Holidays

    Dutch masters exhibition in Beijing

    The 17th century Dutch Golden Age had several significant artists and a range of great pieces produced during the period—including Jan Vermeer's Young Woman at Virginal, Jan Lievens' Boy in a Cape,and Turban and Rembrandt's Self-Portrait with Shaded Eyes.

    Some of the most refined examples of the time,including the three pieces mentioned above,will make their debut（首次亮相）in China as part of a world tour of The Leiden Collection.

    If you go:

    9 a.m.-5 p.m.,June 17-Sept 3 (closed on Mondays).National Museum of China,I Wusi Avenue,Dongcheng district.010-6400-1476.

Ticket: 50 yuan ($7)

    The Age of Mechanical Reproduction

    The Age of Mechanical Reproduction,the latest exhibition at the Riverside Art Museum,features 41 artworks of US pop icon Andy Warhol,covering art installations,paintings and photographs.Warhol's well-known installation Electric Chair is a highlight of the show,which is also its debut in Asia.

    If you go:

    10 a.m.-5 p.m.,through August 28 (closed on Mondays).The Riverside Art Museum,Hongyan Road,Chaoyang district.010-5309-2062.

    Ticket: 60 yuan

    Back with a bang

    Beijing-based hand Escape Plan will hold a concert in Beijing this weekend.The band is most famous for the song The Brightest Star in the Night Sky.

    If you go:

    7:30 p.m.,June 17.Beijing Worker's Gymnasium,Gongti Beilu,Chaoyang district.400-610-3721.

Ticket: 280-980 yuan

Purple clay teapots

    Yixing purple clay potteries are a vital part of Chinese pottery culture and have been included in China's list of national intangible cultural heritage（国家非物质文化遗产）.A selection of more than 80 purple clay teapots will go on display at the Poly Art Museum starting Friday.The exhibit will include a range of delicate teapot works of Ji Yishun,Wang Xiaolong and Gao Lijun,who are all inheritors（继承人）the time-honored（历史悠久的）pottery handicraft.

If you go:

    9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.(closed on Sundays),through June 30.Poly Art Museum,New Poly Plaza,1 Chaoyangmen North Street 9.010-6500-8117.

Ticket: 20 yuan

    Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city. The next building was only a few feet away from mine. There was a woman who lived there, whom I had never met, yet I could see her seated by her window each afternoon, sewing or reading.

    After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty. Everything was unclear through the dirty window. I would say to myself, “I wonder why that woman doesn't wash her window. It really looks terrible.”

    One bright morning I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window on the inside.

    Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible(可见的). Her window was clean!

Then it dawned on me. I had been criticizing (批评) her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.

    That was quite an important lesson for me. How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings?

    Since then, whenever I wanted to judge someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?” I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly.

    I have a story about raising free-range (自由放养) kids. This past Columbus Day, my husband and I went fishing with some friends on their boat while our10 and 8-year-old kids were in school. We left the house all at the same time, about 7 a. m. My children walked to and from school every day and we knew they would be OK for a couple hours by themselves anyway. We told them to go home after school and we would be home around 4 p. m.

    We live on the Gulf Coast, and since it was a beautiful day, all of the adults decided to go fishing off-shore. At around 2 p. m. after a good harvest from the sea, we started back to the shore and unfortunately after some time, we ran out of gas. We were out of cellphone service, and what was even worse was that 911 wasn't working. We didn't have a radio either. Therefore, we were stuck waiting for someone to pass by. We were out there until 10 p. m. All the while my children were at home, expecting us to return shortly after they got home. At about 7 p. m. , when it was getting dark, my 10-year-old daughter thought something might be wrong so she walked to each house on the street until someone answered the door and asked the person what they should do. This was how we were finally found by the game warden (管理员) on the coast and "rescued".

    Talking with that neighbor the next day, I was never so proud of my children. This neighbour explained to me, "What calmness both of your children showed when explaining the situation and how impressed I was with your children seeking help, even though they didn't know me." I never doubted him for a minute, though next time we go fishing we'll monitor the gas more carefully.

Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but there have only been few players who were truly great. How did these players get that way—was it through training and practice, or are great players "born, not made"?

First, these players came from places that have had famous stars in the past—players that a young boy can look up to and try to imitate (模仿). In the history of soccer, only seven countries have ever won the World Cup. There has never been a great national team—or a really great player—from North America or from Asia.

Second, these players have all had years of practice in the game. Pele, who is often named as the greatest soccer of all time, was the son of a soccer player. He began to play soccer with his father when he was only three. Most players begin playing the game at the age of three or four.

Finally, many great players come from the same kind of neighbourhood—a poor, crowded area where a boy's dream is not to be a doctor, lawyer, or businessman, but to become a rich, famous athlete or entertainer (艺人). For example, Liverpool, which produced the Beatles, had one of the best English soccer teams in recent years. Pele practiced in the street with a "ball" made of rags (破布). And George Best learned the tricks that made him famous by bouncing the ball off a wall (对着墙壁踢球) in the slums (贫民窟) of Belfast.

All great players have a lot in common, but that doesn't explain why they are great. Hundreds of boys played in those Brazilian streets, but only one became Pele. The greatest players are born with some unique quality that sets them apart from all the others.

Have you promised that your are going to get healthier? Maybe you want to lose weight, get stronger and have more energy. Maybe you are under the doctor's orders to eat right and take exercise more. Well, those all sound great. But with so many choices, it can be hard to get started. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} .

Eat right. Healthy eating is harder than before. Now many supermarkets or restaurants are packed with unhealthy choices that cause weight gain and weaken energy. Over time, making poor food choices can cause illness. But you don't have to be concerned about it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Cut out the junk food.

Keep healthy. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. So take exercise at once. Once you get started, you will be more likely to stick to it. Reduce stress. In the US, 77% of people often experience physical stress. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}You can manage stress by taking exercise, getting enough rest and cleaning bad relationships from your life.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Sure, some people are naturally happier than others. But there are things you can consciously do to be happier. And guess what they are all free. So if you want to be happier, there are a few things to do, for example, express thanks, help others ,or how to meditate.

A. Sleep well.

B. Choose happiness.

C. So here are healthy tips that you can follow.

D. Eat natural and organic foods as often as possible.

E. That is not a group you want to be a part of.

F. So tell someone you love how you feel about them.

G. People who often take exercise are generally happier and healthier than people who don't.