When I was little, I always wanted a luxurious house. That was my idea to be successful. I took all the classes with full carefulness and tried to do well in the exams with my mind set on going to a key school. I just knew that I would somehow become famous and be able to afford the dream house. All the way through junior years, my mind was planning this wonderful future.

    Then in the tenth grade, many losses changed my mind. First, one of my friends died at 16. Soon after, my great-grandmother passed away, followed by my beloved fourth-grade teacher. These events left me not knowing what to do or where to go. Death had never touched me so closely.

    After a long period of emptiness, it finally struck me: Life is not promised and neither is future success. Though I was attempting to achieve material success, I was not enjoying my daily life. I realized that finding inner peace, purpose and happiness will stick with me forever and that is real success.

    Enjoying life's precious quirks(偶发事件) makes an ordinary person more successful than a wealthy person who isn't content and takes everything for granted. The summer before senior years, my attitude changed greatly. Instead of memorizing facts, I began learning skills. Instead of focusing on the future, I focused on today and the many blessings and successes that came with it.

    I still get excellent grades, but now I devote weeks to studying instead of struggling for exams, and I think about the future with a deeper sense of meaning. For me, being successful means truly living life each day.

    Over the last week, a "poisonous kale（甘蓝菜）" theory has been going widespread after an article warned that the vegetable was associated with a variety of medical conditions. It's time to separate fear from fact on the health benefits of kale.

    As a member of the cabbage family, kale is low in calories and rich in nutrients and minerals, especially vitamin A,C and K. Consumed for thousands of years, it's been a health plus for millions of eaters throughout the world.

    However, numerous web articles have reported on some evidence offered by a medicine researcher. The researcher found that thallium（铊）was detected in a few people who were heavy consumers of kale. Thallium is a heavy metal often found in trace amounts（微量）in soil and minerals. His conclusion was that these medical conditions were connected to the impact that trace amounts of thallium detected in some kale samples had on the body.

    I don't think the conclusion is based on a strict scientific basis. It's essential to point out that the original report was in a web magazine, not a scientific journal which is subject to peer review by other scientists. A scientific review includes a careful evaluation of how the findings and conclusions were made. Certain factors are critical before an evidence-based conclusion can be made, such as: how many people were in a study; how well controlled were other factors; how much kale was consumed and for how long; how much thallium was in the kale.

    It is a fact that kale and other vegetables can absorb thallium from the soil. But the ability for a plant to absorb traces of a chemical does not automatically make it harmful to your health. And even finding measurable amounts of thallium in someone's body doesn't imply that the thallium is causing an ill health effect, according to the CDC.

    But we can still learn a lesson from this. Plants grow in soil. Growers must continue to be careful in monitoring the quality of their soil. And what about consumers? Eat your kale—and include lots of other colorful fruits and vegetables. As with all things in nature, variety is key for good health.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案，并将选定答案的字母标号填在题前括号内。

    Making a good job choice is almost as good as choosing a good life. So, choosing a job is one of the most important decisions to make in life.

    For my job, there are three important things that I will consider: The first one—that I must work in an area I like—is most important to me. Someone once said if you find a job that you enjoy, then you won't have to work another day. I would like to work in an area where I can be more creative. I would like to be the most valuable member there. All this is possible only if I like what I do.

    The second one is that the area of my work must lead me to solve some new and hard problems. I would like to stay in the same area for a long time. In order for this to happen, the work must provide enough problems. More than just working to live, I enjoy making a difference and trying my best for the whole progress. I would also like to be well remunerated for my hard work, so I can lead a comfortable life with this hard-won money. Then I can provide the best for my family.

    The third important thing is that I would like to work in an area that would help other people. The work in my mind is in fields such as the army, training or management. In such areas, I can help to develop the abilities of others and bring out their best. It would be a most satisfying job to help young people to become the best that they can be. When I become old, I would like to look back with a great sense of satisfaction that thousands of people have become better persons through my work.

    I accept the idea that no one should make a choice of a job suddenly or quickly. He should decide what he wants to be in the long run. Then, he should decide how he works towards it. He should study the proper courses, read the books and speak to knowledgeable persons in that field before making a job choice. A good choice will most probably lead to a better life.

    An Indian movie about two sisters has become a huge hit in China. The Hindi language film, called Dangal, has earned almost $170 million in China since its release there on May 5.

