This is the season for giving. Looking toget in touch with your generous side? Learn these four habits of truly thoughtful gift givers.

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        Considerate giftgiving is as much about planning as it is about how well you know the person.Take time to think about his or her personality and interests to figure out howhe or she will get the most value.

They don't focus on cost.

The practice of thoughtful giving offers awealth of benefits, but that doesn't mean givers should focus on expensivegifts.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It seems that having more cash could actually reduce compassion(同情). And isn't compassion what this time ofyear is all about? So don't take it too hard if you don't have a lot to spend.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

They make gifts personal.

Gifting is an opportunity to let a personknow how much you appreciate and love him, and show how well you know him.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Book a massage (按摩), take them to a wine tasting event, orget a couple of tickets to a concert or show. If you're buying for a parent,taking their kids for an evening could be the best gift of all.

They think about the presentation.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} See what you have around your house to customize packaging. You can usepretty towels to cover something like a bottle of wine. You can also tie on adecoration that fits the theme of your gift.

A. They plan ahead.

B. Instead, get creative.

C. They enjoy giving more than receiving.

D. In fact, thoughtful gift givers don'tconcentrate on the cost of presents.

E. Thoughtful gift givers pay attention todetail, including how their gifts are packaged.

F. Make a list of your ideas ahead of timeto make sure you find the perfect fit for everyone.

G. If you're buying for someone who seemsto have everything, consider gifting an experience.

    It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers (生产商)follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征)of clothes. What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men. Take a look at the way your clothes button. Men's clothes tend to button from the right, and women's from the left. Considering most of the world's population—men and women—are right-handed, the men's standard would appear to make more sense for women. So why do women's clothes button from the left?

    History really seems to matter here. Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17^th century, when rich women were dressed by servants. For the mostly right-handed servants, having women's shirts button from the left would be easier. On the other hand, having men's shirts button from the right made sense, too. Most men dressed themselves, and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt.

    Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them. Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once set, resists change. At a time when all women's shirts buttoned from the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women's shirts that buttoned from the right. After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch. Besides, some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men's shirts.

    Many Americans think of driverless cars as a futuristic technology that will revolutionize travel in cities and along state highways. But recent experiments are proving that autonomous vehicles also have the potential to improve the quality of life for millions of Americans underserved by traditional modes of transportation, such as the elderly and disabled, so long as lawmakers make smart policies that pave the way for innovation.

    A retirement community in San Jose, Calif. , which has been transformed by a small fleet of driverless taxis, shows the potential of self-driving cars to transform people's lives. Built by a tech start-up called Voyage, the modified Ford Fusions are currently limited to a two-mile road, but residents are already having the benefits of these autonomous vehicles, which allow them to participate in social activities they would otherwise be unable to enjoy simply because they could not get to them.

    When the trial run finally expands to 15 miles of road, these residents—whose average age is 76—will also have a convenient and reliable new way to appointments. As these cars continue to serve residents there, it is easy to understand why California is moving to simplify regulations for the industry.

    In Michigan, forward-thinking policies have the potential to unlock other hidden benefits of autonomous vehicles, especially for those with physical disabilities. The Michigan Disability Rights Coalition has strongly advocated for the development of this technology, saying that it could give people with disabilities greater opportunities in the workforce and enable them to lead more fulfilling, independent lives.

    Many recognize that autonomous vehicles will be the future of transportation, but it is too often overlooked that this future cannot arrive fast enough for millions of Americans who are forced to depend on others for day-to-day travel. The policymakers should follow the lead of places like California and Michigan, and pass rules and regulations to unlock these hidden benefits of driverless cars.

    I was in the Sants Cruz Mountains not long ago, speaking and singing at a women's conference. We were focusing on the theme of loving others in practical ways through our gifts, and something in particular happened during one of the sessions（会议）will remain imprinted in memory.

