Stop Phubbing (别当低头族)

Last month, Justin Valdez, a college student was shot in subway in San Francisco, the U.S. The surveillance(监控) video showed that before Justin was killed, the killer pulled out the gun several times, and even wiped his nose with it. However, nobody noticed the killer. The surrounding passengers all focused on their mobile phones.

We may see the same scene everywhere in the life: in subway, restaurants. Elevators, roads, people are watching their mobile phones. From family reunion to date with a friend, people can't stop checking their WeChat, Facebook on the mobile phone and snubbing(无视) the persons in front completely. Not only the young people, but also the olds and the kids.

“Phubbing” is a new word which comes from the words “phone” and “snub”. It means the habit of snubbing someone in favor of(只顾着) a mobile phone. The word “phubbing” was included in the Australian National Dictionary in 2012. So we can see phubbing is spreading globlly.

Phubbing seems innocuous(无害的); however, it disturbs our life. Stop posting photos. Let's put down the mobile phone and enjoy the real taste of food and the warmth of interpersonal(人与人之间) communication.

Information Card

（E）

    Americans spend their weekends in different ways. But usually they choose the same aim(目的)—to rest, to enjoy beautiful places and to enjoy the time with their family and friends．

    Some Americans hold parties on Saturday night. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Then they won't get up until 9,10 or even 11:o'clock next morning．As soon as they get up they will go to the nearest corner shop to buy the daily newspaper(日报). {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It will help them to decide what to do on Sunday afternoon.

    Before going out on Sunday, they will have a meal, which is called "brunch"—"br" from "breakfast" and "unch" from "lunch". {#blank#}3{#/blank#}After brunch some Americans may have a picnic with their family or friends.They will take many things with them, such as fresh vegetables, sea food,drinks,table cloth(桌布)and so on. Usually they drive to a beautiful park, a lake or the seaside.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It is the biggest meal of the week and all family members try to present(出席).

    Weekends are to be welcome everywhere. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

C

    When we have a conversation with someone, we may be using more body language than words. However, the same body language may mean different things in different countries. (A)sometimes, that's, understand, correctly, why, don't, each other, people. Pointing to one part of the body can mean differently in different cultures. For example, in the USA people point to their heads when they think someone is clever. However, in Europe it means “He or she is stupid or something is wrong with his or her head”. In our Chinese culture, nodding our head up and down means “yes” and shaking our head from side to side means “no”. However, in parts of India, Greece and Turkey, it means just the opposite. In England or the USA, when you raise your hand and make a circle with the thumb and the second finger, it means “You're all right or everything is OK”. However, if we do this in France or Belgium, it means “You're worth zero”. In Greece or Turkey, we should not make this gesture. Or we are thought to be very rude.

    The meaning of gestures can also change over time. In the 1960s, the “V” sign meant “peace”. However, during World War Ⅱ, it meant “victory”.

    (B)Though the meaning of body language is different, there are some expressions having the same meaning throughout the world, such as smiling and crying.

    Once a king got two nice falcons(猎鹰) from his son. He had never seen such beautiful falcons before. He loved them so much and he ordered the best falconer to train them to fly.

    After several months, the king came to see how the training was going on. He found that one falcon had already been able to fly high in the sky, while the other one was staying on the branch(树枝) of a tree quietly without moving.

    The king called all his falconers together and ordered them to try every way they could to make it fly. But none of them succeeded. One day, while the king was taking a walk in the forest, an idea came to his mind. He decided to find someone who knew the natural environment well to solve the problem. Then he sent for a farmer who lived in the forest into his palace to train it at once.

    The next morning, the king saw the other falcon flying above in the sky freely. "It is unbelievable!" shouted the king. "How could you make it happen?"

    The farmer replied, “It's very easy. I just cut off the branch where the falcon rested.”

    It is always the same to humans. We all have "two flying wings in our hearts as well, but we often seem not to notice them and stay where we feel safe and comfortable. We won't realize we can fly so high and freely until the "branch" we are resting on breaks.

    You may think that inventions are far away from your everyday life. But in fact, almost everyone can invent things. It's just that they do not realize that their ideas could be the start of an invention. Once inventors see their ideas have some practical value, they don't let them slip way.

    For example, the inventor of the dishwasher, American Josephine Cochrane, loved to give dinner parties. But she found it took long to wash her dishes by hand. She decided that a machine could do the job faster and with fewer mistakes. So, in 1886, she set out to make one for herself.

    Here are the steps to create inventions. The first and most important step is to find the problem. You can start by looking at what is wrong with things you use now. You can ask grandparents or neighbors if they remember ever saying: "I wish someone would invent something for…" Or you can look at people in different areas--such as on the street, or at school. Then you might notice situations or things in need of improvement. Remember to record you ideas and work. This will help you develop your invention and protect it when it is completed. The next step is to think about possible solutions (解决方法). An invention is a new way of solving a problem. So think of many, varied and unusual ways. You can often come up with a solution to a problem by looking at it from a different side.

    The hardest part of inventing, even for a lot of inventors, is coming up with a problem and finding a solution. Once you have an idea, you can always get help building your invention. This problem-solving technique can also work in your everyday life. So, why not try it in your studies, in your relationship with others, or even in the way you look at the world?