What is the first thing you notice when you walk into a shop? The products displayed(展示) at the entrance? Or the soft background music?

    But have you ever notice the smell? Unless it is bad, the answer is, likely to be no. But while a shop's scent may not be outstanding compared with sights and sounds, it is certainly there. And it is providing to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase.

    A brand store has become famous for its distinctive scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance, via scent machines. A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for fresheningair. One sports goods company once reposed that when it first introduced scent into its stores, customers' intension to purchase increased by 80 percent.

    When it comes to the best shopping streets in Pairs, scent is justas important to a brand's success as the quality of its window displays and goods on sales. That is mainly because shopping is a very different experience to what it used to be.

    Some years ago, the focus forbrand name shopping was on a few people with sales assistants' disproving attitude and don't-touch-what-you-can't afford displays. Now the rise of electronic commerce(e-commerce) has opened up famous brands to a wider audience. But whilee-shops can use sights and sounds, only bricks-and-mortar stores(实体店) can offer afull experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave. Another brandstore seeks to be much more than a shop, but rather a destination. And scent is just one way to achieve this.

     Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department, and coconut(椰子) scent in the swimsuit section. A departmentstore has even opened a new lab, inviting customers on a journey into the store's windows to smell books, pots andd rawers, in search of their perfect scent.

    Your house may have an effect on your figure . Experts say the way you design your home could play a role in whether you pack on the pounds or keep them off . You can make your environment work for you instead of against you . Here are some ways to turn your home into part of diet plan.

    Open the curtains and turn up the lights . Dark environments are more likely to encourage overeating , for people are often less self-conscious（难为情）when they're in poorly lit places-and so more likely to eat lots of food . If your home doesn't have enough window light, get more lamps and flood the place with brightness.

    Mind the colors. Research suggests warm colors fuel our appetites. In one study, people who ate meals in a blue room consumed 33 percent less than those in a yellow or red room . Warm colors like yellow make food appear more appetizing , while cold colors make us feel less hungry . So when it's time to repaint, go blue.

    Don't forget the clock-or the radio. People who eat slowly tend to consume about 70 fewer calories（卡路里） per meal than those who rush through their meals. Begin keeping track of the time, and try to make dinner last at least 30 minutes, And while you're at it, actually sit down to eat. If you need some help slowing down, turn on relaxing music. It makes you less likely to rush through a meal.

    Downsize the dishes. Big serving bowls and plates can easily make us fat. We eat about 22 percent more when using a 12-inch plate instead of a 10-inch plate. When we choose a large spoon over a smaller one ,total intake（摄入） jumps by 14 percent. And we'll pour about 30 percent more liquid into a short, wide glass than a tall, skinny glass.

    I know that there are times when friends are apart for a while – or even forever – and that your lives take different paths. Yet, I always hope for a happy ending. I know that friends reconnect again when it makes sense.

    My friend Julie and I had a long period in our friendship. We used to see each other daily. I would eat brown rice in her kitchen while we shared our secrets.

    Later, we celebrated each other's weddings. My husband and I welcomed Julie's first son (born on my birthday). By the time he was learning to walk, Julie and her family had moved to another city. We spoke on the phone sometimes and exchanged Christmas cards.

    After they welcomed their third son, they moved to Edmonton, which is a farther city. We haven't seen each other since then. They changed their phone numbers. I received a letter from her, but I couldn't find that envelope later. I e-mailed her a few times, but didn't get a reply.

    It was painful not to be in touch with an old friend. I let it go. I knew that Julie and I would reconnect again, when it made sense.

    Last year, Julie's husband got in touch with me on Facebook. I felt something bad, and soon my feeling proved true: Julie had passed away the month before. She died of cancer.

    I regretted that I had not been part of Julie's support system, or the last years of her joyous, painful time on Earth. I cried. I'm so sorry, Julie, for counting on more chances.

    Last week, I donated my hair in memory of Julie to make wigs (假发) for cancer patients. It was a small way of showing that I loved her and will never forget her. And that I look forward to us reconnecting again – when it makes sense.

    Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

    My father is famous in our family for saying “Take the extra minute to do it right”. I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule.  When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment，whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫)onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

    I don't only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It's equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you“ or “I forgive you”. When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday，I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn't be here. But then I thought about the fact that he's 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn't give up an opportunity to see him.  I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.

    I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “ if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I'm doing the right thing. I'm buying myself peace of mind and that's the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.

    In our twenties, we find it funny when we can't remember our neighbor's cat's name or a handsome actor who starred in a famous movie. In our thirties, we jokingly call it "brain freeze". In our forties, we laugh it off as a" senior moment" and follow up with one of these old age jokes. But the reality is that there comes a point when being forgetful stops being funny and starts to seem a bit dreadful. You think, "Am I losing it？"Or worse, "Is this a sign of Alzheimer's disease（老年痴呆症）？"

    Well, don't worry. The fact that you recognize your own forgetfulness may be a very good sign, at least in terms of the possibility of your developing Alzheimer's disease（AD）. The researchers in a new study show that it's not forgetfulness but not being aware that we're forgetful that we should fear.

    The researchers began with the assumption that one common feature of Alzheimer's dis-ease is a damaged awareness of illness. And they wanted to prove their theory that the lack of awareness can be used to predict whether someone with" mild cognitive（认知的）damage" will progress to full-on AD. For the study, "mild cognitive damage" was defined as someone whose mental state was considered healthy but who had either complained of memory loss or had suffered objective memory loss.

    The researchers used existing data for 1, 062 people between the ages of 55 and 90 that had been recorded over a 12-year period. The data included brain scans, which the researchers used to look for visual signs of reduced glucose uptake（葡萄糖吸收）.It is an objective marker of the sort of reduced brain function that goes along with AD.As expected, glucose uptake was reduced in those with AD. What the researchers also discovered was that glucose uptake was reduced in those with mild cognitive damage who also showed evidence of reduced illness awareness. Finally, the researchers found that those who had reduced illness awareness were more likely to develop AD than those without.

Discover Nature Schools programs

Becoming Bears (Kindergarten-2 grade)

    By becoming baby bears, children learn from their "parent" to survive the seasons. Kids will find safety in the spring and learn kinds of food bears eat during the summer, and then create a cave for winter hibernation(冬眠). After learning the skills needed to survive, students will go out of the cave as an independent black bear able to care for themselves. (1.5-2 hours)

Whose Clues? (3-5 grade)

    Kids will discover how plants and animals use their special structures to survive. Through outdoor study of plants and animals, kids will recognize their special structures and learn how they enable species to eat, avoid their enemies and survive. Using what they have learned, kids will choose one species and tell how they survive in their living places. (3-4 hours)

Winged Wonders (3-5 grade)

    Birds add color and sound to our world and play an important ecological (生态的) role. Students will learn the basics of birds, understand the role birds play in food chains and go bird watching using field guides and telescopes. Students will do hands-on activities. Students will use tools to build bird feeders, allowing them to attract birds at home.(3-4 hours)

Exploring Your Watershed (6-8 grade)

    We all depend on clean water. Examining how our actions shape the waterways around us. Go on a hike to see first-hand some of the challenging water quality problems in a city. Students will test the water quality to determine the health of an ecosystem.

● Each program is taught for a class with at least 10 students.

● All programs include plenty of time outdoors. So please prepare proper clothing, sunscreen and insect killers for children.

● To take part in a program, please email dcprograms@mdc.mo.gov.