    A young Syrian woman (Lilith) was invited to the conference at the last minute, and everyone seemed surprised and delighted that she'd actually come. Just a few days earlier, Lilith had fled her country and found refuge with one of the women attending the conference. As an Orthodox Christian in Syria, she and her loved ones had become attacked targets of violent terrorist groups in the country's ongoing civil war.

Lilith had witnessed horrors no one of her young age should ever see. Despite the further danger it presented, she'd decided to leave her home and her family to find safety here in America. Knowing some of her story, and seeing her sitting through the sessions at the retreat（畏缩不前）—head, covered in a scarf, bowed toward the floor—broke my heart.

    Lilith's story touched all of us, including Pam, who was quilt maker. Pam had just finished a beautiful quilt, and had brought it with her. She, along with a few of the leaders, decided to give it to Lilith as a symbol of their comfort and love.

During our last session, Lilith was called forward and prayed over, hugged, and wrapped up in that beautiful quilt. I thought of the many hours Pam undoubtedly spent working on it, and the terrible events that led Lilith to this moment—surrounded by the beauty and love quilt embodied. I wept. When they told her it was for her, she wept.

    Every summer, my family and I visit our relatives in India and whenever we travel, my parents always remind me to drink only bottled or boiled water. On one of my trips to India, I saw children drinking water from the roadside. I was troubled to learn that millions of people, most of them children in developing countries, die each year because of water related diseases.

    Living in the US, I am lucky to be able to turn on the tap and get potable water(饮用水), while one sixth of the world's population lacks access to clean water This year, I entered the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. In late June, I learned that I was selected as one of the top 10 national finalists of this famous middle school science competition. Over the summer, I worked with Dr. Jim Jonza, my Scientist mentor(导师 )from 3M, and developed a system that uses solar energy to purify water. My invention is green and cost effective, and I am looking forward to implementing this in places that are affected(影响)by harmful water pollution.

    In October, my family and I flew to 3M Headquarters in St Paul, Minnesota, where the final event was to be held. For the last challenge, each of us had to present the invention we had been working on over the summer. The first place winner would win $25,000, a trip to Costa Rica, and the title of America' Top Young Scientist. At the awards ceremony, all of us waited anxiously until one of the judges, Danny Forester, started announcing "The winner of the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge is…" You could hear a pin(大头针) drop as he opened the paper with the winner' s name, "Deepika Kurup!"

    As America's Top Young Scientist, I was given an opportunity to show my invention on national television and deliver several presentations. One of the most important things I have learned is that communication and teamwork are key to success.

    Recently, as the British doctor Robert Winston took a train from London to Manchester, he found himself having to listen to a loud conversation of a fellow passenger woman. Boiling with anger, Winston took her picture and sent it to his more than 40,000 followers on the Tweet. By the time the train reached the station in Manchester, some journalists were waiting for the woman. And when they showed her the doctor's messages, she used just one word to describe Winston's actions: rude.

    Winston's tale is a good example of increasing rudeness, fueled by social media in our age. Studies show that rudeness spreads quickly and virally, almost like the common cold. Just witnessing rudeness makes it far more likely that we, in turn, will be rude later on. Once infected, we are more aggressive, less creative and worse at our jobs. The only way out is to make a conscious decision to do so. We must have the courage to call it out, face to face. We must say, "Just stop." For Winston, that would have meant approaching the woman, telling her that her conversation was frustrating other passengers and politely asking her to speak more quietly or make the call at another time.

    The anger we feel at the rude behavior of a stranger can drive us to do out-of-place things. Research discovered that the acts of revenge (报复) people had taken ranged from the ridiculous to the disturbing. Winston did shine a spotlight on the woman's behavior—but in a way that shamed her.

    When we see rudeness occur in public places, we must step up and say something. And we can do it with grace, by handling it without a bit of aggression and without being rude ourselves. Because once rude people can see their actions through the eyes of others, they are far more likely to end the rudeness themselves. As this wave of rudeness rises, civilization needs civility (举止文明).