A Spanish company Siesta&Go has opened the first public napping (小睡) space in Madrid. It promises people a quiet rest in the middle of the city's business center.

    Napping spaces are nothing new; places to rest are already set up in other big cities in the world. But the idea would appear to work well with the culture of Spain, where people traditionally take an afternoon nap, called siesta.

    The Madrid nap space recently opened with 19 beds. People can use them by the minute or by the hour, and they can also choose either a private or shared room. An hour of napping inside a private room costs about $15.

    Siesta &Go provides all bedding, clean nightshirts and other materials. Nippers can request to be woken up when their time is up. It also offers areas to work, with armchairs, newspapers and coffee for those not wishing to sleep.

    Philip &Go is one happy customer. Marco says he gets tired during the day because of hard work. He says a siesta is the perfect way to build up energy. "I come for about 30 minutes or something like that. That is usually enough for me to be full of energy."

    While many Spanish people love their naps, others like Carlos Villarroja say they are just too busy to keep the tradition. "It's a Spanish tradition, but I think it's more of a legend (传说) than a tradition. Because of the lifestyle and the working hours, we have very little free time for a siesta at least during the week."

    But many health experts believe there is evidence that taking a short nap can be very good for the body and mind. Scientific studies show that taking a siesta can also prevent illness and lower blood pressure.

    I was attending a party one night given in Sir Ross's honor; and during the dinner, the man sitting next to me told a humorous story based on the quotation(引语): “There's a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.”

    The storyteller mentioned that the quotation was from the Bible. He was wrong. I knew that, and I knew it positively. There couldn't be the slightest doubt about it. And so, to get a feeling of importance and display my superiority, I appointed myself as an unwelcome committee of one to correct him. He stuck to his guns. “What? From Shakespeare? Impossible! Absurd! That quotation was from the Bible.” And he knew it.

    The storyteller was sitting on my right; and Frank Gammond, an old friend of mine, was seated on my left. Mr. Gammond had devoted years to the study of Shakespeare. So the storyteller and I agreed to submit the question to Mr. Gammond. Mr. Gammond listened, kicked me under the table, and then said: “Dale, you are wrong. The gentleman is right. It is from the Bible.”

    On our way home that night, I said to Mr. Gammond: “Frank, you knew that quotation was from Shakespeare.” “Yes, of course,” he replied, “Hamlet, Act Five, Scene Two. But we were guests at a happy time, my dear Dale. Why prove to a man he is wrong? Is that going to make him like you? Why not let him save his face? He didn't ask for your advice. He didn't want it. Why argue with him? Always avoid your sharp angle.” The man who said that taught me a lesson I'll never forget. I not only had made the storyteller uncomfortable, but also had put my friend in an embarrassing situation. How much better it would have been had I not become argumentative.

    Nine times out of ten, an argument ends with each of the contestants more firmly convinced than ever that he is absolutely right. You can't win an argument. You can't because if you lose it, you lose it; and if you win it, you lose it.

    At 17, Mark Merwitzer might be Florida's youngest lobbyist (游说者). The Miami high school junior appeals to authorities to keep drivers from texting behind the wheel.

    Over the past year, the teen has met with county officials and state legislators (立法者)to argue that the police should be able to pull drivers over just for using their phones. Efforts in past years have struggled to advance, but recently, the bill got full support from the Senate Transportation Committee (参议院交通委员会).

    Like many US people, Merwitzer has seen countless drivers texting behind the wheel. But last spring, while he was riding in the passenger seat of a vehicle, he saw drivers using smartphones in almost every car. A few drivers even appeared to lose control of their cars as they sped along. It dawned on (突然想到) Merwitzer that no one was doing anything to fix the problem.

    We need to teach drivers how to properly and safely use technology behind the wheel which is not using it at all,” said Merwitzer.

    For the 17-year-old teenager, advocating a new state law has been a crazy experience.

    In order to carry out his plan，he put his focus on drumming up (争取)local support by starting an online petition (请愿)and speaking to village councils,

    Merwitzer said the first time he spoke at a council meeting “was a complete stutter fest (口吃表演)，” but he quickly adapted to it.

    “It really creates some standards that help everybody realize the importance of keeping their eyes on the road,” said Miami-Dade Commissioner (专员)Levine Cava.

The commissioner has been so impressed with Merwitzer's understanding of the political process. “He really learned very quickly how to be an effective citizen lobbyist,” she said.

    So far, opposition to the bill has come mainly from police departments. Some are worried about the possibility of lawsuits (诉讼)if officers are accused of racially profiling (按种族形象定性) drivers when accusing them of texting and driving，Merwitzer said. The bill also has critics in the House, where lawmakers have yet to make plans for a hearing.

    Merwitzer said he would one day like to be a state legislator, but in the meantime he has a few short-term goals, like finishing school and going to college. Once the legislative session (期间) is over, Merwitzer plans to turn his attention to another local problem: public transportation. “I'd like to focus on that，” Merwitzer said. “It seems like it's a giant mess,”

    You may probably meet most of the powerful graduation speakers, here who are well-known people in their fields. I think the schools couldn't have picked better speakers than them, because they set good examples, deeply inspiring us in our daily life.

    1) Steve Jobs, Stanford University:

    "Remembering you're going to die, and the best way I know is to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose. There is no reason not to follow your heart. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice... "

    2) Oprah Winfrey, Stanford University:

    "I consider the world, this Earth, to be like a school... And the secret I've learned to get ahead is being open to the lessons from the grandest universe of all. Don't react against a bad situation. And the solution will arise from the challenge. So don't give up easily, acting with responsibility... "

    3) Bono, University of Pennsylvania:

    "For four years you've been buying, trading, and selling everything you've got in this market-place of ideas. Your pockets are full, even if your parents' are empty, and now you've got to figure out what to spend it on... The world is more flexible than you think and it's waiting for you to hammer it into shape... "

    4) Michael Dell, University of Texas at Austin:

    "Now it's time for you to move on to what's next and obtain your desire. But you must not let anything prevent you from taking those first steps. Don't spend so much time trying to choose the perfect opportunity, or sometimes you'll miss the right opportunity. Recognize that there will be failures and obstacles. But you will learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others."

It was a cold February day. Dangwen and his wildlife monitoring team patrolled(巡逻)along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. That day, they {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (meet) 220 blue sheep and five white-lipped deer. Through the camera, they found a mother and two baby leopards(豹) — and the babies had grown much {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (big) than three months earlier.

Dangwen comes from Yunta, a village located in Sanjiangyuan, Qinghai Province on the Tibetan Plateau. Sanjiangyuan serves as an important habitat {#blank#}3{#/blank#}  rich and unique species.

Dangwen is neither officially a researcher {#blank#}4{#/blank#} an activist. But he has taken upon himself the task of monitoring local wildlife with a team of other villagers, as part of a conservation project driven by the Shanshui Conservation Center, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Beijing-based non-governmental organization. When the organization brought up the idea of {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (organize) villagers to watch over wildlife and protect their lands, Dangwen volunteered {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (immediate). Having grown up in the village, he knows very well the land, the river and the wildlife, and he is especially proud of the sacred mountains {#blank#}8{#/blank#} are around all of them. This is the fourth year that Yunta villagers have carried out this monitoring, patrolled the village to identify poachers(偷猎者), and managed rubbish {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (keep)the land and rivers clean.

Monitoring data shows that local wildlife {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (population), including snow leopards, are increasing.