I know what you're thinking: pizza? For breakfast? But the truth is that you can have last night's leftovers in the a. m. if you want to.

    I know lots of women who skip breakfast, and they have a ton of different excuses for doing it. Some say they don't have time, others think they're “saving” calories, still others just don't like breakfast food.

    But the bottom line is that eating in the morning is very important when you're trying to lose weight. “Eating just about anything from 300 to 400 calories would be better than nothing at all,” says Katherine Brooking, R., D., who developed the super-easy eating plan for this year's “SELF CHALLENGE”. And even pizza can be healthy if it's loaded with vegetables, and you stick to one small piece.

    Breakfast is one meal I never miss, and the same goes for most weight loss success stories. Research shows that eating breakfast keeps you from overeating later in the day. Researchers at the University of Southern California found that breakfast skippers have a bigger chance of gaining weight than those who regularly have a morning meal.

So eat something in the morning, anything. I know plenty of friends who end up having no breakfast at all, and have just coffee or orange juice. I say, try heating up last night's leftovers—it may sound crazy, but if it works for you, do it! I find if I tell myself, “You can always eat it tomorrow,” I put away the leftovers instead of eating more that night. Try it…you may save yourself some pre-bedtime calories. And watch your body gain the fat-burning effects.

    French writer Frantz Fanon once said: "To speak a language is to take on a world, a culture." Since the world changes every day, so does our language.

    More than 300 new words and phrases have recently made it into the Oxford Dictionary Online, and in one way or another they are all reflections of today's changing world.

    After a year that was politically unstable, it's not hard to understand the fact that people's political views are one of the main drives of our expanding vocabulary. One example is "clicktivism", a compound of "click" and "activism". It refers to "armchair activists" -- people who support a political or social cause, but only show their support from behind a computer or smart phone.

    "We had all the words around Brexit (脱欧) in the last update and we are now starting to see all the words around Trump coming into the dictionary," Angus Stevenson, Oxford Dictionaries' head of content development, told The Guardian.

    Lifestyle is also changing our language. For example, "fitspiration -- a compound of fit and inspiration -- refers to a person or thing that encourages one to exercise and stay fit and healthy. The phrase "climate refugee" -- someone who is forced to leave their home due to climate change -- reflects people's concern for the environment.

    According to Stevenson, social media was the main source for the new expressions "People feel much freer to coin their own words these days." he said.

    But still, not all newly- invented words get the chance to make their way into a mainstream dictionary. If you want to create your own hit words, Angus Stevenson suggests that you should not only make sure that they are expressive and meaningful, but also have an attractive sound so that people will enjoy saying them out loud.

    Palaces are known for their beauty and splendor, but they offer little protection against attacks. It is easy to defend a fortress (堡垒),but fortresses are not designed with the comfort of a king or queen in mind. When it comes to structures that are both majestic and well-defended, the classic European castle is the best example of design. Across the ages castles changed, developed, and eventually fell out of use, but they still command the fascination of our culture.

    Castles were originally built in England by Norman invaders. In 1066. As William the Conqueror advanced through England, he defended key positions to secure the land he had taken. The castles he built allowed the Norman lords to draw back to safety when threatened by English rebellion. Castles also served as bases of operation for offensive attacks. Troops were summoned to（召集）, organized around, and deployed (部署) from castles. In this way castles served both offensive and defensive roles in military operations.

    Not limited to military purposes, castles also served as offices from which the lord would administer control over his kingdom. That is to say, the lord of the land would hold court in his castle. Those that were socially beneath the lord would come to report the affairs of the lands that they governed and pay tribute to the lord. They would address conflicts, handle business, feast, and enjoy festivities, In this way castles served as important social centers in medieval England. Castles also served as symbols of power. Built on important and noticeable sites overlooking the surrounding areas, castles constantly appeared in the background of many peasants' lives and served as a daily reminder of the lords strength.

    Now, castles no longer serve their original purposes. However, the remaining castles receive millions of visitors each year from those who wish to experience the glory of a time long passed.

    My house is made of wood, glass and stone. It is also made of software.

