There are so many things we do in our daily lives that have become a “habit”, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} How you answer the phone is a habit. The way you sit in the car when you drive is a habit. Have you ever tried to change the way you do something, after you've done it in a certain way for so long? It's easy to do as long as you think about it. The minute your mind drifts to something else, you go right back to the old way of doing things. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's a way of doing things that has become routine or commonplace. To change an existing habit or form a new one can be a tedious(单调乏味的) task.

    Let's pick something fairly easy to start with, like spending 15 minutes in the morning reading the  Bible. If you want to turn something into a habit that you do every day, you have to WANT to do it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Make a firm decision to do this on a daily basis.

    Imprint(铭刻) it in your mind. Write several notes to yourself and put them in places where you will see them. By the alarm clock, on the bathroom mirror, on the refrigerator door, in your briefcase, and under your car keys are good places to start.

    After the newness wears off, then you will have to remind yourself, “Hey, I forgot to. . . ”. Keep using the notes if you have to. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Some people say it will take over a month to solidify(变得稳固) it and make it something you will do without having to think about it. I tend to agree with the last statement. Two to three weeks will help you to remember, but thirty days or more will make it a part of your everyday routine. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. What is a “habit” anyway?

B. Is doing things in an old way good?

C. Brushing your teeth is a habit.

D. Forming a bad habit is easy.

E. It takes 16 to 21 times of repeating a task to make it a habit.

F. If you don't, you will find a way to do everything but that.

G. That's something you won't necessarily have to think about before you do it — habit.

My decision to travel around China lay merely with my curiosity about the place. Before coming here, China seemed alien to me —-a place that expected to be hugely dissimilar from my own British culture.

After travelling from Beijing up to Xi'an, I wanted to challenge myself by choosing a smaller town—-Xiahe in Gansu Province. I arrived in Lanzhou at around 5 am, but there were no buses to Xiahe. I managed to spot a policeman and attempted to explain my destination to him in simple English, praying that he would understand. I wasn't sure that he did but I just followed him anyway as I had no choice. He took me on a bus and I didn't know where I was going. Luckily, I met a student who explained to me in English that the policeman was taking me to another bus station where I could take a bus to Xiahe. During this conversation a third man said he was also a policeman and would help me buy tickets. But as he was not in uniform, I was a little doubtful. The uniformed policeman told me it was OK to go with the third man, so I got off the bus with the so-called policeman who at this point, disappeared and I was left in the middle of nowhere. I stood panicking. Around one minute later a police car came and stopped right by me. It was the un-uniformed policeman. I got into the car and he dropped me directly at the bus station, and helped me buy the ticket.

    This is one of many experiences that I have had in China. I realized that however different this culture was, there was one thing that would always stand out—kindness. In the west we seem to lack the foundation of trust, yet in China it seems that there will always be someone to answer your questions and lead you the right way.

    Every day millions of letters go from one country to another. Letters mailed in Italy are received in Japan. Letters mailed in Canada are received in Africa. On the letters there are many different kinds of stamps, bought in different countries.

    The Universal Postal Union helps each letter get to the right place as quickly as possible. It sets up rules about the size and weight of letters, postcards, and small packages. It has rules that all countries must follow about international postal rates.

    On hundred years ago international mail did not move so smoothly. One country did not always accept another country's letters. Letters from some countries were too large to fit into the mailboxes of other countries. Letters traveled by many different routes. Some were lost along the way.

    Sometimes the person who sent the letter could pay only part of the postage. The person receiving the letter had to pay the rest.

    Scientists have connected the "fat gene" with the "happy gene". They believed there could be genetic evidence which explains why fat people are often happier than their skinny friends. The breakthrough could be an explanation for why fat characters, such as The Laughing Policeman and Father Christmas are often described as joyful and kind.

    FTO is the major genetic contributor to being fat. But it is also connected with an eight percent reduction in the risk of depression. Researchers at McMaster University in Canada had been studying whether there was a connection between being fat and being depressed. They found the opposite was true.

    They studied 17, 200 DNA from participants in 21 countries. Results showed people with FTO gene—the fat gene—showed less signs of depression. This finding was supported by three additional international studies.

    Professor David Meyre said, "We set out from the belief that being depressed and being fat both deal with brain activity. We thought that fat genes may be related to depression. However, we have discovered a molecule (分子) contributing to depression. It is the first evidence that an FTO fat gene is connected with protection against depression.

    In a recent interview, actress Lisa Riley said she was more than comfortable with her size. She said she is a "big, really happy" girl who is lucky enough to be confident in her own skin, and added, "Many people want to be thinner. Not me. I love being different and it drives me mad that people don't believe I'm happy with what I am."

The hardest thing about planning a big European vacation is actually narrowing down where to go—there are just so many amazing places. That's why we've put together what we think are the best cities in Europe. 

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam is the kind of city that you can't help but fall in love with. It's the kind of place where you dream about moving and buying an apartment that overlooks (俯瞰) a peaceful river. It's relaxing and you get a sense that the locals have an amazing quality of free life. We love simply walking around the canals and exploring the city's neighborhoods. 

BERLIN, GERMANY

Berlin is said to be "poor but charming" and we think that's a pretty good description. Actually, Berlin is becoming more expensive as its popularity grows, but it's still the top spot for Germany's artistic scene. Berlin isn't particularly pretty but it's an energetic city with cool people and cooler graffiti-covered (涂鸦) neighborhoods. 

LISBON, PORTUGAL

Lisbon is a hot destination and I doubt it will be quickly moving up in the ranks of Europe's most visited cities. Lisbon is a popular coastal city that's famous for its unique buildings and charming café culture. It's also very friendly on the wallet when compared to other Western European cities—food and lodging are both priced reasonably and attractions are about average. 

FLORENCE, ITALY

Florence may be touristy but that's no reason to ignore this birthplace of the Renaissance (文艺复兴). If you do your research, you can find plenty of excellent Italian restaurants and world-class ice cream. And, of course, the city is beautiful and home to top museums so it's a dream for art and history lovers.

Body language is one of {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(powerful) means of communication, often even more powerful than {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(speak) language. People around the world show all kinds of feelings, wishes and attitudes that they might ever speak aloud. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} so many cultural differences between people, it is great {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(have) some similarities in body language. We can often be wrong about each other, so it is {#blank#}5{#/blank#} amazing thing that we understand each other as well as we do. Not all cultures greet each other in the same way, nor {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(be) they comfortable in the same way with touching or {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(distant) between people. These actions are not good or bad, but are simply ways {#blank#}8{#/blank#} cultures have developed. I have seen, however, that {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(culture) customs for body language are very general—nor all members of a culture behave in the same way. In general, though, {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(study) international customs can certainly help avoid difficulties in today's world of cultural crossroads.