【推荐2】Some people live in fear of having to talk to someone they don’t know while others seem to be excellent conversationalists and can chat with anyone.     1     In fact, it’s more about being prepared. Get started now so you can be the confident person who starts great conversations.

Doing a little bit homework before walking into a social situation can make a big difference. You can try to find out who will be present and learn at least one thing about each person.     2     Some examples are, “How long have you worked for the company?” “How long have you known the host?” and “Have you had a chance to enjoy all this nice weather we’ve been having?”

Smile warmly to show how friendly you are.     3     Being friendly is much more impressive than starting a conversation about yourself or showing off your humor. Opening with a few kind words can be much safer than trying to make the other person laugh because humor is subjective.

    4     You can only bore the other person by talking about the weather for so long, so start moving the conversation in other directions if you would like to continue. Always be sincere and follow up a yes-no question with a statement or an additional question to keep the conversation going. If you continue long enough you are likely to find a common interest that will take over.

Remember that even with the best opening line in the world, you may still get blown off by the other person. If you have taken care to be friendly, open, and straightforward, you’ve done all you can.     5     .

【推荐3】In today’s world, it can be challenging to stay motivated and positive. However, one powerful tool that we can use to overcome these challenges is encouragement. Encouragement can make a significant difference in someone’s life.     1     Encouragement can come in many forms, such as words of affirmation (肯定), acts of kindness, or simply showing support. In today’s society, where negativity is common, a little bit of encouragement can go a long way.

One of the most significant benefits of encouragement is that it builds strong relationships. Encouragement creates a positive environment where people feel valued and appreciated. When we encourage others, we are showing them that we believe in them and that we care about their well-being.     2    

Another benefit of encouragement is that it creates a chain reaction.     3     This chain reaction can spread throughout a community, workplace, or family. By building each other up, we create a supportive and empowering environment.

    4     The first step is to be intentional about our words and actions. We can start by offering genuine words, expressing thanks, or simply listening attentively. We can also seek out opportunities to encourage others, whether it’s through volunteering or offering support during tough times. By taking small but consistent actions, we can make a significant impact on the lives of other people.

In conclusion, the power of encouragement cannot be overstated. It has the potential to transform lives, build strong relationships, and create a ripple effect of positivity. By being intentional about our words and actions, we can use encouragement to build others up and create a better world.     5    

【推荐2】Everything went wrong for American climber Beck Weathers on his trip to Mount Qomolangma in May of 1996. His eyes response to the extremely thin oxygen levels near the highest summit on Earth was “snow blindness”. Weathers could not see more than 3 feet in front of him. His guide, Rob Hall, made him agree not to climb to the summit and he would wait for Hall till he got back.

Another group of climbers returning down from a powerful snow storm came upon Weathers. They decided to help him down, but a storm with 70 mph winds forced them to merely gather together for warmth. During a quiet period of the storm, one man went back to the camp for assistance. Hours later help returned, but they decided Weathers was too unresponsive and appeared to be beyond saving. He was left waiting for death.

“I woke up in the snow, opened my eyes, and directly in front of me was my ungloved righthand, which was clearly dead,” Weathers remembered. "It looked like a marble sculpture of a hand. I hit it on the ice and realized that so much of my tissue was dead, so I wasn't feeling any pain. That had the wonderful effect of focusing my attention. If I didn't stand up, I realized I was going to die on that spot. I figured I had three or four hours left to live, so I started walking. All I knew was, as long as my legs would run, and I could stand up, I was going to move toward that. camp. If I fell down, I was going to get up and keep moving until I hit that camp.” As everybody thought Weathers could not survive, he struggled to stand up and move forward for survival in the face of adversity. Finally, he made it. It's believed that his success relied on his strong belief and courage.

