Luciano Baietti, a retired school headmaster from Italy, holds the Guinness record for the most university degrees. The 70­year­old currently has 15 bachelors(学士) or masters degrees from various universities across Italy, and is getting ready to get his 16th.

    Getting more than one college degree is not exactly unheard­of, but 15 is apparently quite impressive, since it's only been done by one man. Although he spends his days working around his house and garden, like most people his age, at night, Baietti turns into a student again. Every morning, at 3 a. m．， he wakes up and studies by the light of his desk lamp.

    “Thanks to books, I feel free. After all, the words share the same root，” he says, referring to the Italian words libro(book) and libero(free). He is inspired by the 19th century French essayist Louis­Francois Berlin, whose portrait(肖像)is also on display in his study, alongside his many framed university degrees, and whom he describes as “a man of culture and knowledge”．

    Baietti first made it into the Guinness Book of Records in 2002, after his eighth degree. Then he spent the next 15 years adding seven more bachelors and masters degrees to his collection.

    “Each time I set myself a new challenge to see how far my body and my brain can go.” At 70 years old, Baietti thinks he has enough energy for at least one more degree, this time in food science.

    Probably the most important thing about Baietti's achievement is that he managed to get most of his university degrees while working as headmaster of a secondary school, and volunteering with Italy's Red Cross. The secret was always getting up at 3 in the morning to make sure that his thirst for knowledge didn't affect his professional activity and his family life. He spent 3 hours studying every day, and that was apparently all he needed to pass his exams and write his theses (论文)．

    By now, you've probably been warned that a robot is coming for your job. But rather than repeat the warning, I've decided to throw down a challenge: man against machine.

    Start with the task we're doing right now: communicating in fluent human. We're sharing abstract ideas through words that we choose with an understanding of their slight difference and impact. We don't just speak in human; we speak as humans. A robot who says that science is fun is delivering a line (念一句话). A human who says that science is fun is telling you something important about being alive.

    Here's another inbuilt advantage we take for granted: as humans we are limited by design. We are bound in time: we die. We are bound in space: we can't be in more than one place at a time. That means when I speak to an audience, I am giving them something special. It's a custom-made, one-off, 100% robot-free delivery, from today's one-and-only Australian Chief Scientist.

    True, I now come in digital versions, through Twitter and Facebook and other platforms, but the availability of those tools hasn't stopped people from inviting me to speak in person. Digital Alan seems to increase the appetite for human Alan, just as Spotify (a digital music service) can increase the demand for a musician's live performances.

    Thanks to technology, many goods and services are cheaper, better and more accessible than ever before. We like our mass-produced bread, and our on-tap lectures and our automated FitBit advice. But automation hasn't killed the artisan bakery (面包店). Online courses haven't killed the booming, alongside their machine equivalents.

    Here's a third argument for the win. We humans have learned the habit of civilization. Let me explain this point by a story. A few years go, some researchers set out to study the way the people interact with robots. They sent out a small robot to patrol (巡逻) the local mall. That robot had a terrible time, and the villains of the story were children. They kicked him, bullied him, and smacked (掌击) him in the head.

    The point is not that the children were violent. The point is that the adults were not. They restrained whatever primitive impulse (冲动) they might have felt in childhood to smack something smaller and weaker in the head, because they had absorbed the habit of living together. We call it civilization. If we want artificial intelligence for the people, we'll need every bit of that civilizing instinct.

    Together, these points suggest to me that humanity has a powerful competitive edge. We can coexist with our increasingly capable machines and we can make space for the full breadth of human talents to flourish.

    “Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you much stronger. If you do little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves,” said Dale Carnegie.

    Sometimes, doing your best work or trying your hardest at something is difficult. It may have something to do with trying to do something new for the first time, like a new sport or activity at school. It may have something to do with doing homework for a subject that is not your favorite or is not your best.

    As Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” And as Albert Einstein added, “We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility.”

