Spanish River Park

    Location: 3001 Ocean Blvd.,Boca Raton.

    Admission: $16 per vehicle on weekdays,$18 on weekends and major holidays.

    Special Comments: About 95 acres,more than a half-mile of beach with lifeguards.No pets.1,680-foot nature path and large playground area.

    Food/Dining: Picnic areas with barbecue grills（烤肉架）.Phone: (561)393-7811

    Restores: Restrooms and showers available.

    Red Reef Park

    Location: 1400 N.Ocean Blvd.,Boo2 Raton.

    Admission: $16 per vehicle on weekdays,$18 on weekends and major holidays.

    Special Comments: Developed beach (67 acres) with lifeguards.No alcohol or pets permitted.It offers grills and a small playground area.

    Food/Dining: Picnic areas available.Phone: (561) 393-7812

    Restrooms: Restrooms and showers available.

    South Beach Park

    Location: 400 N.Ocean Blvd.,Boca Raton.

    Admission: $15 per vehicle on weekdays,$17 on weekends and major holidays.

    Special Comments: 1,670 feet of beach,25 acres,lifeguards,955 feet of developed beach south of Boca Inlet with lifeguards.

    Food/Dining: Picnic areas available.Phone: (561) 393-7813

    Restrooms: Restrooms and showers available.

    Coconut Cove Waterpark

    Location: 11200 Park Access Road,Boca Raton.

    Admission: Adult $7; Children(4~12)$5; 3 and under free.

    Special Comments: The waterpark offers Sea Monster（怪物）walk pool,Meandering River,a waterslide and a waterfall.No alcohol or pets permitted.

    Food/Dining: Concessions.Phone: (561) 274-1140

    Restrooms: Restrooms and showers available.

阅读短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

    My parents were in a huge argument, and I was really upset about it. I didn't know who I should talk with about how I was feeling. So I asked Mom to allow me to stay the night at my best friend's house. Though I knew I wouldn't tell her about my parents' situation, I was looking forward to getting out of the house. I was in the middle of packing up my things when suddenly the power went out in the neighborhood. Mom came to tell me that I should stay with my grandpa until the power came back on.

    I was really disappointed because I felt that we did not have much to talk about. But I knew he would be frightened alone in the dark. I went to his room and told him that I'd stay with him until the power was restored. He was quite happy and said, “Great opportunity.”

    “What is it?” I asked.

    “To talk, you and I” he said. “To hold a private little meeting about what we're going to do with your mom and dad, and what we're going to do with ourselves now that we're in the situation we are in.”

    “But we can't do anything about it. Grandpa,” I said, surprised that here was someone with whom I could share my feelings and someone who was in the same “boat” as I was.

    And that's how the most unbelievable friendship between my grandfather and me started. Sitting in the dark, we talked about our feelings and fears of life — from how fast things change to how they sometimes don't change fast enough. That night, because the power went out, I found a new friend, with whom I could safely talk about all my fears and pains, whatever they may be. Suddenly, the lights all came back on. “Well,” he said, “I guess that means you'll want to go now. I really like our talk. I hope the power will go out every few nights!”

    Hobbs was an orphan. He worked in a factory and every day he got a little money. Hard work made him thin and weak.  He wanted to borrow a lot of money to learn to paint pictures, but he did not think he could pay off the debts.

    One day a lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded. He didn't know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days；or I give up my work in the factory and do what I'd like to do: painting pictures. I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place in the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it's too much for one and too little for the other.”

    “Here is the reading of your uncle's will,” said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”

    “Yes I see. I'll do that,” said the young man.

    Galdwell's book, Blink, is all about first impressions and what he calls “rapid cognition（认知）”. In his own words, “It's a book about the kind of thinking that happens in a short time. When you meet someone for the first time or read the first few sentences of a book, your mind takes about two seconds to jump to a series of conclusions.”

