The English language has a lot of words which can be used in many different ways and in many different expressions.

    One such example is the word matter. In fact, matter can mean just about anything. It could be one of the most useful words in the English language.

    Let's get to the heart of the matter —a matter of principle(原则).

    If someone says that you owe(欠) him $50, but you don't, a friend might say, “Well, you could pay him the $50. It's not that much money. Then you won't have to hear him say it anymore. But if you do not owe him the money, do not pay him the money. It's a matter of principle.

    There is another way to use the word matter. But be careful with your choice of words.

    If you ask someone, “What's the matter?”, it shows you are worried about the other person. But saying, “What's the matter with you?” has a completely different meaning. And it usually sounds rude (粗鲁的). In fact, when you say, “What's the matter with you?” you are suggesting that the person did something wrong or stupid.

    Another expression that could sound rude is to say, “It doesn't matter to me.” Here, it depends on the context, and how you say it.

    Let's say you tell someone that a friend just got a big raise at work. That person answers with, “It doesn't matter to me.” Here, it means he or she does not care. And it sounds rude.

    But saying, “Oh, you pick where we eat dinner. It doesn't matter to me.” does not sound rude. In this situation, “it doesn't matter” shows you are easy-going(随和的).

    No matter how you look at it and what you say, matter is a very useful word. And it's only a matter of time before you will become an expert on the use of matter.

    Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes (糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin (胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.

    After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.

    Jason Swencki's son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums (论坛) together most evenings. “Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over,” says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. “They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone.”

    Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.

    These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity (慈善机构), Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can't afford a diabetic's huge expen­ses. Fight－it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.

    Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full­time job waiting tables. “Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure，” says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members. “But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now.”

    It's a white Christmas in the United States today, with snow falling from Seattle to Maine.

    Northeast

    Biting winds with snow swept the Northeast.

    Earlier, up to 15 inches of snow fell during a snow storm in Maine, while up to one foot fell in New Hampshire. Winds reached 76 mph on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, while up to 61 mph winds tore through Long Island, New York. Falling snow collected on the runways at Boston's Logan International Airport, causing temporary flight delays.

    The wind was so severe in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that the annual (重演) of George Washington and his soldiers'crossing the Delaware River was canceled, the Washington Crossing Historic Park told ABC News.

    Midwest

    Heavy lake effect snow fell in western Michigan.

    The National Weather Service has issued a wind-chill warning and advisory (公告) from Montana to Michigan. Bitter cold air in the Midwest produced wind chills Monday morning as low as minus 48 degrees in North Dakota and minus 47 in northern Minnesota.

    As this bitter cold made its way east overnight, it was expected to move over relatively mild Great Lakes, producing intense lake-effect snow bands capabie of producing 2 to 4 inches of snow in an hour.

    West Coast

    That storm system moved overnight through the Rockies, bringing more snow and the threat of avalanches(雪崩). The National Weather Service has issued an avalanche warning for the Wasatch Range Mountains outside Salt Lake City.

    New Zealand's chief conservation (环保) officer, Lou Sanson, caused an argument in October by suggesting that it should be time to start charging tourists for entering national parks. New Zealanders are keen fans of these parks. Many would be annoyed at having to pay. But many also worry about the incoming foreign tourists who have been seeking the same fun.

    In 2016 New Zealand hosted 3.5m tourists from overseas; by 2022 more than 4.5m are expected every year — about the same as the country's population. Tourism has become the biggest export. The national parks, which make up about one-third of the country, are a huge draw. About half of the foreign tourists visit one. They are keen to experience the natural beauty promised by the country's "100% Pure New Zealand" advertising campaign (and shown off in the film adaptations of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit", which were shot in New Zealand's breath-taking wilderness).

