【推荐2】A summary is an overview of a piece of writing, presented in your own words. When writing a research paper, we may need to use others’ information by summarizing the major points.     1     Another form of summarizing can usually be seen on the back cover of a book, where there is a very brief summary of the entire book. Below are some tips that can be used to summarize as effectively as possible.

Understand the purpose of the text

It is impossible to give an overview of something you don’t fully understand. To put it in other words, the purpose of the writing should be clear for you. Your summary should leave no room for confusion. You may require multiple readings of the source material, especially if it is a long text.     2    

Identify the main ideas

Summarizing is about taking relevant information out of a text and putting it into your own words. Reading the text, finding the main points, and connecting them gives you a summary.     3     If you have multiple paragraphs, you can take the central idea from each one for the summary. If it is a huge text, make a small outline highlighting the primary ideas.

Paraphrasing (意译) is not summarizing

    4     While the former is usually the same length as the original text, the latter is always shorter. When paraphrasing, you can use all the ideas in a text, whether it is a primary or secondary idea, while a summary requires just primary ideas.

No personal opinions or comments

A summary should contain all the essential information of the original text.     5     You can summarize a text by understanding its meaning and finding primary ideas expressed in it. But be sure not to contain any personal beliefs or opinions.

【推荐3】Parents everywhere praise their kids. Jenn Berman, author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids, says, “We’ve gone to the opposite extreme of a few decades ago when parents tended to be more strict.” By giving kids a lot of praise, parents think they’re building their children’s confidence, when, in fact, it may be just the opposite.     1    

Still, don’t go too far in the other direction.     2     Kids will feel like they’re not good enough or that you don’t care and, as a result, may see no point in trying hard for their accomplishments.

So what is the right amount of praise?     3     If praise is focused on the effort not the outcome, you can give it as often as your kid does something deserving a verbal (口头的) reward. For example, when a kid comes home excited with a great mark, say, “You deserve it! Your devotion and perseverance paid off.”     4    

Besides, remember to praise sincerely. Kids are more perceptive (有感知力的) than many adults realize, and they often can tell the difference between sincere and insincere praise. When kids sense your praise insincere, they assume you feel sorry for them or don’t understand them.     5    

【推荐1】In recent years, thrift shopping (买二手货) has become quite trendy. It’s more than just a convenient way to keep costs down when it comes to shopping — “thrifting”is now considered cool. Read on to learn some benefits of thrift shopping.

▲    1    

It’s not uncommon for us to see someone wearing the same dress or shirt that we own. But there is generally a lot of variety when shopping for second-hand clothing. Thrift shopping is like a treasure hunt.     2     Sellers collect items from all over, so there is more diversity and a lot of options. You can even find one-of-a-kind items!

▲We can find genuine vintage (经典的) items.

Trends come and go, and often people buy clothing that is mass produced to look like it came from a different decade.     3     That means you can actually buy clothing that was made in that decade and happens to be coming back into style. You can also find things that are not made anymore!

▲It is environmental friendly.

    4     Thrifting is a great way to recycle. You can donate clothes you no longer wear and buy more clothes, eliminating waste in the process. It helps reduce the chemical pollution produced by creating and buying new clothes. It’s a simple and easy way to go green.

▲Your purchase may help fulfill a charity purpose.

Many thrift stores are non-profits that partner with local charities. So when you make a purchase from such stores, part of what you spend goes to a good cause. You can help local brands grow too.     5    

【推荐3】Fresh for Fall: Green Markets Return in the Palm Beaches

West Palm Beach GreenMarket

Recognized as the Best Farmers Market in the country by the “USA Today”, the large-scale   West Palm Beach GreenMarket is a longstanding staple. Customers can enjoy waterfront, outdoor grocery shopping along one of Palm Beach County' s most scenic cityscapes: downtown West Palm Beach. Free parking is available at the Evernia and City Center garages until noon. For those arriving by boat, the city offers free ports, just a short walk away. The market is dog-friendly and short leashes are encouraged.

The Gardens GreenMarket

Featuring more than 120 vendors (商贩), you can pick up fresh produce and dairy, pastries and other baked goods, prepared foods, flowers, spices — the list goes on. With a focus on also supporting the cultural arts, don't miss the live performances by local artists Check the schedule for weekly highlights, including themes and special activities throughout the market's 20th season.

Swank Farmers Market

Take a trip to the countryside, where you can buy from more than 25 vendors. Here, you'll find coffee beans, creamed honey, fresh pasta, homemade sauces, oils and vinegars, meats and, of course, fresh produce. Bring the family and say hi to the chickens, pigs and sheep.

Lakeside Market at Wellington Town Center

Enjoy a night market experience at the Town Center Promenade along the water, which offers open air shopping that supports local businesses. Locally sourced, farm-to-fork and homemade goods are available under the stars, with highlights including herbs, freshly baked goods and flowers.

【推荐2】Taking vitamin pills in high doses(剂量) can significantly increase the risk of cataracts(白内障), a study has shown.

Scientists found that consuming large amounts of vitamin C made individuals 20 percent more likely to develop the condition, which is a leading cause of blindness. And regularly taking high-dose vitamin E tablets increased the chance of cataracts forming by 60 percent. The dangers are even greater for the elderly, with those over 65 nearly doubling their chances of damaging their vision if they took these vitamins every day.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm monitored 31,000 volunteers aged between 45 and 79. Nearly 3,000 of them went on to need treatment for their eyes. The Swedish team discovered a strong link between those who developed cataracts and those who took high doses of vitamins C and E.

It was originally thought that the two vitamins would protect against cataracts because they are powerful antioxidants(脱氧化剂). It was supposed that they would fight the process of oxidation(氧化), which destroys cells in much the same way as rust(锈) rots a car. However, it it now believed that, in large quantities, vitamin C may actually cause oxidation by upsetting the natural balance of proteins in the eye.

The human body does not make or store vitamin C, and gets its supply from fruit and vegetables. It only needs 40 mg a day to keep cells healthy and promote healing. Vitamin E helps maintain the structure of cells and is found in food items such as nuts and seeds. Aman needs just 4 mg a day and a woman should have 3 mg. But tablets containing up to a hundred times this amount are also available in UK health food shops. Researchers stressed that the dangers will only be caused if the vitamins are taken in very large amounts. These were defined as 1,000 mg of vitamin C and 100 mg of vitamin E a day.

However, Professor Yit Yang, from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in Australia, said, “It is not possible to establish from this study that vitamin C caused cataracts, as there may be other factors(因素) that were not accounted for.”