The ability to speak more than one language certainly has its special benefits.It enables you to work in another country or interact with people whose language is different from your mother tongue.Cognitive（认知的）  psychologists have been interested in how bilingualism（双语能力）shapes the mind for almost a century.There are those who suggest that in order to speak one language,bilinguals have to suppress（抑制）the influence of the other.In the past three decades,research had argued that this unique form of language processing trains the brain in the use of abilities known as "executive（执行的）functions" such as ignoring irrelevant information or shifting attention. Bilinguals of different ages and cultural backgrounds have been shown to be faster and more accurate than their monolingual（单语的）peers when performing cognitive tasks demanding these abilities.Furthermore,it has been argued that bilingualism may lead to a delayed onset（发作）of symptoms associated with dementia（痴呆）.

    But the scientific community recently has become increasingly skeptical of the bilingual advantage.One of the main points of criticism is that differences between monolinguals and bilinguals when it comes to executive functions are not always apparent.It appears that research on bilingualism is at a turning point.We need to pursue a new approach to understand,beyond those individual examples of executive functions,how the bilingual mind works. We have attempted to address this challenge by testing whether bilinguals and monolinguals differ in terms of how accurately they can assess their own performances.This ability is called meta cognition and is associated with other areas where bilinguals have been shown to have an advantage.

    In our research,we presented participants with a situation in which they had to observe two circles on a screen and guess which one contained more dots.Sometimes the difference was obvious,making the decision easy,while at other times the decision was very difficult (for example,one circle contained 50 dots and the other 49).Participants were then asked to determine how confident they were in their decision on a scale from less to more confident than normal.

    During the course of two experiments,we found that bilinguals and monolinguals were equally likely to choose the circle containing the highest number of dots.However,monolinguals were better able than bilinguals to discriminate between when they were right and when they were wrong.In other words,bilinguals had less insight into their performance than monolinguals.This went against our initial predictions,as we expected to find a bilingual advantage in meta cognitive processing.These results indicate that bilingualism may be associated with cognitive disadvantages as well as benefits.

    This is a photo of a similar car I own. It's a photo of a Skoda Fabia, I drive one too. A young guy also got out of a similar car as I was getting close to mine. I laughed and was prepared to leave. The young guy continued to have a conversation with me.

    He asked me how I found the car. It turned out that it was his first day to drive the car and it was new and it was a gift from his parents and he'd just passed his driving test today! What a coincidence (巧合)!

    Well, this was a special moment for Nicholas. Who gets a new car the day they learn to drive and then drives into a garage and has a talk with a woman who's driving the same model of car? Yes, beautiful synchronicity (同步性) in full view.

    I wanted to make this moment special for Nicholas, and I wanted to gift him something. Thinking on my feet, I thought I'd buy him a lottery ticket (彩票) but it wasn't special enough.

    I got into my car and removed my Guardian Angel key ring which I had attached to my front mirror. It was there to keep me safe. My birthday is on Guardian Angel's Day too, so this is very special to me. I gave it to Nicholas and he was happy to receive it. Nicholas gave me a big hug.

    Nicholas was not an overconfident guy. He also told me his mum was only out of hospital and now he'd be able to help her get about.

I'll order myself another Guardian Angel key ring for my car for fear that my Guardian Angel will not be protecting me without the key ring. As for Nicholas, well, I wish he and his passengers a lifetime of safe driving.

    It's 5:00 in the morning when the alarm(闹钟)rings in my ears. I roll out of bed and walk blindly through the dark into the bathroom. I turn on the light and put on my glasses. The house is still as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep peacefully. Usually I go for a long run, but today I choose my favorite exercise DVD, Insanity. Sweat pours down my face and into my eyes. My heart races as I force my body to finish each movement. As I near the end of the exercise, I feel extremely tired, but a smile is on my face. It's not a smile because the DVD is over, but a smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.

    Some people enjoy shopping, smoking, food, work, or even chocolate. But I need exercise to get through each day. Some shake heads when they see me run through the town. Others get hurt when I refuse to try just one bite of their grandmother's chocolate cake. They raise their eyebrows, surprised by my ＂no thank you＂, or by my choice to have a salad. Over the years, I have learned it's okay to just say ＂no＂. I shouldn't feel sorry for refusing food that I don't want to eat.

    So what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m.? What gives me the reason to just say no to ice cream? Commitment. A commitment to change my life with a way that reduces daily anxiety, increases self-confidence and energy, extends life and above all improves my body shape. This is the point where a smile appears on my face as I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit just right. It's through commitment and sweat that I can make a difference within myself inside and out.