    But for every happy foreign couple posting for a selfie next to a tuatara (楔齿蜥) there is a New

    Zealander who remembers the way things used to be — when you could walk the tracks without running into crowds at every clearing. Many locals now wonder why their taxes, as they see it, are paying for someone else's holiday. Mr. Sanson would seem to agree. Entry fees could be used to upgrade facilities such as car parks and trails. A charge could also help reduce numbers at some of the popular locations by making it cheaper to use lesser-known, but no less beautiful, trails far away from home.

    Some are not so sure it would work. Hugh Logan, a former chief of conservation for the government who now runs a mountain climbing club, worries it would cost too much to employ staff to take money from hikers at entrances. It would also be difficult to prevent tourists from entering the parks without paying.

    Some argue that it would be easier to charge visitors a "conservation tax" when they enter the country. The Green Party, the third-largest in parliament (议会), says that adding around NZ$18 ($12.50) is still acceptable to foreign tourists. But some travel companies don't quite agree with the idea. They note that tourists already contribute around NZ$1.1bn through the country's 15% sales tax. Better, such firms say, to use foreign tourists' contribution to this tax for the protection of the parks.

    Among the fiercest critics of a charge are those who point out that free access to wilderness areas is an important principle for New Zealanders. It is documented in a National Parks Act (法案) which inspires almost constitution-like devotion among the country's nature-lovers. Mr. Sanson has a rocky path ahead.

    There is no point destroying your peace of mind and happiness by taking the wrong job. Society may pressure you into grabbing whatever you can get. If you do not have a set path that must be taken, then you have the opportunity to choose something you will not only be paid for doing, but enjoy.

    One of the best ways of finding a suitable career is to determine your personality type. It may seem obvious that the creative type does not really find much pleasure in a job as a butcher or dry cleaning assistant, and that a weak character may not find happiness in a career based on teaching or leading a team.

    To find the best job for your personality type, the first step is to know what and who you really are. If you already know your style, you can search for suitable employment; however, if you are uncertain, there are ways that will help you discover who and what you are. For example, an employment centre, a career adviser, or an online quiz can help you.

    Taking my own situation for example, I am definitely a creative type. Besides, I prefer to be my own boss or, if I cannot, at least I want to rely on a boss I truly both respect and admire. I do not like telling people what to do, or being told what to do. I do not relate well to regular 9-5 hours. I do not feel satisfied being paid a high wage for a bad job. I feel much happier at home. Combining my creativity, independence, and desire to stay at home, my ideal career would be running a home-operated business involving creativity. I actually happen to have chosen this solution; I am a writer, poet, author and publisher. I have suited my career to my personality type.

At age 22, Hikari Oberman has already been a lifeguard for four years. Last week, Oberman talked to The Garden Island about how he helped save lives during a recent rescue.

On Dec. 30, Oberman and his coworker Cope were parked in their truck at Anini Beach when two workers ran up to them and said, "I think someone's getting stuck in the channel!"

"I grabbed our equipment. We started rolling out down there," Oberman said. When he got out there, Oberman found a standup paddler, a man in his late 30s, struggling against the current, with an elderly man holding tightly to the back of the paddleboard (冲浪板).

He said, "My coworker grabbed the standup guy. Meanwhile, I'm stuck with the older man. "

Normally, Oberman said he would pull the paddler up, lay him on the surfboard, climb up behind and paddle from there. He tried that technique at first and quickly realized it was not a practicable option. They are not going anywhere.

Waves hit against the extremely sharp reef very hard about 30 yards behind them, and the current was pulling them into it.

"It's right behind us. If I stop paddling, we're definitely going to be in that zone." He said.

They started making progress toward the reef, where they might safely be able to climb out. Oberman just focused on forward movement.

After about five minutes-"even though it felt longer" -Oberman said his partner had gotten the paddleboarder safely to shore and started coming back out to help.

"I look back, and I see our Jet Ski. He's finally coming in the channel. We're not going to have to worry about that now. "

It was a good rescue.

When asked what it feels like to save someone's life, Oberman responded, "I love it! That's why we do it!" But as exciting as it might be to perform a big rescue, he explained that the most important part of his job is to keep people from getting into trouble in the first place.