Imagine that you're looking at your company-issued smartphone and you notice an e-mail from Linkedln: “These companies are looking for candidates like you!” You aren't necessarily searching for a job, but you're always open to opportunities, so out of curiosity, you click on the link. A few minutes later your boss appears at your desk. “We've noticed that you're spending more time on Linkedln lately, so I wanted to talk with you about your career and whether you're happy here,” she says. Uh-oh.

     It's an awkward scene. Attrition (损耗) has always been expensive for companies, but in many industries the cost of losing good workers is rising, owing to tight labor markets. Thus companies are making greater efforts to predict which workers are at high risk of leaving ,so that managers can try to stop them. Methods range from electronic monitor to well-designed analyses of employees' social media lives.

     Some of this work may be a reason to let employees to quit. In general, people leave their jobs because they don't like their boss, don't see opportunities for promotion or growth, or are offered a higher pay; these reasons have held steady for years.

    New research conducted by CEB, a Washington-based technology company, looks not just at why workers quit but also at when. “We've learned that what really affects people is their sense of how they're doing compared with other people in their peer group, or with where they thought they would be at a certain point in life, says Brian Kropp, who heads CEB's HR practice. “We've learned to focus on moments that allow people to make these comparisons.”

Technology also provides clues about which star employees might be eyeing the exit. Companies can tell whether employees using work computers or phones are spending time on (or even just opening e-mails from) career websites, and research shows that more firms are paying attention to these things. Large companies have also begun searching for badge swipes (浏览痕迹)—- employees' use of an ID to enter and exit the building or the parking garage—to identify patterns that suggest a worker may be interviewing for a job.

Dear Guests

    WELCOME TO PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL APARTMENTS--SYDNEY

    Now we are updating (更新) our information folders in the rooms in order to help you during your stay. Please notice the following:

    Phone number:

    Reception(接待处): Dial 7

     Housekeeping: Dial 4

    Apartment-to-Apartment: dial the apartment number ( except 1st floor apartments: dial the apartment number followed by the ＃key)

    Outside line: dial 0, wait for dial tone, and then the number required.

Please keep your key with you at all times. The main doors to the apartments are locked from about 10:30 pm ~ 07:00 am, and you will need to swipe (刷卡) your key to gain access (通道) to the apartment.

    If in the event of the fire alarm(警报) sounding please stay calm. If evacuation ( 疏散 ) is necessary, please go to the fire exits. DO NOT USE LIFTS. Remember to take your valuables and key with you. When you go down, please gather at the Wishing Tree and the Corner of Sussex and Hay Street and either the Fire Brigade. A staff（职员）member or Hotel security（安全）will issue necessary instructions. For future details on this, please dial 7.

    Please see reception for any advice on tours and Sydney's attention, and please dial 7 if you want any further information.

    We hope your stay with us is an enjoyable one.

    Kind regards,

Paul Williams

Guest Services Manager

    In my memory, winters always used to be really unpleasant. You had to dress like a bear just to keep warm when you went outside. You were often cold, wet and no more than one step away from the thin ice on the lake. If you worked over time and went home in the dark, you would arrive home to an ice-cold house. And that would mean turning on the heating and waiting.

    Fortunately, things don't have to be so challenging any more. Technology, engineering and design have developed, giving us new solutions to old problems. It means dealing with winter needn't be like skating on thin ice.

    With a smart thermostat(恒温器), our homes can be toasty when we need them to be. Many models go with smartphone APPs that allow you to regulate temperature from a distance, so we can warm up the house before we arrive home. According to techradar.com, a large technology news and reviews website, Tado's model has a voice control function, while the Nest “learns” your habits and heats the house for you.

    Clothes have been given an upgrade, too. Electronic heated jackets and trousers heat up when you turn them on. What better way to keep warm in the dead of winter? At the touch of a button, or through an APP on our phones, the clothes produce heat from materials placed inside. Many models offer three levels of heating which stay warm for over 12 hours.

    Finally, there is the headgear(头部装备) - Hats that have speakers which are included in the cloth using Bluetooth technology, so we can listen to our favourite music or, in some cases, have a phone call using the in-built microphone. All while keeping the head warm and avoiding coldness.

    For many, the thought of winter used to be enough to make their blood run cold. But using technology, life needn't freeze up. There's no reason why winter can't be really, really cool.

Do's and Don'ts of Donating

    Giving up your unused or unwanted stuff is a great way to make space in your home for the items that you do enjoy on a regular basis. Not sure where to start? Here are some do's and don'ts of donating your belongings.

