If Confucius(孔子) were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

    In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺点) of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

    Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

    As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

    Our warming planet is expected to face serious water crisis（危机）in the coming decades — which means each nation's natural resource will be more important than ever.

    Where will you go to escape the stress of life and the noise of traffic? To find out, we turned to question-and-answer site Quora, where users have been sharing their opinions. From an Alpine palace in Germany to some amazing English views, these dreamy destinations are so magical that it's hard to believe they're real.

    Gaudi's otherworldly imagination

    Designed by one of Spain's most famous architects, Antoni Gauldi, the Roman Catholic church Sagrada Familia is a legend in itself Construction began in 1882, but less than a quarter of the project was complete when Gaudi died in 1926. Since then, work has progressed slowly. How about the ending? Architects plan to complete the project in 2026, the centenary of Gaudi's death.

    As Barcelona's most popular tourist site, Sagrada Familia attracts three million visitors every year for one good reason: It's a masterpiece unlike anything else in the world which is largely responsible for the city's lively personality.

    A setting that could steal the spotlight from any storybook hero

    With its valleys surrounded by lakes, rivers, hills and peaks, the Lake District in England's northwest is quite literally taken out of fairy tales. This place was Beatrix Potter's inspiration for Peter Rabbit and the residence（居所）of the Lake Poets, including William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey.

    One of nature's most magical illusions

    Once upon a time in the faraway land of the Faroe Islands, Lake Leitisvatn became known as the most striking of all the islands' lakes. At more than 6km long, it is the biggest in the Faroe Islands. In reality, Lake Leitisvatn is actually no more than about 30m above sea level. A steep cliff in front of the lake and a clever camera angle make the lake appear to be much higher than it really is.

    A scientist once said: "I have concluded that the earth is being visited by intelligently controlled vehicles from outer space."

    If we take this as a reasonable explanation for UFOs (unidentified flying objects), questions immediately come up.

    "Why don't they get in touch with us, then? Why don't they land right on the White House lawn and declare themselves?" people asked.

    In reply, scientists say that, while this may be what we want, it may not necessarily be what they want.

    "The most likely explanation, it seems to me," said Dr. Mead, "is that they are simply watching what we are up to—that responsible society outside our solar system is keeping an eye on us to see that we don't cause a chain reaction that might have unexpected effects for the outside of our solar system."

    Opinions from other scientists might go like this: "Why should they want to get in touch with us? We may feel we're more important than we really are! They may want to observe us only and not interfere(干涉) with the development of our civilization  They may not care if we see them but they also may not care to say 'hello'."

    Some scientists have also suggested that Earth is a kind of zoo or wildlife reserve. Just as we set aside wilderness areas and wildlife reserves to allow animals and growing things to develop naturally while we observe them, so perhaps Earth was set aside ages ago for the same purpose.

    Are we being observed by intelligent beings from other civilizations in the universe? Are they watching our progress in space travel? Do we live in a huge "zoo" observed by our "keepers," but having no communication with them?

    Never before in our history have we had to face ideas bravely like these. The simple fact is that we, who have always regarded ourselves as supreme in the universe, may not be so. Now we have to recognize that, among the stars in the heavens, there may very well be worlds lived by beings who are to us as we are to ants.

Human rubbish can be a cockatoo's (凤头鹦鹉) treasure. In Sydney, the birds have learned how to open dustbins and throw rubbish around in the streets as they hunt for leftovers. People are now fighting back.

When cockatoos learn how to open dustbin lids (盖子), people change their behavior, using things like bricks to weigh down lids, to protect their trash from being thrown about. That's usually a low-level protection and then the cockatoos figure out how to defeat that. That's when people strengthen their efforts, and the cycle continues.

Tricks such as attempting to scare the parrots off with rubber snakes don't work very well. Nor does blocking access with heavy objects such as bricks; cockatoos use force to push them off. Hanging weights from the front of the lid or placing items such as sneakers and sticks through a bin's back handles work better. Researchers didn't see any birds get inside bins with these higher levels of protection.

The findings suggest an arms race, but the missing piece is how the birds will respond as people try new ways of blocking bins. Some survey responses suggest that the parrots are learning.

Cockatoos may stay away from strategies that take too long to beat. Bricks, for instance, are easy to quickly push off a bin; breaking sticks placed through the bin's back handle could take more time. Perhaps if enough people in a neighborhood adopt a highly effective method, Clark. a behavioral ecologist says, the cockatoos may not find it worth it to stop by.

A budget is your plan for how you spend your money. Saving money isn't easy unless you have a plan and stick to it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

Set Savings Goals

Defining a goal for your savings plan is the very first step. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) promotes using SMART savings goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and tailored. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. By setting SMART financial goals that are a good fit for your personal finances, you are more likely to keep up with the plan and succeed.

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Overspending is scary for many savers and spenders, but getting weekly spending down on paper can be enlightening and uncover opportunities to save an amount of money right away. Check out the CFPB's spending tracker that automatically sums expense categories and highlights spending limits, helping you stay in control of your money.

Evaluate and Cut Down Monthly Bills

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. But you may be able to reduce some of the bills. Look for ways to upgrade to energy-efficient appliances if your budget allows. Subscriptions and streaming services are other areas that hide monthly expenses.

Make a Budget and Use Technology

Once you've reduced expenses and identified your savings goal, a budget is key to start saving. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If you find yourself getting hit with late payment fees or insufficient funds on your checking account, it's definitely time to address this with technology. Not only do these fees burn lots of money when you're trying to save it, but they can also hit your credit report and impact your credit score.

A. Track Spending Habits

B. Identify and Change Spending Habits 

C. The savings goals you set must be in line with your financial situation

D. Apps and online banking working together make it easier to set up ways to save

E. There are some expenses you can't get around: shelter, food, health care and insurance

F. Setting savings goals and conducting an honest review of spending habits are significant

G. Visit your credit card's website to ensure you take advantage of available cash-back offers