Kong Zi , also called Confucius (551-479 B.C) , and Socrates(469-399 B. C) lived only a hundred years apart , and during their lifetimesthere was no contact between China and Greece, but it is interesting to look athow the world that each of these great philosophers came from shaped theirideas , and how these ideas in turn ,shaped their societies.

Neither philosopher lived in times of peace, though there weremore wars in Greece than in China. The Chinese states were very large andfeudal, while the Greek city-states were small and urban. The urban environmentin which Socrates lived allowed him to be more radical than Confucius. UnlikeConfucius, Socrates was not asked by rules how to govern effectively. Thus,Socrates was able to be more idealistic, focusing on issues like freedom, andknowledge for its own sake. Confucius, on the other hand, advised those ingovernment service, and many of his students went out to government service.

Confucius suggested the Golden Rule as a principle for theconduct of life:” Do not do to others what you would not want others to do toyou.” He assumed that all men were equal at birth, though some had morepotential than others, and that it was knowledge that set men apart. Socratesfocused on the individual, and thought that the greatest purpose of man was toseek wisdom. He believed that the superior class should rule the inferior(下层的)classes.

For Socrates, the family was of no importance, and the communityof little concern. For Confucius, however, the family was the center of thesociety, with family relations considered much more important than politicalrelations.

Both men are respected much more today than they were in theirlifetimes.

    Welcome to one of the largest collections of footwear（鞋类）in the world that will make you green with envy. Here at the Footwear Museum you can see exhibits（展品）from all over the world.You can find out about shoes worn by everyone from the Ancient Egyptians to pop stars.

Room 1

    The celebrity（名人）footwear section is probably the most popular in the entire museum.Started in the 1950s, there is a wide variety of shoes and boots belonging to everyone from queens and presidents to pop stars and actors! Most visitors find the celebrities' choice of footwear extremely interesting.

Room 2

    Most of our visitors are amazed and shocked by the collection of "special purpose" shoes on exhibition here at the Museum of Footwear.For example,there are Chinese shoes made of silk that were worn by women to tie their feet firmly to prevent them from growing too much!

Room 3

    As well as shoes and boots,the museum also exhibits shoe-shaped objects.The variety is unbelievable.For example,there is a metal lamp that resembles a pair of shoes,and Greek wine bottles that like legs!

The Footwear Library

    People come from all over the world to study in our excellent footwear library.Designers and researchers come here to look up information on anything and everything related to the subject of footwear.

    Feet help us walk, run, dance, and jump. The words feet and foot are also used in everyday speech.

    To be under someone's feet means to be troublesome. In other words, you are standing too close to someone and are getting in their way. Some adults criticize (批评) children for being under foot.

    Speaking of children, if someone says their home will soon have the pitter-patter of tiny feet, it means the family is expecting a baby!

    Now, people who are active do not let grass grow under their feet. They are never in one place for very long. People who can think and take action at the same time are said to be able to think on their feet.

    Some people appear to have it all. They have money, a good education, good looks, a great family and a large circle of friends. You could say they have the world at their feet. This means whatever they want seems to be there for them.

    People who have both feet firmly on the ground are realistic and practical. They are not dreamy. You might say such a person is well grounded. If you are a bad dancer, you might be described as having two left feet. To dance well, it is better to have a right foot and a left foot.

    Sam loves skiing. He thinks that it would be fun to own a ski resort (滑雪场) high in the mountains. But he knows nothing about running a business. So, he decides to get his feet wet. In other words, he wants to get used to a new situation.

    He joins an organization for resort owners and attends their meetings. He travels to ski areas all over the United States. This helps Sam get his foot in the door. Having a foot in the door is a starting point. This expression comes from people selling things door-to-door. They would block the door with their foot so people couldn't close the door on them.

    In recent years, remote-sensing technologies have become ordinary in archaeological fieldwork（实地考察）. Such tools for excavation produce rapid results and cause no damage to archaeological sites. They are highly accurate and usually cost effective. Here are three of the modern archaeologist's most trusted remote-sensing tools.

