The Handshake

    I don't remember the exact date I met Marty for the first time. Like a lot of people who want to get through a checkout line, I found my thoughts on speed, nothing more. The line I was standing in wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier, who was receiving money from customers.

    He was an old man in his sixties. I thought, well, it probably took him a little longer to get the jobs done. For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before he began scanning the goods they were purchasing. Sure, his words were the usual, “How's it going?” But he did something different—he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and talk with them briefly.

    I thought it was strange, but I guessed I had grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of a conversation without thinking. Usually, after a while, you don't give any thought to the question and just say something back quietly.

    This old cashier seemed sincere about wanting to know how people were feeling. Meanwhile, the high-tech cash register rang up their purchases and he announced what they owed. When customers handed money to him, he pushed the appropriate keys, the cash drawer popped open, and he counted out their change.

    Then magic happened.

    He placed the change in his left hand, walked around the counter to the customers, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. As their hands met, the old cashier looked the customers in the eyes. “I want to thank you for shopping here today,” he told them. “You have a great day. Bye-bye.” The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless.

    Now it was my turn. I glanced down at the name tag on his red waistcoat, the kind experienced Wal-Mart cashier wore. It read, “Marty.”

    Marty told me how much I owed and I handed him some money. The next thing I knew he was standing beside me, offering his right hand and holding my change in his left hand. His kind eyes locked onto mine. Smiling, and with a firm handshake…

    Do you think horseback riding is easy? Well, you are wrong. Horseback riding is one of the most challenging sports in the world today.

    As you know, a horse has the instinct to run away when afraid. When he becomes puzzled, he becomes afraid. When your silent communication is confusing, he does not ask you to repeat what you have said. Instead, he runs forward, he jumps to the side, he kicks out, or he freezes in place. Most of the time, however, you won't know your communication is confusing until it is too late. When he runs forward, you will fall back. When he jumps to side, you will fall the other way. When he kicks out or freezes in place, you will fly over his head.

    If you want to be good at horseback riding, you must practice. Being ridden does not come naturally to horses. They have to be trained. For example, to ask them to go forward, you usually tap them with your heels. But, if you get on untrained horses, they won't know that a tap means go. Instead, they will most likely run around like a wild animal out of fear.

    Contrary to popular belief, horseback riding does take skill. If you believe horseback riding doesn't take skill, you most likely have only ridden at a farm that provides a well-trained horse. To me, that is not actual riding. And although it may seem easy to you, you were not the person to teach that horse that a saddle is not frightening. You were not the person to fall off that same horse at the beginning of his training. When horses are first taught to be ridden, all they do is run, kick out, and rear, which is the act of standing on their back legs only.

    Next month, I'm traveling to a remote area of Central Africa and my aim is to know enough Lingala — one of the local languages — to have a conversation. I wasn't sure how I was going to manage this — until I discovered a way to learn all the vocabulary I'm going to need. Thanks to Memrise, the app I'm using. It feels just like a game.

    "People often stop learning things because they feel they're not making progress or because it all feels like too much hard work," says Ed Cooke, one of the people who created Memrise. "We're trying to create a form of learning experience that is fun and is something you'd want to do instead of watching TV."

    Memrise gives you a few new words to learn and these are "seeds" which you plant in your "greenhouse". When you practice the words, you "water your plants". When the app believes that you have really remembered a word, it moves the word to your "garden". And if you forget to log on (登录)，the app sends you emails that remind you to "water your plants".

    The app uses two principles about learning. The first is that people remember things better when they link them to a picture in their mind. Memrise translates words into your own language, but it also encourages you to use "mems". For example, I memorized motele, the Lingala word for "engine", using a mem I created — I imagined an old engine in a motel (汽车旅馆) room.

    The second principle is that we need to stop after studying words and then repeat them again later, leaving time between study sessions. Memrise helps you with this, because it's the kind of app you only use for five or ten minutes a day.

