【推荐1】Podcasts (播客) have exploded into our culture and are an excellent way to entertain yourself while using public transport,working out or traveling.

We all have the ability to communicate more clearly, especially at work. Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer Matt Abrahams discusses real-world challenges and offers tips such as writing better emails and preparing for meetings and presentations.

Since it exploded in the early 2000s with shows like Big Brother and Survivor, reality TV has both amazed and shocked viewers. The BBC’s Sirin Kale and Pandora Sykes dig into themes such as the Kardashians’ creation of celebrity, and why Selling Sunset and Real Housewives are so successful.

This podcast features guests who open up about their pain and loss. Host and author Nora McInerny describes herself as a “real loser”. In one episode of Terrible, Thanks for Asking, Nora, suffering from depression, goes to Twitter to survey listeners about what keeps them up at night.

For those who like long listens,George R.R. Martin’s series claims the (Iron) Throne. The first book, the 33-hour-long Game of Thrones, won a Guinness World Record for the “most character voices in a book” with224 characters alone.

To listen on the web: In a search engine, look up“Think Fast, Talk Smart” for example, and click on the play button.

To download: Download an app such as Podcatchers or iTunes on your phone or tablet and simply search by title.

【推荐3】“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

George R.R. Martin, Author of “A Game of Thrones”

What do these 4 guys share that you don’t?

No, it’s not their shoe size.

They read. At least two books a month, They’re also among the top 10 richest people in the world. And they’re not alone in their love for books, with 1,200 other millionaires, who quote reading as a core part of their self-education

You knew that reading books makes your life better, It’s not even all about money, fame and success. It’s about becoming a more knowledgeable and valuable person. Additionally, reading help; you prevent stress and keep depression at bay, while enhancing your confidence, improving your decision-making, increasing your empathy and overall satisfaction with life.

You know all the benefits of reading, so what’s stopping you from reading more books?

Time!

“I don’t have time to read.”

Have you said those words before?

You say it because...

you have an incredibly demanding college degree to study for…

your loved ones are sitting at home, counting on you to put food on the table...

you are too occupied with work to open a book.

But let’s imagine another reality for a second. What would your life look like if you read just two books every month?

Would you finally...

have what it takes to start that business?

be a better parent?

feel more fulfilled?

Hold on to that vision for a second. If you want to make it a reality, this email course, Time 2 Read, will be your guide for the next 10 days. Its free of charge and specifically designed to help you take time back, start building a daily reading habit and turn wanting to read into actual reading.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Lesson 1: How to get your attention span back

A simple, yet powerful idea and a fun experiment to help you start giving reading the place in your life that it deserves

Lesson 2: Why no one compares to you

Discover “The Rainbow Principle” & how to take stock of your current situation

Lesson 3: How to show yourself you DO have time to read

Why Charlie Munger doesn’t let himself get away easily with an opinion & what you can learn from the Italian Squad

Lesson 4: How you can make reading effortless

We’ll adapt a technique used by the world’s best mountaineers to help you build your reading habit like a pro would

Lesson 5: How you can trigger yourself to read without having to remember it

“The Bobby Fischer Principle will show you that what you think is a weakness might be your biggest strength

Lesson 6: What “The Nothing Alternative’ can teach you about consistent reading

Why neither inside the box, nor outside the box gets the job done & how Stoics happily trade control for consistency

Lesson 7: How to make reading more fun than ever & why that matters

What you can learn from Pokemon Go about reading & the one thing that’s totally okay for you to steal from Warren Buffett

Enter your email below to make time to read, start learning daily and become more valuable to the world

You’ll be sent 7 lessons via email over the next 10 days, starting right after you sign up here. Each email contains a story, a principle, and an experiment, Get started, and your reading life will never be the same!

【推荐2】We all regard receiving presents as a pleasant experience and yet it can be one of the most awkward situations. It is often difficult to look pleased when you receive a gift which is entirely useless or the wrong size.    1     However, you have no right to change an article purchased just because it does not fit or is not to your taste. Worse still, the agreement on the sale is between the person who bought it and the shop.

So you will have to tell your favorite aunt that the T-shirt does not fit. But an exchange is not always that simple because there has to be a good reason for it.     2     For example, if the buyer was told that a switch was voice-operated and later found out it was not, then action could be taken. You would have the right to return it and get the money back.

But if you are returning something, no matter what the reason is, you will be expected to have proof of purchase. If the receipt cannot be found, then it is possible to use another proof of purchase such as a credit card receipt.     3    

Many big stores have a much more tolerant policy towards returns and see it as a gesture of goodwill to exchange goods without question. Stores including Marks & Spencer are well known for their “no argument” policy on returned goods.     4    

So if a shop refuses to exchange the goods or to offer a refund, the seller is likely to be within his legal rights unless there is something wrong with the goods. In that case, the boot is on the other foot. You have every right to demand a cash refund or a replacement, but only if you have returned it within a “reasonable” time.

    5     Some shops and stores expect things to be returned within a week of purchase, while others may permit a much longer time limit. In any case if you return a thing after what is considered a “reasonable” time, then all you are legally entitled to is the cost of repair.

【推荐2】Sanjiangyuan National Park

Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau , the Sanjiangyuan covers about 123,100 square kilometeris .It is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers, which help to nurture billions of lives. Hence it is also called China's water tower.

The giant panda national park

The giant panda national park covers about 27,000 square kilometers in three provinces – Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi in the country's west. The park is home to 1,631 wild pandas, accounting for 87.50 percent of the country's total wild panda population.

Northeast China tiger and leopard national park

Northeast China tiger and leopard national park is located in the northeast of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces at the junction, with a total area of 1.4612 square kilometers. The park is China's most important settlement and breeding area of the Siberian tiger and Amur leopard. It is also an important wildlife distribution area and one of the areas with the richest biodiversity in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere.

Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park

Located in the south-central part of Hainan Island, Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park covers an area of 4,269 square kilometers, covering more than 95 percent of the island's primary forest and 55 percent of its natural forest.

The park has the most concentrated distribution of the best preserved and the largest contiguous area of island tropical rain forest in China, an important part of the world's tropical rain forest, with a national representative and global protection significance.

【推荐3】Bangkok’s Grand Palace is the busiest tourist stop in the city. People keep coming because the Grand Palace could arguably be called the birthplace of Bangkok

How to Get to the Grand Palace

Making your own way to the Grand Palace in Bangkok is more enjoyable and rewarding. Moving around by river taxi is inexpensive. Additionally, you’ll have a good excuse to see the Chao Phraya River up close. Going by boat won’t make you caught in traffic jams. It will let you see beautiful river scenery!

People staying in the Khao San Road area may choose to walk (around 20 — 25 minutes) to the Grand Palace.

Opening Hours

The Grand Palace is open seven days a week from 8:30 a. m. until 3:30 p. m. Occasionally, the Grand Palace does actually close for official visits and state functions. However, this is rare. Don’t believe any driver who states the Grand Palace is closed. If the statement of closure is too convincing, confirm it by calling: +6626235500 ext.3100.

Entrance Fees

Considering that temples in Thailand are often free, the 500 baht (around $16) per person entrance fee at the Grand Palace is relatively expensive. Thai nationals do not have to pay. An audio tour can be rented for an additional 200 baht. Besides, human guides are available for hire. Choose an official guide rather than accepting someone’s offer on the outside.

Dress Standards at the Grand Palace

To show enough respect, you shouldn’t wear sleeveless shirts in any temple or state building in Thailand. But unlike many of the other temples, dress standards are strictly required at the Grand Palace.

Men must wear long trousers, women must cover legs to just above the knee.

Don’t wear shirts with religious themes or symbols of death on them.

You may be told outside that flip-flops (人字拖鞋) are unacceptable footwear.