Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable;  therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap(间隙) with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person's needs.

Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops, what maybe implied(暗示) is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing. In these cultures, silence is a call for reflection.

Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic udner discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.

Nurses and other care-geivers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be expericencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient’s silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing(治愈) value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.

Most of us don’ t know the reasons anymore but people today follow them because they are good fun.

Today the bride (新娘) carries flowers but long ago she carried strong-smelling grass. This was to frighten away the evil spirits and to cover the smell of people who do not wash often. People also used to believe that the bride brought good luck, so they would try to get something from her. Today, the bride will offer the guests some good luck by throwing the flowers to them after the wedding. It is said that if you catch the flowers, you will be the next one to get married. Of course, many of the single girls at a wedding try to catch the flowers.

In early times, the bridesmaids (伴娘) and the bride all wore similar dresses. This was to confuse the evil spirits. Now bridesmaids still wear similar dresses but the bride wears a different dress that is often white. Many brides wear veils (面纱) over their faces. This comes from a time when the young couple was not allowed to see each other before the wedding. The families were afraid that the bridegroom might not like the bride. So he was only allowed to lift her veil just before the wedding. By this time it was too late to refuse to marry her.

Brides often wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. In earlier times, if the bride did’t do this, she felt she would be in danger from the evil spirits. Wearing “something old” represents the journey between being single and being married. “Something new” represents the change from being a child to being an adult. “Something borrowed” means if you borrow something from a happily married couple, it will bring you good luck. And “something blue” comes from a time when the edge of the bride’ s dress was blue which represented purity.

Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, lots of traffic jams and lots of pollution from exhaust fumes (废气). So the city began a scheme (计划) to improve the situation.

Under the Velib scheme (‘Velib’ comes from vélo liberté, or ‘bicycle freedom’) people can take a bicycle, use it for as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half-hour on the bike is free, but if you don’t return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. But it’s only −1 a day or −29 a year! The bicycles are heavy (25 kg), and they are all grey and have baskets. There are about 20,000 of them in the city, and around 1,450 bicycle stations. So there are a lot more Velib stations than the 298 subway stations!

Paris is not the first city to have a scheme like this. But not everybody thinks it’s a great idea. One Parisian said, “These bicycles are only for short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won’t use a bicycle — they’ll still use their cars.”

A city spokesman said, “The bicycle scheme won’t solve all our traffic problems, of course. But it might help reduce air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes, is a big problem. There aren’t any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities. But unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get worse. The bikes might help people to lead a healthier life, too.”

You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?

Jane Addams (1860-1935)

   Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931. Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

   If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environment movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.

Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-present)

   When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator and, in 1981, the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court. O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.

Rosa Parks (1913-2005)

   On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” said Parks.

Plan to get to the airport at least an hour early, or two during holidays and other busy times; this will reduce the stress of the flight. If all goes well, you will have time to relax, shop for last-minute items, or have a meal before the flight.

    Flight Delays 

Find out why your flight is delayed. Call the free call numbers. Find out if other airlines are experiencing similar delays. If you believe the delay is due to something other than weather or air traffic problems, then mention your suspicion (怀疑) and ask the airline agent to book you on the next available flight, either on the same air-line or a competing one. This is called “Rule 240”, and all airlines are required to do it.

Flight Cancellations (取消) 

If your flight is canceled, then make a reservation (预订) on the next flight to your destination. Usually, air-line personnel(职员) will try to book everyone on their next flight. Often they will put you on a competitor’s next flight only if you request it.

If on-time arrival is important to you, when you check flights through our reservation system you can rate your choices based on their on-time arrival records. Be sure to also check the weather conditions, as they often affect flight schedules.

Group exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve physical fitness and sustain(保持)a healthy lifestyle.Group exercise is challenging,yet fun and empowering!Of course everyone knows that exercise is good for the body.However,studies have shown that when exercise is performed in groups,it’s not only great for improving physical health but for psychological health.It’s an opportunity to be social,release endorphins(内啡肽),and improve your strength.Additionally,group exercise creates a community feel and the shared common goal motivates participants to work hard.The instrumental support of taking on a fitness journey with others proves more effective than going to the gym alone.

Another beneficial aspect of group exercise is the informational support participants receive from the instructor.Many people fear the gym because they feel lost and don’t want to embarrass themselves.If you feel you can relate,then group training is an even better option for you.It’s a great opportunity to learn more about fitness through the clear instruction and supervision(监管)of a fitness instructor.If you’re tired of wandering around the gym wasting time and becoming bored,you can attend an upbeat group fitness class that’ll keep your workout on track.Don’t let fitness frighten you!

If you’re serious about wanting to live a healthy lifestyle,it’s extremely important to surround yourself with people who’ll provide you with the proper emotional support.I wouldn’t scold anyone for deciding to party on weekends and in turn I wouldn’t expect anyone to give offence to me for focusing on my health.Surround yourself with people who uplift,encourage and understand you!Make fitness even more fun by trying something new or any group fitness class,with a friend.Plan to go for a jog together.Then try a fun healthy restaurant or fresh juice bar!Fitness can be both fun and social!

