An Extension of the Human Brain

       Other people can help us compensate for our mental and emotional deficiencies (欠缺)，much as a wooden leg can compensate for a physical deficiency. To be exact, other people can extend our intelligence and help us understand and adjust our emotions. When another person helps us in such ways, he or she is participating in what I've called a “social prosthetic (义肢的）system.” Such systems do notneed to operate face-to-face, and it's clear to me that the Internet is expanding the range of my own social prosthetic systems. It's already a big bank of many minds. Even in its current state, the Internet has extended my memory and judgment.

        Regarding memory: Once I look up something on the Internet, I don't need to keep all the details for future use—I know where to find that informationagain and can quickly and easily do so. More generally, the Internet functions as if it were my memory. This function of the Internet is particularly striking when I'm writing; I'm no longer comfortable writing if I'm not connected to the Internet. It's become natural to check facts as I write, taking a minute or two to dip into PubMed, Wikipedia, or other websites.

        Regarding judgment: The Internet has made me smarter in matters small and large. For example, when I'm writing a textbook, it has become second nature to check a dozen definitions of a key term, which helps me dig into the core andunderstand its meaning. But more than that, I now regularly compare my views with those of many others. If I have a “new idea,” I now quickly look to see whether somebody else has already thought of it, or something similar—and I then compare what I think with what others have thought. This certainly makes my own views clearer. Moreover, I can find out whether my reactions to an event are reasonable enough by reading about those of others on the Internet.

        These effects of the Internet have become even more striking since I've begun using a smartphone. I now regularly pull out my phone to check a fact, watch a video, read weibo. Such activities fill the spaces that used to be dead time (such as waiting for somebody to arrive for a lunch meeting).

        But that's the upside (好处). The downside is that in those dead periods I often would let my thoughts flow and sometimes would have an unexpected insight or idea. Those opportunities are now fewer and farther between.

How to find the perfect career

    Too many people are not satisfied with their professional career (事业) and are “stuck” in situations that do not make them happy. Here are some wonderful actions you can take to begin the path to a truly happy career.

Talk to your friends.

    Ask them, “what do you think I am best at”, or “what do you think I enjoy doing most”. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, their advice may help you decide what you should do.

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    Read some interesting magazines, books, newspapers or novels. They will give you a constant flow of ideas and keep the mind rich.

Talk to the happiest and most successful people you know.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Be serious with your questions. And see if there is anything you can learn from them. Have these people become your teachers and friends.

Keep a journal（日记）.

    Writing down your ideas is an important practice for your career growth. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}You never know when great ideas will come to your mind!

Develop patience.

    You may want a change in your career right now. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Anyway, doing the practices mentioned above will bring about the right chance much faster.

    Do you want to learn a new language?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Do you need it for a practical reason,such as your job or your studies?Or perhaps you're interested in the literature,films or music of a different country.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Most people learn a language best by using a variety of methods.However,traditional classes are an ideal start for many people.They provide an environment where you can practice under the guidance of someone who's good at the language.We all lead busy lives and learning a language takes time.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}As a result,you should try to develop a routine.It doesn't matter if you haven't got a long time.Becoming fluent in a language will take years,but learning to get by takes a lot less.

    Many people start learning a language and soon give up.“I'm too old,” they say.Yes,children do learn languages more quickly than adults.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}And learning is good for the health of your brain,too.I've also heard people worry about the mistakes they make when learning.Well,relax and laugh about your mistakes.I'm sure you're much less likely to make them again.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}But with some work and devotion,you'll make progress.And you'll be amazed by the positive reaction of some people when you say just a few words in their own language.Good luck!

A.Learning a new language is never easy.

B.The very first thing to think about is why.

C.You must inspire your kids to learn it well.

D.You will have more success if you study regularly.

E.Maybe you know the language will help your work a lot.

F.Sometimes you have to quit it because of too much work.

G.But research has shown that you can learn a language at any age.

Digitalization could Pay Off in Health and Sustainability

With technology permeating (渗透) everything we do, it has led to a significant transformation in the workplace — specifically, how, where, who is working and what work employees do. The speed of change across industries has also caused greater uncertainty as many businesses rethink the way they manage their talent and real estate.

For one, automation and artificial intelligence will change many job functions—particularly jobs and tasks that are manual or process driven. Research has found that the future workforce will be divided into three parts；core employees，freelancers（自由职业者）and consultants．Core employees will be concentrated in smaller and fewer locations, ideally in central business districts with transportation and amenities(便利设施) concentrated nearby —reducing their energy and resource usage. This smaller core workforce could mean smaller office footprints requiring less energy from power and less waste produced. In parallel, the appearance of the “liquid workforce”— freelancers, consultants and more — means potentially less commuting(通勤) and perhaps a cleaner way of working. The need for flexibility to accommodate the uncertain operating environment and more project-based work could require possibly less material and waste in the building process.

We've seen how many forward-thinking organizations have already adopted more efficient real estate management in the form of smart buildings and smart offices. This is essentially powered by the Internet of Things(物联网) to drive efficiency and real-time optimization (最优化）of building operations such as automatic monitoring and optimization of air conditioning— of particular interest in Asia, where indoor as well as outdoor air quality is a long-time issue.

