It seems that the great desire among the young is to be popular. The desire to be popular can force you into looking and acting like everyone else. You can lose yourself in a sea of identical hairstyles and thinking styles.

    I was forced to think about popularity not too long ago in a talk I had with my daughter. Margy had to change schools when my busy work schedule made it necessary for me to move houses. I suppose that, for a girl in her teens, entering a new school is like spending a season alone in the tropical jungles. At least that's how Margy found it at first. However, as the school year drew to a close, one student after another came to her. I told Margy that I would have been more concerned if she had been an instant social success in her new school. Nobody can please everyone. If you try to do so, you will find values as lasting as soap bubbles blown into the air.

    Some teenagers claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But somehow they all end up listening to the same record. Their reason for thinking or acting in a certain way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon into a larger cocoon.

    I know that it has become harder for a young person to stand up against the popularity wave. Our way of life makes a young nonconformist stand out like a Martian. These days there's a great barrier for the young person who wants to find his or her own path. But the barrier is worth climbing over. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. Well, go to it. Be yourself. Popularity will come with the people who respect you for who you are. That's the only kind of popularity that really counts.

    Gabby Douglas stood beneath the Rio Olympic Arena, still in her Team USA leotard, trying hard to understand how she had become the most unpatriotic athlete in Rio. Tears filled in her eyes. She tried hard to talk but no words came out. Her pauses were long and uncomfortable.

    “I've been trying to stay off the Internet because there's so much negativity,” she said. The attacks against her have been everywhere these last few days. The bullies blamed her for not putting her hand over her heart while the US national song played. Besides, some other people attacked her for not jumping up and cheering hard enough for team-mates at the all-around final. All of this prompted her mother, Natalie Hawkins, to tell Reuters this weekend, that Douglas is “heartbroken”.

    It showed on Sunday, in Douglas's final performance of this Olympics and maybe in the Games ever. Douglas finished sixth in the uneven bars, far from the medal stand she owned four years ago in London, and shook her head, confused. What had she done wrong? Nothing made sense.

    “I mean, you do [Olympics] for your country, and you do it for yourself, how have I offended them? What have I done? I was standing in respect for USA. I'm coming out there representing them to the best of my abilities, so how would I be in disrespect?

    A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.

    One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, saying, “You don't say!” “You don't say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate topic. “Well, I'd better change the topic.” So I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall By the way, have you ever been there. “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It is magnificent.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide, “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted again by his order, “You don't say!” I couldn't help asking. I said, “Didn't you say you don't say” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “You don't say actually means really It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don't pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I realize I had made a fool of myself. Since then, I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions.

    BEIJING, China —Pollution in China remains very serious as the country's rapid economic growth brings new environmental problems, a minister said Saturday.

    Vice Environment Minister Zhang Lijun said China has made progress on environmental protection, but admitted that its rapid economic growth over the past decade has had a negative effect on the environment.

    "Our rapid economic development has continuously brought our country new environmental problems, particularly dangerous chemicals, electronic waste and so on. These environmental pollutants (污染物) bring new problems and affect human health," Zhang told a news conference.

    He said that emissions(排放)of traditional pollutants remain high and some areas have failed to meet government standards.

China has pledged to continue reducing emissions this year of three key air pollutants— ammonia nitrogen, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The government has also promised to bring down demand for chemical oxygen—a measure of water pollution by l.5 percent from the 2010 levels.

    In the last five years, there were 912 "environmental emergencies" involving heavy metal pollution, including several well-publicized instances of mass contamination, Zhang said. Thousands of children were affected by lead poisoning in several provinces in 2009 and 2010 because they lived near metal smelters or battery factories.

    The minister noted that rapid development in the next five years would increase the need for China to improve environmental protection and shift to a more sustainable(可持续的) model of economic development from its dependence on industries which consume huge quantities of energy.

    China is focusing on clean energy, including solar, wind and nuclear power, as one way to reduce its dependence on coal, which generates three-quarters of its electricity and is also used for winter heating in northern cities. China also hopes the strategy will reduce its demand for oil and gas and increase economic growth and jobs.

    Zhang told reporters there was no plan to adjust China's overall strategy for nuclear development but he said Beijing will learn lessons from Japan after a violent earthquake resulted in a radioactive leak(放射能泄露).

    "Some lessons we learn from Japan will be considered in the making of China's nuclear power plans," he said. "But China will not change its determination and plan for developing nuclear power."

    Good health is the most valuable thing a person can have, but one cannot take good health for granted. It is important to remember that the body needs proper care in order to be healthy. There are three things that a person can do to help stay in good shape: eat right food, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.

    Proper nutrition (营养) is important for good health. Your body cannot work well unless it receives the proper kind of "fuel"(燃料).Don't eat too much food with lots of sugar and fat. Eat plenty of foods high in protein (蛋白质) ,like meat, fish, eggs and nuts. Vegetables and fruits are very important because they provide necessary vitamins (维他命) and minerals. However, don't overeat. It is not helpful to be overweight.

    Getting the proper amount of sleep is also important. If you don't get enough sleep, you feel tired and easily get angry. You have no energy. Over a long period of time a little amount of sleep may even result in a change of personality (人的个性). Be sure to allow yourself from seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you do, your body will feel strong and refreshed, and your mind will be sharp.

    Finally, get plenty of exercise. Exercise firms the body, strengthens the muscles, and prevents you from gaining weight. It also improves your heart and lungs. If you follow a regular exercise program, you will probably increase your life-span (寿命). Any kind of exercise is good. Most sports are excellent for keeping the body in good shapes: basketball, swimming, bicycling, running and so on are good examples. Sports are not only good for your body, but they are enjoyable and interesting, too.

    If everybody, were to eat the right foods, get plenty of sleep and exercise regularly, the world would be a happier and healthier place. We would all live to be much older and wiser.