For a long time, the traditional method of identifying liars was to watch their body language, including facial expressions.

    What if the person appears to be nervous? Is the person unable to look me in the eye? Is he or she look around the room? What about other nervous movements, such as fidgeting（坐立不安）or shifting from side to side? Many people—from parents to police officers and airport security personnel—depend on this method. But does a person's body and face reveal the truth? Not according to a new study.

    Talking, it seems, is the best way to smoke out a liar. That is what researchers in the United Kingdom found out recently. Their investigation took place at one place where lying can get you into big trouble—an airport.

    The researchers asked volunteers to pretend they were real passengers and then lie to airport security agents. Some of the agents used spoke conversation-based methods to question these make-believe passengers. Others depended instead on the person's body language, like lack of eye contact and showing signs of nervousness. The agents talking with the passengers were 20 times more likely to catch the liars. The study found that these conversation-based techniques can help you recognize when a person is lying to you. Like many methods, this conversation method has a name. It is called Controlled Cognitive Engagement or CCE, for short.

    The British government partly financed this study. The American Psychological (APA) published the findings. Body language cannot be trusted. Using body language and facial expressions to catch someone in a lie is really hard. And it only works, seemingly, by chance.

    Thomas Ormerod is the head of the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex in England. On the APA website, he reported that the “suspicious-signs method”—or using body language—“almost completely fails” in finding lies.

    When I was young I wanted to be a model,so when a national contest was staged,I convinced my parents to have a try.I was selected and told that I was talented and that for only $900 I could attend a weekend event which dozens of the most famous modeling agencies from around the world would attend.At 13,my hopes of fame and fortune clouded all judgment and I begged my parents to let me go.We have never been rich,but they saw my enthusiasm and agreed.

    I imagined being signed by some famous model companies.For months,any boredom or disappointment I faced was pushed aside because I knew I would soon have the chance to be a real model.I thought I would grace the covers of famous magazines!

    Of course,I wasn't signed,but what hurt the most was being told that if I grew to about 1.75metres I could be a success.I prayed for a growth spurt（冲刺）because I could not imagine giving up my dream.I made an appointment with a local modeling agency and the agent demanded $500 for classes,$500 for a photo shoot,and $300 for other expenses.My parents only agreed after hours and hours of my begging.

    The agency sent me out on a few auditions,but with every clay I didn't receive a call,I grew more depressed.The final straw came in July after I had decided to focus on commercial modeling.There was an open call in New York City.We spent hours driving and another few hours waiting,only to be told that I was too short.I was depressed.

    Years later,I realized that the trip to New York was good as it made me notice I didn't actually love modeling, just the idea of it.I wanted to be special and I was innocently determined to reach an impossible goal.The experience has made me stronger and that will help me in the future.

    A man walked into a small Irish pub and ordered three beers. Bartender was surprised, but he served that man three beers. One hour later the man ordered three beers again. The very next day that man ordered three beers again and drank quietly at a table. This repeated several times and shortly after the people of the town were whispering about the man, who was ordering three beers at once.

    A couple of weeks later, the bartender decided to clear this out and inquired: “I do not want to pry, but could you explain, why do you order three beers all the time?” The man replied: “It seems strange, isn't it? You see, my two brothers live abroad at the moment, one – in France and another – in Italy. We have made an agreement, that every time we go to pub each of us will order extra two beers and it will help keeping up the family bond”.

    Soon all the town have heard about the man's answer and liked it a lot. The man became a local celebrity. Residents of the town were telling this story to newcomers or tourists and even invited them to that pub to look at Three Beer Man.

    However, one day the man came to pub and ordered only two beers, not three as usual. The bartender served him with bad feeling. All that evening the man ordered and drank only two beers. The very next day all the town was talking about this news, some people pray for the soul of one of the brothers, others quietly grieved.

    When the man came to pub the next time and ordered two beers again, the bartender asked him: “I would like to offer condolences to you, due to the death of your dear brother”. The man considered this for a moment and then replied: “Oh, you are probably surprised that I order only two beers now? Well, my two brothers are alive and well. It's just because of my decision. I promised myself to give up drinking.”

    Tim Ma's parents came to the United States from Taiwan in the 1970s. They opened a restaurant. It was not a success. They found success in America, however, in computers and engineering. In part because of their own experiences, Ma's parents hoped he would study to become an engineer or doctor. They wanted financial security for their child.

    Growing up, Ma considered many professions—writer, fireman, even president. But he had a sense early on… I didn't want to be an engineer. However, Ma did well in math and science classes in high school and he ended up choosing to study electrical engineering in college.

