Sometimes it is difficult to talk to taxi drivers. They must give all their attention to the road as they work out the shortest way to the place where you are going. However, passengers from Wangfujing were in surprise when they took a taxi. The driver just would not stop talking in English.

    Organized by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, “Dare to Speak” examines if Chinese people will speak English in “real-life” situations.

    Matthew Knowles, an acting student from South Carolina at Beijing Film Academy, acted the part as the “driver”. He collected six passengers on Saturday morning, most of whom were female white-collar （白领）workers.

    “Of course they were surprised at first, wondering why I'm driving a taxi, and wondering whether this is a real taxi, but then most of them were pretty willing to speak,” he said. Knowles said he was also surprised by his “passengers”. “Apart from my first ‘passenger', who could speak very little English, all the rest spoke English very well, and it was fun to communicate with them,” he said, adding that some “passengers” were quite talkative.

    The “foreign taxi driver” project was just one of the “Dare to Speak” activities, which have been going on since the end of October. Other projects included a foreign store owner near a high school in Beijing, a cook in a Shanghai university canteen. They were testing the willingness of Chinese people, especially students and white-collar workers, to speak to foreigners in English.

    Rong Xin, senior manager of IELTS （雅思） with the British Embassy, said they hoped to let IELTS takers in China know that communication is the ultimate goal of IELTS.

    “We hope that more and more IELTS takers in China can realize the importance of communicating in English in real life, instead of just getting high test scores,” she said.

    One of the most debated issues about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don't drink tend to die sooner than those who do.The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is this：many of those who give up alcohol are actually former hard­core drunks who had already brought health problems associated with drinking.

    But a new paper suggests that abstaining(戒除)from alcohol does tend to increase one's risk of dying，even when you leave former problem drinkers out.The most shocking part—abstainers'(禁酒者)mortality rates(死亡率)are higher than those of heavy drinkers.

    Moderate(适度的)drinking，which is defined as one to three drinks per day，is associated with the lowest mortality rates.Moderate alcohol use is thought to improve heart health，circulation and sociability，which can be important because people who are cut off don't have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.

    But why would abstaining from alcohol lead to a shorter life？It's true that those who abstain from alcohol tend to be from lower socioeconomic classes，since drinking can be expensive.And people of lower socioeconomic status have more life stressors(压力因素)．

    Though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for many diseases，heavy drinkers are less likely to die than don't drink. One important reason is that alcohol strengthens social interactions，and social interactions are vital for maintaining mental and physical health.Nondrinkers show greater signs of depression.

    The authors of the new paper are careful to note that even if drinking is associated with a longer life，it can be dangerous：it can affect your memory severely and it can lead to falls and other troubles that can affect your life.There's also the dependency issue：if you become addicted to alcohol，you may spend a long time trying to get off the bottle.

    Mid-afternoon on a particularly busy Tuesday, I took leave of my desk at work and walked into a local Starbucks only to find a space where neither my clients nor my children would ask me to do something.

    Inside, I ran into Kate, a co-worker of mine. The topic of parenthood came up. I complained about how packed my schedule was. From the minute I woke up to the minute I fell asleep, I was constantly in demand and always had someone knocking at the door. But a bit of sadness seemed to come over Kate's face.

    "Well, my daughter's in San Francisco and she doesn't seem to need me at all these days," Kate said. It was in that moment that I realized although I might often feel in high demand, there will come a day when I will actually miss that same stress I then complained about.

    And as our conversation continued, it turned to our children's younger years, with Kate smiling proudly, thinking of the little boy and girl she raised who are now a man and a woman. But I noticed her smile was marked with regret. She explained that she often wondered about what she could have done differently when her children were in their earlier years.

    This got me thinking. Is regret an unfortunate footnote (注脚) to parenthood? With that in mind, I asked six older parents one question: What is your biggest regret from your early days as a parent?

    It turned out that all of them thought they could have done it better. But, each of them also has a strong, healthy relationship with their kids. Whatever regrets their parents might have had about their upbringing, one thing is clear —— it didn't affect them in a meaningful way.

    The bottom line is, we all feel like we could be doing this parenting thing better. And quite clearly, years later, we're still going to look back and wish we tried things differently. But the past can't be changed, and neither should it.

    Pet Emergency? Call us right away at(403)342-5200!

    If you live in Red Deer or the surrounding area and need a trusted veterinarian(兽医) to care for your pets—look no further. Dr. Pat Higgins is a licensed Alberta veterinarian, treating all types of pets. Your pets' health and happiness are very important to us, and we take every possible measure to give your animals the care they deserve.

