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    We've all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.

    What's the problem? It's possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It's more likely that none of us start a conversation because it's awkward and challenging, or we think it's annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it's an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.

    Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can't forget that deep relationships wouldn't even exist if it weren't for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. "Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk," he explains. "The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them."

    In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. "It's not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband," says Dunn. "But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also."

    Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. "Small talk is the basis of good manners," he says.

    Our news is constantly filled with the reality of death and dying. And each of us, if we live long enough, experiences the loss of persons we loved. Children ages eight through ten were asked what they thought about death,and these are some of their answers:

    “When you die,God takes care of you like your mother did. When you were alive,only God doesn't yell at you all the time.''(Beth,9)

    “When you die,they bury you in the ground and your soul goes to heaven,but your body can't go to heaven because it's too crowded there already.” (Jimmy, 8)

    “Only the good people go to heaven. The other people go where it's hot all the time like in Florida. ” (Judy,9)

    “Doctors help you so you won't die until you pay their bills.”(Stephanie,9)

    I've observed that the loss of a loved one can be one of the most difficult things we humans can face. I've known friends of sick and dying people to sit by a bedside or in a hospital room for hours,even days, at a time. I've seen food in homes of people who are dying overflow from kitchen to dining room—food brought by comforting friends from church and con cerned neighbours. And I've observed friends just listen for as long as it takes.

    When U.S. Congressman Sam Rayburn (1882—1961) discovered that he was ill,he announced to the House of Representatives he was going home to Texas for medical tests. Some wondered why he did not stay in Washington where there were excellent medical facilities. His answer was a beautiful tribute (颂词) to friendship:"Bonham is a place where people know it when you're sick,and where they care when you die. ”

    No one wants to go through difficult times alone. So Rayburn traded the best of medical technology for the closeness of loving friends. He knew that good friends are good medicine. Often the best.

    Two things changed my life:  my mother and a white plastic bike basket. I have thought long and hard about it and it's true. I would be a different person if my mom hadn't turned a silly bicycle accessory into a life lesson I carry with me today.

    My mother and father were united in their way of raising children, but it mostly fell to my mother to actually carry it out. Looking back, I honestly don't know how she did it. Managing the family budget must have been a very hard task, but she made it look effortless. If we complained about not having what another kid did, we'd hear something like, “I don't care what so –and –so got for his birthday, you are not getting a TV in your room a car for your birthday a lsvish sweet 16 party.” We had to earn our allowance by doing chores around the house. I can still remember how long it took to polish the legs of our coffee table. My brothers can no doubt remember hours spent cleaning the house .Like the two little girls growing up at the White House, we made our own beds (no one left the house until that was done)and picked up after ourselves. We had to keep track of our belongings, and if something was lost, it was not replaced.

It was summer and ,one day ,my mother drove me to the bike shop to get a tire fixed—and there it was in the window, White, shiny, plastic and decorated with flowers ,the basket winked at me and I knew —-I knew—I had to have it.

    “It's beautiful,” my mother said when I pointed it out to her,” What a neat basket.”

    I tried to hold off at first, I played it cool for a short while. But then I guess I couldn't at and it any longer: “Mom, please can I please, please get it? I'll do extra chores for as long as you say, I'll do anything, but I need that basket, I love that basket. Please, Mom. Please?”

    I was desperate.

    “You know,” she said, gently rubbing my back while we both stared at what I believes was the coolest thing ever,” If you save up you could buy this yourself.”

“By the time I make enough it'll be gone!”

    “Maybe Roger here could hold it for you,” she smiled at Roger, the bike guy.

    “He can't hold it for that long, Mom .Someone else will buy it .Please, Mom, Please?”

    “There might be another way,” she said.

    And so our paying plan unfolded. My mother bought the beautiful basket and put it safely in some hiding place I couldn't find. Each week I eagerly counted my growing saving increased by extra work here and there (washing the car ,helping my mother make dinner, delivering or collecting things on my bike that already looked naked without the basket in front).And then ,weeks later ,I counted ,re-counted and jumped for joy. Oh, happy day! I made it! I finally had the exact amount we'd agreed upon….

    Days later the unthinkable happened. A neighborhood girl I'd played with millions of times appeared with the exact same basket fixed to her shiny, new bike that already had all the bells and whistles. I rode hard and fast home to tell my mother about this disaster. This horrible turn of events.

