Today we eat on the go, at our desks and even in front of computers. We eat takeout, delivered and packaged meals, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    “Over the past three decades, people have started eating out more than ever before and purchasing more prepared foods at the grocery store, which tend to contain more fat, salt and sugar than their home-made foods,” noted US healthy living website SparkPeople.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It encourages us to value the time we spend preparing, sharing and consuming food, as a recent USA Today article put it. It all started in 1986 with the efforts of Slow Food's founding father, Italian activist Carlo Petrini, who wanted to bring back food varieties and flavors that had gone dark in the face of industrialization. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Now, his idea is almost the mainstream.

    Starting at the table, the movement promotes an unhurried way of life founded on the idea that everyone has a right to cooking pleasure, and that everyone must also take responsibility to “protect the heritage (遗产) of food, tradition and culture that make this celebration of the senses possible”, wrote The Phnom Penh Post.

    “{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It means turning down the speed at which we eat and increasing the amount of time we spend dining together with other people,” Althea Zanecosky, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, told The Huffington Post.“ {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Dinner table conversations keep families together,” noted the Belgian non-profit organization Greenfudge.

    The benefits of being an independent business are truly great. Beyond the rewarding nature of owning something truly unique, small businesses have the edge over their big business counterparts in many areas. Consider the importance of being independent and how that independence can help drive your business.

    To some, having fewer customers simply means less cash flow; however, having a smaller base also allows you to focus more on customer satisfaction.

    Companies are always searching for ways to improve customer service and have more of their business. Whether through paying special attention to who comes through your door or monitoring your customers through the social network, it's less of trouble to make sure your customers' needs are being met when there's a smaller sample to deal with. In addition, it becomes much easier to create a personal connection with buyers when you have enough time and attention to show them some love.

    Small businesses have an inherent advantage over their big box competitors in the sense that they can offer something different. People want to see the independent businesses that offer unique products and flavor to their communities. Your business can be the difference when it comes to what customers want.

    Of course, big box companies will almost always beat you down when it comes to price. Consider, however, that if you can offer a truly unique product or experience, price becomes much less of an issue.

    People like the idea of supporting local independent businesses versus “the big guys”. So, what businesses are booming due to the rise of independence?

Craft Beer(精酿啤酒) —- The craft beer movement in the United States is supported so widely that big breweries have taken to creating their own competing “craft beer” brands in an attempt to follow the trend. While Anheuser Busch represents nearly half of America's breweries, craft beer has seen a huge jump in sales in recent years.

Video Games —- Whether through PCs, traditional consoles or mobile games, independent developers are supported by enthusiastic fans and micro-transactions in an industry that was formerly dominated by bigger developers.

Musicians —- The modern web offers immense opportunities to musicians, resulting in more economic and artistic freedom. A surprising number of mainstream artists have seen great success from their independent releases, such as Macklemore's The Heist, which has sold over one million copies in the United States alone.

    Some small businesses don't want to be small businesses forever. Regardless, consider what independence does for you and your company. If you offer something out of the ordinary, you can build an audience that respects your individuality and supports your cause.

    It's said that people travel to see the world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You walk down different streets, hear different accents, and see different views. All of this is a great way to absorb a new location and learn as much as you can.

    But there's another reason why people travel to experience something new. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So what kind of person are you? To tell the truth, you'll learn about yourself no matter where you go.

    If you're a bookworm: Anyone studying English literature will love being on the soil of where such rich literary tradition was born. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Maybe you'll run into one of your favorite characters during the trip.

    If you're a Disney princess fan: Head over to Prague and you'll find the setting of every fairy tale you've ever dreamed of. Prague's study abroad programs are in English and are flexible.

    If you're a history lover: {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Sure, that's a lot of places. But you've never felt quite as absorbed in the ancient world as walking around Athens and Rome.

    If you're an adventure seeker: Consider going to Australia.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    If you're indecisive: Just choose them all and take a Semester at Sea. You'll have your classes on a ship as it sails around the world, making stops at 15 cities in 11 countries.

How to Do Man-on-the Street Interviews

    The man-on-the-street interview is an interview in which a reporter hits the streets with a cameraman to interview people on the spot. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But with these tips, your first man-on-the-street interview experience can be easy.