On one side of the room sits the cutest life-size stuffed animal(填充玩具) you've ever seen. On the other side rests a real dog—the same size, shape and even the same name as the stuffed version. You get to sit next to both of these furry friends and pet their fur. Guess which one will make your brain light up?

If you guessed the real dog, you're right. Stuffed animals, as cute and lovely as they may be, just don't effectively activate our frontal cortex(额叶皮层), the part of the brain overseeing how we think and feel, according to a new study published in the journal PLOSONE. The study found an even stronger rise in brain activity when the person petted the fur of a real dog versus a stuffed animal.

"We chose to research the frontal cortex because this brain area is involved in several executive(执行) functions, such as attention, working memory, and problem-solving. But it is also involved in social and emotional processes,"said study lead author Rahel Marti, a doctoral student in the division of clinical psychology at the University of Basel in Switzerland.

Why is this finding important? It provides additional evidence that live human-animal interaction therapy(疗法) may promote cognitive and emotional activity in the brain. Marti said,"If patients with deficits in motivation, attention, and socioemotional functioning show higher emotional involvement in activities connected to a real dog, then such activities could increase the chance of learning and of achieving treatment aims."

"This is an interesting, seriously conducted study that provides new insight into associations between human-animal interaction and regional prefrontal brain activity in healthy adults. We found that brain activity increased when the contact with a real dog or a stuffed animal became closer. This confirms previous studies relating closer contact with animals to increased brain activity,"Marti said.

    In my early thirties, I decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at 5, 895meters above sea level. 

    After months of preparation, I started my great 1 . At the base of the mountain, I met Mik, a local porter, who warmly 2 me. Mik's job was to carry my equipment up the mountain, set up the tent, and carry everything back down after reaching the 3 . 

    The first day of the climb was 4 the rain forest, across a slippery , muddy ground covered with tree roots and vines (藤蔓) . Mik was carrying 30 kilos on his head! By that evening, we made it to 3, 000meters. The air was 5 and it was colder. When I arrived at the campsite for the night, my tent was already set up and waiting for me. 

    Day two was much steeper and rockier. I really had to 6 what I was doing. And I felt guilty for the tough 7 Mik had to work in. Yet when I turned to Mik, he said with the biggest smile, "pole, pole, "which means"8 , take it easy" in his native language. I 9 back, my burden lighter somehow. 

    Over the next five days, the climb got 10 difficult. The temperatures could 11 from 21℃to below freezing in a few hours. At 5, 700 meters, there's only half the oxygen 12 in each breath compared to at sea level. That leaves many people with severe headache. Yet Mik always had a smile and a positive attitude. It had an enormous impact on mo, giving me the 13 to keep going. 

    Even today, when I find myself 14 with anything in life, I just think back to Mik and his smile. A great attitude can bring joy to those around you, or even 15 strangers to the top of a mountain. 

Bright and early on the morning of our first full day in Antarctica, L' Austral's Captain Fabien's voice woke us up as it came through a loudspeaker. If we looked outside right now, he said, we'd see a beautiful sea of icebergs in the golden sunlight. My sister and I jumped out of bed, staring in amazement as we sailed past giant pieces of ice. In the distance, we spotted a group of humpback whales feeding on smaller fishes. Next door, my parents were also waking up to the sights of a new day in Antarctica. Over breakfast, my sister and I excitedly told them about the whales we saw from our room that morning.

You might not immediately think of "family vacation" when talking about a trip to Antarctica, but tour companies like Adventures by Disney are changing that. The company offers guided group trips to destinations across all seven continents in the world.

Our adventure started when we flew to Buenos Aires and explored the beautiful Argentine capital for a day. After leaving Buenos Aires, we flew to Ushuaia on an Adventures by Disney plane. Then, it was the journey toward the Drake Passage. After a speedy Drake Passage crossing, we reached Antarctica early, adding a half day to our scheduled four days on and around the continent.

To those unfamiliar with Adventures by Disney, the fact that you can experience Antarctica-the most distant, extreme continent-with Disney might be surprising. During the trip, there were thoughtful acts, from stamped postcards to send from an Antarctica post office to a champagne (香槟) party on our final stop of the journey; Adventures by Disney truly thought of everything for us. Antarctica is a life-changing destination packed with experiences that can't be copied. We experienced seasickness when travelling across the Drake Passage, hiked up ice hills alongside lovely animals, and had a taste of champagne. And honestly, it's going to be hard for the next family trip we may take to compete.