One morning, my husband Jerry went back to the kitchen as he just finished loading his car. “I guess filling my thermos(保温瓶) is all that I have left to do, and then I'm off.” Down the drain went the hot water that had been warming his thermos.

    With a nostalgic(怀旧的) look on his face, he softly said: “Anytime I fill my thermos I think of your mom.” The tone in his voice was so tender as he spoke of my mother, who is sadly no longer with us.

    “Oh honey, I know she's watching and listening right now with a big smile on her face,” I responded, tears in my eyes.

    One morning years ago when we were leaving, mother watched as Jerry was to fill his thermos. Mom then casually said, ‘Jerry, if you filled your thermos with hot water and let it sit a while, your coffee would stay hot for longer then.” With her simple suggestion, his face showed that he was shocked by his own lack of common sense. Well, of course it would!

    He poured out the small amount of coffee already in the thermos and refilled it with boiling hot water. Then he poured the water and refilled it with hot coffee. Mom smiled as Jerry did so.

    Words of wisdom from a loving mother-in-law made an impact that will never be forgotten. She never dreamed her words would be a treasured and everlasting memory in the heart of her son-in-law.

    The lasting memories don't necessarily come from major moments in life. Memories are often made during those small, ordinary times. Life is about small moments we share with friends and loved ones.

    Looking at China's history over the past 60 years，it is apparent that，despite much suffering，the country has achieved huge political，economic and social success，especially during the past three decades.

    The press center for the celebration of the 60th founding anniversary of new China was officially opened on the morning of September 22. Zha Shouchen，deputy director of the press center introduced that，during the National Day，there would be 3,200 domestic reporters，and more than 1,300 foreign journalists to come to Beijing to make the covering work.

    The press center provided many services for domestic and foreign reporters，such as issuing the press cards to reporters，accepting the interview application，organizing press conferences and activities of group interviews，providing the means of communication and information services for reporters.And the following was the scene.

    A grand parade in Beijing on Oct.1，led by the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force，showed some of China's latest achievements in defense modernization.About 8,000 military officers，along with tanks and other vehicles，formed a straight line stretching 3 kms.

    The military parade was followed by a civilian parade featuring six massive performing groups and 36 formations of about 100,000 people.In addition,60 floats(彩车)represented everything from the country's geographic areas to the previous year's Beijing Olympics.

    Everyday life in China is a parade on a grand scale，with citizens now being able to enjoy things their ancestors did not dare to contemplate 100 years ago，things their grandparents took for luxury 60 years ago，and things their parents did not even know how to attempt 30 years ago.

    Machu Picchu is an unusual site in Peru and one of the most mysterious wonders of the world. Built at almost 10,000 feet on the top of an Andean mountain, the Incas built hundreds of structures made of stone. A large number of Machu Picchu's surrounding structures date back to the early 13th century, but it was considered a chief sacred site far before then. The Inca people changed the large site into a very small but wonderful city, completely self-sufficient and hidden from below. Agricultural terraces (梯田) surrounded the entire city, fed by natural spring water, supporting the entire population.

Inca Trail

    The trail is one of the most famous in the world and regarded as one of the best. It covers only 26 miles, combining cloud forest, green mountain scenery, forest, and plenty of tunnels, paving stones, and ruins. The four-day hike begins slowly but quickly changes into a difficult journey suitable for those in excellent shape. The trail winds through the Andes, leading alongside and through ruins. Though independent hiking was once permitted, now it must be done with a guide.

Funerary Rock

    It is believed that the Funerary Rock at Machu Picchu was used as a place to prepare Inca nobles for preservation, or mummifying (做成木乃伊), a common habit among the tribe. Nobles would be laid out to be mummified by the hot sun and freezing cold nights after their organs were removed. The rock is also famous as a spot from which a view of the city is afforded.

Temple of the Sun

    Within the city's castle, deep within Machu Picchu, is the Temple of the Sun, accessed only by the Emperor and

    Inca priests. It means the Inca's advanced knowledge of religion, weather, and nature, showing the great extent

    Incas went to adapt to and learn about nature. Still unbroken, the temple was built to honor the god Inti, who is exactly the sun. The temple was effectively protected. It was also a very important scientific center, built in half-moon shape with openings facing north and east. The windows' shadows in the center of the temple helped see the start of winter solstice (至日), showing farming season.

