The Secret of a Long Life

    I am Peter Brown. I am a writer with an important magazine. The other day I saw a white-haired man sitting on the chair in front of his house. I could see the wrinkles (皱纹) in his face and neck, and his wrinkled hands. Articles on the secrets of living to an old age are always popular with our readers, so I decided to write a story and discover the secret of this man's long life. As I went near him, I said:

    “Sir, would it be okay if I talked with you for just a moment?”

    “Not at all. Actually, it would make me very happy. I get very bored sitting here, even for a short time. Until a little while ago, I lived a full and active life without a moment's rest.”

    “Well, they say that a lot of activities help one to live a long time.”

    “That's true, very true. I still feel very well, although my step has slowed down a little.”

    The conversation continued in that way for a while. Although I tried to be very thoughtful about getting information from older people, it seemed to me that it would now be all right to begin to ask some polite questions.

    “Would it be okay if I smoked?”

    “Not at all.”

    “I'd offer you one, but I suppose you probably don't smoke, or drink, or…”

    “You're wrong! I've always smoked a great deal. And until a little while ago, I went dancing every night. And as for alcoholic drinks ...”

    “Do you mean to say that you've done these things all your life?”

    “Of course. Why does that surprise you so much?”

    “I've always been told that doing those things is bad for the health.”

    “Nonsense!”

    “I suppose that you have another secret ... a lot of fruit... vegetables ... a lot of exercise in the fresh air…”

    “Don't be silly! I hate exercise in the fresh air, and I don't like any kind of vegetable.”

    “This is unbelievable!”

    “What do you mean, unbelievable? What are you talking about?”

    “It's just that I can't understand how you've been able to live like that and to have lasted so long. Tell me, how old are you?”

    “Me? I'm twenty-eight. Why?”

    It seems that technology could be changing the places where we live. A project conducted by Johann Siau, a senior lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire's School of Engineering and Technology, has built on the university's InterHome project aimed to create a home that supervises people living at home who are weak or elderly.

    “We've developed a wristband type of device（装罝）,” said Johann Siau, “which allows us to monitor the condition of an elderly person, or whoever is wearing the device. It allows us to collect data of a person to see if the person has fallen or is away from where they are supposed to be. It connects an elderly person with an assisted living type of device with the InterHome.” The assisted living project is part of the university's wider InterHome project, which is the development of a smart house. The house stores the usage patterns of the person living there and can adapt to make it use as little energy as possible. Connecting the two together and building the service element（元素）allow us to introduce the assisted living idea to care for the elderly. It's very important that these technologies are there to help and support rather than to replace any of the existing services.

    The InterHome is not just a prototype（样品）or a vehicle for research. It's a study tool to help students from different scientific backgrounds learn about and develop technology. The InterHome combines the latest broadband technology, mobile data and communication. Researchers and students make sure that all the technology works together. Students get experience by developing new hardware and software themselves. It requires a variety of skills from students—electronic engineers, computer students, design students and so on. “The present plan we are working on is a smart home project in Watford with some commercial companies, ” said Johann Siau. “We are looking at how a smarter home can provide extra value services.”

    One afternoon I toured an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was looking forward to a quiet view of the art works.

    A young couple viewing the paintings ahead of me chatted nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided the wife was doing all the talking. I admired his patience for putting up with her continuous talk. Distracted by their noise, I moved on.

    I met with them several times as I moved through the different rooms of art. Each time I heard her constant burst of words, I moved away quickly.

    I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a purchase when the couple came near to the exit. Before they left, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He extended it into a long stick and then tapped his way into the coatroom to get his wife's jacket.

    "He's a brave man.," the clerk at the counter said, "Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise that his life wouldn't change. So, as before, he and his wife come in whenever there's a new art show."

    "But what does he get out of the art?" I asked. "He can't see."

    "Can't see? You're wrong. He sees a lot. More than you or I do," the clerk said. "His wife describes each painting so he can see it in his head."

    I learned something about patience, courage and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without sight and the courage of a husband who would not allow blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away.

    I stopped to watch my little girl busy playing in her room. In one hand was a plastic phone ; in the other a toy. I listened as she was speaking to her make-believe little friend and I'll never forget the words she said, even though it was imagined.

    She said, "Suzie's in the corner because she's not been very good. She didn't listen to a word I said or do the things she should." In the corner I saw her baby doll well dressed. It was obvious that she'd been put there to sit alone and think.

    My daughter continued her "conversation", as I sat down on the floor. She said, "I'm all fed up and I just don't know what to do with her any more. She cries whenever I have to work and wants to play games too. She tries to help me with the dishes, but her arms just cannot reach... And she doesn't know how to fold towels. I don't have the time to teach. I have a lot of work to do and a big house to keep clean. I don't have the time to sit and play - don't you know what I mean?"

    And that day I thought a lot about making some changes in my life, after listening to her innocent words which cut me like a knife. I hadn't been paying enough attention to what I hold most dear. I'd been caught up in responsibilities that increased throughout the years.

    But now my attitude has changed because in my heart I realize that I've seen the world in a different light through my little darling's eyes. So let the cobwebs(蜘蛛网) cut the corners and the dust bunny rabbit rule the floor. I'm not going to worry about keeping up with them anymore.

    I'm going to fill the house with memories of a child and her mother, for we have only one childhood and we will never get another.

Aptitude Tests Recommendations

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Clifton Strengths

The Clifton Strengths program was created based on research around leadership. The research in question pointed to common strengths among successful leaders, like strategic thinking, adaptability and communication. To complete the test, you must answer around 150 questions, each within 20 seconds. Allen Cheung, a tech blogger, notes that CliftonStrengths is more valuable than your average career test because it includes "tricky questions which aren't as easily gamed".

Red BullWingfinder

Developed and tested out by psychology experts, the Red Bull Wingfinder assesses your thinking under pressure. Questions include image sorting, logic puzzles and leadership-related questions. Once you complete the test, you'll receive a nine-page report and career coaching tailored to your results.

SEI Development Report

The SEI Development Report is an extensive EQ aptitude test that has timed right-and-wrong answers that assess eight fundamentals, including emotional literacy, emotional management and empathy. At the end, you'll receive a 20-page report with recommended courses on workplace EQ development.

CareerOneStop

While it only takes a few minutes to complete, the CareerOneStop Skills Assessment will help you rank both your technical and soft skills. The career suggestions at the end can be sorted by relevance, annual wages, and job outlook, coupled with with professional coaching or consultation improve your skills.

As online learning becomes more common and a mass of resources are changed to digital form, some people have suggested that public libraries should be shut down and everyone should be given an iPad with an e-reader subscription (订阅). They believe that it will save local cities and towns money, provide more materials and encourage more people to read.

 However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets (平板电脑). First, digital books and resources are related to less learning and more problems than print resources. A study found that people read 20-30% slower on tablets, keep 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read. Additionally, staring too long at a screen has been shown to cause more health problems than reading print does. 

Second, it is incredibly narrow-minded to believe that the only service libraries offer is book lending. Libraries have lots of benefits, and many are only available if the library has a physical location. Some of these benefits include acting as a quiet study space, giving people a way to communicate with their neighbors, holding classes on a variety of topics, providing jobs, answering visitor questions, and keeping the community connected. One neighborhood found that, over a third of residents reported feeling more connected to their community after a series of local library instituted community events. Similarly, a survey conducted in 2015 found that nearly two-thirds of American adults feel that closing their local library would have a major effect on their community.

While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens and end access to many of the benefits of libraries. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object.