If you are sitting, please stand up. Move your legs. Touch your toes if you can. Do anything but sit. New research shows that if you cut down on the time you spend sitting, you might live longer. Sitting less than three hours a day might extend your life by two years. Cutting television time to less than two hours a day can add one point four years to life.

    The human body is designed to move. The fact is just the opposite. Modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely give us the chance to move around. We sit while we're eating; we sit in the car; we sit while we are watching TV. And most of us sit for many hours at work. Sitting is something we do all the time. On average, Americans sit for four and a half to five hours a day. But that does not make sitting good for us.

    Though you may exercise often, that does not mean you can sit for the rest of your waking hours. We can't throw away physical activity. It is extremely important. Even if you exercise for 30 minutes a day, what goes on in the other 23 and a half hours a day is also very important.

    Changes are coming to some offices, especially in the design of desks. A “standing desk” lets people stand while they work. Another new design is called the “treadmill desk”. It is an exercise machine that lets you walk slowly in one place. Even some U.S. schools begin to experiment with desks that are part bicycle to keep children moving.

    Many companies may not buy a standing desk for everybody. However, they may get five standing desks or a treadmill desk for their employees and put them in a certain place where people can go for an hour a day to answer their emails or talk on the phone. Experts suggest some other activities: take a walk at lunchtime; walk to the offices and talk directly instead of emailing colleagues. All these activities may help you live longer.

    One day, Mr. Smith went to a dinner party. He was wearing very old clothes. He came into the room.But people in the room didn't look at him. They didn't ask him to sit at the table. He wasn't happy. But he said nothing.Mr. Smith went home quickly and put on his best clothes. He went back to the party. Everyone in the room stood up and looked at him. They gave him good food to eat.Mr. Smith took off his coat, and put it on the food and said, "Eat, coat!" The other people were surprised and asked, "What are you doing? Why do you do that?" Mr. Smith answered, "I am asking my coat to eat food. When I wore old clothes, you didn't look at me. You didn't ask me to sit down. Now I am wearing these nice clothes. And you give me good food. Now I see, you give the food to my coat, not to me."

    It is widely acknowledged that nearly every kid might come across some kind of school bullying(欺侮), however, the age at which kids were first bullied could influence how strongly they are affected, suggests a new study. And, surprisingly, it is not the youngest kids who are hurt the most in the long term.

    Bullying can have long-lasting effects, but particularly when it begins in adolescence(青春期), the researchers say, people subjected to either verbal or physical bullying are known to be at greater risk of developing depression, anxiety disorders or to behave violently. But not everyone reacts in this way.

    Children who were bullied for the first time before they hit adolescence seem to get over it, but those who are bullied for the first time later on in adolescence seem to become more aggressive(富有攻击性的) or are more likely to turn to drinking as a means of coping with it. These are the conclusions of psychologists Matthew Newman and colleagues of Texas at Austin, US.

    The team gave questionnaires to nearly 1,500 college students about their experience of physical and psychological bullying before adolescence- before high school- and in late adolescence- at high school. They assessed mood and mental state, judging by signs of anxiety or depression, such as sleeplessness. The group was also questioned about how they would react to certain challenges, such as humiliation.

    People who were bullied all showed slightly higher levels of stress. But while those bullied earlier in life seemed to respond normally to provocation (煽动), people bullied for the first time late in adolescence are more withdrawn and sensitive to violence.

    There are also sex differences between those bullied for the first time during adolescence: females are more likely to react aggressively when provoked and males are much more likely to turn to drinking to escape bad situations. The best solution in all cases was strong social support, whether from friends, family or school. Those with no one to share their problems with suffered the most.

    So perhaps it is best not to shelter children completely from bullying early on, suggests Newman, "They may get stressed, but unhealthy coping really jumps out when they are bullied for the first time later on."

    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.

    I grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. When the holiday decorations went up, there were houses on my block with trees lit up for Christmas in front yards and behind living room windows. I was born in a Jewish family. Even though I received eight presents for Hanukkah (an eight-day Jewish holiday in November or December), it just wasn't fair. My friends had beautiful trees with lights and presents brought by a man in a red suit. I didn't have a tree, and I lived in an apartment building, so I had no chimney(烟囱).

    That year, some neighbors bought a Christmas tree, but it was too tall for their living rooms. They cut off the top and, knowing I wanted to celebrate Christmas, gave the top to my family. After my parents fell asleep, I opened a window in our apartment. I imagined Santa could park his sleigh(雪橇) on our fire escape. When I woke up the next morning, the window was closed and Santa had delivered a present. I can't even remember what it was, but my memory of the morning lasts.

    My relationship with Santa took a break until my daughter, Amanda, was born in 1992. My wife and I saw no reason to deprive(剥夺) her of meeting Santa. In 1998, a friend of mine portrayed(扮演) Santa at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan. He told me to stop by with my wife and daughter, and asked for their names in advance so he could greet them. When he saw us at the seaport, he greeted us by our names. My daughter's mouth opened wide and she pulled back. Maybe she was too young to appreciate this. But other families waiting to see him seemed delighted by his appearance and the gifts he brought.

    My two children are now grown up and do not visit Santa, and we do not have a Christmas tree, yet our family still enjoys the holiday. On Christmas Eve, in the spirit of the night, we leave a plate of my favorite cookies on the kitchen table in hopes Santa will leave a present.

    I always dreamed of studying abroad, to learn at a world﹣class university while further exploring the grounds on which these nations achieved new milestones of development with each passing day.

    To study abroad after my graduation, I could not stop seeking my dream. To take the first step, I did some brainstorming and explored opportunities on the Internet and finally decided to go for China. There were a number of reasons behind it﹣its advanced education system and thousands of centuries of rich culture inspired me to study there. The primary one was my curiosity how a nation has left many nations behind in a short time at its fast pace of development.

    So just like that, I applied, along with some of my friends, for a master's degree program at Communication University of China. I was the only one who got selected in the said program and in addition, the Chinese Scholarship Council sponsored all of my expenses. This good news was welcomed by my family.

    This is my seventh month in Beijing. In my experience so far, one thing that appeared to be missing was the internship（实习） which I tried to find because I want to work here after completion of my studies. After some struggles I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work as an intern with the Center for China and Globalization（CCG）. It's very exciting to work on their team as a researcher. Now I can proudly say that my decision to choose China as a study destination was the best decision I have ever made.