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.

    Do you remember those times when your mother told you to avoid talking to strangers? But now you're not a child anymore. In fact, there are many advantages of talking to strangers.

    You can meet a really great person.

    Talking to a stranger is a good habit because you never know whom you may meet.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} You can also meet someone who will give you a chance to get your dream job.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    You have some opinion about different subjects and you know your friends' and relatives' points of view about them, too. But there are millions of other people who think differently and can give you unpredictable yet smart ideas that will broaden your horizons.

    You can improve your social skills.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Asking appropriate questions and attentive listening are two skills that many of us don't have. You can better these skills when talking to a stranger.

    You can offer someone comfort.

    The thing you'll definitely like about talking to strangers is that you can make someone's day better.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Praise people and they will think something pleasant about you. Having a sweet short dialogue is one of those perfect chances to make people cheerful.

    You can find the solutions you didn't know about.

    Talking to someone you don't know is all about finding out something you didn't know. You may have some problems that you can't solve for a long time. However, someone you suddenly meet can figure out the right solution you didn't even think about before.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It may be a help you needed to get a long time ago.

B. You can expand your world view.

C. You can meet a person who will become your best friend in future.

D. Smile and people will smile in return.

E. Whatever social skills you have, you can make them better when talking to strangers.

F. You shouldn't miss these unexpected chances of meeting people.

G. Why not speak to someone until your turn comes?

    I still remember that summer before college.There were plans and ideas about what my college experience was going to be like, but none of them worked out as planned.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Use the mental health services available to you.

    That first night at college was memorable. There was scare and homesickness. Missing things from home wasn't the only reason why I felt down. The academic pressure to succeed and the social pressure to fit in are too much for some people, which don't just happen in the freshman year.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Close friends always guided me, which was important because talking helps—even if it's just with a friend. Don't be afraid to take that extra help.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    I had been ready to major in politics, philosophy and economics, in preparation for a law degree.Things changed.

    You meet new people and discover new interests.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} So, don't worry if you haven't figured out exactly what you're going to major in. It will likely change anyway.

    You're there to get a degree, but a little fun won't hurt.

    As time goes by, I'm not going to remember the grades I got on papers or the late nights spent studying. Instead, lifelong memories will include playing video games with my roommate at 3:00 am, or late-night runs with my friends after a night out. Apart from doing well inside the classroom, there are also internships(实习期) and other pressures. Employers might weigh internships more heavily than your GPA.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. It's OK to change your mind about your major.

B. You don't want to get tired of your college life early.

C. Everyone says that college is the best four years of your life.

D. Here are the things I wish I had known before my freshman year.

E. It's normal to be a little unsure of your plans once you start taking classes.

F. Getting internships and having fun with friends are also of great importance.

G. For me, there were upsets long after the days that required a map to go anywhere.

    Changes that will help you get more done than ever before

    Win tomorrow today. All it takes is setting aside five minutes every evening before you end your work to establish the one goal you will accomplish tomorrow. Sometimes, the hardest part of getting things done is deciding which thing to work on first. If this decision making has to happen first thing in the morning, it can create a block to progress, which is no way to start your day. By giving yourself a head start the night before, you're allowing your most productive work hours-in the morning—to be used to the fullest by not having to wonder about on choose what you'll work on first.

    Having a morning routine is one of the best things you've done for yourself. It not only helps you set your day up to be successful by gaining great power first in the morning, but it also allows you to guarantee that you are going to get a set number of things done right away. This way, no matter what your day brings, you should keep in mind that your health and nutrition are the most important. Your morning routine includes a workout, drinking water, meditation（冥想）, and ensuring you get the nutrients you need to perform at a high level all day.

    One of the common mistakes people make is to focus entirely on whatever task is next on their list and promise not to move or pause until it's done. Tasks will expand to the time assigned. Instead, try to be inspired from successful people and setting up timed periods for both focused work and breaks. Establishing sections where you have a set amount of focus time followed by a set amount of refresh time prevents you from being distracted（注意力不集中的）and helps you make great progress on the tasks and projects you're working on.

