I am sure we've all come across inspiring quotes（引言）that made us nod in agreement or made us think, "Wow, that's good quotes". But we end up going back to procrastinating（拖延）on whatever it was we were procrastinating on. So is it worthwhile to read these inspirational quotes? Well, that depends.

    Quotes, books, articles, audio programs… all of these things are just tools and they're only effective when you use them. I don't know about you but most quotes I read don't do anything for me. However, every now and then, I will come across one that will positively affect me in some way such as reminding me to be grateful, getting me to work out extra hard at the gym without being pressed by my wife, or never give up when things get tough.

      From my experience, reading quotes is more effective when you're actually trying to motivate yourself rather than just reading them for the sake of reading them. The second you feel the urge to take action, you'd better immediately get up off your chair and take action.

    These quotes aren't for everyone. If you have read tons of them and have never been motivated or had a positive change in the way you look at life or how you treat others, or these quotes don't help you to insist on doing something when you feel like giving up on it, then it's probably not worthwhile to read more of them. If you have done something a bunch of times and it's not giving you the results you want, don't keep doing it. Try something else.

    Now if you've found some value in reading these quotes in the past, continue to make them more effective by letting them guide your life.

    Parents should stop blaming themselves because there's not a lot they can do about it. I mean the teenager problem, the one I want to talk about as a specialist. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it, at certain times a wonderful, reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.

    I've seen friends deal with it in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted that her son, right from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a gentleman. I saw him last week when I dropped in on them. Sprawling himself (懒散地躺) on the sofa in full length, he made no attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in, and his greeting was no more than a quick glance at me. His mother was ashamed. "I don't know what to do with him these days," she said. "He's forgotten all the manners we taught him."

    He hasn't forgotten them. He's just decided that he's not going to use them. She admitted that she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from the sofa onto the floor.

    Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table, stare at me and say, "I don't like your dress; it's ugly." One of the daughters has recently been driven out of school. The other has left home.

    "Where did we go wrong?" her parents are now very sad. Probably nowhere much. At least, no more than the rest of that unfortunate race, parents.

    Blue Planet II's latest episode focuses on how plastic is having a disastrous effect on the ocean and slowly poisoning our sea creatures. Researchers recently also found that sea creatures living in the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench, have plastic in their stomachs. Indeed, the oceans are drowning in plastic.

    Though it seems now that the world couldn't possibly function without plastics, consumer plastics are a remarkably recent invention. The first plastic bags were introduced in the 1950s; the same decade that plastic packaging began gaining in popularity in the United States. This growth has happened so fast that science is still catching up with the change. Plastics pollution research, for instance, is still a very early science.

    We put all these plastics into the environment and we still don't really know what the outcomes are going to be. What we do know, though, is disturbing. Ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. One in three leatherback turtles, which often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, have been found with plastic in their bellies. Ninety percent of seabirds are now eating plastics on a regular basis. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 100 percent.

    And it's not just wildlife that is threatened by the plastics in our seas. Humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat. I could understand why some people see ocean plastic as a disaster, worth mentioning to the same degree as climate change. But ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change. There are no ocean trash deniers (否认者), at least so far. To do something about it, we don't have to remake our planet energy system.

This is not a problem where we don't know what the solution is. We know how to pick up garbage. Anyone can do it. We know how to dispose (处理) of it. We know how to recycle. We can all start by thinking twice before we use single—use plastic products. Things that may seem ordinary, like using a reusable bottle or a reusable bag—when taken collectively, these choices really do make a difference.

    If you don't have a college degree, you're at greater risk of developing memory problems or even Alzheimer's (老年痴呆). Education plays a key role in lifelong memory performance and risk for mental disorder, and it's well documented that those with a college degree possess a cognitive（认知的） advantage over their less educated counterparts in middle and old age.

    Now, a large national study from Brandeis University published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry shows that those with less schooling can significantly make up for poorer education by frequently engaging in mental exercises such as word games, puzzles, reading, and lectures.

    “The lifelong benefits of higher education for memory in later life are quite impressive, but we do not clearly understand how and why these effects last so long,” said lead author Margie Lachman, a psychologist. She suggested that higher education may encourage lifelong interest in cognitive efforts, while those with less education may not engage as frequently in mental exercises that help keep the memory agile (敏捷地).

