We eat in our cars, at our desks, on the go, and in front of die TV. We eat take-out, packaged and prepared meals. Why? Because it fits our not-enough-time-in-the-day lifestyles.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Well, I'm certainly not the first one to think it-or say it-but we all need to slow down.

    Consumer trends around the globe show that over the past three decades people are purchasing more prepared foods at grocery and eating out more than ever before. It's predicted that we'll spend more at restaurants in the coming years.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} However, we're getting less healthy.

    While debates can be seen in different media over diet food industry's contribution to our growing waistlines and our health problems, the bottom line is this:{#blank#}3{#/blank#} We can choose to eat a fast—food lunch on the go. We can throw a frozen meal in the microwave and call it dinner. We can eat without thinking, in front of the tube, at our computers, and while driving a car.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Studies have shown meaningful links between family meals and kids' mental and physica I well— being. Eating sensibly doesn't take much time or money, but it does require you to make a conscious decision to do so. Wrapped in endless work, appointments and social activities, we often fail to enjoy a relaxing meal with our families.

    While it can be a challenge to always put healthy eating first, just do your best. Remember that diet food you eat has a more significant intact on your health, weight and well-being than almost any other activity you do.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Every meal made at home—even just once or twice a week—is a step closer to a healthier body and a slower food lifestyle.

A. Lunch is the biggest calorie intake when it comes to eating out.

B. Treat it with the importance that it deserve, but start small.

C. Our food matches our lives.

D. Purchase food locally and skip as many packaged items as you can.

E. What we eat, where we eat and how we eat are all under our control.

F. We're consuming an increasing number of calories.

G. We can devote an hour of the day to enjoying a meal with our families.

Kinds of friendships

    There are many different kinds of friendships to distinguish.If people are honest with one another and clearly define（界定）which kind of friendship they have,they can avoid a lot of misunderstanding.And if people can learn to move on from a relationship that is over,they will be better off.

    Then,what are the different kinds of friendship?Well,the first kind is the social friend.This is the kind of friend that people have most of.This kind of friend isn't someone who you hang out with all the time or live with,but you know them and associate with（与…交往）them at a bar,store or some other public places.They're nice to talk to when you see them and are usually good for a laugh.However,they are not good to talk about a problem with.

    The second kind is the counselor（顾问）.This is a friend you go to when you need advice or just someone to listen.You value their wisdom or at least the fact that they are good at listening to you.You can tell this kind of friend almost anything without fearing gossip（闲言碎语）.They are the kind of friend you can trust but you just don't hang out together,unless you want to talk about something important.

    The third kind is the fun boy/girl.This kind of friend can usually be counted on to go somewhere with you at a moment's notice.They like hanging out with you whether you're going to a store or a bar or wherever.They're good tension relievers because you know you're just going to have a good time.This kind of friend isn't someone you go to for advice;in fact you shouldn't affect your relationship by getting serious about something.They're trustworthy and you know they aren't going to gossip about what you do together.Don't expect anything else from this kind of friend; just have a good time.

    The fourth kind of is the work friend.This is the friend you have at work.You interact（交流）at work only.This may include having a break together,maybe even shopping with them or running an errand（差使）during lunch or after work.They're usually not good to get advice form but on some occasions things might be discussed and you might give each other advice.Mostly you talk about the job.

    The last kind is the lifetime friend.This friendship is very rare and usually is found in marriage relationships. This kind of friend is all the above rolled into one.

    It seems that there is never enough time in the day. But,since we all get the same 24 hours,why is it that some people achieve much more than others?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

Keep a to-do list.

    You should have a reminder system to tell you when you need to do what.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Carry a pen andpaper wherever you go and write down the things you need to do, including appointments and deadlines.

Set goals.

    Set yourself specific goals,and make sure that they are realistic. To do this, you first need to examine your present situation and assess（判断）which goals are important to you. Have a secondary route to your goals in case you have to change your plans.

Break down (分解）tasks.

    Break goals down into different parts so that you can accomplish them one step at a time{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Try to complete one task before you go on to the next.

