Allow me to introduce you to Terry, a window salesman from England. If I could take you back about 20 years, you'd know Terry as a complete green hand, who was wet behind the ears in just about everything he attempted. A person couldn't sell false teeth to his own Granny, let alone he could compete with the other salespeople in the industry. You know, the kind who could sell snow to Eskimos.

    Terry's boss decided to send him out on a practical field trip on his first day. So off he went, but he was extremely nervous. With his hands and his knees shaking, he approached the front door and knocked at it. And an old woman appeared. After dozens of cups of tea and pieces of biscuits, the woman signed a contract and purchased over $7,000 worth of windows.

    The woman had already talked with 6 excellent salesmen that week, all of whom offered her cheaper ones! That's right—Terry's price was the most expensive and he was also the most inexperienced salesman there ever was.

    So, what happened then? Here comes the secret. The woman said she liked the young lad more than the others. That's all there was to it. She didn't care about the extra expense. Even the other salesmen couldn't persuade her to pay less than this young lad was asking for.

    The truth is that the young lad left on the woman the first impression that shone brighter than any of the salesman's talk. First impressions count, not the sales techniques, not the low prices. The actual “personality” the kid honestly gave was all that was required. If you market your own products and services, consider what impression you are giving to others. If you appeal to them, then you've already done half of the work. If this means redesigning your presentation, then so be it. If this means going out of your way to be polite, helpful and giving the best possible shopping experience to your customers, the so be it.

    Winter running is the best way to lose winter weight. But before heading out, make sure you have a solid plan. You don't want to come across accident along the way.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Wear the Right Shoes

    The right shoes will depend on the road. You want shoes that are made for the kind of surface you run on. For example, if you are running on slippery surfaces, you want shoes with great friction(摩擦力). {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When trying out a pair of running shoes, check the fit, feel and ride of the shoes. These elements(要素) are important once you take your new shoes out for a run.

Warm Up

    Warm up is an important part to keep fit. Especially if temperatures drop and your muscles are stiff(僵硬的) from the cold! {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It also prepares the muscles for the intense (激烈的) activity ahead. The cold climate won't feel as cold when you do warm ups. This is because blood flows much faster after a good warm up!

Deal with Wind

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The key is to run into the wind and finish by running against it. This keeps icy wind from blasting(用力撞击) your face. To prevent any injuries or accidents, break your run into small parts. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can use certain creams on the nose and cheeks to prevent frostbite(冻疮).Don't skip your sun-block if you're running during the day. UVB(紫外线)passes through the clouds. Running for an extended period on a cloudy day will still damage the skin!

A．Don't run in the wind.

B．Running makes you warm.

C．Warming up prevents injuries.

D．It's hard to run if it's too windy.

E．Your shoes should fit very well so you don't slip.

F．Here we are giving you important tips to remember.

G．It also helps to keep the skin protected from the wind.

    Are you using a dating App to make friends? How do you know that Ben from London is really 25-year-old? Is his photo taken recently? Is his name even Ben? Dating apps can be tricky to operate, particularly when you're trying to know whether someone is trustworthy, but one thing you can't cheat is your gene, which is why a new dating app is using DNA as a basis for its match.

    A dating app named Pheramor requires all users to hand in a cheek sample, from which a team of in-house scientists using a specially-created tool can queue the specific genes connected with attraction and then identify which users might be suitable. The process works by separating the 11 genes that link to our pheromones（信息素）, the chemical signals that are believed to control one's attraction. Combining this data with the personal information allows the app to make very specific matches.

    “Pheramor uses both your biology and your social technology: we collect your genetic data through a cheek sample and collect your like, dislikes, and interest from your social media introductions like Facebook, Twitter, etc,” the app's website explains. “All of them will be used in our specific software, which is designed to learn what you prefer.”

    The co-founder Brittany Barreto, who has a PHD in genetics added that Pheramor's technology digs deeper than traditional dating apps, making it almost impossible for people to cheat their way to a date.

    The Houston-based app is already up and running but hopes to be officially put into market in February with 3,000 members.

What Cocktail Parties Teach Us

    You're at a party. Music is playing. Glasses are clinking. Dozens of conversations are driving up the decibel (分贝) level. Yet among all those distractions, you can tune your attention to just one voice from many. This ability is what researchers call the “cocktail-party effect”.

    Scientists at the University of California in San Francisco have found where that sound-editing process occurs in the brain — in the auditory cortex (听觉皮层) just behind the ear, not in areas of higher thought. The auditory cortex boosts some sounds and turns down others so that when the signal reaches the higher brain, “it's as if only one person was speaking alone,” says investigator Edward Chang.