    And then came the lesson. I've taken with me through my life:” Honey, Your basket is extra-special,” Mom said, gently wiping away my hot tears.” Your basket is special because you paid for it yourself.”

    On my first day of high school, I asked an eleventh-grader where my class was. And he told me it was "on the fourth floor, next to the pool." I found out five minutes later that we don't even have a fourth floor and there's no pool either! Besides that, I didn't have any trouble with the older kid.

    I think the biggest difference between middle and high school is the homework load (工作量) and size of the school. I went from maybe fifteen minutes of homework a night to several hours, so I had to learn how to make full use of time! Our class size is around 550, but joining in clubs, sports, music, and other activities at school makes it easier to get to know people in every grade.

    The best advice I can give about the years you spend in high school is to learn things for yourself, not just to get a good grade. There have been so many tests that I've prepared for the night before. I have gotten an A, and not remembered anything later. I've changed that this year, and I enjoy school so much more. Don't take easy classes just to have a simple year. If you have a choice between chemistry and sports, the first will prove to be a lot more useful!

    While drinking and smoking might be present in some middle schools, they're also around in high schools. I have a lot of friends who promised they'd never drink or smoke, but are now partying every weekend. If you have "fun" and spend your nights wasted instead of studying, you will regret it when you're applying for (申请) college. The "friends" who say you're a loser for not partying are really not your friends at all. It's hard to see your closest friends grow apart and go in different directions, but don't follow their footsteps. Create your own path in life and make your own decisions.

    I began smoking at 13, with a friend in the evenings when we were out. I never thought of the damage it brought me. But I had a bad cough after a cold, and my teeth weren't as white as my sister's, who never smoked. I no longer played any sports. Since all my friends smoked, I never felt different.

    I met and married my husband Paul when we were 22，both smoking like chimneys (烟囱). I had two children by the time I was 26, and life went on as normal. We smoked around our children, never thinking it would be doing them any harm. They both begged us to stop when they learned about the hazards of smoking. We just rolled our eyes at each other.

    My parents quit smoking, and my aunts quit smoking, but they were older. I had lots of time to quit in my life. Paul's mother died of a heart attack at only 55, after suffering two diseases caused by smoking. And still we smoked.

    At the age of 36, I had a child with a breathing problem. We moved outside to smoke, as she had such trouble breathing, and we didn't want to add to that!

    Then my father died a few years later of cancer throughout his body. Still I smoked, even as he asked me on his deathbed to try to stop. I did mean to, but I thought that I had too many worries to deal with. How would I face them without a smoke? Little did I know then that the smoking was only adding to my inability (无能) to deal with trouble, clouding my whole world in smoke.

    Then Paul had an extremely serious problem in his heart because of a condition caused by smoking. Finally, I decided to quit smoking. I knew I'd suffer greatly too if I kept smoking. Paul decided to join me, of course. He had no choice if he didn't want to die.

    Luckily, we made it. Now I have enough energy, a joy in living, and more confidence than ever before.

Big Stuff

Do you know what is the tallest building in the world and where the tallest Ferris wheel is? Have you heard of the world's steepest roller coaster? Have you seen the biggest monster truck? Here are some of the most huge things on Earth.

A Towering Achievement

Burj Khalifa, a tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the world's tallest structure. The 162-story building, which opened in 2010, stands over 2,717 feet tall. Seen from above, the tower has a Y-shaped design. Its three tall, narrow wings are joined in the middle. Like the legs of a tripod （三脚架）, each wing is supported by the other two.

A Wheel Winner

About 15 miles from the world's tallest building stands the world's tallest Ferris wheel, Ain Dubai. Also called an observation wheel, Ain Dubai stands 820 feet tall. Each of the 48 cabins can carry 40 people for spectacular views of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Before construction, support columns had to be driven 115 feet down through the earth to reach bedrock.

Extreme Ups and Downs

The world's tallest roller coaster is Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. At 456 feet, the peak of the ride towers over nearby Jackson, New Jersey. A 500-foot-tall crane was needed to place the final section at the top. Like many weight-bearing structures, the tower makes use of the most stable geometric （几何的） shape, the triangle.

A Monster of a Truck

Designed and built by business owner Bob Chandler, Bigfoot 5 has held the record for the world's biggest monster truck since 

1986. Other trucks, including Bigfoot models, have been designed to perform better in competitions. But Bigfoot 5 still stands above the crowd, thanks to its 10-foot-tall tires. The tires were originally designed for equipment that drives on Alaska's snowy tundra.