According to a recent study out of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, men with shaved heads are considered to be more manly, powerful, and successful than those with longer hair or thinning(稀少的) hair. Besides, in some cases, they are considered to have greater leadership potential (潜力). That may explain why the power-buzz look has become popular among business leaders in recent years.

    Albert Mannes, Wharton management lecturer, said he was encouraged to do the research after noticing that he was treated with more respect when he shaved off his thinning hair.

    Mannes did three experiments to test people's impression of men with shaved heads. In one of the experiments, he showed 344 subject photos of the same men in two versions: one showing the men with hair and the other showing them with their hair digitally removed, so their heads appear shaved. In all three tests, the subject report found the men with shaved heads are more dominant(占优势的) than their hairy counterparts(对应的人).

    The study found that men with thinning hair were viewed as the least attractive and powerful. For those men, the solution could be as cheap and simple as a shave.

    New York image consultant Julie Rath advised her clients to get closely cropped when they start thinning up top. “There is something really strong, powerful and confident about laying it all bare(光秃的),” she said, describing the thinning look as kind of raunchy(不修边幅的).

    Not everyone needs a bare head. Rick Devine, 55, the CEO of Devine Capital Partners, advised executive candidates attracted by their clippers to keep their hair closely cropped, rather than completely shaved. “It is way too much image risk,” he said, “The best thing you can do in a business meeting is to make your look not an issue.”

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    Have you ever thought of getting in touch with your inner child from time to time? Obviously some people are willing to pay big money for the chance to do so in a proper environment．A Brooklyn-based adult preschool is charging customers between $333 and $999 for the chance to act like a kid again．

    At Preschool Mastermind in New York adults get to participate in show-and-tell，arts-and-crafts such as finger paint，games like musical chairs and even take naps．The month-long course also has class picture day where the adults are expected to have a field trip and a parent day．

    30-year-old Michelle Joni Lapidos，the brain behind the adult preschool，studied childhood education and has always wanted to be a preschool teacher．She's always on the lookout for new ways to get people in touch with the freedom of childhood．A friend encouraged her to start the mastermind course instead．

    According to Candice，her blogger friend，Preschool Mastermind gives adults a chance to relearn and master the things that they failed to understand as children．“I realized all the significances of what we learn in preschool，”said founder Michelle Joni，“People come here and get in touch with their inner child．It's magical．We are bringing ourselves back to another place，another time with ourselves when we are more believing in ourselves，more confident and ready to take on the world．”

    “One person's here because they want to learn not to be so serious．”Michelle said．“Another's here to learn to be more confident．”She explained that most of the classes were planned．However，Joni added that while the planned activities were fun，it was often the spontaneous(自发的)moments that attracted students．“It's the things you don't plan for，the sharing between friends and learning from each other．''

   “One thing I enjoy about my job is that I can work on something that is actually active,” says Game McGimsey, an American volcanologist (火山学家). Part of his job includes keeping an eye on Alaska's many active volcanoes and giving people a heads-up when a volcano might erupt (喷发).

    Like most jobs in the sciences, volcanology requires a lot of education. McGimsey received an undergraduate degree in geology at the University of North Carolina, then landed an internship (实习期) with a geologist at the USGS (美国地质勘探局) whose area of expertise was volcanoes. After earning a graduate degree at the University of Colorado, McGimsey accepted a job with the USGS and has been with the Alaska Volcano Observatory for 25 years.

    Volcanoes can influence the world in ways we might not think about. For example, on Dec. 15, 1989, a 747 jetliner (a large airplane) flew through a thick ash (灰) cloud produced by Mount Redoubt, an Alaskan volcano that hadn't erupted in 25 years. The ash caused all four engines to die, and the plane's electronics went dead.

    “The plane was within several thousand feet of flying into the mountains below when the pilots got a couple of the engines restarted and landed safely in Anchorage,” McGimsey says. It cost nearly $80 million to repair the damage to the plane.

    Such situations show just how dangerous volcanoes can be. However, volcanologists know the risks and are prepared to protect themselves.

    “There is certainly a higher danger level in volcanology than some other jobs,” McGimsey admits. “We understand how serious the danger is, and we don't like taking unnecessary chances. We avoid getting too close to an erupting volcano, because it's not worth injury or death simply to get a rock or a photograph.”

