The Enigma (谜）of Beauty

    The search for beauty spans centuries and continents. Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup. In 18th-century France, wealthy noblemen wore large wigs (假发）of long, white hair to make themselves attractive. Today, people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance.

    There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive：beauty is power. Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money, get called on more often in class, and are regarded as friendlier.

    But what exactly is beauty? It's difficult to describe it clearly, and yet we know it when we see it. And our awareness of it may start at a very early age. In one set of studies, six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs. The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students. In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.

    The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers. In studies by psychologists, men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes, fuller lips, and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist. According to scientists, the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits —the full lips, clear skin, strong shoulders —equal health and genetic well-being.

    Not everyone thinks the same way, however. " Our hardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations —mostly cultural, " says C. Loring Brace, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan. What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another. Look at most Western fashion magazines：the women on the pages are thin. But is this "perfect" body type for women worldwide? Scientists' answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world. They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures.

    For better or worse, beauty plays a role in our lives. But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another. Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing, it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single, uniform standard. Beauty really is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder.

Best Companies

Shine United (Madison, Wisconsin)

    In the past five years, this Wisconsin-based advertising agency has shared more than $500,000 in profits with its employees through the company's ShineShares program. The agency partnered with the University of Wisconsin's oncology department to develop the Ride, a biking event that benefits cancer research. Employees also get snacks every day, "Beer Thirty" on Thursdays, and Summer Fridays, a program that lets employees leave at noon.

GroundFloor Media (Denver, Colorado)

    The key for workers at this midsize public relations firm in Denver is that employees work anytime, anywhere. Headquarters are in a former warehouse downtown, near Coors Field. The offices are spread around the central space that doubles as a wet bar every Thursday when the company's "bear club" brings in a new brew.

Ergodyne (St.Paul, Minnesota)

    The St.Paul-based company has grown to operating out of a retired storehouse with plenty of natural light. Rules about dressing? "Wear something." Its purpose? To create cool, comfortable, and tough safety workwear for those who need it to get the job done. Ergodyne has around 50 employees, who enjoy hot dish cook-offs, tickets to sporting events, and at least one happy hour every quarter.

Southwest Michigan First (Kalamazoo, Michigan)

    It's family first at this Michigan economic development advising agency. CEO Ron Kitchens says that in the past year, the company has made a push to go green, initially started by the millennial employees who make up half the agency's workforce. A new staff position was created for the purpose of making sure every employee is able to balance working and cheering at their kids' sporting events or going fishing.

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    The female dog, who Leonard appropriately named Gobi, joined Leonard on the second day of the annual 4 Deserts Race Series and ran side-by-side with him for 77 miles. Leonard noticed Gobi running with 101 runners during the first day, but on the second day, Gobi was on the start line, looking up at him. "This was the first contact I had with her and as I ran off the line I noticed her by my side," he said. "I didn't speak much to her that day, but at the finish line she followed me into the tent and we slept next to each other. That was it then."

    Leonard shared his sleeping space, water and food with his small companion during the race. He even lent her a hand when needed. "I carried her across rivers that she could not cross on her own," he wrote on his Crowdfunder page.

    After the race, it was clear to Leonard that he had developed a special bond with the pup and started researching ways to get Gobi to the UK. He learned that it would take four months for Gobi to be medically checked and cleared for entry, all of which will cost $6,560 USD, an amount that has been surpassed(超过) due to a successful Crowdfunder campaign that raised $13,330 USD.

    You might not get what you wish for, but you always get what you work for. I want to be a professional ballerina(芭蕾舞者) with the American Ballet Theatre in New York when I grow up, and I work toward my dream by training over 18 hours a week. I even started homeschooling so I could make more time for dance. I love dancing more than anything. It makes me feel strong and invincible(不可战胜的), like nothing could ever bother me. Most important, it's helped me deal with the most difficult event of my life — the death of my dad when I was seven.

