed, it only brings more attention to the fact!

⒌Putting yourself first

    If you find yourself saying no to something or making up lies to get out of it,tell them the truth,  and don't apologize. You will feel much better in the long run if you are honest with them and yourself. If you're not up to a voluntary duty, you don't have to be. You can politely refuse the person's request.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Put yourself first.

A. It is simply a personal choice that people make for their own reasons.

B. It is okay to be selfish from time to time.

C. Errors are bound to happen when you have on your training wheels.

D. Each of them waits for your immediate help.

E. Let bygones(过去的事)  be bygones.

F. Forgetting history means betrayal.

G. No one on Earth lives a perfectly "clean" life in every aspect.

Five years ago, when I taught art at a school in Seattle, I used Tinkertoys as a test at the beginning of a term to find out something about my students. I put a small set of Tinkertoys in front of each student, and said: "Make something out of the Tinkertoys. You have 45 minutes today - and 45minutes each day for the rest of the week."

    A few students hesitated to start. They waited to see the rest of the class would do. Several others checked the instructions and made something according to one of the model plans provided. Another group built something out of their own imaginations.

    Once I had a boy who worked experimentally with Tinkertoys in his free time. His constructions filled a shelf in the art classroom and a good part of his bedroom at home. I was delighted at the presence of such a student. Here was an exceptionally creative mind at work. His presence meant that I had an unexpected teaching assistant in class whose creativity would infect（感染）other students.

Encouraging this kind of thinking has a downside. I ran the risk of losing those students who had a different style of thinking. Without fail one would declare, "But I'm just not creative."

"Do you dream at night when you're asleep?"

"Oh, sure."

"So tell me one of your most interesting dreams." The student would tell something wildly imaginative. Flying in the sky or in a time machine or growing three heads. "That's pretty creative. Who does that for you? "

"Nobody. I do it."

"Really-at night, when you're asleep?"

"Sure."

"Try doing it in the daytime, in class, okay?"

    A company in San Francisco, California, has found a way to turn used plastic bottles into women's shoes.

    Every day, millions of Americans drink water and other liquids from plastic bottles. More than 60 million of them are thrown away each day. Many of the plastic bottles end up in landfills or are burned with other waste products.

    A San Francisco start-up company called Rothy's, however, turns this plastic waste into environmentally friendly shoes. Roth Martin is the company's co-founder. He explains how they turn plastic into soft material for women's feet. They take the plastic, clean it, and break it down into small pieces. Then they press them through a device that makes soft fibers. Those fibers are then combined together. This is done by a 3D machine. It is designed to reduce waste while making the shoes. The knitted stuff and the inner part of the shoe are then attached to the shoe's outer part, called the sole. This outer sole is also made from environmentally friendly material: responsibly sourced no-carbon rubber.

    Rothy's shoes are sold online. They are flat shoes, with either a rounded or pointed toe. They come in different colors and designs. They cost either $ 125 or $ 145 per pair, depending on the design. After American actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovered them last year, the demand for the shoes grew. Martin says there is no shortage of material to fill that demand. "We're not going to run out of water bottles any time soon. So we have a limitless supply of material, and I think that is a good sign for our future." When the environmentally friendly shoes wear out, customers can return them at no cost to a company that uses the recycled material to make other products.

    For now, the shoes are only available to be shipped in the United States. However, the company says it will add international shipping in the near future.

    The most famous war movies reflect the American public's continuous fascination with World War II and the Vietnam War. Many movies of this kind have been well-received when they were first shown, but few of them have enjoyed lasting fame and popularity. The films on the list of the five most famous war movies still remain fresh and are popular among many people.

Comments on the July Issue of Reader's Digest

    Jennie Gardner, Bath

    I couldn't agree more with Lee Child, that books are really important. Yes, you can get lost in them but you can also find yourself and new worlds and possibilities in them. Books help us to forget and remember. They remind us both of what's really important and what's not.

    And, as Lee says, they let us hold the whole world in our hands, We can feel the weight of this word, we can mark our favourite spots, add in our own thoughts and see our progress through the pages as the story leads us back home, allowing us to re-find ourselves along the way.

    Jayne Wile, North Wales

    Brian Blessed's I Remember was most enjoyable. I love Brian, a popular actor of stage and screen. It was interesting to learn more about his life. I noted how he enjoyed being involved in the Space Program, doing 600 hours training in Moscow and I have to agree with his thought："We need to get out to Mars because the Earth has got to rest." Mars has always been a source of inspiration for explorers and scientists.

    Melanie Lodge, West Yorkshire

    I was thrilled to read author Lee Childs If I Ruled The World. I was most impressed that he wanted to make teachers the most respected and highest paid professionals.

    I work as a teaching assistant in a primary school and have done so since my youngest daughter began school 12 years ago. Until then I had no idea just how much planning was involved in each lesson and how much patience was required in a class of 30 children! I also agree with Lee that there's nothing more rewarding than finishing a good book.