    But education early in adulthood does not appear to be the only route to maintain your memory. The study found that intellectual activities undertaken regularly made a difference. “Among individuals with low education, those who are engaged in reading, writing, attending lectures, doing word games or puzzles once a week or more had memory scores similar to people with more education,” said Lachman.

The study, called Midlife in the United States, assessed 3,343 men and women between the ages of 32 and 84 with a mean age of 56 years. Almost 40 percent of the participants had at least a 4-year college degree. The researchers evaluated how the participants performed in two cognitive areas, verbal memory and executive function — brain processes involved in planning, abstract thinking and cognitive flexibility. Participants were given a battery of tests, including tests of verbal fluency, word recall, and backward counting.

    As expected, those with higher education said they engaged in cognitive activities more often and also did better on the memory tests, but some with lower education also did well, explained Lachman.

    “The findings are promising because they suggest there may be ways to level the playing field for those with lower educational achievement, and protect those at greatest risk for memory declines,” said Lachman. “Although we can not rule out the possibility that those who have better memories are the ones who take on more activities, the evidence is consistent with cognitive plasticity (可塑性), and suggests some degree of personal control over cognitive functioning in adulthood by adopting an intellectually active lifestyle.”

    Virginia Wildlife is your ticket to learning more about Virginia's spectacular(壮观的）wildlife, fisheries , and breathtaking habitats. Whether you hunt, fish, boat, or take in the wildlife from your easy chair, Virginia Wildlife offers you stories and insight on the natural world, supplied by the state's leading wildlife and outdoor experts.

    Virginia Wildlife magazine has been dedicated to bringing its readers the best in hunting, fishing, boating, and wildlife resource information from around the state. Its award winning design, feature articles, spectacular color photography, and original artwork is an excellent way to explore Virginia's great outdoors.

    Published for nearly seven decades by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia Wildlife offers its subscribers twelve months of information-packed articles and award-winning images captured by nationally recognized photographers. Each month you will be treated to a magazine that includes something for the entire family: for example ,instruction on becoming a better bow-hunter, tips on tacking(对付） that monster catfish (鲇鱼),unique game and fish recipes, stunning(绝妙的）photographs, and much, much more.

    Let this 36-page, full-colour magazine be your guide to Virginia's great outdoors! Subscribe for one year only for $12.95.Receive a two-year subscription for only$23.95.

    New and Renewing Subscriptions

    Back issues are available by calling(804)367-0486 or （804）367-0487.

    Back issues may not be ordered online at this time. If you are reviewing your subscription online, the address you enter must exactly match the one printed on the mailing label for your current magazine subscription!

    If you prefer to pay by check, please call our subscription department at 1-800-710-6670.

    Subscription Maintenance

    Need to change or correct your mailing address? Want to check on your expiration(到期）date？Please call 1-800-710-6688.

    Contents Database: A Searchable Archive

    Search the contents of magazine issues back to the year 2016 here.

    Better known by his stage name KUN, Cai Xukun is a phenomenon, opening up the music industry in China.

    Last year, after participating in the reality TV show Idol Producer, receiving the most votes from fans, the singer-songwriter rose to fame overnight. At just 21 years old, Cai has topped Chinese music charts with multiple singles.

    On July 26, KUN released his newest single Young. Within just 20 seconds, it reached a million sales.

    KUN wrote the song to share his understanding of youth. He mixed R&B and electronic beats (节拍) to make it more cheerful. A reviewer wrote on QQ Music, "When you listen to the song, you just seem to go back to youth again."

    The song was an early birthday present to himself which he celebrated on Aug 2. KUN also hopes that he always has the courage to pursue (追求) his love of music, no matter what people think. "My works are like my children and I have put my best effort into them." he told the Global Times.

    Indeed, KUN has written and produced most of his songs on his own. "I want every piece of my work to have my own spirit in it," he told music website Soundigest, "I feel more enjoyment when I'm performing my own work."

    Although KUN loves performing onstage, when the lights go down, he prefers to fall back into his own world and darkness at night. "I always get inspired when it's quiet, late at night/' he told I-D magazine, "It's a great moment for me to create new things. Sometimes, I can write songs with a melody (旋律) I heard in a dream."

    To develop his introspection (反思) and find new inspiration, KUN attends different kinds of musical performances — from festivals to opera houses. "I just like to do everything, all for my music, all for my art," he told I-D.

    With such talent and dedication to music, it seems that KUN will continue to make his mark in the competitive Chinese music industry.