    As the simplest of the remote-sensing techniques that archaeologists use, aerial（空中的）photography allows experts to see aspects of a site that may be invisible from the ground, such as the way in which something such as a town, garden, or building is arranged and traces of old walls and roads. The technique involves taking photographs with conventional cameras and filming from airplanes, helicopters, hot-air balloons, or other airborne vehicles.

    Geographic Information System (GIS) contains a large amount of field data archaeologists typically collect in and around excavation sites. While in the field, archaeologists use GIS on their computers to make and manage detailed site maps, and they can combine the results of remote-sensing tests with maps of the region created with the aid of Global Positioning System. Resulting maps sort the most archeologically promising areas and display these sites three-dimensionally.

    Ranging in size from small handled models that one places against the ground to larger ones that one across a site, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) devices use low-power radio waves to detect changes underground. Unlike traditional radar, which broadcasts into the air and uses a dish to focus the returned waves, GPR uses a small but sensitive receiver placed directly against the ground. Depending on their needs, archaeologists can adjust radio frequencies upward for shallow sites or downward for deeper areas, though GPR devices produce the greatest definition（清晰度）when reading depths of three feet or less.

    Traveling by subway can sometimes be quite an adventure, especially during rush hour. There are the times when you have to avoid cups of coffee that could spill (溅) on you. The smells of some passengers' food are very strong, too. According to the Beijing subway passenger regulations, which went into effect on May 15th, passengers except babies and the sick are no longer allowed to eat or drink on the subway. Violators (违反者) who do not stop after being asked to will be asked to get off. The violation will also be recorded in the violators' credit record.

    Some support the rule. The reason is that the smell of food and drink can annoy other passengers. "The smell of food fills the carriage, causing people discomfort, especially in the hot summer. Besides, eating on the subway produces rubbish. And on subway trains, people often spill their drinks," said Zheng Yiou, 17, a student from Hefei.

    However, others question this rule. "Some citizens live so far from their work places that they have limited time to have breakfast before they go to work. Eating while they travel saves them time and decreases the chance that they will be late for work," He Songlin, a 17­year­old student from Chengdu said, "And some people, like those with low­ blood sugar levels, get sick if they can't eat when they must."

    Other Chinese cities like Nanjing and Chengdu have similar regulations. Some foreign cities also ban eating and drinking on the subway. For example, eating and drinking have long been banned on the subway in Washington DC. Singapore fines people who eat or drink on the subway up to 500 Singapore dollars, which is RMB 2,417 yuan.

    Chen Yanyan, a professor from Beijing University of Technology, believed we should consider the need of some people to eat or drink on the subway. "Commuters (上班族) and travelers are sometimes too busy to eat. Maybe we could learn from Tokyo, where there are many subway stations equipped with services, allowing passengers to eat and drink," she said.

We're often told "laughter is the best medicine".Laughter is ancient and instinctual,and a fundamental part of everyday life—something most of us enjoy naturally.There are comedy channels on TV,comedy festivals and our favorite funny friend who's sure to get our giggle on.

So why do we need laughter experts?Surely they're for people who can't laugh for whatever reason.However,while the ability to laugh is innate,the decision to activate and use it to its full ability is a choice.

When life gets stressful;illness creeps in;relationships are put to the test or we're struggling financially,there's rarely much to laugh about.So,we don't.Yet turning into the lighter,more humorous side of life,and activating one's "laughter self" is critical to mental health.Rather than waiting for something funny to happen or for life to be a bed of roses,we can transform our emotional state by tapping into our laughter and humor resources.This helps create distance between us and our pain and improve our moods and resilience(恢复力) to stress.It provides relief and release from some of the stress that has embedded in our bodies and minds,freeing ourselves to power forward,even a little.

Ironically,because laughter is an innate and largely unconscious behavior,it's rarely given much thought.As it's seldom thought about,it can't be that important.

Wrong.If laughing is a more complex behavior,my belief is people will pay greater honor to it,rather than something to laugh off.It's actually one of the most complicated things our bodies process.It is a vocal means of communication before language forms and the brain has fully developed.The vast majority of us maintain the ability to laugh until our final curtain falls,even amid declining cognitive function.

Turning toward the healing power of humor and laughter assists with personal and professional resilience,performance and overall well-being.No joke.