What is a fair wage? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} These are some of the questions the United Nations International Labour Organisation(ILO) has recently investigated.

    With a global population of over seven billion, is it actually possible to measure an average amount? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Using the total wage bill from over seventy countries, they have multiplied the amounts by the number of earners in each country. The economists then tallied up the results and divided them by the total number across the world The result was a world average wage equivalent to $1,490 a month. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    This figure might seem very high because they calculated the amount using purchasing power parity dollars, which takes into account the fact that it is cheaper to live in some countries than others. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    Calculating an average sum like this might not be a completely fair representation, but these figures do help us to understand how the world is developing, both economically, in the quality of life people are experiencing and their standard of living.

    But the result shows that the average wage is still relatively low and there remains a huge difference in levels of affluence around the world. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Is this fair? For many, pay equality still seems very far out of reach.

A. The ILO has now tried to work out the sums.

B. The ILO used statistics from over 70 different countries

C. Why aren't more people in the world offered pay equality?

D. That is approximately $75 a day for a 20-day working month.

E. Some people live on just two dollars a day, while others are earning more than a million dollars a year.

F. When someone works for themselves, what are they called?

G. The data also did not include the huge number of people who appear in poverty statistics or who are self-employed.

    A British friend told me he couldn't understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds as a snack so much. “I've met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth; I believe that's from cracking the seeds, ” he said.

    I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I'm watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn't like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.

    When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year's Eve to check out what every household was making.

    I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room , a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.

    I don't think it's right to criticize one's choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.

    It's not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it's a delicacy, and it's connected to their culture. I think it's a wonderful tradition.

    Dutch officials toasted on Tuesday the opening of what is being called the world's first 3D-printed concrete bridge, which is meant to be used by cyclists. There was applause as officials wearing hard hats and workmen's jackets rode over the bridge on their bikes at the opening ceremony in the southeastern town of Gemert.

    “The bridge is not very big, but it was rolled out by a printer which makes it unique,” Theo Salet, from the Eindhoven University of Technology, told Dutch broadcaster NOS. Work on printing the bridge, which has some 800 layers, took about three months after starting in June and it is made of pre-stressed concrete, according to the university. “One of the advantages of printing a bridge is that much less concrete is needed than in the conventional technique in which a mould (泥浆) is filled,” it said on its website, adding “a printer deposits the concrete only where it is needed.”

    The eight-metre (26-foot) bridge crosses a water-filled channel to connect two roads, and it was tested for safety to bear loads of up to two metric tons in cooperation with the BAM Infra Construction company. Although designed for bikes, it could take up to 40 trucks, the designers said “We are looking to the future,” said the head of BAM, Marinus Schimmel. “3D printing meant fewer rare resources were needed and there was significantly less waste,” he added.

    The Netherlands is among countries, with the United States and China, taking a lead in the cutting-edge technology of 3D printing, using computers and robotics to construct objects and structures from scratch without using much traditional manpower. Last year a Dutch architect unveiled (提示) a unique 3D printer with which he hopes to construct an “endless loop” building. And a Dutch start-up called MX3D has begun printing a stainless-steel bridge, of which a third is already completed. The aim is to finish printing by March and lay the bridge over an Amsterdam canal in the future.

How to Be Happy

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Being happy often means continually finding satisfaction, a feeling of joy, and a sense that your life is meaningful during all kinds of problems—that does not depend upon finding ease or comfort. A sense of happiness is good for your health, so what can we do to have that?

Change your thoughts.

    People have a natural tendency to remember negative experiences but forget positive ones. However, thanks to adaptability, you can actually change the way your brain functions. You can train yourself to be happier by seeking your kind of fun.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Cultivate optimism.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It's a way of interpreting everything that happens to you. For example, a pessimistic person might say, "I'm terrible at math. I'm going to fail that test tomorrow. I might as well just watch TV." However, an optimistic person would say something like "I'm concerned about doing well on that test tomorrow, but I'm going to study as well as I can and do my best." Optimism doesn't deny the reality of challenges, but it interprets how you approach them differently.

    Practice active gratitude.

    A lot of researches confirm that gratitude is good for you. It reduces anxiety and depression, helps you become more positive, strengthens your relationships with others, and encourages compassion.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Determine your core values.