Surrounding yourself with people who’ll provide you with respect support can be very beneficial while working towards reaching health and fitness goals.First,decide to do it for yourself and work towards staying positive.Then make sure the people you surround yourself with are supportive.Don’t let negativity ruin your motivation.

Suppose you become a leader in an organization. It’s very likely that you’ll want to have volunteers to help with the organization’s activities.To do so,it should help to understand why people undertake volunteer work and what keeps their interest in the work.

Let’s begin with the question of why people volunteer.Researchers have identified several factors that motivate people to get involved.For example,people volunteer to express personal values related to unselfishness,to expand their range of experiences,and to strengthen social relationships.If volunteer positions do not meet these needs,people may not wish to participate.To select volunteers,you may need to understand the motivations of the people you wish to attract.

People also volunteer because they are required to do so.To increase levels of community service,some schools have launched compulsory volunteer programs.Unfortunately,these programs can shift people’s wish of participation from an internal factor(e.g.,“I volunteer because it’s important to me”)to an external factor(e.g.,“I volunteer because I’m required to do so”).When that happens,people become less likely to volunteer in the future.People must be sensitive to this possibility when they make volunteer activities a must.

Once people begin to volunteer,what leads them to remain in their positions over time?To answer this question,researchers have conducted follow-up studies in which they track volunteers over time.For instance,one study followed 238 volunteers in Florida over a year.One of the most important factors that influenced their satisfaction as volunteers was the amount of suffering they experienced in their volunteer positions.Although this result may not surprise you,it leads to important practical advice.The researchers note that attention should be given to“training methods that would prepare volunteers for troublesome situations or provide them with strategies for coping with the problem they do experience”.

Another study of 302 volunteers at hospitals in Chicago focused on individual differences in the degree to which people view“volunteer”as an important social role.It was assumed that those people for whom the role of volunteer was most part of their personal identity would also be most likely to continue volunteer work.Participants indicated the degree to which the social role mattered by responding to statements such as“Volunteering in Hospital is an important part of who I am.”Consistent with the researchers’ expectations,they found a positive correlation(正相关)between the strength of role identity and the length of time people continued to volunteer.These results,once again,lead to concrete advice:“Once an individual begins volunteering,continued efforts might focus on developing a volunteer role identity... Items like T-shirts that allow volunteers to be recognized publicly for their contributions can help strengthen role identity”.

China is embracing an era of sharing economy. After sharing bikes, sharing books are the next trend. The book-sharing program at Sanxiaokou Xinhua Bookstore in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, has been running for several months since its launch on July 16, 2017. Customers are encouraged to borrow up to two books, from all books available in this store, for free via an app, pay 99 yuan online as the deposit and return the books within 10 days.

A survey of 601 app users conducted by the company in late July found that more than 90 percent of the readers said they may want to keep some of the borrowed books permanently, but they don’t want to visit the store again to complete the purchase. When another nine stores joined the book-sharing program in August, the ability to purchase the borrowed books was made available on the app.

Zhao Shiping, a manager of the Sanxiaokou store, said that the daily customer flow in the first week of the book-sharing program was about 7,000 while the figure for the same period last year was 5,000 to 6,000. So, book-sharing will reduce barriers for book purchasing and increase customer flow, which will increase the business value of the bookstore, its brand value and increase its value as a partner for companies outside the book sales sector.

In addition to bookstores, banks have also joined the trend of book-sharing. Two branches of China Everbright Bank introduced book loan service at the end of this July. The service is free for seven days and 0.1 yuan is charged after that and 0.5 yuan after 21 days. Readers can return borrowed books to any branch of the bank.

This book-sharing project, a cooperation between Everbright Bank and an app called Youshugongdu, which translates as "let’s read books together", will be expanded to other outlets to turn each outlet into a small community library with 1,000 to 2,000 books.

①Increasing the customer flow

②Bringing convenience to the bookstores

③Reducing the barriers for book purchasing

④Increasing the brand value of the bookstores

The year 2114 will be an eventful one for art. In May of that year in Berlin, the philosopher-artist Jonathon Keats’ “century cameras” – cameras with a 100-year-long exposure (曝光）time – will be brought back from hiding places around the city to have their results developed and exhibited. Six months after that, the Future Library in Oslo, Norway, will open its doors for the first time, presenting 100 books printed on the wood of trees planted in the distant past of 2014.

As Katie Paterson, the creator of the Future Library, puts it: “Future Library is an artwork for future generations.” These projects, more than a century in the making, are part of a new wave of “slow art” intended to push viewers and participants to think beyond their own lifetimes. They aim to challenge today’s short-term thinking and the brief attention spans of modern consumers, forcing people into considering works more deliberately. In their way, too, they are fighting against modern culture – not just regarding money, but also the way in which artistic worth is measured by attention.

In a similar fashion, every April on Slow Art Day, visitors are encouraged to stare at five works of art for 10 minutes at a time – a tough task for the average museum visitor, who typically spends less than 30 seconds on each piece of art.

Like the Future Library, the century cameras are very much a project for cities, since it’s in cities that time runs fastest and the pace of life is fastest. “Since I started living in a city, I’ve somehow been quite disconnected,” Anne Beate Hovind, the Future Library project manager, who described how working on the library drew her back to the pace of life she knew when she was growing up on a farm in her youth, told The Atlantic magazine.