1 . Success is often considered to be the opposite of failure. To teenagers, it is the achievement of a goal or completion of something they really need, such as good grades and the ability to get along well with their classmates. Some schools used to agree with most parents who measured (判定) the success of their children according to grades, but now they pay special attention to moral (道德的) education and character-building to make sure teenagers achieve success in building human relationships.

Schools give chances to students to discover their hidden ability so that they can enjoy some form of success. For example, those good at speaking skills are advised to take part in speech competitions while those interested in arts are expected to perform in front of their classmates. Teenagers also get the pleasure of success when they join their favorite clubs.

Teenagers are often told that success is not easy to achieve and that success lies in hard work. Great efforts have to be put into project work. Doing things much later than planned should be avoided as this will lead to a mountain of work which finally makes them nervous. Another good quality (品质) is a sense of responsibility which makes them remember that a task has to be completed.

Sticking to moral values is the key to success too. Honest teenagers will win the trust of friends leading to good relationships. Self-motivation (自我激励) is another quality to be developed, for self-motivated teenagers will have the strong will and drive to perform a task and finally get to enjoy a sense of achievement.

2 . Boris, a foreign student at Communication University of China, often shares his experiences of Chinese culture on his vlog (视频博客).

In one video, for example, Boris shared how he had learned the Chinese word dongxi. He translated each part separately into “east west”. And he introduced one theory (说法) about how dongxi came to mean “things”. He told people that all marketplaces in ancient Chinese cities were set up along a single road that ran from east to west. So when you would say qu mai dongxi. you’d be saying, “I’m going to buy things.”

Some other videos show his reading Chinese poems and performing kung fu in Chinese traditional costume, which are quite welcome among his 40, 000 followers.

“Many of my followers are learning Chinese,” Boris said. “But sadly, they know little about Chinese culture and the country.”

Like many foreigners, Boris once believed that all Chinese could perform kung fu, flying onto roofs and walking over walls. He thought the country was not that developed. But after he got a scholarship (奖学金) to study in China in 2019, his view changed. “China has entered a new period, but many people’s impressions of China are still stuck in the1970s,” Boris said. “That’s why I started to shoot vlogs to share Chinese culture in 2019.”

Until now, Boris has posted more than 40 Chinese culture vlogs online. But making these vlogs is not easy. Take reading the poem Second Farewell to Cambridge by Xu Zhimo as an example.

“I can understand and read every word in the poem,” Boris said. “But to touch readers, I need to use proper feelings while reading.” So he needed to look for much background information and make his feelings suit each part of the poem.

Though shooting these vlogs takes lots of time, the young man feels proud that his vlogs have inspired many people. Boris said that he wanted to continue bridging the differences between two cultures. “This goal may not be achieved easily, but I will spare no efforts to do my part.”

Counting the hairs on your head would be very difficult. Many have tried, but most people give up after losing count or getting bored! However, scientists say people have more than 100,000 hairs on their heads on average. Of course, this number is different from person to person. Some people have much more hair than others.

What causes hair loss? There are many reasons, such as stress, illness and styling. It also runs in families. Besides, many people simply lose hair as they grow older. To avoid losing hair, you should wash your hair correctly and condition（养护）your hair to help keep your hair healthy. It’s also important to be gentle when brushing or combing hair.

Hair loss is not the same as daily shedding（脱落）. People lose an average of 50 to 100 hairs a day. It’s normal. If you are losing more hair than average, talk to the adults you trust. They can help you decide whether to ask a doctor for help.

Why do humans have hair on their heads? Most other mammals（哺乳动物）have thick fur（毛）covering their whole bodies. While humans grow small and fine（细微的）hairs on much of their skin, it’s much thicker on the top of the head. Scientists say the answers come down to evolution. Humans probably evolved without fur because they have more sweat glands（汗腺）than other mammals. Humans walk upright on two legs. Therefore, the top of their heads needs protection from the sun. This is why people have more hair on their heads than on the rest of their bodies. The hair also helps keep heat in cold weather and keep a healthy body temperature.

6 . Online study can be hard. Zech Hipp was doing it with great difficulty. Zech is 15 years old. He lives in Seattle, Washington, with his four brothers and his mother.

“It’s hard to stay focused,” he said. “I can’t stay focused on one thing at a time.” Zech has gotten some helpful advice from his “Big Brother” Owen Kim. Kim is 33 years old. He is Zech’s mentor through a program. The program is called Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound.

A mentor is someone who gives help and advice. Kim and Zech often text, talk over the phone and even video call. Kim gave Zech some advice about how to stay focused while doing school at home. Kim suggests picking one space and always doing your work there. “Make that space as comfortable as possible,” he said.

In his room, Zech set up a cubby（小房间）.He has a place where he can make tea. This was Kim’s idea. Here, Zech said he is more separated from everybody else in the house. That’s where he does schoolwork.

Kim and Zech have been Big Brother and Little Brother for four years. They used to meet once a week. They would walk through the city or play video games. In spring 2020, COVID-19 started spreading. Kim and Zech had to stop meeting up in person. The illness spreads easily between people. Now, they only communicate over the phone or video call.

Kim is older than Zech. He has had different life experiences. When they talk, Kim can give Zech a different point of view about life. Zech said this is helpful. Kim said its been a great thing for him, too. He said Zech has been a wonderful addition to his life.

“Owen’s always there,” Zech’s mother said. All of her boys have had Big Brothers or Big Sisters. “It has done such wonders for our family,” she said. “Just having them in our lives has been such a blessing.”

10 . Today, most people in Western cultures expect to eat meals with their own set of silverware（银制餐具）, their own plates, and their own glasses. People use plates to hold their food and drink only from their own glasses. But Europeans didn’t always eat this way.

In the 1500s, members of the ruling classes（统治阶级）used knives to cut meat. Since they hardly had their own plates and bowls, they would eat the slice of meat off the tip of the knife. They would use shared spoons to eat soup and would dip bread or their fingers into serving bowls of gravy. There were a few rules for eating behavior. It was considered impolite to taste something from a spoon if it was being passed down to another person. If you had a bone（骨头）left in your hand after eating a chicken leg, you were expected to throw it politely under the table.

When some of the Europeans settled （定居） in the North America, they brought this eating style with them.

While the new settlers were sharing cups and dipping their fingers into bowls of food, European royalty and nobility（皇室与贵族）were staring to increase their tableware. They were also developing manners to go with their new knives, forks, spoons, plates, and napkins. They started to think of sharing cups or plates as unclean and even impolite. Their new manners made them feel higher than the lower classes.

By the 1700s, these new customs had spread to wealthy American settlers. As new landowners, they wanted to have a higher status（身份）than they would have had in Great Britain. They bought their own dishes and silverware and brought them to America.

By the late 1800s, mealtime manners had changed for everyone. As the American middle class grew, they needed more tableware to show off their wealth. There was also a complex（复杂的）system of manners by this time. This new emphasis on behavior influenced every aspect of everyday life.

And what about the 21st century? Do our manners continue to become more complex? Maybe yes, maybe no.