    When your boss or professor sends you out to do man-on-the –street interviews for a story, think about the topic and develop a list of about ten general questions relating to it. For example, if your topic is about environmental problems in America, you might ask, "Why do you think environmental protection is important in America?" {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Hit the streets with confidence. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Say, "Excuse me, I work for XYZ News, and I was wondering if you could share your opinion about this topic," This is a quick way to get people to warm up to you.

    Move on to the next person if someone tells you she is not interested in talking on camera. Don't get discouraged.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Each interview that you get on the street shouldn't be longer than ten minutes. As soon as you get the answer you need, move on to the next person. Make sure that as you go from interview to interview, you are getting a variety of answers. If everyone is giving you the same answer, you won't be able to use it. A safe number of interviews to conduct is about six to ten. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    If your news station or school requires interviewees to sign release forms to appear on the air, don't leave work without them.

A. Limit your time.

B. As you approach people, be polite.

C. If you don't own a camera, you can buy one.

D. For new reporters, this can seem like a challenging task.

E. To get good and useful results, ask them the same question.

F. That number of interviews should give you all the answers you need.

G. With a question like this, you will get more than a 'Yes" or "No" reply.

    Some recent surveys show that the health conditions of many white collar employees and office workers are rather critical. Death cases among white collar employees and office workers are increasing year by year and these cases are generally believed to have been caused by overwork and spending little time taking rest or doing exercise.

    If their offices are within the distance of half an hour's walk, some office workers now choose to go to work on foot. Ms. Deng, who works in a foreign enterprise in Beijing, has been walking to her office for more than six months now. I usually have a tight work schedule and can't find time to do exercise. So I choose to walk to work. As she said, if the office is not far from home, most women would like to go to work on foot. Walking is good for their health and can help them to keep good figures as well.

    Apart from walking to office, one can also find time to do exercise when one is at work. The simplest way is to abandon the lift. Mr. Wei, who works in the Passenger Service Department at Shenzhen Airlines, is one of such men who frequently climb stairs to his office. I only use the lift whenever I'm with my colleagues or my boss. Otherwise, I would climb stairs instead of taking the lift.

    In addition, some office workers try to find time to go to a gym at the end of a day. Ms. Sang works in a law firm in Shenzhen. She goes to the gym several times a week when she has the time. I go to the gym every weekend. During the weekdays, I will also go there whenever I have the time. Ms. Sang and her husband both have a gym membership card for a whole year. The cards cost them 3, 000 yuan. However they think it's worth it.

In a heartwarming tale from Georgia, a 72-year-old senior recently celebrated his college graduation in cinema studies, an achievement made even more special by the presence of his proud 99-year-old mother.

Sam Kaplan of Lawrenceville decided to start on his educational journey at Georgia Gwinnett College in 2019, half a century after he had firstly chosen not to get higher education following his high school graduation in 1969. The catalyst for his return to academia came when he heard a radio announcement about a degree programme in cinema studies.

Recalling that moment, Kaplan said, "I was driving down the highway when I heard about the degree programme. The next exit led to Collinsville, so I immediately exited, and within five minutes, I was enrolling in classes. I've always had a passion for writing and storytelling. I longed to transform my narratives into screenplays, but I realized I needed the basic knowledge to do so,"

Kaplan admitted that the journey was a mix of anxiety and excitement, but it proved to be greatly rewarding. He graduated with a 3.975 grade point average and perfect grade honours, majoring in cinema and media arts, and had desires to continue creating screenplays in the future.

"It was an exciting and nerve-wracking (神经紧张的) challenge. Re-recognizing myself with the art of studying and communicating with fellow students was a lot of fun," he told FOX5 Atlanta.

The most heartwarming thing of Kaplan's graduation day was the presence of his mother, 99-year-old Virginia Kaplan, during the ceremony. Virginia expressed her huge pride, saying, "I am so proud of him. He faced numerous challenges but insisted, and I am delighted, pleased, and extremely proud," the mother also added. "With his new degree, he's going to stand out in whatever he does. Who knows, I might even make an appearance in the movies."