For many years, scholars have regarded My Mortal Enemy as somewhat of an enigma. Written in only a few months during the early spring of 1925 and published in 1926, Willa Cather's shortest novel was sandwiched in between The Professor's House (1925) and Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927). While the subject matter of these latter two works can be traced to Cather's experience in the desert Southwest, My Mortal Enemy seemingly has nothing to do with these subjects or her Nebraska roots; it appears to have come out of nowhere, puzzling those who have tried to fit this rather irregular work into a logical progression of Cather's artistic development. The question of what caused Cather to write such a novel at this point in her career, for example, has still not been answered definitively. One commonly held hypothesis (假说) was first voiced by Marcus Klein, who in his 1961 introduction to the novel wrote that for Cather, “The story of Myra Henshawe must have been a personal crisis”. Klein, though, acknowledged that he could not prove his theory, “because there is available no record other than the novel”. Emmy Stark Zitter has recently argued that in My Mortal Enemy and Sapphira and the Slave Girl(1940) Cather exercises the autobiographical impulse (冲击) by putting details of her own life into her fiction, but, like Klein, she is unable to name which “details” of her life Cather drew on in writing My Mortal Enemy.

    As hinted (暗示) in the above statements by Klein and Zitter, much of the general uncertainty about the meaning of My Mortal Enemy can be traced to the absence of a persuasive theory as to who the real-life models for the novel's characters were and what Cather's relationship to them was. Cather herself wrote in a 1940 letter that, in James Woodress's paraphrase, “she had known Myra's real-life model very well, and the portrait drawn in the story was much as she remembered her”; Cather also added that the woman had died fifteen years before My Mortal Enemy was published, and that many relatives of this model later wrote to her to say that they recognized the “real” Myra from her description in the novel. Given such hints and Cather's liking for drawing on her experiences in Nebraska for characters, settings, and plots, it is quite understandable that scholars have thus looked to Red Cloud and Lincoln for possible sources of the people and events depicted in My Mortal Enemy.

    In light of the evidence presented in this article, though, I believe that Cather intended her comments about the model for Myra Henshawe to serve as red herrings (转移注意力的言语) that would protect her relationship with the couple who were the prototypes (原型) for the Henshawes, both of whom were still alive in 1925. Mark Madigan has recently confirmed how Cather in 1905 had to hold off publishing “The Profile (传略)” because of fears that the main character might recognize herself and commit suicide, and twenty years later Cather would have been well aware of how her description of the Henshawes might have affected both the real-life wife (who died in 1929) and husband (who died in 1949) if they had recognized themselves. It is my argument that the Henshawes were modeled after people Cather knew not in Nebraska but rather in New York: S. S. and Hattie McClure. Myra's uncle, John Driscoll, was modeled after Hattie's father, Professor Albert Hurd.

    Possibly most important, identifying the Henshawes as the McClures allows us to more conclusively identify Cather herself with Nellie Birdseye. Nellie and Cather, both Midwestern onlookers and recorders, experienced four distinct stages in their relationships with the Henshawes and the McClures (especially with S. S.) My Mortal Enemy, I believe, was an extended attempt by Cather to deal with certain aspects of her own past and to move on in a world stripped of romantic illusion.

    My friend Kathy and I were going to Colorado Springs for holiday. The only problem was, I didn't have any luggage to pack my belongings in.

    My friend Debbie offered to lend me a suitcase that belonged to her father, who had passed away long ago. “I don't know if you'll want to use it,” she said so gently, “it's very old, worn out, and such an ugly yellow color." I was so touched by her offer to lend something that belonged to her father, but I was also concerned about the possibility of it being damaged or lost. She insisted that I take it. So with the suitcase safely in hand, I boarded the train with Kathy.

    We spent two days and one night on the train, sleeping in our seats. As we slept, we were awakened at times, by the noises of the train pulling in and out of the stations.

    The next morning we eagerly awaited the announcement: Next stop, Colorado Springs. But suddenly, there came another announcement over the loud speaker. “During one of the overnight stops, many pieces of luggage were mistakenly removed from the train and left at the wrong location.”

    Kathy and I just looked at each other, as I felt the disappointment swell. Could my worst fear be coming true, was Debbie's suitcase lost?

    Just then two train conductors passed our seats. One of them jokingly said to the other, “Did you ever see such an old, ugly, brighter yellow, piece of luggage in all of your life?”

    Before the other conductor could answer, I screamed, “YES, MY SUITCASE MADE IT!”

    The two conductors stopped in their tracks! and, very red in the face, couldn't seem to apologize enough for having insulted my suitcase.

    When I returned it, I couldn't wait to get the suitcase back into Debbie's safe hands. She asked, “Did everything go well on the trip?” Somehow. I just couldn't resist telling her what had happened. She laughed heartily.

    When I recall the golden suitcase, Fm reminded, that like the suitcase, we can see ourselves as too old, useless, worn out, and of little value. Or, we can take a closer look and realize that we are one of God's most valued creations -- unique, and holding inside our most valuable possessions -- that of love, faith, hope, and wisdom.

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    We don't know how different our life will be in the future. We can only try to imagine it.

    At first we think about human relationship. In the year 2050, we will use computers almost everyday. We will make new friends through the Internet—even our husbands or wives will be met in this way. It will be much faster and easier for us. On the other hand, our relationships with people won't be as important as they are today—we will feel a little lonely.

    Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050.For example, they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier. In addition, there will be much more other machines which will play a similar role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us.

    Spending holidays will also be completely different. Traveling to other planets or to the moon will be available for everyone. Means of transport will, of course, change, too. We will use solar-powered cars, which will be much cleaner.

    We could expect that the faster technological progress would lead to a more polluted environment. But it isn't true. We will pay more attention to protecting the environment. And, scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases, like cancer or AIDS. Therefore, our surroundings as well as health will be in better condition.

    Although we can't predict the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our and our children's future; we have expectations, hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather hope about our future. We should be happy and believe good things will happen.

    Paris is the city of dreams; the city of love. If you are thinking of heading to Paris for a study period, then perhaps a little reality check is in order. But my experience was a romantic one.

    I paved my path to Paris through an exchange program. On arrival in Paris, I was constantly reminded of the official processes I was required to complete — forms to be filled in, meetings to attend, the list seemed endless. Perhaps it was due to my well organizational habit, but somehow this endless list of to do's was completed in little more than a week.

    Then the real work began. Once classes were underway, I found myself volunteering to do oral presentations and assignments first, rather than last. This method turned out to be very helpful.

    Once I had finished class for the week, I had an ever-increasing list of museums to visit, neighborhoods to explore, cafés to sit in, and parks to run around. Read as many books about Paris as you can. Talk to as many locals and other foreigners living there as you can. The one thing that reading a book or talking to someone cannot do is to provide you with the experience of wandering Paris on foot. I discovered some of my favorite places in Paris by wandering. The people watching, the sounds of the city, the colors as the seasons change, they all add to the ecstasy that is experiencing Paris as an exchange student.

    After spending five months wandering through the charming neighborhoods, I fell in love with the atmosphere that came out from every open door, and with every spoken word. There is something comforting about walking to the market each Sunday to be faced with the beautiful display of fruits, vegetables and dairy products. There is warmth in saying bonjour to the man across the hall.

    On my last day in Paris, I confidently said, “Bonjour Monsieur,” as I passed the little store down the street. I guess no matter how hard I tried I was always going to be an outsider, a tourist. The best part about going on exchange in Paris is falling in love with the city in your own unique way. Everyone's experience of Paris is different. I know mine is unique and special to me, my own little pieces of Paris.

Most parents are worried the first time they catch their kids out in a lie. According to child and teen psychiatrist Gayani DeSilva, lying can actually be a sign of healthy development in young children. "Kids lie for many reasons, and much of it is normal," DeSilva says. "People are not born with the knowledge of communicating with others and getting their needs met. They'll experiment with different communication styles and techniques until they find the ones that work best for them. Lying is one of those techniques."

As kids get older, they become more aware of how their actions affect others, and many will lie less frequently. In spite of this, parents still need to Lead their kids to form a habit of not lying. According to DeSilva, when children lie, look at them directly and ask what they need. After they tell you, gently remind them that telling you directly will be more effective than lying.

It's also a good idea to model the behavior you want to see in your kids. In other words, don't lie to your children. This will set you and your children on a course of open communication and trust.In some cases, lying is a sign of a deeper issue. A child who is neglected will lie more than a child who has attentive and responsive parents. He's not sure whether he's loved. He may lie to please others. The same goes for a child who has experienced something unpleasant. He may lie to try to hide his shame, avoid admitting his needs, or to control his surroundings to ensure his safety.

By paying attention to the reasons behind a lie, parents can figure out what need to be done. For example, while Jack might lie about completing his homework in order to play video games, he also might be trying to avoid negative feelings connected with school work, and this is just where parents should start, says therapist Gideon Javna.

Music is all around us. It's an accessible and popular art form which accompanies our daily lives. Advertisers have long understood the popularity and emotional power of music and capitalized on it. They spend much time and money securing the right soundtrack (配乐) for an advertisement in order to boost sales. For example, Microsoft spent a reported US$3 million using Start Me Up as part of their advertising campaign for Windows 95.

As one researcher puts it, "Music expands pictures and colors words, and often adds a form of energy available through no other source." This is supported by other studies, which suggest that music matching the main message of an advertisement has a positive effect on consumer engagement. This is known as "musical congruity" and can result in better attention, a positive emotional response, finally improving the effectiveness of an advertisement.

Take the simple but interesting advertisement for Air France, with the soundtrack of Mozart's Piano Concerto No.23, for example. It projects greatness and elegance in the hope that viewers will associate those qualities with the airline. The research, which looked at hundreds of viewer comments about the music used in advertising, suggested it was successful.

Music is also effective at arousing (唤醒) emotional memories in advertisements creates associations with consumers' past experiences. A good choice of music allows businesses to tap into this nostalgia for commercial benefit.

However, the use of popular music in advertising can also arouse arguments between artistic effort and commercialism. Some people believe a work of art shouldn't be used for the pursuit of profit. The findings of study showed that consumers sometimes passionately oppose the use of music produced by respected musicians in advertisements, as they believe that it destroys the aesthetic integrity (美学完整性). For example, Nike's use of the Beatles' song Revolution was seen by some as using John Lennon's music to sell shoes. It made some Nike wearers so angry that they refused to buy the products.