City people usually think they are a lot smarter than country people. They often laugh at simple country ways. But people do not laugh at country music. It is one of the most popular kinds of music in the United States today.

    Perhaps it is so popular because it is about simple but strong human feelings and events—love, sadness, good times and bad times, it tells real life stories and sounds the way people really talk. As life becomes more and more complicated(复杂的), it is good to hear music about ordinary people.

    Country music, sometimes called country western, comes from two kinds of music. One is the traditional music of the people in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. The other is traditional cowboy music from the West. The singers usually play the guitars, and in the 1920s they started using electric guitars.

    At first city people said country music was low-class. It was popular mostly in the South. But during World War Ⅱ, thousands of Southerners went to the Northeast and Midwest to work in the factories. They took their music with them. Soldiers from the rest of the country went to army camps in the South. They learned to like country music. Slowly it became popular all over the country.

    Today country music is popular everywhere in the United States and Canada, in small towns and in New York City, among black and white, and among educated and uneducated people. About 1,200 radio stations broadcast country music twenty-four hours a day. People sing it in their languages. The music that started with cowboys and poor farmers is now popular all over the world.

    It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations”. I don't remember ever smiling so wide.

    Then I looked at my financial(财政的) package.

    The cost of Dream School's tuition(学费), room and board was around ＄40,000 ? An impossible sum! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren't as famous as my first choice.

    In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as I was always careful with money, I wasn't sure what to do.

    One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents' financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was smile politely, eat free food, listen quietly. But I surprised myself.

    At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus (校园) including guest lectures and social gatherings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring.

    As the president ended his speech, we clapped politely and pushed back our chairs. As I walked out of that door, a feeling of comfort washed over me. Looking at the campus that night, I realized that I would be spending the next four years right there.

    In all honesty, my university is not as well-known as my “dream” university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me.

    One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?

    Listen — Listen when they are talking. Don't say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it's not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.

    Help them — If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don't do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra (额外的) pencil or pen with you to classes in case (以防) they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.

    Be there for them — Try to make something for your friend to help make them feel better in hard times. Making cards and encouraging them are among the nicest things you can do for a friend. Marilyn Monroe, a famous U.S. actor, once said, "I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control. But if you can't stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve (值得) to be with me at my best." Always remember this! If you don't want to stay with your friends when they're in hard times, then you don't deserve to be with them when they're having a good time!

    ______—Try to make plans with your friends.  Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you'll remember these things when you're all old!

    Warford is an optometrist (验光师) in Florida. He has seen an increase in "computer vision syndrome (电脑视力综合症)"in children. "A lot more children come into the office either because their parents have noticed that they have headaches or red or watery eyes or discomfort, or because their nearsightedness appears to be increasing and they're worried," he says.

    Dr. Watford says part of the problem is that children may be more likely to pay no attention to early warning signs than adults. "Even if their eyes start to feel uncomfortable or they start to get a headache, they're less likely to tell their parents, because they don't want to have the game or whatever taken away," he explains.

    He says another part of the problem is that people blink (眨眼) less often when they use digital devices. He says, "A person who uses an electronic device blinks about one third as much as we normally do in everyday life. And that can result in the front part of the eye drying and not staying protected like normal."

    Eye doctors offer suggestions like the 20 /20 /20 rule. That means every twenty minutes look away twenty feet or more for at least twenty seconds from whatever device you're using.

    Other suggestions include using good lighting and spending less time looking at screens. Many experts say children should spend no more than two hours a day using digital devices—with no screen time for children under two.

    But not all eye doctors have noticed an increase in problems in children. Dr. David Hunter, for instance, says, "While it is possible to develop fatigue looking at screens for a long time, there's certainly no proof that it actually causes any damage to the eyes."

    On a steamy July day in Bayonet Point, Florida, Gene Work and his brother-in-law, Mark Rouco, were renewing Gene's lawn. It had grown brown and patchy in the heat, and the homeowners' association had threatened to heavily fine him if the situation wasn't improved. The new sod (草皮) was sitting in the driveway on four pallets, but the job was slow-going. Gene, then 40, wasn't feeling right. He went inside to take a break and collapsed on the couch, clutching his chest. His wife, Melissa Work, called 911 quickly.

    Even though he was staring down death. Gene had one thing on his mind: that lawn. If the sod wasn't put down that day, it would die. "While he was having his heart attack, literally in and out of consciousness, he kept begging me to have it put down because he didn't want it to go to waste," Melissa wrote in a Facebook post.

    Soon Pasco County Fire Rescue arrived and took Gene and Melissa to the hospital, leaving Rouco behind to tackle the yard. Within an hour, he had managed to remove the old grass. He was about to lay the new sod, which he feared would take him well into the night, when two emergency vehicles appeared. Seven men--the same ones who had treated his brother--got out. Gene had told them how badly he'd wanted to get the sod down, so they had returned to help. The job was done in under two hours.

    Meanwhile, Gene had surgery to insert stents (支架) in his heart, alleviating a potentially deadly blockage. He's home now, fully recovered--and enjoying his beautiful lawn.

    The Works are still amazed that those EMTs (Emergency medical technician) went above and beyond their job description. "These men," Melissa told tampabay.com, "saved Gene's life, and then came back to save his grass. That's just so awesome."

    Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is gaining global popularity. According to a government white paper, TCM has been introduced in 183 countries and regions around the world.

    Westerners' understanding of TCM, however, may be limited to acupundure，cupping and massage (针灸，拔罐和按摩). For instance, the purple, injury-like marks left on US.swimmer Michael Phelps' back from cupping for the purpose of relaxing his muscles and reducing pain became the center of attention during the Rio Olympics in 2016.

    As a matter of fact, Chinese herbs play a more important role in getting rid of diseases and keeping the body in good condition in the TCM treatment system than physical treatment. It is therefore disheartening to know that-while 103 World Health Organization member countries have given approval to the practice of acupuncture，not many recognize Chinese herbal medicine TCM falls far behind Western medicine owing partly to the slow development of Chinese herbs.

    Herbs, are made into pills, powder and soup, and the kind of herbs uscd1 their quality and quantity, and the processing of the ingredients jointly determine the effectiveness of the prescription. Compared with Western medicine, which has standardized drug production processes and treatment methods, TCM lacks standardization, with the chemical composition and functions of its medicines being unclear and their effects being unstable. Fortunately, standardization has improved in recent decades, with an increasing number of factories producing patented TCM drugs.

    Another factor that has prevented the development of TCM prescription drugs is the lack of creativity, While Western medicine-making companies come up with new products every year, TCM drug producers tend to make medicines according to prescriptions handed down from the past. Chinese chemist Tu You your's winning the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her research into malaria(疟疾）treatment may drive creativity to some extent in China's TCM industry. However, the current state of affairs cannot be changed within a short time.