1 . All of us want to strive for perfection, don’t we? It could be submitting the perfect assignment or performing a flawless musical.     1     This is especially so when we are in a large organization, like a school or company.

When people work as a team, the end product is more likely to be of better quality than if an individual produces it alone. There is a name for this-synergy (增效) . Now, how does synergy work?

    2     Actually, synergy is abundant in the animal kingdom. Remember the clownfish darting (飞奔) among the sea anemones (海葵) in Finding Nemo? Both creatures demonstrate mutualism at play. The clownfish hide among the stinging tentacles (触角) of the anemones when their predators come close. In return, the clownfish scare off the butterfly fish that prey on anemones.

    3     From them, we learn that a team that works well together understands the strengths and weaknesses of each team member. Not only that, the teamleaders and members become proficient when they exercise specialization.     4    

In teamwork, there is much creativity.     5     While the occasional conflict may arise when certain members don’t see eye to eye over an issue, these are few and far between. The team leader will be at hand to case tensions when things go wrong.

2 . “Oh no, Haley. Why are you crying?” A question we often hear when we’re chopping onions.     1    

Well, it all starts underground. Life for an onion is pretty sweet when they’re down there in the dirt. Except when bugs (虫子) come by wanting a bite. Onions don’t like that at all.     2     When the bugs bite the onion, it releases a chemical which stings really bad. This gas acts as a natural insecticide, keeping bugs away from the onion.

This chemical is called syn-propanethial-S-oxide, which is what causes the tears when we cut into them. When we slice into onions to cook them,     3     When it reaches your eyes, it makes them sting. The gas can react with the moisture in our eyes and forms a mild acid. This acid irritates (刺激) our eyes, making them water in an attempt to wash away the irritant. This is why we end up crying when we cut onions.

So, how can we avoid crying while cutting onions? Well, here are a few tips.

    4     When the cold temperature slows down the reaction, less gas is released, which may reduce the amount of syn-propanethial-S-oxide that is released into the air. Alternatively, put a silver spoon in your mouth. When the chemical gets to the spoon, it binds with a metal before it reaches your eyes, or wear some very cool glasses like me. These glasses have side shields that block the gas from reaching your eyes.

In conclusion, onions make us cry because of the gas they release when we cut into them. Although it may be an annoyance,     5     So don’t let that stop you from enjoying their delicious flavor in your favorite dishes.

3 . Many people have reserved banquet halls in hotels and big restaurants during the eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday to hold wedding ceremonies or family get-togethers with special and exquisite dishes to serve the guests.

    1     While people in the West tend to believe “You are what you eat”, the Chinese people believe “To the people, food is heaven.” Few cultures are as food-oriented as the Chinese. For the Chinese people, food has a meaning far beyond its importance as fuel for life.

In Chinese culture, serving expensive and rare dishes is a way of showing respect for the guests.     2     This, however, results in waste of food at banquets (宴会). At wedding ceremonies and family reunions during holidays, food waste is even more common. So what are the reasons for food waste on such a massive scale?

First, many people are not fully aware of the importance of not wasting food. In most cases, at banquets, particularly at wedding banquets if the dishes are not expensive or excess food is not ordered for the guests, the couples’ families fear “losing face”.     3    

Second, some restaurants tend to encourage diners to order more expensive dishes by setting a minimum consumption amount for re serving banquet halls, while consumers who believe that luxury is a way of life, especially to boast of in front of friends, turn a blind eye to food waste regulations and advice from restaurant staff.     4    

    5     A recently released guideline was to solve food waste problem, promote a more sustainable approach to food consumption and encourage responsible practices in the restaurant industry.

4 . Ways to Develop Patience

Patience is essential to daily life and might be key to a happy one. Having patience means being able to wait calmly in the face of any difficulty or failure. This is all good news for the naturally patient or for those who have the time and opportunity to take a strict training in patience. But what about the rest of us?     1    

Rebuild the situation. Feeling impatient is not just an automatic emotional response; it involves conscious thoughts and beliefs, too. If a colleague is late for a meeting, you can be angry about his lack of respect, or see those extra 15 minutes as an opportunity to get some reading done.     2     And consciously trying to regulate our emotions can help us train our self-control muscles.

