Coca-Cola has created a publicity stunt (作秀) in Singapore — a vending machine (自动售货机) which gives out free cans of Coke in return for (作为对…回报) hugs. The whacky idea is part of the company's Open Haziness campaign (运动) designed to attract young people in Singapore.

    Students at the National University of Singapore were surprised to find that the soft drinks company had placed the machine in the schoolyard. But instead of the drinks brand's logo (标志), the words “Hug Me” are written across its red-and-white logo. Instead of paying money, customers have to hug the drinks machine to receive a free can of Coke.

    Public displays of affection are uncommon and have long been discouraged in Singapore, but are on the rise among young people. The move is part of a campaign created by advertising firm Ogilvy & Mather, intended to let the youth to see the brand as a non-threatening (无威胁的) friend.

    Leonardo O'Grady, leader of the campaign, said, “Happiness is contagious (传染的). The Coca-Cola Hug Machine is a single idea to spread some happiness. We want to spread happiness in an unexpected, creative way to attract not only the people present, but the audience at large.”

    He hopes that it will encourage consumers to bring positivity, optimism (乐观) and fun into their lives and to open a Coke, sharing a little happiness.

    The machines haw been such a success that there are plans to roll them out across Asia. Mr. O'Grady added, “The reaction was amazing — at one point we had four to five people hugging the machine at the same time as well as each other! In fact, there was a long line of people looking to give hugs.”

    Many people feel stressed out about buying and giving gifts around holidays．But have the holidays become too materialistic and more about the gifts than the feelings behind them?

    Throughout the world，many cultures mark holidays with gifts and food．Holiday traditions bring people together and allow us to feel a part of family and community．The gifts and food that we share are all about expressing a sense of appreciation and joy．The gifts of a few generations ago were probably more common and homemade．Even the people who could afford expensive presents probably didn't do as much buying and spending as we do today．

    But with our culture growing more commercial，sometimes the original meaning behind the tradition gets lost．Not only is the pressure on spending money on the right present，but many people also find that when gifts become the focus of a holiday，it puts too much emphasis on receiving．It's too easy to have high expectations of what's in that beautifully wrapped box—and that can set anyone up for disappointment．No wonder we often hear about people having the“holiday blues”—feeling sad or empty．

    Not all people think the holidays are too materialistic，of course．Most appreciate the traditional aspects of the holidays．And some love shopping and are just fine with all the giving and receiving．But if you're feeling a little empty about the holidays，what can you do? One key to a relaxing and meaningful holiday is finding what works best for you，both in terms of gift giving and other holiday traditions．Putting some thought into what the holidays mean to you and then focusing your energies on those aspects that leave you feeling most satisfied can help you let go of the stuff that may be stressing you out．

    China's college graduates are leaving first-tier cities（一线城市）for second-tier ones, according to the annual College Graduates' Employment Report issued on Monday.

    The report said that 22.3 percent of college graduates last year chose to work in first-tier cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen—down 1.3 percentage points from 2016 and 5.9 percentage points from 2013. In 2017, 21.7 percent of college graduates chose to leave first-tier cities after working there for three years, up 2.5 percentage points from 2016 and 8 percentage points from 2015.

    The report also found that leading second-tier cities are attracting more recent graduates. Around 35.6 percent of college graduates who chose to work in the top 10 second-tier cities such as Hangzhou, Chengdu and Wuhan, were from other regions in 2017, up 3.6 percentage points from the previous year.

    The report was based on a survey of 306,000 graduates from 30 provinces and regions. It was released by MyCOS, an education consulting and research institute in Beijing.

    Wang Boqing, founder of MyCOS, said large populations, traffic jam, smog, increasing property prices and great difficulty in obtaining permanent residence（居住）, or hukou in Chinese, have brought high pressure to life in first-tier cities for college graduates, which gives second-tier cities an opportunity to attract talented workers.

    Second-tier cities have rolled out a series of policies to attract university graduates, which include favorable treatment to obtain hukou, as well as housing and government subsidies（津贴）, he said. Wuhan, Hubei Province, has planned to build affordable housing for university graduates, and allow graduates to buy or rent apartments at a discount of at least 20 percent of the market price.

    Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences, however, said that the governments of such cities should notice that welfare（福利）, housing and money can attract people in a short time. “Professionals aim mainly at prospects（前景）for career development rather than just benefits,” Chu said, adding that those cities should maintain their advantages, such as low cost of living and nicer environments, to keep their appeal. The cities should provide more opportunities for employment that are similar to those in first-tier cities, he said.

    Three boys were enjoying themselves in their hometown of Bovina, Mississippi .However, their lives were turned upside down when they discovered the jawbone of a Mastodon (齿乳象).

    Brothers Shawn and Caid Sellers and cousin Michael Mahalitc found the prehistoric bone in a piece of earth that was recently plowed (犁、耕)."I thought it was a log," Caid said. "I tried to pick it up and it was really heavy and I saw teeth on it." The bone weighed about 50 pounds. They eventually got the bone to their home and fitted it in their tub (浴盆), but it took their collective strength, might and a golf cart, to carry the large Mastodon bone.

    "They didn't expect to find that," Michael's mom said. "Now that they have, I believe that they will be more aware of their surroundings and what they're digging up when they are digging and playing."

    "We've gotten a lot of petrified (石化的) wood and Civil War relics from the area and that's what I thought it was," the brothers' mother said. "This is our first set of teeth we've found. So we thought it was their imagination. We were quite surprised to see that it was not their imagination."

    They were exploring near the brothers' home. Lo and behold (真想不到), they saw what they thought resembled a fossil. It was the curator of paleontology (古生物负责人) of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, George Phillips, who first identified the bone as a "very mature individual."

    The Mastodon was a mammal who lived during the prehistoric times. They had long tusks and trunks, like elephants. They were clearly different from their modern-day counterparts, as well as woolly mammoths (猛犸).

    Going back to school can be an anxious time for many students. But one institution in Texas is doing its part to make sure middle schoolers are returning refreshed and inspired to learn.

    Through a process called the "bathroom inspiration project," teachers and administrators at Warren Middle School, spent their summer beautifying the school's restrooms by painting motivational murals (壁画) on each of the stalls (小隔间).Forming messages like "Your mistakes don't define you" and "Scatter (撒播) kindness," the brightly colored words are exactly what a young student needs to see when having a rough day-or any school day for that matter. And now that classes are officially in session, people are already noticing a positive impact.

    Since posting photos of upgrades to the school in July, Principal Joshua Garcia says that the alterations have aroused a great response.

    "Students have been talking about the murals from the moment the pictures had been posted. Some even took the time to find a reason to come up to the campus to see the murals," he says." I think what makes this small little action so valuable is that it has set the tone for our campus."

    And not only is that important to students, parents, and fellow staff, but it is also vital for the school's new principal, who is trying to gain the trust of the community during a time in which trust is so necessary for schools.

    "Being new to the campus, I think the parents were able to see how much I value their children and have their best interest at heart," Garcia continues. "I have had many parents tell me how they can just feel a difference in the campus climate and how much they are enjoying seeing their children wanting to come here. These murals have put trust back in the campus and its teachers, and by doing so we are able to build a culture in which our students want to be here and learn."