    Several engineering jobs later, though, Ma had a change of heart. He wanted to leave the engineering world behind and enter the restaurant business. It was in his blood. After all, his parents had owned a Chinese restaurant in Arkansas. His uncle also owned one in New York.

    His parents, Ma says, could not understand why he would want to leave such a good job to open a restaurant. They had worked long hours but their own restaurant still failed. They kept asking. Why?

    But Ma remained certain. He was going to do things differently than his parents. He was able to learn from their one major mistake as restaurant owners—they knew very little about the art of cooking. So, at age 30, Ma left engineering and returned to school—cooking school.

    Ma soon learned that he enjoyed cooking. In 2009, Ma opened his first restaurant in Virginia. It is called Maple Avenue. At Maple Avenue, Ma cooked, cleaned the ovens, fixed equipment and paid bills. He worked long hours, seven days a week. His long hours paid off. Ma opened his fourth restaurant last year, Kyirisan in Washington, D.C.

    Kyirisan's success is due to the creative menu and food, Ma says. But mostly it just comes from completely hard work. I think in this country you can create your own success, just by working hard. Not because you're smarter than anybody, not because you're more creative than anybody, just by working hard. And I think that's why a lot of people end up coming to America.

    FROM dogs and cats to pandas and penguins, lists of adorable animals can be very varied. However, when it comes to scary animals, the answers are often more or less the same­snakes and spiders are among the most dreadful ones for the majority of us.

    However, most of us have never been bitten by a snake or a spider. So does this mean we are born with a fear of certain things?

    Scientists have been actively looking into it for a long time. For example, studies have suggested that babies find live animals much more interesting than stuffed （毛绒填充的） ones. This interest continues even if those animals are snakes and spiders.

    A study published in Psychological Science in 2008seemed to show that snakes did have a different impact on babies. When scientists presented babies with animal videos along with random sounds of happy or frightened human voices, hey found that babies looked at snakes for longer than any other animal however the voices sounded.

    Now, a team from Rutgers University in New Jersey, US has tried to challenge the idea that babies are born with a fear of snakes and spiders. According to the BBC, the researchers measured babies' physiological （生理的） responses as they watched videos of snakes and elephants paired with both fearful and happy voices.

    Scientists then set out to surprise the babies to see how they would react. They presented them with an unexpected bright flash of light as they watched a video. As the BBC explained, a surprise like this would be more intense （强烈的） if the babies were already scared, just like when we watch scary films and jump more if we are already scared.

    However, according to their findings, published recently in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, babies 'surprised responses were not bigger when watching a video of a snake, even when it was shown with a fearful voice. Their heart response was also lower, which also made it seem that babies were not scared.

    "Children do not have an innate fear of snakes," concluded the study. Even if previous studies had suggested that babies have different responses to snakes, it isn't necessarily related to fear. "It's possible that paying more attention to something might make fear learning easier later on. It leads to fear learning," said research co­author Vanessa LoBue. She further explained that it was a good thing that humans didn't have an inborn fear of snakes because it would make a young infant's desire to explore new things less strong.

    Instead, we have evolved to quickly learn to be afraid of something if it turns out to be dangerous.

    As we know, Julian Beever is an international well-known sidewalk chalk artist whose drawings have appeared on the streets of London, Buenos Aires, Paris, New York, and countless other cities around the world. Beever creates drawings that look completely three- dimensional when seen from the correct angle.

    Now, in his book, Pavement chalk artist: The three-dimensional drawings of Julian Beever, the artist shares some of his most fascinating and humorous pieces, Here are a few examples you'll find in the book.

   ●Philadelphia eagle

    In Pennsylvania, Beever created "Philadelphiaeagle" a huge drawing with an eagle landing successfully on an American national flag.

   ●Meeting Mr. Frog

    "Meeting Mr. Frog" was created in Salamanca, Spain, and is about a realistic-looking frog sitting on a Lily pad.

    Swimming pool in the high street

My personal favorite is "Swimming pool in the high street" from Brussels, which is about a woman relaxing in a swimming pool—--a swimming pool sunk into the middle of the street, that is!

    Along with an introduction about his background, Beever includes a description of the techniques he used and the challenges he overcame with every drawing. He shares information about his time at home in the UK. and abroad; there is a fun story to back up each piece of art.

    Beever's artwork is truly jaw dropping. You're sure to spend ages turning the leaves back and forth, surprised at how one man can create what looks like a three-dimensional design on a flat surface with just a bit of chalk. From animals to superheroes to famous buildings, the paintings are a wonder to lay eyes on.

    Payment chalk artist: The three-dimensional drawings of Julian Beever is surely worth a look. And another look. This 112-page hardcover book is available now from Firefly Books at a list price of $ 29.95