If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

    While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal.  Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

    But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy（哲学）. Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy.  Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese.  So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States.

    Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers. 

    So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

    Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

    As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

    Introductory Chemistry was taught at Duke University for many years by professor Bonk. One year, two guys took the class and did pretty well on all the quizzes and mid terms. They each had a solid A. These two friends were so confident in going into the final that the weekend before finals week,despite the Chemistry final being on Monday,they decided to go to the University of Virginia to party with some friends.

    They had a great time there. However,with their hangovers(宿醉) and tiredness,they overslept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to Duke until early Monday morning. Rather than taking the final then,they found professor Bonk after the final and explained to him how they missed the final. They told him they went up to the University of Virginia for the weekend and had planned to come back in time to study,but they had a flat tire on the way back and didn't have a spare. So they were late getting back to campus.

    Bonk thought this over and agreed that they could take the final the following day. The two guys,happily and relieved,studied that night and went in the next day at the time that Bonk had told them. He placed them in separate rooms and handed each of them a test booklet. He told them to begin.

    They looked at the first problem which was something simple about solution(溶解).It was worth 5 points. "Cool," they thought,"this is going to be an easy final". They then turned the page. They were unprepared,however,for what they saw on it. The question contained only two words: (95 points) Which tire?

    Scientists have been studying how people use money for long. Now they're finding some theories may apply to one group of monkeys.

    Researchers recently taught six monkeys how to use money. They gave the monkeys small metal disks(圆片) that could be used like cash and showed them some yummy apple pieces. The monkeys soon figured out that if they gave one of the disks to a scientist, they'd receive a piece of apple in return.

    If you think that is all the monkeys can figure out, you are wrong. Two researchers, Jake and Allison, acted as apple sellers in the experiments. The monkeys were tested one at a time and had 12 disks to spend in each experiment. Jake always showed the monkeys one apple piece, while Allison always showed two pieces. But that's not necessarily what they gave the monkeys. The number of apple pieces given for a disk was determined at random.

    Experiment One: Allison showed two pieces of apples but gave both pieces only half the time. The other half, she took one piece away and gave the monkey just the remaining piece. Jake, on the other hand, always gave exactly what he showed: one piece for each disk. The monkeys chose to trade more with Allison.

    Experiment Two: Allison continued to sometimes gave two pieces and sometimes one piece. But now, half the time, Jake gave the one apple piece he was showing, and half the time he added a bonus. Guess what? The monkeys chose to trade more with Jake.

    In the first experiment, the monkeys correctly figured out that if they traded with Allison, they'd end up with more treats. In the second one, when a monkey received two pieces from Jake, it seemed like again. When Allison gave the monkey only one piece instead of the two she showed, it seemed like a loss. The monkeys preferred trading with Jake because they'd rather take a chance of seeming to win than seeming to lose.

    We also sometimes make silly business decisions just to avoid the feeling that we're getting less, even when were not. Would you have made the same choices?

    Some people will do just about anything to save money．And I am one of them．Take my family's last vacation．It was my six­year­old son's winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a week long trip．The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day．I had meetings in New York, so I had to get back．But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay．I took my nine­month­old and took off for home．

    The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight．Yes, I encouraged — okay, ordered — them to wait it out at the airport, to “earn” more Delta Dollars．Our total take: $1,600．Not bad, huh?

    Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either．But as a big­time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar．And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up．

    I've made a living looking for the best deals and exposing（揭露）the worst tricks．I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade．I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide．And I really do what I believe in．

    I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money's worth．I'm also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants．But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut．It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice．And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture．Quality lasts．

    Emily Urich 18 years old Canada

    A 1ot of teens aren't responsible, and that's where I'm different. Not just about school but everyday things, like being able to pay my own credit card(信用卡)bills on time.

    The first time I got a cartoon book was on my third birthday. From then on, I fell in deep love with it. And can you guess how many cartoon books I've read? I don't really know the exact number. But I have three full boxes of them under my bed.

    Joe Miller 16 years old America

    I'm proud of doing things in my own way. So whenever somebody wants me to do something or whatever it is, I feel like they're all other people's thoughts, not really mine. But like others, I love reading, too.

    When I first took skiing lessons, I found it exciting. For skiing racing, there's no question that I'm better than most boys. I think it's fun. I mean, it is a challenge. It's where I picked up the idea of needing a challenge always in my life. In order to improve my skiing skills, I have read many books and magazines about it.

    An Qi 15 years old China

    I'm different because I prefer to drop out of the world to create my own world. I'd like to build a house on a mountain. And I choose to live without electricity, a telephone, or even indoor plumbing(水管装置).

    I have many hobbies such as traveling, reading, writing and spending time with children. I love children because they are smart and creative. They always have many strange ideas. It makes me excited.

    I want to do something for Hope Project and become a country school teacher.

    Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you've completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we've accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of aging as wrinkles and gray hair. But now a new book suggests that we've got it all wrong.

    According to The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s — much later than previously thought.

    Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we keep them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years it's been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise.

    This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years. It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive (认知的) tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s. Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving. Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed — how fast you can push a button when ordered. However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age.

    Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with aging. A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions. It is thought that when we're younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as we get older we've learned our lessons and are aware that we have less time left in life: therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy.