Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world. In rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.

    The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

    It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with case into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.

 For years we have been told that encouraging a child’s self-respect is important to his or her success in life. But child expert are now learning that too much praise can lead to the opposite effect. Praise-aholic kids who expect it at every turn may become teens who seek the same kind of approval from their friends when asked if they want to go in the backseat of the car.

      The implication（含义）of saying “You are the prettiest girl in class ,” or talking about the goals she scored but not her overall effort, is that you love her only when she looks the best , scores the highest , achieves the most. And this carries over to the classroom.

     Social psychologist Carol Dweck, PhD, tested the effects of overpraise on 400 fifth graders while she was at Columbia University. She found that kids praised for “trying hard” did better on tests and were more likely to take on difficult assignments than those praised for being “smart”.

      “Praising attributes (品质) or abilities makes a false promise that success will come to you because you have that quality, and it devalues effort, so children are afraid to take on challenges,” says Dweck, now at Stanford University. “They figure they’d better quit while they’re ahead.”

   Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
  One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
   Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains and buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends, and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering, and doing the other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of nature.
   Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, and dance halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a two-week-visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night.

    As a British abroad I have often had comments and questions, such as "So what do you actually eat?" "I hear British food isn't so great... " or "Do you even have a traditional meal?"

At first I thought this idea just existed in Europe, but I have recently discovered that the opinion of bad British food has even reached South America! So I began to ask myself, "Is our food really that bad?"

    Compared with our neighbors, British food has never been seen as a delicacy(佳肴)like French food. For example, you can find French restaurants in Britain, but a British restaurant in France... that's not very probable, unless it's just a pub! Perhaps then when people think of British food they think of sandwiches, or the simple and unhealthy fish and chips. Or maybe they just think of all the foreign food that is so popular in Britain, such as pizza and pasta taken from the Italians. Therefore our multicultural food industry might suggest that we believe our own food is worse than food from other countries, like Indian, Thai or Chinese.

    But when you start to think properly about traditional British food, you begin to realize that some of it is actually pretty good! Although perhaps simple and unhealthy, fish and chips is also delicious, as is a Cornish pasty (meat and vegetables in pastry) and any British pie at all! We have a meal for breakfast: the incredible combination of eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, mushrooms and bread (the cooked breakfast), we have a meal for Sundays (roast lunch) with meat, fresh vegetables, and we even have a tradition for between lunch and dinner (afternoon tea) with the two best things: cake and tea.

    So it may be because I've eaten British food all my life, but I personally think that it is much better than its reputation! It may be less characteristic than Indian or Chinese food, but we do know how to make at least a few great meals, and of course, cakes.

                      C

So many of us hold on to little complaints that may have come from an argument, a misunderstanding, the way we were raised, or some other painful event. Stubbornly, we wait for someone else to reach out to us—believing this is the only way we can forgive or rekindle a friendship or family relationship.

A friend of mine, recently told me that she hadn’t spoken to her son in almost three years. She said that she and her son had had a disagreement about his wife and that she wouldn’t speak to him again unless he called first. When I suggested that she be the one to reach out, she said, “I can’t do that. He’s the one who should apologize.” After a little gentle encouragement, however, she did decide to be the first one to reach out. To her amazement, her son was grateful for her willingness to call and offered an apology of his own. As is usually the case when someone takes the chance and reaches out, everyone wins.

Whenever we hold on to our anger, we turn “small stuff（问题）” into really “big stuff” in our minds. We start to believe that our positions are more important than our happiness. They are not. If you want to be a more peaceful person you must understand that being right is almost never more important than allowing yourself to be happy. The way to be happy is to let go, and reach out. Let other people be right. This doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. Everything will be fine. You’ll experience the peace of letting go, as well as the joy of letting others be right.

You’ll also notice that, as you reach out and let others be “right,” they will become less defensive and more loving toward you. They might even reach back. But, if for some reason they don’t, that’s okay too. You’ll have the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your part to create a more loving world, and certainly you’ll be more peaceful yourself.

A

   A beach in Bodrum, a resort city in Turkey, saw the horror of human tragedy on Sept 2. A little boy, dressed in a red shirt and blue shorts, lay face down in the sand. Sadly, 3-year-old Alan Kurdi would never wake up again.

   Alan drowned along with at least 12 Syrians, including his 5-year-old brother and mother. They were on a journey from Turkey to Greece. Trying to make their simple but dangerous dream of a safe home a reality, they paid with their lives.

   The tragic photographs of Alan’s lifeless body shocked the world. “What has drowned in the Mediterranean (地中海) is not only the refugees, but humanity,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

   Refugees, according to the UN, are people escaping war or persecution (迫害). Their situation is often so dangerous that they cross national borders to look for safety in nearby countries. The Kurdis wanted to head for Europe by crossing to the Greek island of Kos from Bodrum by boat.

   Escaping to Europe

   The Kurdis’ tragedy was just one story from over 1,800 people who have died in the first six months of this year while trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, according to statistics released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), on July 1. Together with refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia and Nigeria, “migrants who are journeying to Europe from Africa and the Middle East have seen a sharp climb this year”, reported ABC News.

   Migrants, however, are not necessarily refugees. A migrant may leave his or her country for many reasons apart from war, terrorism (恐怖主义), and persecution. They may seek employment, life with their family, or study in another country.

   European countries have taken different approaches to the crisis. Germany and France are opening their doors to more asylum (避难) seekers, those who say they are refugees but the status has not been decided by the UNHCR or a government. On Sept 8, reported the Associated Press, German’s vice-chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said his country could take in 500,000 refugees every year for the next several years. According to Fox News, Germany, the largest economy in Europe, is expecting to take in 800,000 refugees in 2015. And on Sept 7, France said it would take 24,000 refugees over two years. Other countries, such as Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, have been unwilling to take a large number of refugees for various reasons including economic problems and safety concerns.

   Despite disagreements among EU members, the UN’s Refugee Chief Antonio Guterres said the crisis was “manageable” if member states could agree a joint plan.  

There is an English saying：“Laughter is the best medicine．”Until recently，few people took the saying seriously．Now，however，doctors have begun to investigate laughter and the effects it has on the human body．They have found that laughter really can improve people's health．

    Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body．People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart rate，blood pressure，breathing and muscles．It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise．It increases blood pressure，the heart rate and breathing．It also works several groups of muscle in the face，the stomach，and even the feet．If laughter exercises the body，it must be beneficial．

    Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effects of pain on the body．In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs．The group that tolerated pain for the longest time was the one that listened to a funny program．The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of natural chemical in the brain which decreases both stress and pain．

    As a result of these discoveries，some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics，in which they help to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh．They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing，making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter．

I have been teaching animal behavior at the Boulder County Prison in Colorado for 10 years. The course is one of the most popular in the prison. Prisoners have to earn the right to attend the course and they work hard to get in.
    One reason why the course is so popular is that many prisoners find it easier to connect with animals than with people, because animals don’t judge them. They trust animals in ways they don’t with humans.
    Yet, they hold a misunderstanding of how animals treat one another. Many admit that their own “animal behavior” is what got them into trouble in the first place. I teach that though there is competition and aggression in the animal kingdom, there is also a lot of cooperation（合作）and sympathy.
    Many of the students want to build healthy relationships, and they find that the class helps them. I use examples of the social behavior of group-living animals such as wolves as a model for developing and maintaining（维持）friendships among people who must work together for their own good and also for the good of the group.
    It’s clear that science inspires the students here and it also gives them hope. I know some students have gone back into education after their being set free while others have gone to work for humane（人道）societies or contributed time and money to conservation organizations. One went on to receive a master’s degree in nature writing.
    Science and humane education help the prisoners connect with values that they otherwise would not have done. It opens the door to understanding, trust, cooperation and hope. There’s a large population of people to whom science could mean a lot, if only they could have access to it. The class helps me, too. I get as much out of it as the students and it has made me a better teacher.

B

    "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" is a popular saying in the United States. Other countries have similar sayings. It is true that all of us need recreation. We cannot work all the time if we are going to keep good health and enjoy life.

    Everyone has his own way of relaxing, Perhaps the most popular way is to take part in sports. There are team sports, such as baseball, basketball, and football. There are individual sports, also, such as golf and swimming. In addition to hiking, fishing, skiing, and mountain climbing have a great attraction for people who like to be outdoors.

    Not everyone who enjoys sports events likes to take part in them. Many people prefer to be onlookers, either watching them on television, or listening to them on the radio. When there is an important baseball game or boxing match it is almost impossible to get tickets; everyone wants to attend.

    Chess, card-playing, and dancing are forms of indoor recreation enjoyed by many people. It doesn't matter whether we play a fast game of ping-pong, concentrate over the bridge table, or go walking through the woods on a brisk autumn afternoon. It is important for everyone to relax from time to time and enjoy some forms of recreation.

“If there is one thing I’m sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.

The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives — the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic(基因) engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do — as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.

It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted(传送) electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I’m pretty sure that how it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read — sports and international news, etc.

I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media. They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it’s never really pleasant to read something just on a screen.