【推荐2】Women cry 4,680 times over their adult lifetime — more than twice as much as men, a study has found. Sad TV shows or books, tiredness and arguments their partner mean the average woman will cry six times a month. In comparison, men will shed a tear just three times a month.

But the study found men are less embarrassed (难为情) about crying in front of others, with four in 10 saying they wouldn’t be bothered about shedding a tear in public compared to just a third of women. Psychologist Emma Kenny said, “While women are usually associated with crying, the results of this study actually show that men are now feeling that it’s acceptable to show their emotions through crying. And, different from what is usually believed, the results actually suggest that women feel embarrassed when they let their emotions show.”

The study of 2,000 adults found 51% of women admit to being a big crier — crying often or at little things. But far from shying away from it, three in 10 men are also happy to admit they often shed a tear.

A sad TV show, movie or book is most likely to leave women watery-eyed, while men tear up at sad moments or memories. Other reasons for crying include funerals, grief and anxiety. But women are more likely to cry happy tears, with 40%admitting to shedding a tear for a good reason, something just 24%of men do. And while 64% of women admit to crying for no reason, just three in 10 men can say the same.

The study also found an emotional 44% of men have cried in public, along with a huge 80% of women. Crying in front of people you work with would leave many feeling most embarrassed, followed by their boss, strangers and acquaintances. But almost one in 10 admit they would be left red-faced if they shed a tear in front of their family members.

【推荐2】A growing number of companies are making food and drink products out of things traditionally considered waste. And according to new research, consumers increasingly accept — and even prefer — such products.

“Consumers are actually willing to pay more for food made from surplus (剩余的) products,” says Professor Jonathan Deutsch, who led the study. Deutsch and his colleagues presented study participants with different food products. They had one of three labels “conventional”, “organic” or “value-added surplus”. The third was the study’s term for food normally seen as waste. Participants were not, as food companies have long assumed, disgusted by the idea of using “waste” in their food. Instead, they felt positively about the opportunity to help the environment.

The problem of food waste has been getting more attention in recent years. Globally, up to a third of all food is damaged or lost before it can be eaten. Waste can happen anywhere along the food chain. Farms fail to harvest crops due to bad weather. Food goes bad during transport. Companies throw out trimmings too small to use, and supermarkets reject produce for imperfect looks. Restaurants throw out food after its use-by date.

As consumers become increasingly aware of the problem, a number of companies are betting on surplus foods. Washington, D. C-based Misfit Juicery sells cold-pressed juices made from ugly fruits. Dutch company Barstensvol makes heat-and-eat soups from surplus vegetables. Some of these companies are meeting with major success.

Deutsch reminds that transparency (透明度) is key when using surplus food. Consumers like the idea of helping the environment. They don’t like feeling a company has something to hide. ABC News reported that meat companies often use beef trimmings in ground beef. The product is perfectly safe to eat. But its pink appearance, and the idea that the meat companies were hiding its presence from consumers, caused great anger.

【推荐3】Book reviews can be a great foot in the door if you’re looking to get your writing published somewhere. Most magazines, whether online or print, will include book reviews about books that tackle the topics the magazine discusses. Also, most editors and staff writers are usually too busy to read books and review them themselves (unless they are specifically assigned to a book review column). Therefore, writing book reviews can be a great way to get started with a writing career.

Many people that are reading your review may not know anything about the book you’re reviewing. Instead of making them go find information on their own by searching for the book title, start out with a little description of the book. Make sure you avoid too long of a summary though, because if too much of your article is a summary of the book, it won’t be interesting. Start with a short paragraph or so that hits all the major points but doesn't give too much away. You don’t want to tell your reader everything about the book, because then they won’t have to read it at all. Just give enough information so your reader is interested in reading the book.

Some magazines like to publish book reviews that are completely objective. This means that they want a review of the book that doesn't share your opinion and that in which your opinion isn't obvious from reading what you wrote. If you hated a book, it might not be a great book to review.

You probably want to review books that you enjoyed. This will give your review a positive spin. Avoid gushing about how much you loved the book, however. You should not include your personal reaction to the book until the very end, where you include a sentence or two about whether or not you would recommend a book and to whom you would recommend it.

A great way to get your review noticed is to look at a book through a specific lens. Read the book as a feminist would, for example, and talk about what a feminist might say to applaud or criticize the book. You can choose any number of lenses, and feminism is just one option. An economic lens, a family lens, the lens of a different nationality, or the lens of a child could all be interesting ways to look at a book. If you look at a book in this way, instead of just reading it and forming your own opinion, it will be much more interesting and marketable. This is especially the case if you look at a lens that relates to the subject of the magazine to which you are submitting. Feminist magazines love book reviews about books read through a feminist lens, for example, because it pertains to their readership.

Another great way to write a book review is to talk about the writer’s style. Anyone can pick up a book and read for the plot, but it takes an experienced writer to note interesting things about another writer’s style and write about them intelligently.