【推荐1】The other day, my sister and I were sitting in a restaurant, trying to have a conversation, but her children, four-year-old Willow and seven-year-old Luca, would not stop fighting. The arguments-over a fork, or who had more water in a glass-never stopped.

Then my sister reached into her handbag, produced two shiny iPads, and handed one to each child. Suddenly, the two were quiet. They sat playing games and watching videos, and we continued with our conversation.

After our meal, as my sister stuffed the iPads back into her bag, she said, “I don’t want to give them the iPads at the dinner table, but if they keep them occupied for an hour so we can eat in peace, I often just hand them over. I’m afraid it’s bad for them. I do worry that it makes them think it’s OK to use electronics at the dinner table in the future.”

Dr. Gary Small, director of the Longevity Center at the University of California, Los Angeles says that the brain is highly sensitive to stimuli (刺激物), like iPads and smartphone screens, and if people spend too much time on one technology, and less time interacting with people like parents at the dinner table, that could prevent the development of certain communication skills.

“Conversations with each other are the way children learn to have conversations with themselves, and learn how to be alone,” said Sherry Turkle, a professor of science, technology and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She fears that children who do not learn real interactions, which often have imperfections, will come to know a world where perfect, shiny screens give them a false sense of intimacy (亲密) without risk. However, they need to be able to gather themselves and know who they are. So someday they can form a relationship with another person without a panic of being alone. “If you don’t teach your children to be alone, they’ll only know how to be lonely,” she said.

【推荐2】Living Well with Others

A good life is one that is beneficial to living well with others, while living comfortably and honestly. However, not everyone can deal with the relationship well with others.     1    

This article will cover some ideas you may want to consider.

Smile at those around you. It’s often been said that a smile is catching. Research suggests that’s true. Studies suggest that friendly engagement (交往) with others improves happiness levels, at least in part.     2    

Help others. Studies have shown that helping others has a direct relation to individual happiness.     3     Volunteering to help others has been connected to better quality of life.

    4     The golden rule is still the most important rule for getting along with others. Think of how you would like your friends to act around you. If you treat people with love and respect, they will treat you with the same.

Value your friendships with others. The quality of a person’s friendship has a direct effect upon their well-being. Friends can increase a sense of your sense of belonging and purpose.     5    

【推荐3】As a member of the “global village”, an international leader should master various skills. One of the primary things international leaders need today is the ability to manage cultural differences.     1    . So in order to get the best out of any multicultural team, leaders should keep the following tips in mind.

    2    

Try and communicate with your team face to face as much as you can. Nothing replaces face-to-face communication, as it allows you to read body language, judge levels of understanding, and build relationships.

Be clear

Be clear about your own cultural profile（简况）. Only when you are clear about your cultural profile and how it influences your work, your communication style, feelings and actions, can you direct your team.     3    .

Build trust

    4    . Make sure you are responsible for your actions and honest in your dealings with others. Do you do what you promise? Breaking your promise will destroy trust and credibility every time.

State the rules of the game

    5    . The rules of the game have to be discussed and people need to be comfortable with their own roles. The team leader must act as a safe base, so members know who to turn to.

【推荐1】On August 25, an American family’s vacation went terribly wrong. A man, his wife and their three children stopped at a shooting range (靶场) in the southwestern state of Arizona, where people pay to fire guns at targets. Charles Vacca worked for the business, called Bullets and Burgers. He helped the family’s nine-year-old girl shoot a submachine gun called an Uzi. But the girl lost control of the weapon. At least one bullet hit Mr. Vacca in the head. He fell to the ground. Later, he died of his injuries.

No one has been charged with a crime. In fact, the families of both Mr. Vacca and the girl have said they feel very bad for each other. But the event has made Americans talk once again about guns and children. In the United States, federal law bars anyone younger than 18 from owning a handgun. But, many state laws give young people the right to shoot all kinds of guns under certain conditions.

Some Americans say children (like adults) need to learn to shoot a weapon so they can protect themselves. Others say shooting guns is just part of the way they grow up. But “safety” is a word many people use when it comes to children and guns. Last year, the Pew Research Center reported that over one-third of American homes have a gun. So, the argument goes, children could easily see a gun at home, or in the home of a friend or neighbor, and decide to fire it. Indeed, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital says about 1,500 children die every year from a gun accident. Many more are injured.

Laura Cutilletta is a lawyer for the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. She said most U. S. states have firm restrictions on keeping children away from guns in the home. But state laws about children hunting or shooting for fun, such as at a shooting range, are much looser.

In general, most states permit children to hunt or use a gun when an adult is with them. But, Laura Cutilletta notes that even a responsible adult cannot protect a child who is too young to shoot a gun safely. And, she says no one needs to shoot the most powerful guns just for fun.

【推荐2】Last month, Justin Valdez, a college student, was shot in a subway station in San Francisco. The surveillance video(监控录像) showed that before Justin was killed, the killer pulled out his gun several times, and even wiped his nose with it. However, nobody noticed the killer. The surrounding passengers all focused on their cell phones.

We may see the same scene everywhere in our life: in subway stations, restaurants, elevators and so on, people are watching their cell phones. From a family reunion to a date with a friend, people couldn’t stop checking their twitter and facebook on the cell phones and ignoring the persons in front completely, Phubbing(低头症) not only involves young people, but also the elderly and kids.

“Phubbing” is a new term which comes from the words“phone” and “snub”(冷落). It describes the habit of snubbing someone in favor of a cell phone. The word “phubbing” was included in the Australian National Dictionary in 2012. Obviously, the indifference (冷漠) and rudeness of the information age are spreading globally.

A Stop Phubbing campaign website has been set up. You can find the slogan of the website as follows: “stop twittering, stop posting photos…enjoy your food, enjoy the music and respect others.”

Phubbing appears harmless. However, it does influence our life. Jimmy, an epicure(美食家), wrote in his blog: “I can no longer focus on what I am eating since I started twittering. My skill of food photography has improved very fast, while my interest in food drops as a result.” Let us put down our cell phones and re-enjoy the real taste of our food and the warmth of interpersonal communication.

【推荐3】Young people's career expectations have become more concentrated in fewer occupations(职业) over the past two decades though social media and technologies like Artificial Intelligence(Al) are developing rapidly, according to a report form the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Traditional occupations from   the 19th and 20th centuries, such as lawyers and police officers, continue to trap(使陷入) the imaginations of young people around the world as they did nearly 20 years ago.

The report, based on a latest survey of the 15-year-olds in 41 countries,said the career expectations of youngsters may be “antiquated and unrealistic”.Nearly half of young people around the world wish to work in just 10 of the most common   professions. The surveys show that too many teenagers are ignoring, or don't know, new types of jobs that are coming up,particularly as a result of digitalisation(数字化). It is a concern that more young people than before appear to be picking their dream job from a small list of the most popular, traditional occupations, like teachers, lawyers or business managers.

The report found that among boys and girls who perform similarly in science, boys are more likely to expect to work in science and engineering. The top 10 occupations preferred by boys have changed very little since 2000-but girls are now more likely to want to be architects, police officers, and designers rather than hairdressers or writers.

The report also found a broader range of career expectations in countries with strong and firm occupational training for teenagers. For example, in Germany teenagers show a much wider range of career interests that better reflect patterns of labour market demands. More than a third of students in the UK report a lack of career advice at schools and colleges. Young people's wishes are set as young as age seven, and do not change enough over time to meet demands.