Practice mindfulness. In one study, kids who did a six-month mindfulness program in school became less impulsive (冲动的) and more willing to wait for a reward.     3     Taking a deep breath and noticing your feelings of anger or overload can help you respond with more patience to your children.

    4     In another study, adults who were feeling grateful were also better at patiently delaying satisfaction. When given the choice between getting an immediate cash reward or waiting a year for more, less grateful people gave in once the immediate payment offer climbed to $18. Grateful people, however, could hold out until the amount reached $30. If we’re thankful for what we have today, we’re not desperate for more stuff or better circumstances immediately.

We can try to shelter ourselves from difficulty or failure.     5     Practicing patience in everyday situations will not only make life more pleasant at present, but might also help pave the way for a more satisfying and successful future.

5 . Living a fulfilling life is far less complicated than you think.     1     It takes time to heal the negative and grow the positive in its place. The following tips are highly recommended.

Say “Yes!” more often.

“Yes” is a key that opens up doors to things you may have never known. Don’t define yourself by everything you think you know about. Take some risks! Say yes to opportunities when they come around! Life is a constant learning process where you will hopefully gain new perspectives.     2    

Forgive easily and often.

    3     But actually, there is a huge middle ground where pretty much everyone is. Let go of the mindset of good and bad. Instead, let people be the flawed creatures they are. Forgive yourself for not doing the right things, and then make better choices now that you know better.

Contribute to others’ happiness.

A fulfilling life requires abandoning patterns of self-absorption and selfishness.     4     It means you lift your eyes above your own life and consider how to better the lives of others. As you see your words and actions contributing positively to others’ lives, your life has a great deal of meaning.

    5    

You’ll hardly feel fulfilled if your energy goes in only one direction—out. Just as you pour love into others, you must do the same to yourself. Take time to nurture your own self with passions, self-care, or goal-oriented activities. It doesn’t have to be something grand or expensive. Taking a stroll in nature or curling up with a good book are excellent ways of experiencing personal happiness.

6 . Many people desire stronger,truer friendships as an adult.     1     How do you leave out the embarrassing chit-chat stage and hit the fast-forward button on a possible friendship? I’ve learned a few things.

Give yourself permission to bore people

We all know the safe topics to begin when first meeting someone. But this tendency to play it safe can put off knowing whether you are like-minded with a possible friend.     2    . “What do you think is the best television finale of all time?” This is a great conversation starter as long as it interests you. And if the other person slowly backs away, then you’ve just saved yourself hours of chatting.

    3    

Often our friendships feel shallow because they are based on gossip (八卦，闲聊). It’s human nature to focus on a third person to relieve our stress. We share spicy updates about former classmates with our high school friends, or have a drink with colleagues and complained about the boss.But a friendship built on gossip can leave both people feeling exhausted and upset after they hang out.

If a friend starts to give you updates on other people you know, it can be helpful to say, “I want to hear about what’s going on with you.” Or you can ask yourself, “What would I share about myself if I were with my best friend right now?”     4    .

Be curious bout who people are, and who they want to be

    5     They are also, able to share their struggles without fear of judgement. A great way to deepen a friendship is to ask someone, “What has been challenging for you the last year?” Or, “What’s a belief you have that has changed over the course of your life?” These are questions we seldom ask each other, but they reveal so much about who we are, and who we’re trying to be.

8 . How to charge an electric vehicle (EV) is one of the biggest concerns people have when working out whether going electric is right for them.

It is true that sometimes gaining access to reliable charging can seem a bit tricky.     1    

First, download an app with a comprehensive map of the public charging points showing their locations, how powerful they are, and whether they’re working. All this is vital information because, even if you have public charging points nearby, you will need alternatives in case they’re in use.    2    

A growing number of property owners are renting out their charging points and drive ways to other local EV drivers when they’re not using them.    3     Thus, your car gets charged, the owners make money, and emissions are reduced.

    4       For example, when your car is running out of juice, you’d just pull up to a battery-change station from your car brand and sit in the car while a fully charged unit is changed in. The Chinese EV brand Nio does this, but isn’t available in the UK as yet.

For now, if charging access remains difficult for you, it’s still possible to go electric-in part.    5     Many hybrid (混合) cars are now good for 50 miles of electric running before you need to use the engine. So, if most of your driving is local, you might only need to find a charger once or twice a week, while you have the backup of a fuel engine for long journeys.