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    Mrs. Strickland did not talk much, but she had a pleasant gift for keeping the conversation general; and when there was a pause she threw in just the right remark to set it going once more.

    "Why do nice women marry dull men?"

    "Because intelligent men won't marry nice women. "

    Mrs. Strickland had the gift of sympathy.

    There was another thing I liked in Mrs. Strickland. She managed her surroundings with elegance(优雅). Her flat was always neat and cheerful with flowers. The meals in the little dining room were pleasant; the table looked nice; the food was well cooked. It was impossible not to see that Mrs. Strickland was an excellent housekeeper. And you felt sure that she was an admirable mother. There were photographs in the drawing room of her son and daughter. The son—his name was Robert—was a boy of sixteen at Rugby. He had his mother's fine eyes. He looked clean, healthy, and normal.

    “I don't know that he's very clever,” she said one day, when I was looking at the photograph, “but I know he's good. He has a charming character.”

    The daughter was fourteen. Her hair, thick and dark like her mother's, fell over her shoulders, and she had the same kindly expression and untroubled eyes.

    “They both look like you,” I said.

    “Yes, I think they are more like me than their father.”

    “Why have you never let me meet him?” I asked.

    “Would you like to?” she smiled and her smile was really very sweet.

    “You know, he's not at all literary,” she said. “He has no interest in literature.”

    “He's on the Stock Exchange(证券交易所), and he's a typical broker(经纪人). I think he'd bore you to death.”

    “Does he bore you?” I asked.

    “You see, I happen to be his wife. I'm very fond of him.” She smiled to cover her shyness, and her eyes grew tender.

    “He doesn't pretend to be a talent. He doesn't even make much money on the Stock Exchange. But he's awfully good and kind.”

    “I think I should like him very much.”

    “I'll ask you to dine with us quietly some time, but mind, you come at your own risk; don't blame me if you have a very dull evening.”

    Ben Lecomte, a French long-distance swimmer, dropped into the water Tuesday at Choshi, Japan, and embarked on his attempt to become the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean, BBC News reports.

    Six years in the planning, the 5,500-mile effort is expected to take five to six months, with Lecomte swimming eight hours a day and covering an average of 30 miles daily, according to his website.

    His route to San Francisco will take him through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area three times the size of France where large amounts of garbage and plastic waste have collected, CNN reports.

    Lecomte will be accompanied by a specially outfitted support boat named Discoverer. He will take rest periods on the boat, but it will return him to his stopping point each day to make sure he swims the entire distance.

    In addition to accomplishing a first, Lecomte said, he wants to draw attention to the problems of ocean pollution and climate change. A team of scientists plan to conduct research for 12 scientific institutions, including NASA and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, while he is making his swim.

    Lecomte is no stranger to feats of long-distance open-water swimming. In 1998, he swam 4,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. On that swim he encountered sharks and stingrays. This time, he said, he will be wearing a shark-repellent bracelet.

    One of the challenges will be making sure he has enough energy each day, and Lecomte said he intends to consume 8,000 calories daily.

     Aspirin has long been praised as a wonder drug. An aspirin a day keeps the doctor away. Many Americans have been taking one aspirin a day, believing it would protect them from a heart attack a stroke(中风), and even a cancer. But several recent studies have thrown this into question. Daily use of aspirin can have serious side effects(副作用).

    One study followed more than 19,000 healthy people aged 65 and older. They were required to take either 100 mg of aspirin (a little more than the 81 mg dose that most people take) or a placebo(无效对照剂) every day for about years, Not only did people in the aspirin group not lower their risk of heart disease, or disability but they were also more likely to suffer from bleeding into the brain or stomach. And they were more likely to die because of an increased risk of giving in to cancer, Similarly, an experiment of more than 12. 500 people aged 55 and older who have a cardiovascular (心血管的)risk found no benefit to taking aspirin daily. In study of more than 15,000 people with diabetes(糖尿病), a daily aspirin did prevent heart attacks and strokes, but it also caused serious bleeding.

    Although some earlier research has proved that aspirin can help people who have already had or are at high risk for heart attacks or strokes, the drug's value is not so clear for people, especially older people,

    The bottom line is this: Be smart and be safe. You should not take daily low-dose aspirin without talking to a doctor if you.

    ● Are over the age of 70

    ● Drink wine regularly

    ●Are on any simple medical operations