    Much has been written about why Dangal has enjoyed such big success in China. Some people say one reason is that the film's star and producer, Aamir Khan. He is famous in India's Bollywood film industry. Two of his earlier films were also big hits in China.

    Khan's popularity was clear after he got more than 600,000 followers on the Chinese social media service Sina Weibo within two months of joining. But he is not the only reason that the film strongly connects with audience across China. Media has pointed out how it shows similarities between parental systems in China and India.

Dangal is based on the true story of a man who enjoyed the sport of wrestling(摔跤). He competed as a wrestler, but never could achieve his lifelong dream: winning a gold medal. As a father, he wanted his son to win the medal. But his wife only gives birth to daughters. So he finally decides to train them to be world-class wrestlers.

    The movie is more serious than most Bollywood productions, which tell happy love stories and include colorful music and dance performances.

    Edward Chan is a professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He says the strict way of parenting in the film is something people in China can easily relate to. "I think the father role described by the movie in India is quite to the culture, especially the traditional culture in China."

    The Chinese government supported Global Times newspaper pointed that movie critics (评论家) in China did not like Dangal. Most of them agree with the fact that the father in the film was forceful in pushing his daughters to become wrestlers. But the film Dangal is really aimed to educate children to work for their dreams.

    Courses Available at North Coast College Campuses

    Agriculture

    Specialist agriculture centres of the North Coast College offer courses ranging from agricultural skills to beef production, horse studies and rural management. The Wollongbar Campus is famous for its Tropical(热 带的) Fruit Growing program and has introduced courses on bush foods and coffee production. Taree offers the Veterinary(兽医的) Assistant program and has introduced “Agristudy”, which enables students to learn flexibly and by correspondence( 函 授 ), using a mixture of student learning guides, telephone tutorials, information sessions and workshops. Mullumbimby has the popular Rural Business Management program, which can also be studied by correspondence. Grafton, meanwhile, offers traineeships in agriculture including beef and dairy.

    Health Programs

    The continued improvement of healthier living within the community has seen an increase in fitness awareness and a need for trained staff in the Fitness and Sport industries. Fitness Instruction courses are offered at Tweed Heads and teach students how to keep healthy and lead a safe fitness program.

    Lismore offers the Aged Support program and Port Macquarie offers the Early Childhood Nursing program. These courses give you the theoretical skills, knowledge and practical experience needed to work in a variety of residential and community-based health care institutions. For students interested in working in the Medical Health Care industry, Kingscliff is a specialist centre for the Natural Therapy Diploma and has a health clinic on campus.

    Environmental Studies

    The Environmental Studies courses offered by the North Coast College have been developed to help students increase their awareness and understanding of environmental issues and to enable them to determine their environmental impact. The Environmental Practice course, which includes Coastal Management, is offered through the Ballina Campus.

    For people interested in working to protect natural forests, the North Coast College offers the Forest Protection course at Casino. This course can provide a pathway for students into the Natural Resource Management Diploma at university.

Ecobee3 Smarter WiFi Thermostat

    Smart thermostats have become the face of smart home technology for most, but depending on what your home is like, it's possible to say the ecobee3 is superior.

    Most of the smart thermostats carry the same benefits, including the ecobee3. They can learn your preferences and schedules, and then adjust the temperature accordingly. They're better-looking and more enjoyable to use than the basic pieces of plastic that occupy most households. Their very presence will probably make you more conscious about saving energy. And once you're able to heat up or cool down your house from your phone, without having to get out of bed, you won't want to go back.

    If you live in a larger household, the ecobee3 can be much more convenient—provided you pick up a couple more remote sensors. Yes, it gets pretty expensive at that point, but having those gives you effective control over the temperature in different rooms around your house. In comparison, other thermostats' measurements are largely limited to the area in which they' re installed (安装).

    If you live in a smaller place, that's no big deal; the ecobee3 still has distinct advantages. It is touch-enabled and more spacious, making it less annoying when you want to enter a WiFi password, see weather information, and so on. Still, all the smart thermostats are pretty great. Which one is best just depends on whether you need a whole-home solution or a more straightforward one. For now, if it's the former, go with the ecobee3.

    Ecobee3 Smarter WiFi Thermostat with Remote Sensor, available at all shopping websites.