【推荐3】Cody McCasland is a double above-knee amputee(被截肢者) .He was born with a rare birth weakness that caused his legs to form both missing tibiae(胫骨) and knees. He has been receiving care at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC) since he was just two months old. After discussions, doctors decided that it was in Cody’s best interests to amputate(截肢) his legs to give him a chance to walk freely using artificial limbs. This surgery was completed when Cody was just 15 months old, and he received his first set of artificial limbs when he was 17 months old.

Over the past few years Cody has continued to challenge himself physically. Cody has competed in many athletic competitions, winning gold medals in running and swimming. He once ran the last part of the Team Cody Relay at, the Dallas White Rock Marathon. He competes as a double amputee on a normal competitive USA swimming team. He also enjoys horse riding, playing baseball and many other sports.

Team Cody was formed in 2014.Through the years, Team Cody has raised nearly $92, 000 for TSRHC, and in 2018, it also raised over $3, 500 for Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). In 2019, Cody was asked to be a spokesperson for CAF. Cody attends events to help further the mission of CAF by supporting physically challenged persons to reach their athletic goals. Cody also serves as a teacher for new challenged athletes.

Cody has been enable to train, travel, compete in various athletic events and act as an inspiration for others. He has taken opportunities to meet some disabled people, spend time with them and-encourage them.

【推荐1】David Christof, a Marathon runner, visited my school yesterday. He made a speech about the safe drinking water problem in the world. “I want to do more and help people everywhere have safe drinking water,” he said as he spoke in a gym full of students.

Christof shared with us his story of determination to help solve the world water crisis by participating in the 2021 Blue Planet Run marathon. Starting in New York City, a team of 21 male and female athletes ran around the clock through 16 countries. It covered 15,200 miles and three continents, 24 hours a day for 9 5 days to deliver the message that measures must be taken to help countries searching for safe drinking water.

As he spoke to us, Christof displayed a picture of a woman getting water from a well filled with dirty water. “Would you like to drink this water?” he asked. “I wouldn’t either, yet this woman is washing her dishes in it and later she will use it to cook. The water crisis does not mean people are dying of thirst. It means that they are drinking water that is not good for them.”

Christof pointed out that students in my school may not worry whether or not the water they are drinking is safe. But it is another story in other countries, where people actually have to decide whether their water is safe to drink. He expressed the hope that his speech would help us realize how a single person can make a difference by taking the steps to bring about change.

【推荐3】When you’re tired, getting behind the wheel can be nearly as dangerous as driving drunk. And yet everyday, sleepy Americans hit the roadways — sometimes with deadly consequences.

To shine a spotlight on the danger of sleepy driving, Toyota, Uber and The Huffington Post are teaming up to provide discounted Uber rides to college students across the country this month.

Starting Friday, The Huffington Post’s co-founder and editor-in-chief, Arianna Huffington, will be touring college campuses to educate students on the importance of sleep and promote her newest book, The Sleep Revolution. At each college Huffington visits, students will receive a $ 15 discount on one Uber ride to or from campus, provided by Toyota.

Everyone gets tired, and far too often drivers are putting themselves and others at risk by getting behind the wheel without enough sleep. College students have become known for brushing off sleep and for wearing their sleeplessness as a badge (徽章) of honor. Indeed, a full 70 percent of then aren’t getting enough sleep, according to a study published in the journal Nature and Science of Sleep.

In the long run, the lack of sleep can seriously harm the brain and body. In the near term, sleep loss affects the brain in much the same way alcohol does, research has found. Staying awake for 19 hours can have the same effect as knocking back a couple of drinks, and pulling an all-nighter is equal to having a blood alcohol level of 0.1 percent.

It should come as little surprise, then, that car crashes related to sleepy driving result in 8,000 deaths every year — almost as many deaths as are caused by drunk driving. And yet, despite the danger, over 80 percent of American adults say they’ve driven while sleepy within the past year.

Toyota, Uber and The Huffington Post hope that by taking advantage of discounted Uber rides, college students will wake up to the danger of sleepy driving and the importance of a good night’s sleep.