【推荐1】Public speaking has to be one of the most important professional skills because it is used in nearly every industry.     1     The good news is, speaking confidently and effectively in front of a group is a skill that anybody can master. Here are some tips to help you feel confident when presenting ideas to a group of people.

Calm your nerves.

It's normal to still find yourself overcome with nerves at some. point in your presentation, despite your preparation. When this happens, take a deep breath.     2     Instead of putting your hands in your pockets or playing with your hair, think of ways to cope with your nerves beforehand. You might make sure to exercise that morning for five minutes before speaking.

Record your speaking.

Co-workers and friends can help provide feedback, but you can also evaluate yourself while speaking. When you speak in front of a group, set up your phone to record yourself and watch it later.     3     You might find new ways to improve the readability of your PowerPoint slides.

Connect with a personal story.

    4     When TED Talk Speakers take the stage, they often begin with a short story about their childhood or personal experience. This structure helps them connect with the audience, share their passion for what they'll discuss or explain their professional knowledge. To add this kind of personal touch to your presentation, make sure what you share has a direct connection with the topic at hand.

Use the stage to your advantage.

Before the presentation, know where you'll be speaking. Check that your PowerPoint presentation works with the provided equipment. Make sure you know how the room will be set up. Ask about whether people will be eating during your talk, and what kind of microphone you'll be using.

    5     Walk to different areas to make eye contact with the audience. Be aware of your body language. Let your arms hang loosely. Stand with excellent posture, with your back straight. Smile.

【推荐3】Don’t miss out—30% off garage parking at Dulles International Airport (DIA) reagan-dullesairport@mw…

This holiday season Dulles International Airport is offering 30% off daily garage parking rate on select dates for travelers staying 4 days or more.

Click here to download coupon

QR Code is required and terms and conditions apply.

Redeem this special offer either by:

Phone: Scan the QR code below with the QR scanner at the exit or,

Printed copy: Print this email and scan the QR code when exiting the garage.

For our holiday parking promotion at Reagan National Airport (RNA), click here

This holiday, let your journey begin with us!

How to Use the Promotion QR Code

1. When entering the garage, pull parking ticket from the machine.

2. At exit, insert your parking ticket into the machine.

3. Machine will display message showing amount due as: “Please pay $X.XX. Enter Credit-Card or a Rebate Ticket (折扣票)”

4. Scan the QR Code with the QR code reader

5. Machine will now display message showing the amount after discount

6. Pay amount due by credit card or cash

^*Terms and conditions:

Promotion valid for travel between November 16, 2018—December 2, 2018 and December 14, 2018—January 31, 2019

Valid only for Garage parking and non transferable

Parking spaces are limited

Coupon must be presented at time of exit to receive discount

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Dulles International Airport, 1 Saarinen Circle, Dulles, VA 20166

【推荐3】Whale sharks, the world’s largest fish, spend much of their time swimming slowly, swallowing large quantities of tiny creatures.But the animals have more complex hunting habits than previously thought.

New observations in Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef show these animals can hunt together with other predators(捕食者)including tuna, other sharks，and even seabirds. In a recent video, filmed by photographer Tom Cannon, at least three whale sharks were seen feeding on a ball of bait-fish(钓饵鱼), a behavior rarely caught on camera.

“I’ve watched the video hundreds of times, and it still blows my mind,”says Emily Lester, a postdoctoral fellow at the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Bait fish balls draw in predators of all shapes, and in the Ningaloo video the whale sharks were seen attacking at speed through the center of the bait ball, as well as positioning themselves beneath it. Both of these skills require more effort than swimming slowly along, mouth wide open.

“By themselves, whale sharks will certainly do the work, but they’re slow,”says Simon Pierce, who has been conducting research on whale sharks for over 15 years. “But when other predators are there attacking the bait fish, forcing them into a ball, the largest mouth gets the most fish.”

Having a big shark get the largest part of your meal seems like a major disadvantage, but there could be some benefit to the seabirds and other fish as well. “I wonder if this is a two-way interaction,”Lester says. “After the whale sharks charge through the bait ball, can those other predators capitalize on the separated fishes?”

“This is only one interaction, and we got very lucky to video it,” Lester says. “But I’m hoping that we get even luckier in the future.” Ningaloo’s rich ecosystem together with the countless ocean lovers who document it, puts that goal within reach.

