【推荐2】How to develop courage by overcoming daily fears

At times, when it comes to courage, we tend to believe it only applies to rare and uncommon situations. Yet our ordinary lives can also be full of courage, even if we are not facing the end of a gun, a wild animal or a dangerous criminal. Courage doesn’t just mean doing heroic acts.     1     In fact, where there is fear on a daily basis, there are opportunities for you to show your courage. Here are some suggestions to develop courage by overcoming daily fears.

Recognize your fears.

By realizing that you’re fearful, you are more likely to get to the bottom of what your fear is.     2     you might come to understand that you’re afraid of failing or taking chances. You may be fearful simply because you don’t have confidence in yourself. The key is not to dwell on your fear, but rather to understand what it is that you’re worried about.

Ask yourself what is the worst that can happen.

If you hesitate to take action, ask yourself this: what’s the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then go on to improve on the worst. Is failure the worst thing that can happen? No, absolutely not.     3    . Doing nothing is actually the worst thing that can happen. When you take no action, you are assured of getting nowhere.

Take action.

    4    . You cannot think courage comes just in one day. You need to act to overcome your fear. Your action may put you into discomfort, but you have to just do it. And your action can prevent you from being stuck.

    5    

To build up your confidence, you need to do the same thing over and over again. Soon you will discover that less courage is needed because you have already gained mastery. You are able to move decisively forward.

【推荐3】Difficult financial(金融) times don't mean your giving shuts down. Instead, they allow you to examine how your time and money are spent. There are so many ways to give back that won't hurt your wallet and will enrich your life.

•    1    

Calling someone “for no reason” is an important opportunity to show them that you are thinking of them. You are taking time out of your busy day to reach out. Everyone needs someone to just listen sometimes.     2    Be there to celebrate their good news, or support them.

•Write a note

While some people enjoy receiving gifts, all of us appreciate a kind word. It is one thing to say it,     3    . What if you wrote a thank-you note to someone every week?

•Invite someone over for dinner.

You never know what someone might be going through on just a bad day.     4    In addition, it costs less than going out. The leftovers from this dinner can be packaged up for homeless people. That's double giving!

•Set aside money from a daily routine to donate(捐赠).

Giving doesn't have to mean a life full of sacrifices. You can still buy a burger or get your nails done. But, instead of buying much coffee every week, you can drink less.     5    

【推荐2】2021 Admission Guide for International Students of Beijing Foreign Studies University

About BF SU Enrollment

BFSU enrolls international students into full-time degree programs. Degree programs include bachelor’s programs, master’s programs and PhD programs. BFSU grants BFSU diplomas to the students who meet the requirements for graduation by the designated deadline, and degree certificates to those who meet the requirements of the degree programs. BFSU enrolls both liberal arts students and science students from all over the world.

Semester

At Beijing Foreign Studies University, each academic year is divided into spring and autumn semesters. Autumn semester often starts in September and ends in January next year, while spring semester usually lasts from February till July. Exact starting and finishing dates of each semester are subject to BFSU academic calendar.

Degree Programs

Bachelor’s programs

Duration: 4 years. Students will be awarded diplomas upon successful completion of required courses, the thesis, and the oral defense of the thesis. Those who fulfil the requirements for bachelor’s degree will also be awarded a degree certificate.

Master’s programs

Duration: 2 or 3 years, depending on the major. Students will be awarded diplomas and certificates for master’s degree after acquiring all credits, finishing the thesis as well as the oral defense of the thesis.

PhD programs

Duration: 3 years. Students will be awarded diplomas and certificates for doctoral degree in the case of acquiring all credits, certain achievements in scientific research, and finishing the PhD dissertation as well as the oral defense of the thesis.

Forget a pen and paper! This new­fashioned school relies on iPads, touch screens, projectors and even electronic locker keys. The School of the Future's main goal is to equip students with the most knowledge in the technology field. While it struggled back when it opened in 2006, it is now one of the most in­demand schools.

Hamburger University

No, this school isn't about perfecting the hamburger. Actually, it sort of is! The McDonald's training facility is where restaurant managers go to learn the craft (手艺). From making a hamburger to dealing with complaining customers, it takes a lot to handle the running of Micky D's. Also, imagine having Hamburger University on your resume (简历). Now that would make you stand out from the crowd!

Real­life Clown (小丑) College

While movies and television shows love to make fun of kids and adults alike running off to join clown college or the circus but it turns out that it isn't made up. The Ringling Brothers set up a number of courses and schools around the United States to teach willing students the art of clowning around. It's a tough job，right? Imagine wearing a bright red nose while kids scream at you for a balloon animal.

Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School

Set up in the 1930s, this famous institution aims to produce the very best Santas. Potential Santas will learn how to interact with children and of course, how to laugh like the real deal. While you won't take the course unless you plan on being a professional Santa, it surely would be fun to dress up for a day!

【推荐1】Many organizations learned in the past year that remote work can be highly effective, with 83% of employers surveyed saying that the shift to remote work has been successful for their company, according to a PwC study. In addition, 54% of workers want to continue working remotely after the pandemic. Now that it's clear where the work is done is not as important as people once thought, the other dimension of flexibility workers fever is the freedom to determine when the work is done. A 2019 study by the International Workplace Group found that 80% of workers would turn down a job that did not offer a flexible work schedule, and 76% of workers said they'd consider staying at their current employer if they could work flexible hours.

According to a Microsoft Work Trend Report, the 9-to-5 workday is disappearing, as the increase in remote work has allowed for more flexible hours. Employees are increasingly working asynchronously, completing tasks on their own schedules, which may be different from those of their colleagues. Asynchronous work is now essential to being part of a modern, digital economy, staying competitive in the war for talent, and building a globally distributed workforce.

Tsedal Neeley, a Harvard Business School professor, told me, “Companies have to rethink what it means to be part of a modern work structure. This idea of 9-to-5 or face-time culture is actually not helpful for a digitally advanced economy.” She highlighted that the face-time culture is the need to monitor or see people in order to feel like work is advancing. However, this assumption that being productive requires seeing people do the work is not only limiting, but also unreasonable, as technology and automation are increasingly used to get work done and are not as observable as before. Asynchronous work, she says, is “a completely new mindset in line with a digital economy.”

【推荐2】“Iris scan (虹膜扫描), please,” the bank’s computer voice tells you. You step up and the computer reads your eye , comparing it to the stored file it has of your iris. The images had better match — otherwise you won’t be able to get your money.

Iris scanning and other technologies , such as fingerprint and voice scanning , have appeared in many science fiction movies in the past. Today , these advanced technologies are part of the real world. They are common at work, the bank, the airport, and your local prison. The iris scan, fingerprint scan, and voice scan are all examples of biometrics a fast-developing area of automatic personal identification technology. Basically, biometrics uses various ways to verify a persons identity, based on the individual’s unique characteristics, including fingerprints, voices, irises, body heat patterns, facial images, handprints, signatures and so on.

Biometrics identification systems have a number of advantages over password systems. The primary advantage is that an individual has to be physically present in order to be identified. Another important advantage is that there are no passwords to remember , forget, lose or steal.

The voice scan is the simplest and most affordable form of biometrics. It only requires a computer, a microphone and the correct software. The software records a subject’s voice and then compares it to a stored voice sample for identification purposes.

For additional safety, fingerprint and handprint scans can also be employed . Fingerprint scans take the image of a fingerprint and compare it to a stored file of prints. Handprint scans identify the unique features of a hand.

Iris scans currently give the highest level of accuracy among all the available biometrics systems. Another technology, full facial scans, is currently in use at border crossings and airports. Facial scanning equipment can actually track and identify moving faces within a crowd.

The potential of biometrics is exciting and encouraging. With continued development, testing, and application, current technologies will become even more effective in the future. Soon, the days of password and car keys will be gone. Just don’t leave home without your fingerprints!

【推荐3】Nearly 40 years ago, Peter Harrison, a marine ecologist witnessed the first recorded large - scale coral bleaching（珊瑚白化）event. Diving in the Great Barrier Reef（大堡礁），he was shocked by the scene before him. “The reef was made up of healthy corals and badly bleached white corals, like the beginning of a ghost city,” he says. Just months before, the same site was filled with colorful tropical life.

“Many of the hundreds of corals that had been carefully labelled and monitored finally died,” he says. “It was shocking and made me aware of just how weak these corals really are.”

Coral exists together with photosynthetic algae（藻类）, which live in its tissues and provide essential nutrition (and coloration). But high temperatures and other stresses can turn algae poisonous. When this occurs, the algae may die or be removed by the coral, a process known as bleaching because the coral’s clear tissue and white calcium carbonate skeleton（碳酸钙骨骼）are exposed. If the coral can’t reestablish its link with algae, it will starve or become ill.

The widespread destruction Harrison saw in 1982 was repeated on many other Pacific Ocean reefs that year and the next. In 1997 and 1998 the phenomenon went global, killing some 16 percent of the world’s corals. With rising temperatures, pollution, disease, increased ocean acidity, invasive species and other dangers, Harrison’s ghost cities are expanding.

