An interesting study posted on Facebook recently shows how men and women develop new interests as they mature(成熟).

    While women tend to take exercise seriously from the age of 34, men will wait until their 45th birthdays before working hard to get in shape.

    The average woman spends more time talking about sports, politics, career and money as she gets older.

    Women's interest in books reaches its peak(顶峰) at the age of 22, while that of men does so when they are in their 50s.

    Men start to change their focus from the workplace to other things after age 30, while women do not do so until eight years later. Both, however, care most about fashion at age 16.

    The research used anonymous(匿名的) data donated by thousands of Facebook users, recording the statuses, 'likes' and 'interests' they had posted on their profiles.

    It found the average woman talks about television most at 44, while men peak much younger, at age 31.

    Men are also most likely to see a film in a cinema at age 31, while women go out to see films most when they are only 19.

Men are most interested in travel at 29, women at 27, while women talk most about food and drink at 35, and men at 38.

    And if you are middle aged, a safe topic for anyone is the weather, which is a key interest for many as they reach 60.

    Stephen Wolfram, the British scientist who carried out the research, says, “It's almost shocking how much this tells us about the changes of people's typical interests.

    “People talk less about video games as they get older, and more about politics.”

    Happy, angry, amazed—these are some of the emotions we like to express these days when we're sending a message on our smartphones! That's why many of us now add little pictures to our texts to brighten up someone's mobile screen but we're also using them as a quick way of telling someone how we're feeling. Yes, emojis (表情符号) have become a popular tool for communication.

    The emoji was first invented in Japan in the late 1990s and the word “emoji” comes from the Japanese words for “picture” and “character”. The number of different images has greatly increased since then and now we have a picture for nearly every mood or situation.

    Why are emojis widely used today? Professor Vyv Evans says, “Increasingly, what we're finding is that digital communication is replacing face-to-face talk in some ways. One of the reasons why emojis are so interesting is that they really do enable us to express our emotional selves much more effectively.”

    Another advantage of emojis is that they are an international language—they don't use words but tell a message with pictures so they can be easily understood whatever your native language is.

    But as linguist (语言学家) Neil Cohn says, “To many, emojis are an exciting evolution (进化) of the way we communicate; but to others, they are linguistic Armageddon.” It does show by using emojis, there is a lot more to our communication than words alone, but does this also mean that the traditional writing will die out one day?

    My friend Susan has a huge-hearted husband. He is once again on the front lines of fighting the fires in Northern CA. As a Chief Battalion leader, his job is very dangerous and his time away from his family is often for weeks at a time during "fire season".

Every time before he leaves, Ethan, Susan and each of the three teens hold one another and thoughtfully each shares the best of their traditions — each promises to do the tasks that will keep the family a well-oiled machine while Ethan is away.

    Ethan has brought back animals that lost their homes in the fires. By now, a gray rabbit, two parrots and a small group of Nubian goats have been added into the family.

    When Ethan is on duty, Susan keeps checking her cell phone for Ethan's text messages. His substantial (大量的) white facial hair is often mistaken for that of Father Christmas by children who are carried out of their burning homes by him.

    For each rescued child, a toy bear is waiting to be matched with him/her. For each adult, Ethan provides clean clothes. He finds pleasure in doing his job well. He is grateful to be often on the front line with frightened people and their poor pets.

    I am mentioning Ethan because by now the big fire has been spreading widely for a week. It has caused 55 deaths and left 500,000 people homeless. Now I am here at my school site, and the smoky air is keeping our students inside, waiting for rescue.

    Captain America and Blackpanther were about to defend Earth from the criminal Thanos when Kevin Foley first noticed something was wrong. Foley, a 46-year old information-technology worker from Kyle, Texas, was heading into the theater to see Avengers: Infinity War when he realized he was having trouble breathing normally. The same symptom struck again during another movie the following night, but more severe this time. Once the cast on the second film rolled, Foley took action: he looked at his wristwatch. It was a bigger step than you might imagine, because Foley was wearing an Apple Watch equipped with medical sensors and experimental software to track basic functions of his heart. And the watch was worried. It had, according to the display, detected signs of an irregular heartbeat.