    Do Prepare Your Clothes

    You've thoroughly cleaned out your closet and drawers, and have a mountain of clothing waiting to be donated.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Make sure all buttons are accounted for, and that you can't see any dirty marks, or damage.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The number one rule of donating your stuff is to make sure that it's in good, usable condition. Don't pass along old clothes or furniture, chipped dishes, books that are missing pages, or toys with lost pieces. Nobody wants to accept your damaged belongings. Find a local company that will recycle these items instead.

    Don't even think of donating these items

    With a little common sense it's easy to figure out items that are ideal for donations{#blank#}3{#/blank#} As a gentle reminder, it's never a good idea to donate car parts, dangerous waste, construction materials and weapons. Don't donate large appliances Major appliances such as stoves, fridges, freezers, washers and dryers typically reside on the 'do not donate' list due to health and safety reasons. All items accepted for donation must be thoroughly clean and in good working order. With secondhand appliances, it can be difficult to guarantee that they fit the bill. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Don't donate recalled items

    Every so often a product recall hits the news headlines. Highchairs, toys, holiday lights for Christmas trees the list of recalled items due to safety concerns is endless.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}A dangerous product should be thrown away, and not passed on to an unsuspecting person. Think of the well-being of others before dropping off something that's viewed as a hidden danger in your own home.

A. They're all acceptable items for donation, too.

B. Instead of donating an unwanted large appliance, call your local trash collection company and arrange for their safe disposal.

C. But unfortunately some people will throw away the contents of their home without a second though.

D. Before you bag up these pieces, inspect each one to ensure that they're in good condition and ready to be owned by someone else.

E. Don't donate damaged items.

F. Clothes aren't the only household items that can be donated.

G. Never donate recalled items!

    Have you avoided the gym because you're too nervous or self-conscious (难为情的)? But if becoming healthier and more fit is one of your goals, heading to the gym is probably on your agenda.

    First of all, let's put this into perspective. Your attention may go right to the fittest people in the room who are moving from machine to machine with ease.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It's hard to believe that every single one feels confident. One thing for sure is, repeated action builds up confidence, and the more frequently you go, the more familiar you'll get with your surroundings and the less nervous you'll feel. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Work out a plan. Walk around the gym and check out the busy areas, the less crowded areas, the different machines, etc. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Now, with a plan in place, you can confidently move from exercise to exercise.

    Start slow with cardio (健心运动). You can also get familiar with the gym by getting onto a stationary bike and going at a relaxed pace.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Notice other people and what exercises they are doing to get some ideas, look at the machines around you, and survey the gym to feel more comfortable.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You may feel the need to move quickly from machine to machine. But if you stop to observe others around you, you'll notice many of them are working out in a relaxed manner. So, take your time, walk slowly and use that time to figure out your next move. Who knows if you're planning your next exercise or heading somewhere? Other people are so focused on their routine that they're most likely not paying attention to you anyway.

A. Slow down your pace.

B. Get the plan ready and then follow it.

C. Then, sit down and write out the order of your workout.

D. Think of how many people are frequenting gyms each day.

E. Use this time to scan the gym instead of wandering around aimlessly.

F. Here are some tips to help you feel more confident in the gym.

G. There is no need to be self-conscious about your level of physical fitness.

Western monarch butterflies(帝王蝶)spend their winters on the central California coast. A few months later, they produce young in the Central Valley and as far north and east as Idaho. But where they go in between remains an open question to biologists. Therefore, a group of biologists call on anyone who spots a monarch north of Santa Barbara this spring to get a quick shot(镜头)and email them the photo with a date and a location.

"Something's going on in early spring," said Cheryl Schultz, a professor at Washington State University Vancouver. "Winter survival isn't the problem in the short term, but they don't know whether the monarchs are not making it producing places, not finding plants to feed themselves along the way," she said.

The Western monarch population stood in the millions in the 1980s. In 2017, an annual count found 200,000 butterflies. In 2018, the number fell to about 30, 000-a figure that held steady last year. The monarchs' decline is part of a large trend among dozens of butterfly species in the West. What exactly caused the decline? Biologists attach it to a variety of reasons. Many chemicals are sprayed on the milkweed(乳草)monarchs will feed on. Climate change also plays a role in challenges facing monarchs. Yet, they're not nearly as threatening as those leading to loss of their living room. Farms used to have rough borders that were grounds for the plants monarchs love and live in. However, newly applied practices pushed crops to the edge of fields.

"Butterflies often have good and bad years. We do think there's potential to turn the situation around." Dr. Schultz said. And she said she saw two reasons for that. First, the population decline seen in 2017 ~ 2018 wasn't repeated last year. And second, she's seen butterfly populations recover before.