1 . Tidying your desk, watering your plants, folding clothes — these household chores (家务) are very common. I often find myself _________ these little chores. If the deadline of a task is coming, I’ll clear up the papers _________ around my office to make me feel not so nervous.

I’m not _________ in this. As facing the influenza (流感), many people _________ finding new interest in looking after their homes as a way of _________ uncertainty. Psychologists (心理学家) say these chores may _________ encourage you to become active.

Little chores may be useful because they occupy the mind, leading us to devote fewer resources to the things that _________ us. We may find household makes us _________ when we finish them, but this depends on where we place our _________.

In a study, researchers __________ 51 participants into two groups. Half of them were encouraged to __________ focus on washing the dishes. “__________ washing the dishes, one should be aware that he is washing the dishes”. Another half only needed to know something __________ how to do washing without being encouraged to focus their awareness on the activity.

Finally, the participants were asked to take a questionnaire about their feelings. Those who had fully engaged with the experience reported a better mood. This included the reduced __________ and even a sense of “inspiration”, as if the simple activity had __________ their minds.

3 . I am a product of mixed cultures (dad is Arab, mom is American), and I have grown up with cultural differences all my life. This has made me very conscious of watching what people do in different cultures around the world. Cross cultural understanding is really necessary if you want to get along with people from other places.

It is very common, and not considered rude to ask a person’s age in Japan when you meet them for the first time. The Japanese language is a rich and complex language that has different words to use depending on the age or the person you are talking to. Therefore, it’s important for people to know your age range so as not to offend (冒犯) you by showing you less respect than you are due.

Hand gestures and signals are always better to use only in your home country where you understand what they mean. In Turkey, for example, allowing your thumb to protrude between your second and third finger in a fist is extremely rude. Also, don’t make an “OK” gesture, unless you mean to call someone a fool.

Don’t touch anyone’s head in Malaysia, especially babies. Pointing is also considered rude in Malaysia, where directions are normally given with an open hand.

Giving gifts in China can get you into trouble. Certain gifts in China can cause great offence, such as giving cut flowers, which is only done at funerals. Giving a clock is seen as bad luck since the words “giving a clock” sound just like the words “attending a funeral”. A gift of shoes would be interpreted as giving a gift of evil. Nothing is expected to be associated with the word “four” because it sounds like the word “death”.

4 . Joseph Frederick Engelberger, the Father of Robotics, was born on July 26, 1925. He received his degree in Electric Engineering in 1949 from Columbia University. He worked as an engineer in a company and then he met George Devol at a party in 1956, two years after Devol had designed and patented (获得专利权) an industrial robotic arm. However, the company where Engelberger worked was closed in the year he met Devol.

Finding himself jobless but with a business partner and an idea, Engelberger co-founded Unimation with Devol, creating the world’s first robotics company. Over the next two decades, the Japanese took the lead by investing (投资) heavily in robots to replace people performing certain tasks. In Japan, Engelberger was widely recognized as a key player in Japanese manufacturing quality and efficiency.

After observing his aging parents, Engelberger saw the robotics automation could be used in the medical field. In 1984, Engelberger introduced HelpMate and hoped to start a new industry for in-home robots. He sold his first HelpMate to Danbury Hospital in 1988. The medical robot was so successful that the hospital ended up purchasing another, and within a decade, well over 100 hospitals worldwide operated HelpMates.

Senator Joseph Lieberman delivered a speech in the U. S. Senate in praise and recognition of the inventor, calling HelpMate an example that shows the federal investment in science and technology for patients can lead to new products that create jobs for Americans and make for a better quality of life.

Engelberger liked working. So even after he got into his 80s, he remained active in the promotion and development of robots for use in elder care.

5 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

The person I respect

10 . Want to reduce your risk of dementia (痴呆)? Start counting your steps — you’ll need between 3,800 and 9,800 each day to reduce your risk of mental decline, according to a new study.

People between the ages of 40 and 79 who took 9,826 steps per day were 50% less likely to develop dementia within seven years, the study found. Furthermore, people who walked with “purpose” — at a speed over 40 steps a minute — were able to cut their risk of dementia by 57% with just 6,315 steps a day. Even people who walked about 3,800 steps a day at any speed cut their risk by 25%.

“That would be enough, at first, for sedentary (久坐不动) people,” said Cruz, a senior researcher in health sciences. “In fact, it is a message that doctors could use to inspire sedentary older adults — 4,000 steps is achievable by many, even those less fit,” he added. “Perhaps, more active and fitter people should aim for 10,000, where we see the largest effects.”

But there was an even more interesting result hidden in the study, according to an article entitled “Is 112 the New 10,000?”

The largest reduction (降低) in dementia risk — 62% — was achieved by people who walked at a very easy speed of 112 steps per minute for 30 minutes a day, the study found. Earlier research has marked 100 steps a minute as an easy or middle level of strength.

The article argued that people looking to reduce their risk of dementia should focus on their walking speed over their walking distance.

“We do agree this is a very interesting finding,” said Cruz. “Our take is that strength of stepping matters! Technology could be used to track not only the number of steps but also the speed and so these types of measures can also be applied in commercial watches. More research is needed on this.”