Among the most popular forms of dieting is the South Beach diet, developed by Arthur Agatston of Miami, Florida. Dr. Agatston developed the South Beach diet for his patients with heart problems to lose weight. Since weight matters a lot in keeping heart healthy and traditional low-fat diets were too difficult for them to stick to, Dr. Agatston decided to create a plan that could help his patients. At first, the diet was just for his patients. Soon, thanks to his patients' success, the diet became the buzz in Miami, and eventually, word spread across the nation.

    This diet focuses on a healthy balance between carbohydrates（碳水化合物）and fats. It is based on eating a combination of “good” carbohydrates and fats, while limiting those “bad” ones. It is divided into three different phases.

    The first phase lasts for two weeks and is the strictest of the three. During this phase, you are asked to restrict（限制）all carbohydrates (good and bad). You are allowed to eat all types of fish, cheeses, eggs, and nuts, and a large number of vegetables. Most dieters can expect to lose between 8 and 12 pounds during this phase.

    During Phase 2, you are allowed to reintroduce some of those carbohydrates that are not allowed before. You are encouraged to start eating carbohydrates that have a low glycemic index（升糖指数）. But you should keep in mind that the key is moderation（适度）. Most people continue to lose 1-2 pounds per week. You continue with this phase until you reach your target weight.

    Phase 3 is designed to help you keep your weight. During Phase 3, you can reintroduce some of the carbohydrates that have a higher glycemic index, although again, this should be in moderation. Phase 3 is meant to be a way of life.

    Having a learning disability doesn't mean you can't learn, but you'll need some help and need to work extra hard. If you have a learning disability such as dyslexia or dyscalculia, remember that you are not slow or stupid.

    Learning disabilities can be genetic. That means they can be passed down in families through the genes. But kids today have an advantage over their parents. Learning experts now know a lot more about the brain and how learning works, and it's easier for kids to get the help they need.

    Dyslexia is a learning disability that means a kid has a lot of trouble reading and writing. Kids who have trouble with math may have dyscalculia. Other kids may have language disorders, meaning they have trouble understanding language and understanding what they read.

    It can be confusing, though. What qualifies as “trouble" enough to be diagnosed as a learning disability? Reading, doing math, and writing letters may be tough for lots of kids at first. But when those troubles don't fade away and it's really difficult to make any progress, it's possible that the kid has a learning disability.

    Finding out you have a learning disability can be upsetting. You might feel different from everyone else. But the truth is that learning disabilities are pretty common. And if your learning specialist or psychologist has figured out which one you're facing, you're on the right track. Now, you can start getting the help you need to do better in school.

    But for this special help to really work, you'll need to practice the new skills you're learning. It may take a lot of efforts every day. That can be a challenge, but you can do it soon, you'll enjoy the results of all your hard work: more fun and success at school.

    Sagrada Familia (2, 056, 448 visits /year)

    Opening hours: 09: 00-18: 00 (October-March)    09: 00-20: 00 (April-September).

    Admission: $11, or $10 with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: Yes.

    The temple has been under construction since 1882 and they've still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it will be finished. The project's vast scale (规模) and its special design have made it one of Barcelona's top tourist attractions for many years.

    La Pedrera (1, 133, 220 visits /year)

    Opening hours: 09: 00-18: 30 (November-February)    09: 00-20: 00 (March-October)

    Admission: $9.50. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: No.

    This building used to be called Casa Mila, but nowadays it's more commonly known as La Pedrera. It was made of bricks and had colorful tiles (瓷砖).

    Barcelona FC Museum (1, 032, 763 visits /year)

    Opening hours: 6th April-4th October: (Monday to Saturday) 10: 00-20: 00; the rest of the year: 10: 00 to 18: 30.

    Admission: $8.50 for entry to museum and an extra $17 for a guided tour.

    Disabled access: Yes.

    It is now generally considered as the best football museum in the world. You can see so many trophies (奖杯), pictures and statues of great football players. I'm not a football fan but I still enjoyed walking round this museum.

    Miró Museum (518, 869 visits /year)

    Opening hours: Check website for details as they vary depending on the time of the year.

    Admission: $8. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: Yes.

    This museum has a wide range of Miró's works dating back as far as 1914. This artwork collection includes not only his paintings but also a good selection of sculptures.

    Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous scientists in this century. He was born in 1942. He's world well-known on space and time. Stephen was searching some very big questions, such as "How did the universe begin? How will it end?"

    Stephen was a student at Oxford University. He studied math and science. Then, at the age of twenty, he became sick. He was so young, but the doctors said to his family, "He has only two more years to live." As a matter of fact, the doctors were wrong – he didn't die. He can't walk but he uses a wheelchair. He can't feed himself and get in or out of bed himself. But he refused to give in to the condition. He talks with the help of a computer. After Oxford, Stephen went to Cambridge University. Three years later, in 1965, he became a doctor of philosophy(哲学).

    Because of his serious health problems, it was difficult for him to draw or to write. So he started to think in pictures. With this new way of thinking, he became one of the most famous scientists in the world. In 1981, he met the Pope(教皇) in Rome. They talked about his ideas. Then in 1988, he wrote his first important book, A Brief History of Time. It sold more than 5.5 million copies in 33 different languages. He was once invited to China, he impressed us with his self-confidence, humorous and witty(风趣的) conversation.(谈话)

    Misael is three times the size of other children at his age due to a symdrome(综合症 状) which means he is unable to stop eating.

    He is so heavy that he often stops breathing while sleeping — leaving his parents fearing that one day he may not wake up. His dad Manoel Abreu, 38, said, "Everything is hard for him — he is a baby carrying an adult's weight. His heart must be working under a lot of pressure. If he doesn't get the treatment he requires, there is a very good chance that he will pass away."

    Miseal, from Sanot, Brazil, was born a healthy 6lb 6oz, but immediately he started piling on the pounds. Doctors believe he may be suffering from Prader-Willi symdrome, a rare genetic condition that leaves him with greed. He now weighs a heavy 178lb and is still gaining despite following a low-fat diet and walking for 40 minutes each day.

    Mum Josiane, 37, said, "He has been putting on a lot of weight since he was a baby—even when I was breastfeeding him. But it was only when he was one and a half years old that we began to worry. He was gaining 3kg a month and was starting to get very heavy. We know we could lose him at any time. Sometimes when he is sleeping, I watch him to see if he is breathing. I cry a lot because we want to help him. But I am also very proud of him because he doesn't surrender(投降)."

    Misael visits a doctor every three months to try to control his condition, but currently there is no cure for Prader-Willi symdrome. Paediatric neurologist(儿科神经科专家)

    Lucio said, "Every time we meet, he has put on a lot of weight — sometimes up to 5 kg. I think Misael could get help from someone outside Brazil — both medically and financially — so that he can get the laboratory and genetic testing he needs."

Grandma celebrated her fifty-third birthday just weeks before grandpa died of cancer in 1965. Although his passing was very difficult for her, I think their shared struggle to make his life longer taught grandma that good health was not to be taken for granted, and she made up her mind to live her rest of her own life as fully and as long as she could. One day, when she announced to attend lessons at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Portland, Oregon, where she lived, we rolled our eyes in embarrassment and helplessly wished she would just stay home and bake cookies as normal grandmothers did. Many years filled with countless dance lessons passed before we learned to appreciate the wonder of having a dancing grandma.

I suppose grandma's primary motivation for wanting to learn to dance was social. She had been a shy girl, always very tall and heavy, and had married into grandpa's quiet lifestyle before developing any elegance or confidence in her personal appearance. Dancing, on the other hand, filled her life with flash lights, wonderful parties, beautiful dresses, handsome young dance instructors, and the challenge of learning. Although the weekly dance lessons did not change her ample, two-hundred-pound figure, grandma surprised everyone with energetic performances on the dance floor, which soon gave her as much elegance and confidence as any Miss American competitor.

Having taken weekly dance lessons for years, my grandma learned various dances easily and was soon participating in dancing matches all over the Northwest. When I was fourteen, grandma proudly invited me to watch her compete in one of these matches to be held in the grand ballroom of the Red Lion Inn. My attitude was still unenthusiastic at that point, but to make her happy, my mother and I attended the match. As if to prove me wrong, grandma made a wonderful showing in every event she entered. I thought she was truly the queen of the ball during the dance, and my thoughts were shared by the judges a short time later when she was awarded a gold cup for her outstanding performance.