    My favourite book is The Adventure of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Tom lives with his aunt Polly in a quiet street of St. Petersburg, Missouri. He's a lively and clever young boy, and he finds himself in many exciting adventures. He runs away with his two friends, Huck Finn and Joe, to an island in the middle of the Mississippi River for several days. With Huck he goes looking for treasure, with Becky he gets lost in a cave. And finally, they find a box of gold.

    My favourite scene in the book is when everyone thinks Tom is dead. He decides to go to his own funeral. He hides and watches for a time and then suddenly he appears. Everyone is astonished to see him but they're also pleased to see him alive.

    Tom is the hero of the story, but there are other important characters. Huck is an outsider and everyone is afraid of him. Becky is pretty with fair hair, Joe is Tom's best friend. And Injun Joe is the bad man of the story.

    The theme of the story is about children growing up. It describes how strangers are seen in small towns of America. Finally, it talks about freedom, social rules and how people are punished for bad behaviour.

    Why do I think The Adventure of Tom Sawyer is a great book? Mark Twain wrote the story in 1876, but it's still read and loved by people all over the world today. And although it's only a story, Twain wrote it in the everyday English of the southern states of America in the 19th century, so it sounds very real. Today it's thought to be one of the greatest books in American literature. Go on—read it! I know you'll enjoy it, too.

    In today's society, almost half of all marriages in America end in divorce, which means many children have divorced parents, and I am by no means a rare case. There are plenty of other people understanding the difficulty of having separated parents and living in two households. Despite this, people who haven't personally experienced divorce really have no idea what it's like.

    My parents have handled divorce and joint custody（监护）well, at least better than expected. Occasionally my parents put up the curtain to block my brother and I from the reality and I will get a glimpse of the not-so-bright-and-sunny reality, the fact that my parents simply don't like each other, let along get along. They try to make sure my brother and I don't overhear the argument and do their best to keep my brother and I out of their issues.

    Last Mother's Day I woke up at my dad's house with a text message from my mom saying," Call me when u can." I rolled out of bed and dated her number. On other end of the phone I could hear my mom's trembling voice." Your dad isn't letting me have you until 7 tonight." I knew Mother's Day was important to her and me. I began to get angry with my dad, but I told myself that getting mad and fueling my mom's anger towards my dad wouldn't help. Later my father told me that he had planned to spend time with my grandma and step-mom for Mother's Day, which I understood and accepted but I also understood why my mom wouldn't accept it.

    While having divorced parents is difficult, I have learned a lot about how to deal with conflict from an early age and I've been blessed with an extremely large family, which is an amazing network of support.

Four Stories in Life

A real doll

I've worked at an amusement park and when another Barbara joined the team, I changed my name tag(标签) from "Barb" to "Barbie". It was funny to see how kids reacted to my name differently. "Is she really a Barbie?" they asked. I changed it at another job, too, and began answering the phone, "This is Barbie. How can I help you?" Ninety percent of callers now respond, "Barbie, can you tell me..?" Pronouncing that long "e" sound forces your mouth into a smile. But I've found the smile is usually returned voluntarily.

—Barbie Bosco Latrobe, Pennsylvania

Rice twice as nice

We replaced rice with cauliflower(花椰菜) rice. There's not much of a difference in taste, and it cooks in minutes, and is a vegetable instead of empty carbs(精制碳水化合物).

—Michelle Byrd Marlton, New Jersey

Happy wife, happy life

Early in our marriage, my husband would come home feeling tired after work, and I'd be tired due to looking after the kids. We were both tired and bad-tempered, and we often ended up arguing. It got to a point where I worried we were on the verge(边缘)of divorce. The day I realized it, I asked myself, "Am I the person I would want to come home to?"

I began greeting him with a smile and kiss instead of complaining about my day. He'd smile back and we'd talk calmly. We still have our differences, but one small change in attitude saved our marriage forever.

—Annabelle Wallis, Pennsylvania

Our "Spoonland" and "Forkland"

We presort silverware in the dishwasher. It takes no extra time to load and makes emptying much easier. We always smile when our kids, now adults, introduce friends to "Spoonland" and "Forkland".

—Kathleen Luck, Ohio