    Some features of smart buildings and workplaces also announce a shift to a less paper-based workplace. Companies are also accepting a whole view of sustainability. They're thinking about more than cost-savings or making the most of space. They are considering creating a healthy, fulfilling, and productive environment for employees.

We now speak about healthy buildings instead of simply sustainable ones. In fact, the World Green Building Council now promotes the concept of healthy green buildings—buildings that are not only environmentally sensitive but also provide for the well-being of staff. For instance, buildings with more access to nature and greenery make a significant difference to workers. A survey done last year found that over 90% of those surveyed felt more productive and creative with access to fresh air, indoor light, healthy food, fitness centers and even mental health services.

    Overall, the drive towards a digitized workplace and improved employee experience could just lead us to a healthier, happier life and a more sustainable future.

    Bad days happens to many of us. Something makes us sad, angry, frustrated or disappointed. But you still have to get up and go to work. Everything others say to you sounds stupid.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} . Luckily, you can do something about it. Here are some ways to turn around a bad day.

    Accept your bad mood

    Being in a bad mood is not that hard. If you're mad, be mad.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} . This does not give you license to be rude and unpleasant to others. It just means that you need to recognize and accept your bad mood to be able to do something.

    Tell others

    You can try to keep your bad mood a secret and put on your happy mask. Guess what, you're fooling nobody.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} . Simply tell them “listen guys, I'm in a really sour mood today. I'm not sure why, but it's nothing to do with what you have done. If I bite your head off, I apologize in advance.”

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    Spend a few moments to try thinking of at least one or two things that aren't all bad: Something you look forward to, such as a person you like at work or something nice that happened recently.

    Take some quiet time

    And if you're having a really bad day, it may be a good idea to withdraw a little if you can. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} . Sit and work somewhere quiet. Take a long bathroom break. Consider going home early or taking the day off.

A. Remember the good

B. It's important to get along well with others

C. Everyone seems to annoy you

D. The best thing to do is to tell the people you work closely with

E. If you're sad, be sad

F. Ask for advice

G. Take a walk in your lunch break

    Pretending you're someone else can make you creative

    One great irony(讽刺) about our collective fascination with creativity is that we tend to frame it in uncreative ways. That is to say, most of us marry creativity to our concept of self: We are either "creative" people or we aren't, without much of a middle ground.

    Pillay, a tech businessman and Harvard professor has spent a good part of his career destroying these ideas. Pillay believes that the key to unlocking your creative potential is to dismiss the conventional advice that urges you to "believe in yourself". In fact, you should do the exact opposite: believe you are someone else.

    In a recent column for Harvard Business Review, Pillay pointed to a 2016 study showing the impact of stereotypes(刻板印象)on one's behavior. The authors, education psychologists Denis Dumas and Kevin Dunbar, divided their college student subjects into three categories, instructing the members of one group to think of themselves as "eccentric(古怪的) poets" and the members of another to imagine they were "rigid librarians" (people in the third category, the control group, were left alone for this part). The researchers then presented participants with 10 ordinary objects, including a fork, a carrot, and a pair of pants, and asked them to come up with as many different uses as possible for each one. Those who were asked to imagine themselves as "eccentric poets" came up with the widest range of ideas for the objects, while those in the "rigid librarian" group had the fewest. Meanwhile, the researchers found only small differences in students' creativity levels across academic majors—in fact, the physics majors inhabiting(寄生) the personas(伪装的外表) of "eccentric poets" came up with more ideas than the art majors did.

    These results, write Dumas and Dunbar, suggest that creativity is not an individual quality, but a "malleable(可塑的) product of context and perspective." Everyone can be creative, as long as they feel like creative people.

    Pillay's work takes this a step further: He argues that identifying yourself with creativity is less powerful than the creative act of imagining you're somebody else. This exercise, which he calls "psychological halloweenism", refers to the conscious action of inhabiting another persona—an inner costuming of the self. It works because it is an act of "conscious unfocus", a way of positively stimulating the default mode(默认模式) network, a collection of brain regions that spring into action when you're not focused on a specific task or thought.

    Most of us spend too much time worrying about two things: How successful/unsuccessful we are, and how little we're focusing on the task at hand. The former feeds the latter—an unfocused person is an unsuccessful one, we believe. Thus, we force ourselves into quiet areas, buy noise canceling headphones, and hate ourselves for taking breaks.

    What makes Pillay's argument stand out is its healthy, forgiving realism: According to him, most people spend nearly half of their days in a state of "unfocus". This doesn't make us lazy people—it makes us human. The idea behind psychological halloweenism is: What if we stopped judging ourselves for our mental down time, and instead started using it? Putting this new idea on daydreaming means addressing two problems at once: You're making yourself more creative, and you're giving yourself permission to do something you'd otherwise feel guilty about. Imagining yourself in a new situation, or an entirely new identity, never felt so productive.

Title: Pretending you're someone else can make you creative