Scientists suppose that about four decades ago severe bleaching occurred roughly every 25 years, giving corals time to recover. But bleaching events are coming faster now—about every six years—and in some places soon they could begin to happen annually.

“The absolute key is dealing with global warming,” says marine biologist Terry Hughes. “No matter how much we clean up the water, the reefs will die.” In 2016, a record-hot year in a string of them, 91 percent of the reefs that consist of the Great Barrier Reef bleached.

【推荐1】Disney’s free drawing classes

Resourceful parents, who understand the challenges of working from home, will be pleased to know their little Disney princesses have access to entertainment at their fingertips.

All kids need to do is grab a piece of paper, sharpen a pencil and hop online. The Disney Parks How to Draw Series on YouTube will keep little artists busy all afternoon. These 10 --- 20 minute-long videos will be a relief for moms and dads who not only work and take care of their families, but step in as substitute teachers while their kids are learning remotely.

It can seem challenging, but we’ll help keep your crew busy while spending time in. Be sure to check out the greatest Disney movies and strengthen youngsters’ art appreciation with virtual museum tours and digital classes. Don’t forget to tune in with famed author and illustrator Mo Willems, who hosts a drawing class online every day at 1 pm!

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Six Flags Great Adventured Safari

Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey just announced that its Safari adventure will open as a drive- through experience, following Governors order permitting drive-through events where attendees can practice social distancing.

Just book a reservation, jump into the car and 1, 200 animals will be available right before your eyes. What originally operated as a self-drive-through attraction from 1974 through 2012 turned into guided truck tours. Now, the experience is returning to its old ways so that visitors will remain at a distance. Currently, the park is making the final plans on safety for workers, guests and animals.

【推荐2】Sports fans around the world are struggling to reconcile with the sudden loss of American basketball icon Kobe Bryant. The 41-year-old died on January 26, 2020, when his private helicopter crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California — about 30 miles away from Los Angele. The crash also killed eight other passengers including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. The extremely heavy fog condition is believed to have been a major factor.

Bryant, who spent his entire 20-year-basketball career as a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, was born in Philadelphia. The basketball star, who decided to turn professional after graduating from high school, was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick, and then traded to the Lakers. At just 18 years old, he was the youngest player to be drafted in NBA history. The trade proved to be lucky for the Lakers. By his third year, Bryant had moved from being a reserve to the starting line-up. He had also firmly established himself as a star. In 2000, Bryant led the Lakers to their first NBA championship since 1988. The dream team continued to dominate the league for the next two years.

In addition to helping the Lakers win two additional NBA titles in 2009 and 2010, Bryant was also a member of the basketball team responsible for bringing home the Olympic Gold medals in 2008 and 2012. By the time he retired in 2016, the 18-time NBA All-Star had played a total of 1,560 games and scored an astounding 33,043 points — a record surpassed by only three players Kareem Abdul-Jabar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), and James (33,655) — in the NBA’s 73-year History.

Though there are many ways to honor Bryant, the best way to pay tribute to one of the greatest sports heroes of all time may be to follow his philosophy on life: “Life is too short to be discouraged. You have to keep moving. Put one foot in front of the other, smile, and just keep on rolling.”— Kobe Bryant, 2008.

【推荐3】The Harvard Pre-College Program is a nice experience for high school students. Alongside peers(同辈)from around the world, you’ll be introduced to college life as you attend classes, live on campus, and enjoy fun outings and activities.

◆Learning without limits

Biology, physics, law, writing and philosophy — these are just a few of the 30-plus courses you can choose from in each session. In our noncredit classes, we set aside grades so that you can fully commit to your growth as a well-rounded student. Class sizes typically range from 14 to 18 students to encourage interactive learning.

◆Living at Harvard

When you attend the Pre-College Program, you’ll live in a historic undergraduate house, near Harvard Square. You will be with your fellow Pre-College students, resident directors, and proctors who provide support. You’ll also enjoy meals in one of Harvard’s dining halls, which are a short walk from Harvard Yard and provide many options for a variety of dietary needs.

◆Thriving outside the classroom

The summer Pre-College Program offers many mentally challenging co-curricular(补充课程的)activities beyond the classroom. With faculty and Harvard-affiliated experts, you will have the opportunity to participate in workshops on topics like the psychology of color-blindness, classic literature from around the world and science of happiness. From our Cambridge scavenger hunt to a trip to the Sand Sculpting Festival at America’s first public beach, there’s no shortage of fun activities in the Pre-College Program.