    Being extremely future-focused and ambitious is great, but if you're always moving from one task to another, you could be missing out on a big growth opportunity. In order to learn what's working and what's not working, you need to spend time reflecting. Set aside some time at least every 10 days to reflect on the good, the bad, and everything in between. When you can identify what's working, you'll know what to double down on. You'll also be able to identify the things that are holding you back from getting where you want to go, and to think out solutions for those struggles in order to remove them in the future.

    If you really want to get more done, you have to stop focusing on what you can't do, and start focusing on everything that's going right. Being grateful will not only increase your happiness factor, it will also make you more productive. When you have a positive attitude and take time out to recognize everything you have to be grateful for, you're able to focus on the many things you have accomplished, you're more likely to make progress and get more done.

    Theme park getaways are popular with families, but they sure aren't cheap. Happily, there are some golden rules of ticket-buying that apply to pretty much every theme park, and they can help you chip away at the cost of tickets. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Buy tickets online.

    Never ever pay the walk-up ticket price at a theme park. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You're guaranteed to save a significant sum-sometimes as much as $ 20 per ticket-even for same-day tickets.

    Buy in advance.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For instance, Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, slices off $25 per ticket when you make your purchase at least three days ahead.

     {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    This one is a universal no-brainer. Single-day ticket prices at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, are about 30 percent less than admission on Saturdays and Sundays. But the big bonus is that lines will be much shorter, allowing you to spend less time waiting in lines and more time having fun.

    Go in the afternoon.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} For example, Hersheypark's sunset tickets allow entry after 4 pm or 5 pm, depending on the day. You'll still get between four to six hours of fun before the park closes, and you'll pay up to 50 percent less than the full-day ticket price.

A. Avoid weekends.

B. Buy more tickets than you need.

C. Here are some ways to lower your theme park spending.

D. At larger parks, you'll save money when you buy a package.

E. Instead, visit the theme park website and print out your tickets before you go.

F. Some parks offer deeply discounted tickets for visitors arriving later in the day.

G. Most theme parks offer a price cut if you buy tickets at least a few days before you arrive.

Decoding the young brain

    There was a funny experiment to see how a young child would answer a specific question compared to an adult. After the adult had spent some time speaking with the child, he asked the child, “What do you think about me？” The child answered, “You talk too much.” When the adult performed the same experiment with another adult, the reply to the same question was, “I think you're a very interesting person.” Even if the adult felt the same way as the child, his brain allowed him to take a moment，consider the question, and come up with an answer. He could have been annoyed, but his answer didn't reflect it because he was being polite.

    The secret lies in the science of the developing brain. The child's honest answer was reflected in the fact that his brain wasn't equipped to filter(过滤) information before answering the question. As a result, he was honest, but he said something that may have been hurtful. However, the child did not intentionally hurt the adult; it's just the way his brain works. As a child grows into adolescence and then into adulthood, that changes.

    The human brain is made up of billions of neurons(神经元). In order for our body to execute a command, like getting up from a chair and walking to the other room, the neurons in the brain have to communicate with each other. They also help us employ our senses like taste and touch and help us remember things.

    When the neurons send messages, perhaps one sensation(感觉) the person feels is excitement about eating a cookie because it is so delicious. Later, if that person smells a cookie or hears someone talking about a cookie, it can spark the electrical signals that call up the memory of eating the delicious cookie. In an adult, he or she may remember that eating too many cookies can have consequences, like weight gain. But because the younger brain is more impulsive(冲动的), the desire to feel the pleasure of the sweet treat outweighs the consequences.

    That is because when a child is young, his brain is “wired” in such a way that he seeks pleasure and is more willing to take risks than an adult. This affects his decision-making process and it is why younger people tend to be more impulsive. Sometimes parents have to tell their children over and over again before the child remembers that something is dangerous or risky. How many times have we heard a parent say, “I tell her this all the time, but she never listens！”

    To conclude, what we know about the young brain is that children are more likely than adults to be impulsive. It isn't always necessarily because they are being naughty; it may very well be because of their brains. So the next time you ask a child what he really thinks of you, be prepared for any kind of answer.