    Galdwell points out that most scientific tradition is based on a great deal more than two seconds' thought though years of scientific study can come from a quick observation. As for rapid cognition, Gladwell realizes some first impressions don't seem to be based on anything. He noticed that Americans support taller candidates（候选人）. In fact, since 1900, only four candidates have beaten men who are taller than themselves. With this in mind Gladwell got in touch with 500 companies in the US and found that almost all of their managers were tall. Gladwell said, “That's weird. There is no connection between height and intelligence or height and decision-making…But for some reason companies chose tall people for leadership roles. I think that's an example of bad rapid cognition.”

    As an example of good rapid cognition, he tells the story of the Emergency Room doctors at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. A few years ago, the hospital changed the way they diagnosed（诊断）heart attacks. Their doctors took no notice of the patient's age, weight and medical history and gave most of their attention to a few really important pieces of information, such as blood pressure and heart rate. And what happened? Cook County is now one of the best places in the United States for diagnosing chest pain.

    Gladwell believes the power of first impressions should be studied further. “The first task of Blink is to show the fact: decisions made very quickly can be as good as decisions made slowly and carefully.”

    Seventeen-year-old Sariah Estrada didn't expect to receive anything in return when she saved a drowning man on Marianne Beach in Blanchisseuse earlier this year.

    However, for her random act of kindness, Estrada was awarded the Hummingbird Medal-Bronze for her bravery, loyalty and devotion to Trinidad and Tobago on Monday, September 24, when the country celebrated its 42nd year as a republic. President Paula-Mae Weekes presented the national award to her.

    In July of this year, Estrada along with two friends went to the Marianne Beach to relax. Upon leaving the beach, Estrada and her friends noticed a man struggling in the water. Immediately, she and her friends sprang into action. The teens borrowed a body board from some people on the beach and swam to the man's rescue.

    She said when they reached the man, he was already unconscious and they dragged him out of the water on the body board. Estrada remembered what she learned during a life-saving course the week before and quickly started pumping the man's chest. After several attempts，she was successful and the young man's life was saved.

    In an interview with LoopTT, the teenager said while she is grateful for the award, she wasn't expecting anything in return.

    "This award was never expected because I thought of helping someone as an act of humanity and never looked for anything in return, but the award is well appreciated. As I reflect on the action I took, I felt as though I could help this person as I have the proper training. The week before the incident I participated in a basic life support-training course offered by the North Central Regional Health Authority." Estrada explained. She said she intends to continue assisting people.

    The national award receiver also had this message for the youths of Trinidad and Tobago.

    I would like to encourage the young people of Trinidad and Tobago to strive for excellence, never sell yourself short by believing that you cannot do what you desire, all things are possible and hard work surely brings success."

Kitchen Products That Will Make Your Life Easier

Food Chopper (切碎机) with Storage Container

Using a food chopper to save time and effort when preparing dinners is always a smart idea. But using a food chopper that doubles as a storage container is more convenient. This one is made of BPA-free plastics and comes with three interchangeable blades (刀片) so you can chop your vegetables in various sizes.

Available on Amazon. $ 18. 99

Mixing Bowl Set with No-skid (防滑的) Bottoms and Pour Spouts

This clever set of mixing bowls solves a few problems we didn't realize we had. For one thing, it has no-skid bottoms, so you can more easily have control over the bowl while using a hand mixer or other tools. And for another, the specially designed part makes it easy to pour liquid from the bowl into a pan or baking dish with hardly any effort. Plus, they're pretty cute.

Available on Amazon. $ 21. 97

Rubbermaid Fresh Works Produce Saver

Do you feel like you're constantly throwing away fresh vegetables you just bought? Rubbermaid's Fresh Works containers come in a variety of sizes, and are made to help food and vegetables remain fresh for as long as possible-saving your time and money in the long run.

Available on Amazon, $ 6. 99

Heat-Resistant Gloves

These aren't your grandma's potholders. These heat-resistant gloves are made with high-quality silicone, making them effective against high temperatures and non-slip. They're also multi-purpose, since you can use them inside when removing plates from the oven or outside while barbecuing.

Available on Amazon, $ 14. 99