1 . Before the Internet age, critical thinking was the most important skill of people. But in the digital age, according to Anastasia Kozyreva, a famous psychologist, a more important skill is critical ignoring..

As researchers point out, we live in an attention economy where content producers on the Internet compete for our attention. They attract us with many eye-catching stories while providing little useful information, so they can expose us to profit-generating advertisements. Therefore, we are not customers but products, and each link we click is a sale of our time and attention. To protect ourselves from this, Kozyreva advocates (提倡) for learning the skill of critical ignoring, in which readers can control their information environment to reduce exposure to raise information.

According to Kozyreva, critical ignoring includes three strategies. The first is to design our environments, which includes removing low-quality yet hard-to-resist (难以抵制的) information from around. Successful dieters need to keep unhealthy food out of their homes. Similarly, we need to set up a digital environment where attention-grabbing items are kept out of sight. Like dieting, if one tries to depend on willpower not to click eye-catching "news", he'll surely fail. So, it's better to keep them out of sight at first!

The next is to evaluate the reliability (可靠性) of information, whose purpose is to protect you from false information. It can be realized by checking the source in the mainstream, news agencies, which are trustworthy.

The last is: "never feed the trolls." Trolls are some people who spread false information online to cause harm. Do not correct them, because they do not care about whether the information is correct. Annoying others is their goal. So, never respond to their bad behaviour with our attention.

By using the above critical ignoring skills, we can make the most of the Internet while avoiding falling victim to those who try to control our attention, time, and minds.

2 . A young Los Angeles actor in need of a second job to pay his bills has come up with a brilliant way to add his income — people walking.

Chuck McCarthy originally considered becoming a dog walker to earn some extra cash, but soon realized that the job required more than walking dogs on a leash (皮带). “I didn’t want to pick up dog poop (粪便), and that’s kind of what you are really being paid for, for dog walking,” he said. But people don’t usually poop when they take a walk, so Chuck realized there was money to be made walking people around Los Angeles instead.

It might sound like a joke, but the People Walker, as he calls himself, is very serious about his new job. For $7 per mile, he offers to walk with customers around L.A., listening to their problems or simply making conversation and offering them a sense of safety.

His services are aimed at people who need motivational help to go walking, those who don’t feel safe walking alone in some areas, and those who are afraid that people might see them walking by themselves and think that they have no friends.

“I wear my The People Walker shirt upon request and on the first walk with a new customer, so they can be 100% sure it’s me,” McCarthy says. However, he admits that some people don’t agree to this policy, as they don’t necessarily want everyone to know that they are being walked.

Believe it or not, McCarthy’s business has been very successful. He already has another five people walkers employed, covering various areas, like downtown L.A., Hollywood, Eagle Rock, Las Feliz or Fairefax. Once he posted signs around the city, his phone started ringing and customers began rolling in. And with all the free publicity he has been getting in the press lately, he has been overwhelmed (不堪重负的) with requests.

3 . Learn to Cite Sources (引用资料)

During your university education, you’ll meet new ideas and new challenges. Among them, the academic challenge you face is to make something original.     1     Your original work is the basis for your professor’s evaluation of your performance. Thus, academic honesty is very important in your university education. It demands that you cite the source materials based on your work.     2    

Correctly citing your sources helps you distinguish (区分) your own ideas from other scholars’. For, readers, it allows a reader to determine the depth of your research.     3     On the contrary, lack of citing will only raise your reader’s doubt.

So you need to learn when to cite and how to provide an accurate (准确的) reference list. If you fail to cite your sources, whatever reasons, you will be found responsible for plagiarism (抄袭).     4     If you are not sure, ask your professor for guidance before submitting the paper or report. Keep in mind this general rule: when in doubt, cite!

    5     For example, students from East Asia may think that copying directly from sources is the proper way to do research. Students in France, preparing for the final examination, may be encouraged to memorize whole passages and copy them into papers. Those cultural differences can lead to false assumptions about academic expectations in the country you study in.

4 . Mike Myers is a teacher at Chauncey Rose High School in Terre Haute, Indiana. Last year, he taught his students about the world’s rain forests. They learned that rain forests are important because the plants and animals of the rain forest give us food, wood, and medicine.

Destruction of the world’s rain forests is a serious problem. Unluckily, rain forests are disappearing at a rate of 80 acres per minute! As part of a class project, Myers’ students bought three acres (英亩) of rain forest in Central America. They paid $25 per acre. The students hope that the land they bought will be protected and not destroyed. The students became so interested in rain forests that they decided to get a closer look at a real rain forest.

So last June, Myers and four of his students took a boat ride down a river. They saw alligators and crocodiles. In the middle of the week, a guide took Myers and his students into the rain forest. “The monkeys were not happy that we were in their forest. They broke small branches off the trees and threw them at us,” one of the students said. “It was a great learning experience for all of us,” said Myers.