    Before long, Foley was in an emergency room, where doctors hooked him up to an ECG(心电图), which showed that he was in atrial fibrillation(心房颤动), an irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots(血栓), stroke and other potentially disastrous diseases. Foley spent the next few days in the hospital while doctors worked to return him to a normal heart rhythm eventually turning to a procedure called electrical cardioversion to shock his heart back to normal. Foley is doing fine now. But he believes that, if not for the warning on his watch, he might not have sought help in time. “I would have never known,” he says.

    Foley and his watch were part of an experiment run by Apple and Stanford's medical school. But beginning Dec. 6, anyone can get an on-the-fly heart checkup, assuming they've paid $399 or more for an Apple Watch. That's when Apple will launch a software update that turns its latest model, called the Series 4, into a personal ECG, thanks to an innovative new sensor. Though less complicated than hospital ECG machines, the watch version can still provide basic information and warnings of potential risks worthy of a closer look by a medical professional.

    For Apple, this new ECG-on-your-wrist is its biggest bet yet that personal technology will inevitably include personal health. Along with competitors, Apple has already offered fitness functions, such as apps to track the steps you've walked. But with the new ECG scan, Apple is moving straight into medical aspects of heath, a distinction underlined by the fact it sought and received Food and Drug Administration clearance for the clearance for the heart monitor.

    I'd just got in a taxi at the railway station when suddenly I found one of my suitcases missing. Just then, I saw a young fellow about 30 walking away with it, opening it and drawing out the valuables. "Stop thief! Stop thief!" I shouted and threw open the car door and rushed out to him, followed by the driver and half a dozen passers-by. Very soon the thief was cornered at the turn of the road. My driver caught the thief by the neck and put his hand into his trouser pocket, drawing out money, credit card, telephone book and so on and put them back into my suitcase.

    Half an hour later, the car was running at full speed on the express highway. I sat back and breathed a long sigh of relief (松口气). But as I pulled out those stolen things from the suitcase and started to check them, I became dumbfounded (惊呆了). Before my eyes were 200 yuan instead of 100. And a blood test report of a 58-year-old woman appeared. I suddenly realized that the taxi driver must have mistaken the thief's belongs and put his into my suitcase. The pitiful and begging look of the poor young man flashed across my mind again. My heart began to sink.

    Two years has passed since then. But this event keeps coming back to me. Was the young man a habitual robber or a dutiful son who had been driven to desperation (铤而走险) to find money to save his mother's life? My heart aches for him. How I wish I had gone back that summer afternoon to return the 200 yuan and say sorry to him. For the first time in my life, I realized that hate and love are very close.

Things to Do in Atlanta

    Need a run-down of the top things to do next month? Here is what's going on in Atlanta.

    In the Mood

    Date: November 22 through November 26，2018

    Time: 2:00pm～5:30pm

    Phone: 770-916-2800

    If you love the music of the 1940s，then here's what you need to do this Sunday. Go to a 1940s musical show at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The music of Glenn Miller has a distinctive sound. No need to ask me twice. Are you "In the Mood"?

    Party With the Penguins

    Date: November 20 through November 25, 2018

    Time:11:00 am～2:00 pm

    Phone: 404-581-4000

    Celebrate Penguin Awareness Day at Georgia Aquarium's annual Party With the Penguins. The party will feature fun activities, including the chance to see an African penguin up close and learn how to help protect this endangered species.

    Callanwolde Arts Festival

    Date: November 21 through November 22, 2018

    Time:10:30 am～5:30 pm

    Phone: 404-872-5338

    Located at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, this event is a festival for artists, and by artists, letting them have a voice in the creation and operations of the festival. If you are of the artistic persuasion or enjoy a creative scene, don't miss out.

    Foolio's Hoodilly Storytime

    Date: November 21 through November 27, 2018

    Time:1:00 pm～4:30 pm

    Phone: 404-523-3141

    We make up a brand-new story every week. Come and enjoy a new story each time at Dad's Garage Theatre. Little ones will get to help provide key parts of the story and even add in their own jokes. Interactive and out-of-the-ordinary fun for kids and parents!