    Deer Park Pet Hospital is a full service animal hospital and welcomes both emergency treatment cases as well as pet patients in need of routine medical, surgical, and dental(牙科) care. Dr. Pat Higgins has years of experience treating serious conditions and offering regular pet health care. Beyond first rate pet care, we make our clinic comfortable, kid-friendly, and calm, so your pet can relax in the waiting room and look forward to meeting our Red Deer veterinarian.

    We are happy to offer a number of resources that enable you to learn about how to take better care of your pets. Please feel free to browse our site, particularly the informational articles. The best veterinary care for animals is ongoing nutrition and problem prevention, so becoming knowledgeable about preventative pet care is vital to the ongoing success of your animal's health. If you have any questions, call(403)342-5200 or email us and we'll immediately get back to you. Our Red Deer veterinarian office is very easy to get to—and you can find directions on our Contact Us page! We also welcome you to subscribe to our newsletter, which is created especially for Red Deer pet owners.

    At Deer Park Pet Hospital, we treat your pets like the valued family members.

    Dr. Pat Higgins

    Red Deer Veterinarian│Deer Park Pet Hospital│(403)342-5200

    420 Allan Street#4

    Red Deer, Alberta T4R 2K7

    Nola (August 21, 1974 -November 22, 2015) was a northern white rhino(犀牛) who lived at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park near Escondido, California. At her death, she was one of only four remaining northern white rhinos in the world. The other three lived in Kenya. World Rhino Day, held on September 2, is to raise awareness(意识) of the less than 30,000 other rhinos left on Earth.

    “Rhinos need our help today, not tomorrow,” Nola's lead keeper Jane Kennedy said. “Last year we lost over 1,200 rhinos just in South Africa. If we continue to lose more than 1,000 rhinos a year, in 10 to 20 years all the rhinos on the planet will be gone.”

    “Unfortunately, most animals are in danger of dying out because of humans,” Kennedy says.“ Humans have either poached animals, or because there are over seven billion of us, we've taken up too much of the world's resources ”. Poachers illegally hunt rhinos for their horns. They sell the horns for thousands of dollars per pound, to be used for art, jewelry, and decorations. Experts believe that one rhino is poached every eight hours.

    In 1975, the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research started the Frozen Zoo, a program through which researchers have collected cell (细胞) samples from more than 8,000 different types of animals, including the northern white rhino. Scientists hope that by studying the rhino cells, they will get greater understanding of it, and will find ways to increase its numbers.

    Jane Kennedy describes World Rhino Day as “a celebration of rhinos along with an awareness campaign for everybody across the world to know that rhinos need our help.” At the San Diego Zoo, children and adults are welcome to visit and speak with zookeepers to learn about rhinos. But you don't have to live in San Diego to celebrate World Rhino Day. It is observed around the world, with zoos and wildlife parks holding special events and programs to teach people about rhinos, and enable them to see the animals up close. For more information, go to www.worldrhinoday.org.

    The city of Amsterdam is one of the best preserved in all of Europe. When visiting this remarkable city, you tend to forget your troubles just for a moment. With this travel guide, you will be able to discover the real Amsterdam.

    Best Time to Visit Amsterdam

    To see the tulip(郁金香)flowers you can visit from mid-April to early May. For the New Year's celebration, there're a lot of parties going on then. However, if you want to enjoy a quieter and more relaxing Amsterdam, visit from October to March.

Getting Around Amsterdam

    You can rent a bike to go wherever you want to go. Public transportation is also convenient. You can get a chip card for about$9.

    What You Should Know Before Visiting Amsterdam

    Plan ahead since most of the attractions are usually busy and be careful with your wallets as the city is well-known for pickpockets. Also be cautious when you are buying something in the markets.

    The Best of Amsterdam

    Rijksmuseum

    This museum is one of the finest in the world. Make sure you arrive before 10 am to avoid big crowds.

    Vondelpark

    If you are looking forward to relaxing and enjoying some peace and quiet, make a trip to this top choice park in the city.

    Van Gogh Museum

    The Van Gogh Museum is very fascinating; you will definitely be moved as you see Vincent van Gogh's life and how he developed through art.

    A'DAM Tower

    If you want to get the inspiring views of Amsterdam, take the lift to the top of this tower. You can also climb aboard the giant four-person swing for some fun rides.