    These findings, published in the journal Nature last week, explain why people aren't very good at multitasking — our brains are wired for “selective attention” and can focus on only one thing at a time. That inborn ability has helped humans survive in a world buzzing with visual and auditory stimulation (刺激). But we keep trying to push the limits with multitasking, sometimes with tragic (悲剧的) consequences. Drivers talking on cellphones, for example, are four times as likely to get into traffic accidents as those who aren't.

    Many of those accidents are due to “inattentional blindness”, in which people can, in effect, turn a blind eye to things they aren't focusing on. The more attention a task demands, the less attention we can pay to other things in our field of vision. Images land on our retinas (视网膜) and are either boosted or played down in the visual cortex before being passed to the brain, just as the auditory cortex filters sounds, as shown in the Nature study last week. “It's a push-pull relationship — the more we focus on one thing, the less we can focus on others,” says Diane M. Beck, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Illinois.

    Studies over the past decade at the University of Utah show that drivers talking on hands-free cellphones are just as influenced as those on hands-held phones because it is the conversation, not the device, that is distracting their attention. Those talking on any kind of cellphone react more slowly and miss more traffic signals than other motorists.

    Some people can train themselves to pay extra attention to things that are important — like police officers learn to scan crowds for faces and conductors can listen for individual instruments within the orchestra as a whole. Many more think they can effectively multitask, but are actually shifting their attention rapidly between two things and not getting the full effect of either, experts say.

    Learning how to face silence in conversation is an important skill, especially when working across cultures.

    In international negotiations, experienced negotiator (谈判者) stay silent and impassive on purpose because that will make others feel uncomfortable and possibly make compromises without having to do anything. Americans especially can't stand silence, so they often are the first to break the silence and sometimes might be at a disadvantage in negotiations.

    So, what's the best response? Set your jaw and wait it out. Don't offer a compromise just because they are not speaking. If you have to say something, ask a direct question, such as "What's your initial reaction to that offer?" Once a silence is getting into 45 seconds you could say, "Let's come back to that in a minute and go on with the next part of our negotiation."

    In presentations, silence can be far more effective than dramatic passion (热情). Before starting, look at the audience and be silent for a moment because that says, "I'm in control. I know what I'm doing. I'm confident."

    A classic example was when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs launched the first iPhone. He introduced with many pauses so that you didn't miss his key points. Because silence makes us nervous, our natural reaction is that we'd better pay attention, there's something going on here.

    Equally, when giving a speech to staff or trainees, pauses count-especially if there are negatives. If you keep talking you're spoon feeding. Give people a moment of silence to get beyond the emotional response and to start thinking consciously and processing.

    Silence can be an inward-focused thoughtful activity or an outward stillness where you give yourself the time to watch and think and listen to the world around you. Having observed the use of silence in Finland and also among the Blackfeet Nation, a North American Indian tribe in northern Montana in the US, we can see benefits far beyond wheeling and dealing.

    Silence can be a very powerful point for understanding ourselves, understanding others, for developing better common understanding and more productive outcomes and that applies to business, politics, education, law, medicine, every area of human life.

The Lantern Festival falls on the first full moon of the new lunar year. The Festival, with{#blank#}1{#/blank#}history of over 2,000 years,{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(date) back to the Han Dynasty. The festival originates from an Act, released by Emperor Wendi of the Western Han Dynasty, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(honor) deities(神明) and ancestors with lantern displays.

A large quantity of customs and traditions are associated with the Lantern Festival, one of {#blank#}4{#/blank#} is the lighting of Lanterns that {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(display) in different shapes and sizes. In many northern parts of China, grand lantern displays featuring diverse sizes and themes, create an attractive scene, {#blank#}6{#/blank#}, in the south, the tradition of floating lanterns offers a beautiful gesture of releasing the past to embrace the future. More than just a visual feast, the lanterns are part of China's intangible cultural heritage, representing hope and renewal as they light up the {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(dark) to welcome the new year.

{#blank#}8{#/blank#}important tradition is the solving of lantern riddles. Lantern owners write riddles on pieces of paper and attach them to their lanterns while festival-goers of all ages stroll among the lights, trying to solve these riddles. {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(basic), successful solvers often receive gifts, adding to the festive atmosphere.

The cultural celebration has successfully extended beyond traditional foods {#blank#}10{#/blank#} the way people prepare for the festival.