Developing the habit of trying your hardest and doing your best is something that will help you succeed throughout your life. If you have looked at some quotes related to trying your hardest, you will see that many of them come from people who have made a big difference in the world. This is not a coincidence. It was not only their cleverness that helped them stand out and change the world, but their ability to try their hardest and do their best in whatever they were doing. If you can develop this same habit—to do your best in any situation, it will be a great benefit to your family, career, school and community.

    As Bob Cousy put it, “Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful at anything you put your mind to.” The choice is yours.

    A newspaper reporter's job can be very interesting. He meets all types of people and lives quite a busy life. He is on the rush for news all the time, then after several years he may get a desk job, and life becomes a bit more settled. Let's look at his work a little more closely. In a day he may have to interview the prime minister of a foreign country, and the next day he may be writing about a football match. Sometimes he may be so busy that he has hardly any time to sleep. And at other times he may go on for days looking out for news materials yet return empty-handed.

    In the beginning, a reporter has to cover a very wide field. After the early years he becomes more specialized in his work. For example, he may finally be asked to write only on court cases or politics or sports. Some reporters may become so specialized that they are asked only to write on a special thing: horse racing, for example. In most newspaper houses there is at least one special racing correspondent. Some newspapers have book reviews. Their job is delightful. They read the latest book and then write reviews on the ones they like. Then there are those who write on films, so they get to see them even before they are shown in the cinema. How lucky, you would say!

    A reporter's job can also be very dangerous. A number of them have died rushing from one assignment to another, and if there is a flood or a riot(暴) they may get hurt or even be killed. Three years ago there was a reporter whose camera was smashed by a group of men, because they were angry with him for taking their picture. Dangerous or not, one thing is certain, and that is, their job is never dull!

    Sit down, close your eyes and relax. Think about your childhood and the memories you created. What was your favorite childhood memory and what was your favorite as a child? Or what your favorite Christmas present or your favorite candy bar when growing up? Answers may come easily for some people but for others, it may take more time to think about.

    Mary Jo McCarthy of Pequot Lakes wants to help others document their childhood memories which could be treasured by current families and for generations to come. McCarthy, 64, a short story author and retired columnist (专栏作家) for the Lake Country Echo weekly newspaper, began hosting a writing seminar (研讨班) titled "A Time to Remember". The closes are limited to 12 people and are conducted in the nursery at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa and the registration fee is $25.

    McCarthy said what led her to start the writing seminars was writing others' biographies(传记). A retired businessman asked her to write his biography as a ghost writer. She said others from her church in Pequot Lakes had also asked her to write their biographies because they didn't know how to write them. She thought hosting a class to help people write their own biographies would be more beneficial to them.

    McCarthy said people had busy lifestyles those days and didn't have a chance to sit down and write down their memories that they might forget and never remember. She said writing down the memories would document the person's life, so other family members, especially future generations would be able to read about them.

    A year back I received a full scholarship to attend the University of San Francisco. All of my hard work had paid off. My mom had spent a lot in my attending a private high school, so I made sure to push myself: I volunteered, got involved in various clubs, and graduated with honors. I was so excited to start a new chapter(篇章)of my life. I had totally packed two weeks before it was time to leave.

    Soon enough, the big day came, but it wasn't like what I had thought. The first two weeks were the most difficult days of my entire life. Every night I would cry myself to sleep. I was so homesick and I didn't know how to deal with my broken heart. To distract myself, I threw myself into my studies and I applied for a ton of jobs. In any remaining free time, I started forcing myself to the gym. I wanted to keep every part of my day busy so I wouldn't think how lonely I felt.

    Soon after, I began to limit food, and then I became worse. Finally, I went to see a doctor. When the doctor weighed me, I was crazy about the number of my weight. So I continued to lower my goal, and convinced that controlling this number was the solution for my homesickness. But when I was told that I had no choice but to spend time on my studies. I quickly started recovery in my mind.

    How could I do? I told myself that school was what I was best at. I decided to get rid of my homesickness and took exercise actively. My first term of college had passed by at last and I had gotten straight A's. That's why I want to share my story－to help other students feel less lonely.