【推荐2】Things were looking great for Alexi McCammond. Black, female and 27, she was named editor-in-chief of a famous magazine Teen Vogue.

But an unexpected incident ended her career before it began. A group of employees wrote a letter stopping her from being the editor-in-chief because of several online tweets (推文) she had written ten years earlier, when she was a teenager. In them Ms McCammond wrote how to avoid waking up with “Ugly, Asian eyes”. She complained about her poor grades in chemistry: “Thanks a lot, stupid Asian teacher”.

She had apologized for these comments in the past, but a killing in Georgia on March 16th, in which six victims were Asian women, made her apology look even worse. Two days later, Ms McCammond wrote on Twitter again—to say that she had agreed to give up the Teen Vogue job.

Why do tweets keep destroying people? The answer may lie in the language. In form, the language of social media is written—but in style, it is far more like speech. Twitter’s word limit encourages short posts that are like talking. People write them as they speak, using incomplete sentences, slang, informal spellings (to show pronunciation) and so on. Language experts use Twitter to study changes in vocabulary, grammar and usage, which shows that the language of tweets is very similar to oral chatting. Finally, those who are direct or outspoken in speech may be more popular on Twitter.

In order to be one of those popular, people especially teenagers, may make wrong remarks just as Ms McCammond did. Posts may seem to disappear as time goes by, but unless they are deleted they live on forever. In other words, the Internet has its memory, so be careful that something improper one post online can destroy him or her someday.

【推荐3】A few years ago, I went shopping with a friend for a new motorcycle. He didn’t have a particular brand or model in mind except two standards. A big engine—since too much horsepower is never enough—and since he’s tall, a relatively relaxed riding position.

I suggested a Hayabusa, which met his standards or an XS-14R. Both were within his budget, especially the Hayabusa since the dealer was offering a $2,500 discount on a previous year’s model.

He rode them both and loved them both. But then he became very interested in a ZX-6R KRT—a great motorcycle, sure, but with a much smaller motor and a riding position that made him look like a contorted mantis (变形的螳螂). It seemed like a strange choice.

I felt puzzled until it hit me. The purchase of any motorcycle 750cc and under came with a free helmet (头盔). Since my friend also wanted a new helmet, getting one for free was extremely attractive. After all, the math didn’t work. We eventually negotiated $3,200 off the price of the Hayabusa. The free helmet was only worth $250. However, my friend’s final decision was ZX-6R KRT with a free helmet.

A 2017 study published in Marketing Science found that people tend to significantly overvalue “free”. When faced with a choice of selecting one of several available products, people will choose the option with the highest cost-benefit difference; however, decisions about free (zero-price) products differ, because people do not simply take away costs from benefits but instead, consider the benefits associated with free products to be higher.

Two months later, my friend traded in his 6R for a 14R. But I don’t think badly of him. We’ve all been blinded by the power of “free”. So whenever something is free, stop and consider the intention, and see “free” as a reason to do even more math.

【推荐1】Hillary Sterling, a chef at Vic’s in New York’s NoHo, prides herself on expressing the finest principles of the Italian cooking tradition: making delicious meals, while minimizing food waste. “I think Italian cooking is really a perfect example of simple, elegant, delicious food without any excess,” says Sterling. “They grow what they make and that’s it. And they use what they have.”

About 30 percent of food is wasted in the US, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Nearly all of that food — 95 percent — is simply thrown away, leading to an average loss of 38 million tons of food per year. But hunger in America isn’t a supply problem — there’s more than enough food to meet demand. And that doesn’t sit well with a community-minded chef like Sterling.

“I’m here to feed people but I’m also here to educate,” Sterling said. “There’s no reason we should not be helping people — especially children.” That passion inspired Sterling to join other chefs who volunteer with No Kid Hungry, a national campaign focusing on ending childhood hunger in the U.S. through programs like school breakfast and summer meals.

Of course, no one should ever grow up hungry and yet more than 11 million children in the United States live in food insecure families. Children who regularly miss meals can face an increased risk of a range of medical conditions, including chronic illnesses. They’re also more likely to struggle at school — and problems can last for a long time even after their food insecurity problems are solved. But hunger is a solvable problem and today, according to the organization No Kid Hungry, one-third fewer kids live with hunger in America than when it began nine years ago.

With the support of its long-time partner Citi, No Kid Hungry has provided more than 150 million meals for kids in need. And this year Citi is once again matching all donations up to $100,000 — enough to provide one million additional meals.

【推荐3】It was eleven years before I returned to England. It was an evening in December, an hour or so after dark, when I quietly pushed open the kitchen door of the house on the marshes (沼泽). There, smoking his pipe by the fire, was Joe, only a little gray. And opposite him, sitting on my own old little stool, was--- a little Pip.

Joe jumped up to welcome me back and kept touching me to make sure it was really me. But the little boy hung back. Biddy rushed in, crying, and kissed me.

After a few days, young Pip--- for he had been named after me--- and I became friends. We went for walks on the marshes, and I showed him my family's tombstones. To understand his thoughts and feelings, I had only to remember my own at his age in this place. By the time I left, Pip was as attached to me as I had been to Joe when I was young. He stood by the forge and waved and waved until I was out of sight.

Thoughts of Estella came rushing to me. Before leaving for London, I decided to visit the site of Miss Havisham's house. Nothing of the burned-out house remained; only the garden was there, pushing wildly into the space once occupied by the house. I went through the old gate, no longer locked, and sat on a stone bench. Thoughts of Estella came rushing to me. I had heard that her life with Bentley Drummle had been most unhappy, unhappy enough to cause her to leave him. And I had heard that he had been killed in a riding accident soon after. But that had been two years ago, and perhaps she had since remarried. I wandered farther back in the garden, which looked stripped and like desert in the winter air. The figure of a woman stood pitifully in the moonlight, and, hearing my footsteps, she turned. We recognized one another at the same time.