Obama, Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs—what do they have in common? They are, of course, all Americans. And according to a survey by social networking site baidu. com, they all best illustrate(举例说明) the word “cool”.

    But just what does it mean to say someone is “cool”? Most would answer that it is something to do with being independent-minded and not following the crowd.

    Yale University art professor Robert Farris Thompson says that the term “cool” goes back to 15th century West African philosophy. “Cool” relates to ideas of grace under pressure.

    “In Africa,” he writes, “coolness is a positive quality which combines calmness, silence, and life.”

    The modern idea of “cool” developed largely in the US in the period after World War II. “Post-war 'cool' was in part an expression of war-weariness (厌战情绪), . . . it went against the strict social rules of the time,” write sociologists Dick Pountain and David Robins in Cool Rules: Anatomy of an Attitude.

    But it was the American actor James Dean who became the symbol for “cool” in the hugely successful 1955 movie Rebel without a Cause. Dean plays a tough guy who disobeys his parents and the authorities. He always gets the girl, smokes cigarettes, wears a leather jacket and beats up bullies. In the movie, Dean showed what “cool” would mean to American young people for the next 60 years.

    Today the focus of “cool” has changed to athletics (体育运动) stars. Often in movies about schools, students gain popularity on the athletics field more than in the classroom. This can be seen quite clearly in movies like Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die.

    But many teenagers also think being smart is cool. Chess and other thinking games have been becoming more popular in schools.

    “Call it the Harry Potterization of America—a time when being smart is the new cool,” writes journalist Joe Sunnen.

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    I am Peter Hodes, a volunteer stem courier. Since March 2012, I've done 89 trips of those, 51 have been abroad, I have 42 hours to carry stem cells(干细胞) in my little box because I've got two ice packs and that's how long they last, in all, from the time the stem cells are harvested from a donor(捐献者) to the time they can be implanted in the patient, we've got 72 hours at most, So I am always conscious of time.

    I had one trip last year where I was caught by a hurricane in America. I picked up the stem cells in Providence, Rhode Island, and was meant to fly to Washington then back to London. But when I arrived at the check-in desk at Providence, the lady on the desk said: “Well, I'm really sorry, I've got some bad news for you-there are no fights from Washington.” So I took my box and put it on the desk and I said: “In this box are some stem cells that are urgently needed for a patient-please, please, you've got to get me back to the United Kingdom.” She just dropped everything. She arranged for a flight on a small plane to be held for mere-routed(改道) me through Newark and got me back to the UK even earlier than originally scheduled.

    For this courier job, you're consciously aware than that box you're got something that is potentially going to save somebody's life.

    NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive(再体验)these experiences in nightmares.

    Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase(抹去), the effect of painful memories.

    In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing(释放)chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.

    The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.

    Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.

    "Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor at Harvard Medical School. "This could reduce lot of that suffering."

    But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity(特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.

    " All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out," said Rebecca Dresser, a medical expert.

    AA famous magazine, Amusement Today, does a survey among park lovers every year both in the US and overseas, based on which, "Top 5 List of the Best Amusement Parks in the World" has come out as follows:

    Disneyland, California

    Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California, the US. More than 515 million guests have traveled to this American landmark from around the world since the park first opened to guests on July 17, 1955. The park consists of many world- famous sections, such as Main Street, Adventure land, New Orleans Square, and so on.

    Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Florida

    Magic Kingdom is a theme park within the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando opened on October 1, 1971. It is the most famous theme park in Florida. The park's design and attractions don't make much difference from Disneyland Park in Anaheim.

    EPCOT, Disney World, Florida

    EPCOT is the second theme park built at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. The park opened on October 1, 1982, and was named EPCOT Center from1982 to 1993. It was the largest Disney theme park in the world until 1998, when Disney's Animal Kingdom opened.

    Disney-MGM Studios, Florida

    MGM's streets are the home for some great movie-themed attractions with a history of less than 30 years. With the addition of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Rock and Roller Coaster, the park is now home to Disney World's most thrilling rides.

    Universal Studios, Florida

    Go behind the scenes, beyond the screen and jump right into the action of your favorite movies at Universal Studios, the number one movie and TV theme park in the world.

What's On Stage

An acrobatic (杂技) show: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe will present "The Soul of China"， where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills (寒战) will run down your spine (脊柱) as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge.

Time: 7：30 pm, September 13－19

Place: Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District

Exhibitions

Joint Show: A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing. About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display .

Time: 9：00 am－5：00 pm until September 10

Place: Huangshicheng Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng Distirct

Oil paintings: The Wanfung Art Galley will host a joint show of oil paintings by 10 young and middle­aged artists. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture (捕捉) the wondrous variety of life in unique (独特的) styles .

Time: 9：00 am－4：00 pm until September 15

Place: 136 Nachizi Street, Dongcheng District

Literature (文学) museum: The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an indepth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949.

Time: 9：00 am－4：00 pm, daily

Place: 45 Anyuan Donglu , Chaoyang District (Shaoyaoju area)

Concerts

Beijing rocks: "The Fashion Night of Chinese Rock" is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals. The audience (听众) will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm.

Time: September 16

Place: The Olympic Center

Belgium Orchestra (管弦乐队): La Petite Bande, the Baroque Orchestra of Belgium will perform in Beijing at the Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world to commemorate (纪念) the 250th anniversary of Bach's death .

Time: 7：30 pm, September 11－14

Place: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities

In 2017, I was diagnosed (诊断) with Type 1 diabetes (糖尿病). And then I was told that I couldn't drive for a few weeks until my blood sugar levels had1 . 

Driving was a2 very soon after diagnosis for me. I needed to get to the chemist's shop for my diabetes medicine and get to hospital appointments, but at first couldn't, for having been told not to drive. I didn't want to be a3 , having to ask for lifts all the time. 

I found it really4 to be unable to drive, but things settled down after that and seemed to be5 for a while. 6 , to my surprise, I had severe hypoglycemia (低血糖) last year and wasn't able to7 it myself. I called an ambulance and was taken to8 , where I saw doctors and nurses I didn't know as none of them were connected to the diabetes team who usually cared for me. That's where my9 began. They advised me not to drive on the basis of this disease. They told me to call the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) and10 what they'd told me to them. This led to my licence being canceled. 

I couldn't11 all that had happened. It seemed12 . I needed answers and13 , so I phoned the Diabetes UK Helpline number I got from their website. They14 I was right in thinking that the DVLA shouldn't have15 my licence based on this hypoglycemia, according to the law. With their help, the DVLA sent me a letter admitting making a mistake. I got it back in six weeks.