Organize your time.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}A good way to do this is to record everything you do for a week in detail and then examine your record to see how you use or waste your time.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Keep your work space tidy so that you can work efficiently - it's hard to work if things you need to find are buried under a pile of paper! Work to schedule (为...安排时间）so that you can meet deadlines in good time - don't leave everything until the last minute.

A Develop a regular work order.

B. Make a detailed plan.

C. The best time to do something is usually NOW.

D. The answer lies in good time management.

E. Don't try to remember everything in your head.

F.Write these steps down, and try to be as detailed as you can when you do this.

G. Identify areas of your life where you are wasting time and try to reduce them.

    Eco City Farms is an educational nonprofit organization. It seeks to empower the community by teaching economic development, job training and a healthier way of living. The group has set up farms near automobile repair businesses and fast food stores in urban neighborhoods.

    Social activist Margaret Morgan-Hubbard founded Eco City Farms. She says that lack of fresh produce is a major health problem for children and their families living in Maryland. "What's critical is that 70 percent of the people in these towns are either overweight, have some illnesses, for example, diabetes, or have other kinds of diet-related ailments because they don't have access to healthy food.

    Eco City Farms offers several programs for agriculture, food and finding jobs with environment-friendly businesses. People can also learn how to cook healthier foods and teach others how to prepare meals. On a recent day, Philip Sidibe demonstrated his cooking skills. He prepared Aloco, a popular food in Cameroon where he grew up. He and other young people not only cook their food, they also grow it in a large garden.

    Tameka Barbour-Gaskins lives in Autumn Woods. She says her whole family is eating healthier meals because of the local produce. "I like junk food. I like quick meals. Not easy to just go from eating a certain way all your life to switching over to being healthier… With the urban garden here, with my son learning, he can help me switch around my style of eating. I want a healthy family."

    Margaret says the urban garden is an agent for change and the young people are its newest supporters. "Our program is about planting seeds. It's about planting seeds not just in the ground, but in other human beings so that the movement can grow and it's really exciting because these young people will be working with us throughout the year to help plan the actual farm and to finally own it."

    If there is one word to describe the progress made in the last 100 years, it's connectedness. From the telephone to the radio to the TV to the Internet, we have found ways to bring us all closer together, enabling，constant worldly access.

    I don't think I need to highlight the benefits of all this. But the downsides are also beginning to show. Beyond the current talk about privacy and data collection, there is perhaps an even more detrimental side-effect here: We now live in a world where we're connected to everything except ourselves. According to Pascal, we fear the silence of existence, and we dread boredom and instead choose aimless distraction and use the noise of the world to block out the discomfort of dealing with ourselves.

    However, we ignore the fact that never facing ourselves is why we feel lonely an anxious in spite of being so intimately connected to everything else around us.

    Fortunately, there is a solution. The only way to avoid being ruined by this is to face it. It's to let the boredom take you where it wants so you can deal with whatever it is that is really going on with your sense of self. That's when you'll hear yourself think, and learn to engage the parts of you that are masked by distraction.

    The beauty of this is that, once you cross that initial barrier, you realize that being alone isn't so bad. Boredom can provide its own stimulation.

    When you surround yourself with moments of solitude and stillness, you become intimately familiar with your environment in a way that forced stimulation doesn't allow. The world becomes richer, the layers start to peel back, and you see things for what they really are, in all their wholeness, in all their contradictions, and in all their unfamiliarity.

    You learn that there are things you are capable of paying attention to than just what makes the most noise on the surface. Just because a quiet room doesn^'t scream with excitement like the idea of immersing yourself in a movie or a TV show doesn't mean there isn't depth to explore there.

    Sometimes, the direction that this solitude leads you in can be unpleasant, especially when it comes to introspection (内省)—your thoughts and your feelings, your doubts and your hopes—but in the long term, it's far more pleasant than running away from it all without even realizing what you are.

    Being alone and connecting inwardly is a skill nobody ever teaches us. That's ironic because it^'s more important than most of the ones they do.

    Solitude may not be the solution to everything, but it certainly is a start.