    Your core values determine how you think about yourself, your life, and the world around you. These beliefs guide your decision-making. They may be spiritual, or they may not, but they're the things that are fundamental to how you look at life. Whatever your values are, research suggests that when you aren't living your life and making choices that are not fit for your values, you're likely to feel unhappy and dissatisfied.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Begin by imagining yourself in the future when you have gotten to where you want to be. Pick a few goals and imagine that you have achieved them.

A. For example, occupy your mind with positive thoughts by practicing mindfulness.

B. Happiness is not a simple goal, but is about making progress.

C. Contact a hotline.

D. It also has been shown to increase your feelings of happiness.

E. Visualize your “best possible self.”

F. Optimism is more than just positive expectations.

G. Look for the positive in all your experiences.

Tips for healthy travel with children

    Children make up a small but important group of travellers. Their smaller bodies and developing immune(免疫) systems make their travel health needs important. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Vaccines(疫苗) for children

    In general, there is a higher risk for most vaccine-preventable diseases when travelling abroad. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. If you are planning to travel, check whether your child's normal vaccine schedule needs to be changed to make sure that they are fully protected before travelling.

    Malaria(疟疾) and children

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Children are particularly at risk of developing severe malaria. If you must travel with children to a malaria risk area, visit a doctor to determine if anti-malarial medication is recommended. If anti-malarial medication is allowed to take, keep them in child-proof containers and out of reach of children.

    Transportation risks

    Air travel is safe for healthy children. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Some airlines will not allow newborns to fly. Ear pain caused by changes in pressure during landing is more common in children than in adults. To lessen the pain, babies should bottle or breast feed. Older children can chew gum or be encouraged to swallow or yawn.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Signs and symptoms(症状) of altitude sickness in children are often mistaken for other illnesses. A child with altitude sickness may throw up, hate to eat, or be anxious. Older children may also show headaches, or difficulty breathing. As it is difficult to tell if a child is developing altitude sickness and since altitude sickness can develop rapidly in children, you may travel to no higher than 2,500 m (8,200 feet).

A. High altitude sickness

B. Pack a travel health kit

C. Avoid taking children to areas with a risk of malaria

D. And these diseases tend to be more severe (严重的) in children than in adults

E. There are many facts to take into consideration when travelling with children

F. It may be difficult to give children anti-malaria medication because it tastes unpleasant

G. However, it is necessary that you wait until newborns are one to two weeks old before flying

    Social media (社交媒体)is one of the fastest-growing industries in today's world. A study conducted by the US think tank (智囊团) Pew Research Center showed that 92 percent of teenagers go online daily.

    The wide spread of social media has changed nearly all parts of teenagers' lives.

    ●Changing relationships

    High school student Elly Cooper from Illinois said social media often reduces face-to-face communication.

    "It makes in-person relationships harder because people give attention to their phones instead of their boyfriends or girlfriends," Cooper said.

    There's also a greater possibility of things getting lost in translation over social media.

    "If half of your relationship is over social media, you don't really know how the other person is reacting," Sienna Schulte, a junior student from Illinois, said.

    Yet, some people believe social media has made it easier to start relationships with anyone from anywhere. Beth Kaplan from Illinois met her long-distance friend through social media. He currently lives in Scotland, but they're still able to frequently communicate with one another.

    "I can feel close to someone that I'm talking to via (通过) FaceTime," Kaplan said.

    ●Wanting to be "liked"

    The rise of social media has changed the way teenagers see themselves.

    The 19-year-old Essena O'Neill announced on the social networking service Instagram that she was quitting social media because it made her obsessed (痴迷) with appearing perfect online.

    Negative comments also can do great damage to a teenager's self-esteem (自尊).

    In particular, anonymous (匿名的) social media apps such as Yik Yak may provide opportunities for cyberbullying (网络欺凌).

    The app allows users within 5 miles (8 km) to create and add comments to everything. Teenagers who get negative comments on these sites can't help but feel hurt.

    ●Opening new doors

    However, Armin Korsos, a student from Illinois, takes advantage of the comments he receives over social media to improve his videos on the social networking site YouTube.

    "Social media can help people show themselves and their talents to the world in a way that was never possible before," Korsos said.

    But Korsos recognizes that social media has become a distraction.

    "Social media, though it helps people connect with their friends and stay updated, is not all necessary."