Each student chose something specific about Costa Rica to study involving the plants, animals, food, and culture. During the last few days the group had time to do fun activities. They went whitewater rafting and horseback riding, and visited Costa Rica’s active volcano.

Myers hopes to make the trip every year with a different group of kids.

5 . In my last semester of college in the US, I struggled with the decision to move to New York to pursue an advertising career, or to stay in Florida to be near my loved ones. While I preferred the latter, everyone kept telling me if I didn’t go to New York, I would never make anything of myself — I would not make achievements in career. Although those statements made my blood boil, I still decided to stay in Florida.

I accepted a marketing coordinator (协调员) position with Coton Colors. I knew the company was growing fast, so it felt like a great place to begin my career. In Coton Colors, I tried to establish myself. I took on basic marketing tasks like helping with small campaigns or simple design. I started undertaking more tasks and discovering things I liked and excelled in. I continued to ask for more responsibilities, and before I knew it, I was leading meetings, directing support staff and taking off in my position.

I started getting in contact with some of my New York classmates. It seemed that most of them were still assistants, running to get coffee and make copies, without getting any useful experience. Those conversations helped me realize that I was in control of my own career. I didn’t need to move to a big city to become an important part of a successful team — I was already part of one. I went to the CEO and asked to create and lead an events team. After only a few months, I worked around the clock to grow this branch while also continuing to maintain my regular job duties. In the end, all of my hard work and devotion paid off. I have watched myself grow from an entry-level college student to a valued member of a powerful management team. I have overcome many stereotypes (刻板印象) of my generation with my hard work and positive attitude.

6 . Data shows Chinese brands are winning more consumers in recent years, especially among the younger generation. The trend is usually called “guochao”, or “Chinese fashion trend”, which has driven demand for domestic (国内的), brands and products that include Chinese traditional culture and style.

Its main followers are millennial born between1980-1995 and Generation Z born between 1995 and 2010. Unlike the older generations who could have attachment to Western culture and brands, Chinese youth were born and raised when the country’s economy was taking off. The younger generation tends to have strong confidence in their traditional culture.

To win more young customers, these domestic names are making products with high quality by strengthening research and marketing efforts. An often-cited (引证) case is Li-Ning, China’s homegrown sportswear brand named after a famous athlete. The company almost broke up after a failed rebranding in 2011 when it went through three years of losses after losing older customers while failing to attract younger buyers. It was not until the 2018 New York Fashion Week that the brand gained success. Its trendy look, bold (大胆的) use of color and traditional Chinese culture elements were shown on the stage so that it immediately attracted attention’ at home and abroad.

The trend to welcome domestic brands has spread rapidly to different industries and various products, from food and drinks to clothing and electronic vehicles. While many Chinese brands have been gaining significant market share at home in recent years, others are posting an increasingly stronger global presence.

In 2020, China’s tech giant Xiaomi reported its most profitable year based on expanded sales and global market share. Sales from Haier Smart-Home’s overseas business last year also marked an all time high, ranking top list in global market share for major home appliance (家用电器). Although some brands still face many challenges ahead to meet the customers’ different needs in overseas markets, most domestic products are quite competitive in the international market.

7 . Tutors (家教) Wanted

Teach a kindergartener how to read online

Become a volunteer tutor with Learn To Be! LTB tutors are dedicated volunteers who believe deeply in educational equity. Our tutors volunteer their time to make the lives of under-served K-12 kids and their families easier, their opportunities greater, and their dreams bigger. Teach at least 2 times per week for 3 months or longer. Support your students with homework help or use the resources provided by LTB to create your own lesson plans for your students.

Visit our website to apply: https://www.learntobe.org

Tutor adults in English

The South Bay Literacy Council is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to teaching adults to read, write and speak English in the South Bay, Los Angeles area. You’d teach your students weekly online or in-person. The tutoring will last 9 months due to the time it takes to train and match tutors with students.

Visit our website to apply: http://www.southbayliteracy.org

Tutor for Remove the Borders

Being a tutor for Remove the Borders is a great opportunity to gain volunteer hours while learning about how socioeconomic status and learning disabilities can hold students back. Dates on when you tutor will be worked out between you and the person you are tutoring. The minimum amount of time you have to tutor is three hours for a month.

Visit our website to apply: https://forms.gle/eJ2j8BAWAAeApEQq9

Teach online STEM classes

Across the country, millions of students lack the resources to learn about STEM and computer science. Our non-profit organization tries to provide this vital area of education to underprivileged students through engaging in online classes. As a volunteer teacher, you will earn service hours while developing critical communication, teaching, and leadership skills. These classes will run for eight weeks, and three hours per week.

Visit our website to apply: https://www.roboticsforall.net/overview-of-positions.html