    If you come to visit, you'll probably be surprised when you come in. Someone will give you an electronic PIN (个人身份证号码) to wear. This PIN tells the house who and where you are. The house uses this information to give you what you need. When it's dark outside, the PIN turns on the lights nearest you, and then turns them off as you walk away from them. Music moves with you too. If the house knows your favorite music, it plays it. The music seems to be everywhere, but in fact other people in the house hear different music or no music. If you get a telephone call, only the nearest telephone rings.

    Of course, you are also able to tell the house if you want something. There is a home control console (控制台), a small machine that turns things on and off around you.

    The PIN and the console are new ideas, but they are in fact like many things we have today. If you want to go to a movie, you need a ticket. If I give you my car keys, you can use my car. The car works for you because you have the keys. My house works for you because you wear the PIN or hold the console.

    I believe that ten years from now on, most new homes will have the systems that I've put in my house. The systems will probably be even bigger and better than the ones I've put in today.

    I like to try new ideas. I know that some of my ideas will work better than others. But I hope that one day I will stop thinking of these systems as new, and ask myself instead, "How did I live without them?"

    The most popular martial arts (武术)today came from Asia, especially China. Some Chinese fighting styles were invented more than 3, 000 years ago. Many martial arts were invented because people needed to defend themselves or protect others. Nowadays, people learn martial arts as a way of keeping fit or as a competitive sport, but they are still very useful for selfdefence (防卫).

     Martial arts are often referred to as either soft or hard. These terms imply a way of dealing with your opponent's (对手的)force. Soft martial arts, such as tai chi, teach you to use your opponent's own force to defend yourself. Soft styles use movements and timing to avoid, deflect and redirect their opponent's attacks (攻击). These martial arts are soft for the defender but not for the attacker! On the other hand, hard styles, such as kung fu, teach you to defend yourself using force. Techniques involve blocking, posturing and powerful punching and kicking. Hard martial arts techniques are more effective(有效的)if you are more skillful, more powerful and faster than your opponent.

    Perhaps one of the best known Japanese martial arts today is karate. But did you know that it came from Fujian Province? in the century, a community of Chinese migrants(移民)from Fujian settled (定居)in what was then the kingdom of Okinawa. The Chinese migrants used to gather in a park to .enjoy cultural activities — one of which was kung fu. This soon caught the attention of local youths, who started learning kung fu from their Chinese neighbours.

    In fact, Chinese influence in martial arts was not only kung fu. The very first Korean military (军事)training manual was based on a Chinese version. During the Japanese invasion (侵略)of Korea in the 16th century, the Korean army needed an effective way to train a large number of soldiers. They used a training methodology from a Chinese military manual called ji xiao xin shu, written by the famous Chinese general, Qi Jiguang, who had himself defeated Japanese army.

    It's one of the most common questions adults ask children: what do you want to be when you grow up? Although childhood is supposed to be fun, kids also discuss important topics regarding their futures. Now, a new study finds that children who set big goals regarding their future status and education often set themselves up for success as they age. 

    The findings, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, are the first to reveal a connection between life goal development and future success in school or the workplace. Rodica Damian, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Houston, and other researchers discovered that as children grow up, their goals naturally begin to change. However, as some childhood goals fall away, other goals related to a family stay strong. These include being close to relatives, building more friendships or finding a romantic partner, and even becoming more involved in your community or helping others. 

    During the study, researchers compared how their goals evolved as children moved from adolescence to adulthood and how a person's goals impacted their success in school and as an employee later on. Overall, a child's goals focusing on their education and future status were the most consistent predictors (预测因素) of income in adulthood. Simply put, when a child dreams big about doing well in school or achieving great success as an adult, these goals accurately paint a picture of how successful these children will be. So, the message is simple: dream big and dream of success, kids! Those goals can drive you to success when you grow up! 

    "Our work proves a strong connect ion between a child's life goals, educational achievement, and future occupational outcomes. This information is valuable for parents and educators who can use it to encourage children to set ambitious goals. Additionally, it helps develop strategies to support individuals in achieving their goals and reaching their full potential," Damian concludes.