Cleverness is a gift while kindness is achoice. Gifts are easy—they're given after all. Choices can be hard.

    I got the idea to start Amazon 16 yearsago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2,300percent per year. I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, andthe idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was veryexciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I'd been married for ayear. I told my wife Mac kenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do thiscrazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most start-ups don't and I wasn'tsure what to expect. Mac kenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I'd been a garage inventor. I'd always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted meto follow my passion.

    I was working at a financial firm in NewYork City with a bunch of very smart people and I had a brilliant boss that Imuch admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a companyselling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park,listened carefully to me, and finally said, “That sounds like a really good idea,but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a goodjob.” That logic made some sense to me, and he convinced me to think about itfor 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it was reallya difficult choice, but finally, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always behaunted (萦绕)by a decision to not try at all.

    After much consideration, I took theless safe path to follow my passion, and I'm proud of that choice. For all ofus, in the end, we are our choice.

    When Hai started college, he weighed over 250 pounds Healthy food choices were difficult for him, and he was emotionally distraught (忧心忡忡). However, when he left home for college, he was able for the first time to start taking his life and weight into his own hands.

    He started by shopping at a local farmers' market, an experience that inspired him profoundly. The idea that a farmer's market represents local, sustainable, healthy food with a human connection where you can interact with the people that grow your produce was extremely appealing to him, and he began to think about the food that people at his university were eating. From what he saw at farmers' markets, Hai realized that dining hall food was not “real” food.A lot of it is frozen or processed, and has unhealthy additives. His ideas continued to develop as he started taking classes about food sustainability at university, and after the summer of 2014 during which he cooperated with other students9 he launched into his senior year at the University of California full force with the Real Food Challenge (RFC) campaign, a project he co-founded that aims to reinvest university spending in food that is “real”: ecologically-sound, community-based, humane, and fair; as opposed to those traditional purchases with those unhealthy additives and processed products.

    Not only has Hai started a movement of change across the university dining system, but he has also grown extremely as an individual，now with strong leadership abilities and great vision. In addition, after he started learning about food sustainability and taking action at university, Hai has lost over 100 pounds, and has been able to start enjoying activities such as backpacking and swimming that were not a possibility for him previously. He is confident instead of distraught now.

    To a growing number of US students in China, study in the ancient country is no longer just a cultural experience it has become an important part of their future professional careers.

    Sam Gor, a 26-year-old student from Santa Clara, a county near San Francisco, said the purpose of his studies in Beijing was to help him find a good job when he goes back to the United States. "Culture matters," he said. "But more importantly, to learn Chinese and get a better understanding of the country may help me professionally." As a new student at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), Gor hopes to find a job in Santa Clara's local government when he goes back home in one year. "I need to learn Chinese if I want the job, as we have a large Chinese community there."

    Gor is not alone in his thinking. While the number of US students in China has grown from less than 100 in the early 1980s to more than 10,000 for the time being. Many of them are here to boost(提高) a professional skill as much as to enjoy a new culture.

    “In the past, foreign students came to China simply for our culture,” said Xu Quihan, director of BLCU's foreign students' office. “But because of China's rapid economic and social development, being able to speak Chinese has become a useful tool to a student's future job”

    There are more US students who choose to stay in the country instead of going back after graduation. Stephanie Schubmehlo, a 23-year-old from Rochester, New York State, said she would like to stay in Beijing after graduation. “I love the city, and I can earn myself a living here if I can speak good Chinese,” she said, adding that some of the US students she knows shared the same idea.

    Let's pay a visit to some of the most amazing and unusual places in the world, from icy hotels to temples on the side of cliffs（悬崖）.

    Hotel de Glace－Canada

    If you don't mind the cold, this igloo（冰屋）style hotel is certainly for you. Nearly everything, including the bedding, is made of ice! This hotel is so well insulated（隔热）that whatever the temperature outside is, the temperature inside never changes more than a few degrees. It's around 23 degrees to be exact. Since it is made of ice, the hotel does have some dress requirements that can be found on their website. Arctic sleeping bags are provided for every guest, including children. For more information, visit the website: http://www.icehotelcanada.com.

    The Tigers Nest Monastery－Bhutan

    Built directly onto a cliff side, this ancient temple has claimed（声明）its spot since 1692. Rich in history, Tigers Nest is constructed around eight attractive caves on the mountainside. Most of the caves are easy to reach through the natural rock stairways. However, some are more difficult, and can only be reached by shaky rope bridges. Visit the website http://www.bhutantouroperators.net/taktsang-monastery.php for more information.

    Dinosaur Provincial Park－Canada

    Known to be one of the greatest fossil（标本）locations in the world, Dinosaur Provincial Park has nearly 500 specimens（标本）in all shapes and sizes. The park itself has a vast collection of fossils and a unique natural ecosystem. For more information, please visit http://tpr.alberta.ca/parks/dinosaur/index.aspx.

    Leshan Giant Buddha－Sichuan China

    The world's largest Buddha sits on the edge of two great rivers. Construction is believed to have started around the year 713, and at the time of this construction it was the tallest carved statue in the world. All 233 feet of the statue was carved from the surrounding cliffs and preserved （保存）in amazing condition. Even the 2008 earthquake was not enough to shake it. Its website

http://yeschinatour.com/china-guides/china-attractions leshan-giant-buddha-leshan will provide you with more information.

    That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theatre. With opening night only a week ago, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.

    As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.

    About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.

    Suddenly I wasn't cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I'd heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found. Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck(垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, "Alisa Camacho?" I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eye. "Is this what you're looking for?" he asked, holding up a small square shape.

    It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn't get much sleep that night, but I had gotten my wallet back. I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn't be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.

    The British are known for their sense of humor. However, it is often difficult for foreigners to understand their jokes. The main point to remember is that the British often use understatement.

    Understatement means saying less than you think or feel. For example, if someone gets very wet in a shower of rain, he might say, "It's a little damp (潮湿的) outside." Or, if someone is very impolite and shouts at another person, someone else might say, "She isn't exactly friendly." Understatement is often used in unpleasant situation or to make another person look silly. Understatement plays an important part in British humor.

    Another key to understanding British humor is that the British like to make fun of themselves as well as others. They often laugh about the silly and unpleasant things that happen to our everyday life when someone accidentally falls over in the street. They also like to make jokes about people from different classes of society. They like to make jokes about their accents, the way they dress and the way they behave. What's more, the British love to watch comedies (喜剧) about people who do not know how to behave in society. The comedies series Mr. Bean is a good example of this kind of humor.

    Mr. Bean is the character created by British actor Rowan Atkinson in 1990. Mr. Bean doesn't talk often, and instead he uses his body movement and facial expressions to make people laugh. Perhaps what makes Mr. Bean so funny is that he does things that adults in the real world cannot do. Mr. Bean is popular in many countries around the world because you do not have to speak English to understand the humor. Because of this, many people have become familiar with the British sense of humor.