Owning a smartphone may not be as smart as you think. It may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and snap photos wherever you are…but it also turns you into a workaholic, it seems.

    A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the all-singing, all-dancing mobile phone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles.

    The study by technology retailer Pixmania reveals the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but a further two hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls. More than 90 percent of office workers have email-enabled phones, with a third accessing them more than 20 times a day. Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers confess(承认) they are on call almost 24 hours a day, with nine out of ten saying they make work emails and calls outside their normal working hours. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., with more than a third checking their first emails in this period, and a quarter checking them between 11 p.m. and midnight.

    Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said, “The ability to access literally millions of apps, keep in contact via social networks and take photos and video as well as text and call has made smartphones invaluable for many people. However, there are drawbacks. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smartphones mean that people literally cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become , the more is expected of us in a work capacity(容量).”

    On January 13, 2016, France became the first country in the world to pass a law requiring supermarkets to donate food that is approaching its expiration date (保质期) instead of throwing it away. The regulation that applies to supermarkets over 4,000 square feet requires stores to sign official donation agreements with local food banks.

    The law also makes it illegal for stores to pour water over nearly-expired food, or store it inside locked warehouses until it is picked up by the garbage trucks. These measures are often undertaken by supermarkets to prevent the hungry from searching for food through the dustbins.

    Though that may appear cruel, the stores claim they do it to avoid potential food poisoning that could occur if the product is on its way past its expiry. Those who do not obey the new law face the risk of heavy fines.

    Also, excess goods like yogurt or milk that are likely to go bad quickly are now allowed to be donated directly to the food banks. Though this has always been possible, the current process is long and complex, making it difficult for producers to give away the food in a timely manner.

    France's food banks are of course thrilled about the possibility of receiving extra food. Jacques Bailet, who heads a network of French food banks called the Banques Alimentaires, says that of the 110,000 tons of goods received annually, only 36,000 tons comes from supermarkets. Bailet estimates (估计) that just a 15% increase in supermarket donations would translate to over 10 million additional meals to feed the hungry each year.

    Though this is a great first step, Arash Dermabarsh, the activist responsible for the grassroots movement that led to the ban, is not done. He now wants to extend the law to other places like restaurants and also try to convince other countries in the European Union to pass similar regulations. These steps are necessary because of the over 9 million tons of food wasted in France; an astonishing 67% is thrown away by consumers, with supermarkets and restaurants making up the rest.

    When an Indiana woman got an emergency call that her mother was in hospital, she knew she had no time to waste getting to her mom's side in Montgomery, Alabama. As she pulled over to get gas about 170 miles from her destination, the woman reached for her purse. It wasn't there. In the flurry to get to her mother's side, she'd left her handbag at home, along with her wallet and phone.

    The woman felt totally at a loss. Desperate for help, she asked for help in a truck stop. Someone sent her up the road to Jim Oliver's Smoke House, a restaurant known for its generosity. In fact, it's even been nominated (提名) as one of the Nicest Places in America.

    In the parking lot of the restaurant, the woman broke down telling her story to the owner, James Oliver. He listened patiently, checking her car for an Indiana license plate and deciding whether he should believe her. To her astonishment, he handed her $200 in cash. In hopes of calming her down, Oliver offered her a meal, which she took to go so she could get back on the road.

    Handing hundreds of dollars over to a stranger might seem crazy to some people, but to Oliver, it's common sense. He figured a tank of gas alone would cost $75 or so, and she'd need more money for a motel room and food before she could work things out with her credit card. “I instinctively (本能地) went for $200,” he says. “I didn't think of getting it back.”

    The Smoke House has had a reputation for kindness ever since Oliver's dad, the original owner, was in charge. In addition to helping travelers in need, Oliver's father was involved in the community by helping to establish a state park, daycare, medical center, and more. “Growing up, he instilled (灌输) in us to help other people,” says Oliver.

    The Smoke House might look like a business, but it's a charity at heart. “When you've got food, you can't turn people away that need help,” says Oliver.

    Bullgatortail 10 minutes ago

    I particularly enjoy the works of Greenwich Village poet Edward Field, whose interest in cinema led to a number of poems based on old monster movies (including many about Frankenstein and my favorite, Curse of the Cat Woman).

    Litteacher 8 29 minutes ago

    There are so many to choose from! I love Robert Frost, especially "Mending Wall", mostly because he is my dad's favorite poet. However, personally I love Lnagston Hughes's poem "Dreams" because it always brings happiness to me. I am also a big fan of the older poems, such as Spenser's "One Day I Wrote Her Name Upon the Strand" because it is so simple, and "The Tyger" and "The Lamb" by William Blake because I love the language.

    Michael Ugulini 51 minutes ago

    My favorite poet is Suji Kwock Kim. Ever since I read her book of poetry "Notes from the Divided Country", I have been a big fan of her clear and thoughtful writing. My favorite poem of hers is "Borderlands", which she wrote in memory of her grandmother. It is a poem about her grandmother's experiences during the war.

    Loraaa 1 hour ago

    Hard to decide! But if I have to, I'd say Emily Dickinson. Her life was so wonderful and her opinions about life are also interesting. Her understanding of nature speaks to the heart of anyone who loves the outdoors! Dickinson also understood human nature very well. Her poems speak of love, loneliness, ect. Finally, my favorite poem by her is "I Never Saw a Moor". I love her thoughts!

A facial expression results from one or more motions of the muscles of the face. These movements convey the emotional nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information among humans, but also occur in most other mammals and some other animal species.

In the business world, much emphasis is placed on your first words, but it isn't all about what you say. You only have seconds to make a first impression that can make or break a relationship in business. Since the face is the first thing we notice about a person, it's vital to use your face to make that important connection.

Researchers have shown that 55 percent of non-verbal communication is facial. People generally try to mask negative expressions such as disappointment, fear or envy, but these feelings are often reflected in their eyes, or the downward turn of the mouth.

Genuine expressions of anger and surprise can be quite brief, lasting for only a few seconds. If an expression remains longer, it may be a sign of insincerity (不真诚). In general, a genuine expression matches the beginnings of a feeling, so watch for expressions that come after the words.

The research conducted last year by a team from Glasgow University, suggested that people from different cultures read facial expressions differently. Not only can that mean confusion in everyday life, but it can lead to confusion when conducting business.

The study found that East Asian participants tended to focus on the eyes of the other person, while Western subjects took in the whole face, including the eyes and the mouth. The work, which was published in Current Biology journal challenged the idea that facial expressions are universally understood. In the study, East Asians were more likely than Westerners to read the expression for "fear" as "surprise", and "disgust "as "anger".

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