【推荐1】Black students reported facing barriers that prevent them from completing their undergraduate studies in six years or less, regardless of the type of certificate or degree program, according to research published Thursday by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation. The most significant factors contributing to the lower rates among Black students, the study found, were experiencing acts of discrimination and managing multiple priorities that can interfere with completing coursework.

The report compiled data in fall 2022 from 6, 008 college students across different certification and degree programs, including 1, 106 Black students.

21% of Black respondents said they felt discriminated against frequently or occasionally compared to 15% of other students. Black students were also more likely to have shared that they felt disrespected or psychologically unsafe at an institution while learning. 28% of Black students who attended an institution with little diversity felt physically unsafe, while 26% felt disrespected and 27% felt psychologically unsafe.

Managing multiple priorities was another factor interfering with Black students’ education goals. The report found that 22% of Black students overall have caregiving responsibilities, compared to 11% of students in other racial groups, and 20% of Black students overall have full-time jobs, compared to 11% of other racial groups.

Aside from discrimination and the task of managing responsibilities, the data also acknowledged other barriers making it difficult for Black students to complete their education, including the high costs of attending school. An April 2022 report by The Education Trust found that because Black women fall within two marginalized groups, they make less money and often have to takeout more loans to cover the cost of attending college.

【推荐3】As Valentine’s Day approaches, many people with dogs will not care one bit whether they get a card.

A survey by the Kennel Club in the UK has found almost one in five would rather have a dog than be in a relationship. Almost half said they were so attached to their pet because their dogs don’t let you down in the same way that other people might. Although a dog might not buy you roses or take you out for dinner, it seems unconditional love and a wagging tail can make being single less lonely. The research, which asked 2,612 dog owners for their thoughts on romance, found just under a quarter agreed that having a dog would make them feel less concerned about not being in love.

Perhaps the findings are unsurprising, as celebrities (名人) have long used dogs as their plus ones. Hollywood legend Glenn Close took her Havanese dog Pip to the Oscars last year, describing her pet as “the best date a girl can have”. Bill Lambert, a spokesman for the Kennel Club, said, “There certainly seems to be a growing number of dog lovers who would rather share their lives with a four-legged friend instead of a human partner. This could be due to the numerous benefits that come with dog ownership.”

Dogs help their owners relaxed, whether that’s with a daily walk in fresh air, or with a hug on a sofa. They can also be great listeners, help their owners reduce stress, and can play a part in improving the health and fitness of their owners. Nonetheless (尽管如此), for those dog owners who are still looking for love, the research suggests their pet might help. Mr. Lambert said, “This is quite unsurprising when you consider that dogs are a great icebreaker, when strangers may otherwise not look twice at each other, and that we tend to have very positive associations about people who love dogs.”

【推荐1】The Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew,usually known as Kew Gardens,in Richmond upon Thames is a major London tourist attraction and a UNESCO Word Heritage site.

Founded in 1759,Kew began as a royal garden attached to the Royal Kew Palace,home to George III and his many children. The Palace is now open to visitors,but probably the buildings most visitors come to see are the incredible glasshouses. The Palmhouse is one of the largest surviving Victorian glasshouses in the world,with over 16,000 panes of glass. The Waterlily House,which contains some of the world's largest and smallest waterlilies, is also not to be missed.

However, Kew is more than just a garden and green space in the heart of Britain’s capital city. It is also the world’s leading horticultural (园艺学的) center for botanical research and plant science. The Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew,covers approximately three hundred acres of land,and attracts around a million visitors every year.Its collections and laboratories illustrate the important part that plants play in our lives, and highlight the need to protect and conserve them for the benefit of generations to come.

Kew is a vital research and scientific base, with multiple research projects and partnerships stretching across the globe. As a world leader in plant science,Kew employs around seven hundred people, and is home to about nineteen thousand species of living plants. Its Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place holds seeds from around ten percent of the world's plant species for the benefit of humankind, exhibiting around two billion seeds from 28,000 species of plants sourced from approximately 130 countries.

Around eighty percent of our daily calorie intake comes from just twelve plant species.A project of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank recognizes the need for greater genetic diversity in our crops and seeks to preserve food security for future generations.The project collects seeds from the wild relatives of some of our most important food crop plants whose genetic make-up can be used to breed new and useful qualities back into modern agricultural crops so that they can better adapt to future climates and other threats, such as pests and diseases.