    My dad died of a heart attack while playing hockey, his favorite sport. When my mom first told me, it didn't hit me that I would never be able to see him again. It was also hard to tell my friends and classmates because I didn't know what to say, and they never knew how to respond. But four years later, everything that I do, I do in memory of my dad. I did my first dance solo. “The Love Lives On.” to him when I was nine.

    I would have never gotten through the experience without my mom. She comforted me when I was in grief and pain, and we wrote down all the memories I had with my dad in a special book. Now that I'm older, my mom and I do get on each other's nerves more often — for a while, my schedule was very busy and we were so stressed that our little miscommunications would rise into huge arguments. But after we attended counseling(心理咨询) and I started homeschooling, things got much better, and now my mom and I have more quality time to spend together.

    I've learned that talking and communicating are the most important things to do in any relationship, and that definitely includes friendships, too! When I hang out with my friends, I try not to look at my phone. It's so awkward(尴尬的) when you're sitting at a table with someone else, and she's texting instead of talking to you. I think a good friend is kind, respectful, fair, and funny — and I'll always try to be all of these things in person, not just on the phone!

    You probably know that frogs hop (双足跳). But did you know that there's a small frog in the Pacific Northwest that belly flops (肚子先着水)? It's called a tailed frog.

    Dr. Rick Eisner, who has been studying tailed frogs for the past few years, says, "I've looked at thousands of jumps and have never seen them land on their feet like other frogs." Most of the time, tailed frogs land on their stomachs and then bring their back legs in to prepare for another jump.

    Eisner first noticed these frogs because of the way they swim. Other frogs kick both of their back legs at the same time. But when a tailed frog swims, it pushes first with one leg and then the other.

    To try to find out why tailed frogs bellyflop, Eisner and other scientists collected and filmed different kinds of frogs. They found that all of the frogs start their jumps the same way: They hold out their legs. The change comes in the landing. Tailed frogs can't move their back legs as quickly as other frogs do. Maybe they don't need to. Tailed frogs live around water and quickly jump into the water to escape danger.

    Early frogs developed around watery areas and could jump quickly into the water to escape danger. Scientists think those frogs blended in with (与…融合在一起) the green plants on the side of the rocky rivers, just like today's tailed frogs. "I would guess that other animals would have problems detecting them," explains Eisner. When other animals find those early frogs, the frogs could jump into the river. They didn't need to continue hopping.

    Tailed frogs and other kinds of frogs went their own ways about 200 million years ago. Tailed frogs stayed by rivers. Other kinds of frogs moved to places where new hopping skills allowed them to survive.

    Visit one of the most outstanding prehistoric sites in the United Kingdom, and enjoy amazing historic English attractions. Please notice that every tour starts and ends in London. Have a tour with visiting Britain.

Stonehenge Direct Tour

    Visit one of the most outstanding prehistoric sites in England and in the world: Stonehenge.

    Duration: 1 day

    Price: Adults ￡29.99, Children ￡28.99

Stonehenge and Bath Tour

    Enjoy a late breakfast before heading to the Stonehenge site and end your day with an original visit to the Roman Baths.

    Duration: 10 hours (departure 10:30 a. m., return 8:30 p. m.)

    Price: Adults ￡64, Children ￡60

Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle Tour

    Explore three of England's most popular sites to visit: Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and the Roman Baths.

    Duration: 1 day (return 8:30 p. m.)

    Price: Adults ￡64.80, Children ￡61.20

Stonehenge, Lacock and Bath Tour

    Come and feel the warmth of Bath, see the pleasant village of Lacock, and solve the mystery of Stonehenge.

    Duration: 1 day (return 6 p.m.)

    Price: Adults ￡85, Children ￡78

Stonehenge, Windsor and Oxford Tour

    Choose Stonehenge, Windsor and Oxford Tour and enjoy ancient mysticism, royal history and illustrious knowledge.

    Duration: 1 day

    Price: Adults ￡72, Children ￡68

Stonehenge, Bath and Stratford Tour

    Take a tour to make the most of the English historic attractions: the Stonehenge site, Bath and Stratford, the birthplace of playwright William Shakespeare.

    Duration: 1 day (return 8 p. m.)

    Price:Adults ￡79, Children ￡68