    I've learnt hundreds of Lingala words with Memrise. I know this won't make me a fluent speaker, but I hope I'll be able to do more than just smile when I meet people in Congo. Now, I need to go and water my Vocabulary!

    I must have always known reading was very important because the first memories I have as a child deal with books. There was not one night that I don't remember mom reading me a storybook by my bedside. I was extremely inspired by the elegant way the words sounded.

    I always wanted to know what my mom was reading. Hearing mom say," I can't believe what's printed in the newspaper this morning," made me want to grab it out of her hands and read it myself. I wanted to be like my mom and know all of the things she knew. So I carried around a book, and each night, just to be like her, I would pretend to be reading.

    This is how everyone learned to read. We would start off with sentences, then paragraphs, and then stories. It seemed an unending journey, but even as a six-year-old girl I realized that knowing how to read could open many doors. When mom said," The C-A-N-D-Y is hidden on the top shelf," I knew where the candy was. My progress in reading raised my curiosity, and I wanted to know everything. I often found myself telling my mom to drive more slowly, so that I could read all of the road signs we passed.

    Most of my reading through primary, middle and high school was factual reading. I read for knowledge, and to make A's on my tests. Occasionally, I would read a novel that was assigned, but I didn't enjoy this type of reading. I liked facts, things that are concrete. I thought anything abstract(抽象的) left too much room for argument.

    Yet, now that I'm growing and the world I once knew as being so simple is becoming more complex, I find myself needing a way to escape. By opening a novel, I can leave behind my burdens and enter into a wonderful and mysterious world where I am now a new character. In these worlds I can become anyone. I don't have to write down what happened or what technique the author was using when he or she wrote this. I just read to relax.

    We're taught to read because it's necessary for much of human understanding. Reading is a vital part of my life. Reading satisfies my desire to keep learning. And I've found that the possibilities that lie within books are limitless.

    Alabama: Priester's Pecans

    Dessert in the South basically starts and ends with an ooey­gooey pecan (核桃) pie. Especially in Alabama, where the pecan is the official state nut. While there are plenty of farms that pick and package pecans, perhaps the most famous is Priester's, a family­run business that's been supplying Alabama with its favorite nuts for over seven decades.

    Alaska: Salmon jerky

    Forget beef jerky (肉干) ­ in Alaska, it's all about the salmon jerky. Home to five different species of the flavorful fish (king, red, pink, silver, and chum), the northernmost state produces nearly one­third of the wild salmon consumed around the world. Bonus: Salmon is one of the seven healthiest fish you can eat.

    Arizona: Saguaro cactus

    The largest cactus (仙人掌) in the United States, the saguaro cactus is found only in Arizona's Sonoran Desert. Living to be up to 200 years old, the cacti, whose flower is also the state's flower, are generally around 30 feet tall and can grow unlimited arms. Want to see for yourself? Visit one of these 10 outstanding desert escapes in America.

    California: Wine Guide

    It isn't called "Wine Country" for no reason. Northern California, specifically Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, produce over 60,000 registered wine labels, making vino (酒类产品) the state's most valuable agricultural product. If you're looking for the most popular varietals (优质酿酒葡萄汁), the top two frequently planted grapes are chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.

First aid is a simple medical treatment that gives a person who suddenly becomes ill before a doctor can be found. It's believed that four hundred and eighty seconds after an accident can make a difference between life and death. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some different situations where you can learn, how to give first aid.

Burns

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's the best to place burns under softly running water for about 10 minutes. Remember that don't use ice!

Nosebleed

Ask the person to lean forward and pinch the nose for five to six minutes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If so, the blood may run into the mouth.

Dog Bites

Wash the bite with plenty of water at a comfortable temperature. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Then, go to see the doctor at once and follow their suggestions carefully.

Chocking (窒息)

Stand behind the chocking person put your arms around his body and lean him or her forward slowly. Press his or her stomach. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can also hit his back with your hand.