1 . Looking on the Bright Side with Moon Worship

According to Cheshire psychic Claire Stone, a growing number of women are looking to the moon to increase their health, power and wealth. Daily Mail reporter Samantha Brick recently ______ a full moon ceremony hosted by Ms. Stone in a field near Hale. She joined a group of females dressed in white as they stood in a circle holding hands.

“There is drumming and chanting,” wrote Ms. Brick, “then ______ as each woman engraves her hopes and ambitions for the coming month on a white or silver candle.” They were told to ______ what they wanted to attract into their lives. “We ‘see’ it coming true in our minds,” said Ms. Stone. “The ______ is amplified by the energy of the moon and those in the circle.”

Ms. Stone said that wishing on the moon helped her move into her ______ home, a £l.4 million farmhouse, which she shares with her husband and two daughters.

Ms. Stone was initially attracted to complementary sources of ______ as a teenager suffering from anxiety. “I started looking for something to help make me happier,” she said. “I first joined a couple of local groups where women would ______ once a month on the full moon when I was in my 20s. It seemed like a natural and ______ thing to do.” The paper commented: “Claire, who drives a black Mercedes GLE coupe, was so ______ by her early experiences of moon circles that she decided to hold her own monthly ceremonies outside her home.

They have been a(n) ______ success: at various times more than 3,000 women have come along. Her circles —priced at £22.00 for a two-hour session—______ for up to 100 women at a time online, and 50 at a time in person. Several famous and powerful women have announced their interest in moon worship. Friends actor Jennifer Aniston is said to ______ moon circles where women sit and share their experiences and dreams. Lady Carole Bamford, described in the press as a “billionaire eco entrepreneur” explains on her website. “Our bodies are made up of 70 per cent water, so it’s no wonder that the moon, which controls the ______, has the power to affect us all in different ways as well.”

The report ended with veterinary nurse Victoria Twist, who ______ the moon for her return to full health after spinal surgery. Ms. Twist is also convinced that ______ attending moon circles, she was also able to manifest her dream home.

3 . The United States is one of the world’s wealthiest countries. Despite this, many Americans are not even getting enough to eat. In fact, around 37 million Americans struggle just to put healthy food, or any food at all, on the table every day.

One might think that a food shortage is happening in America, but this is not the case. There is more than sufficient food for everyone. Unfortunately, 40% of food is wasted every day. There are many different ways food is wasted: farmers only pick the best-looking crops, deliveries aren’t made on time, supermarkets throw out extra products, customers buy more than they need, and so on. The highest level of wastage tends to happen in the richest communities.

Meanwhile, people who live in poor or rural areas often have little or no access to food. These areas are called “food deserts”. They have fewer supermarkets, and the only food options that they can afford are often unhealthy ones. Healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables may be impossible to find. Sadly, 12. 8% of the American population live in food deserts.

What can we do to help those who don’t have enough food? Shirley and Annie Zhu came up with a solution. In 2017, when Hurricane Harvey destroyed over 100,000 homes in their city, Houston, the sisters got involved. While helping to clear water from a flooded supermarket, they saw a huge amount of food being wasted. At the same time, thousands of people in the city didn’t have enough to eat.

The girls were only 15 when they set up Fresh Hub with 10 of their classmates. They created an app which could be used by residents to find out whether fresh food was available. Then they contacted local farmers and supermarkets to ask for their extra food.

At first, they found that people didn't take them seriously because they were so young. They decided to work with Second Servings, a local organization that had been providing food to food deserts around the city. The owner of Second Servings, Barbara Bronstein, was impressed with the twins and introduced them to several food providers. To date, Fresh Hub has delivered more than 15,000 pounds of food to people in need.

4 . It’s not just people that are social distancing. Brands are doing it too.

McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Audi and Volkswagen are just a few of the big companies that are interpreting “social distancing” with logo (商标) redesigns.

The term, social distancing, meaning standing 6 feet apart from others in an effort to lower the risk of being infected (感染) by diseases, has become popular recently.

“Our current global situation is no joke. It’s a serious matter,” Douglas Sellers, executive creative director for firm Siegel + Gale told CNN Business. “And brands designing social distancing logos have the potential to decrease the severity of what we are going through. The creativity, passion, and thought that goes into wanting to help, educate, and be part of the physical distancing movement is a worthy note,” Sellers said.

McDonald’s Brazil

Last week, McDonald’s Brazil pulled apart its iconic (标志性的) golden arches in a picture posted to its Facebook page. The ad agency explained that despite the temporary separation between its customers and the company caused by closures of some of its restaurants, they can always be together. McDonald’s is offering food through delivery.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is currently running an ad in New York’s deserted Times Square that shows each letter of its logo separated with the slogan “Staying apart is the best way to stay united”. The brand typically celebrates togetherness and love in its ads.

Audi and Volkswagen

Two companies that share ownership, Audi and Volkswagen, changed their logos for their social media accounts. Audi separated its four rings in a short video telling people to stay at home and keep their distance. Volkswagen also promoted a similar video with inspirational messages and separated the V and W.

5 . Whether an individual is considering starting a small business or changing career paths, passion must be taken into account. While characteristics such as strong values, talent, ambition, intellect, discipline, persistence (毅力), and luck all contribute to business and career success, following your passion can often make the most significant difference of all.

Before discussing passion and explaining its significance, we must first define the true meaning of success. Success is usually thought of as making large sums of wealth or achieving a certain level of fame, but true success that satisfies is not all about money.

Success is better defined as an achievement of a desired aim or purpose. More than money or fame, most people desire to combine their own passions with their work while making a sustainable income. The more you earn, the less money returns, making money an elusive (难以捉摸的) definition of success.

For most people, success means being proud of their achievements and being part of something that matters. This is particularly true when it comes to meaningful work. If an individual decides to follow their passion, there is a greater likelihood that money and traditional success will follow because the time and effort invested in the adventure come with enthusiasm and zeal (热情).

If enthusiasm and passion are present, people tend to be more resilient (有承受力) when encountering obstacles. People who are passionate about what they do, rather than just "in it for the money," tend to be people who have more positive outlooks and can overcome difficulty through problem-solving.

Also, the more passionate someone is about their job, the more inclined (倾向于) they are to work hard on self-improvement, increasing their chances of success.

One of the most successful companies in the world is Apple. Apple's founder and most remarkable leader was the late Steve Jobs. In an article titled “The Seven Success Principles of Steve Jobs”, writer Carmine Gallo outlines seven factors responsible for Jobs’ success. The article is based on interviews with Apple employees and Steve Jobs himself. The first principle? “Do what you love.” Steve Jobs believed in the power of passion and once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” Jobs claimed that his passion for his work made all the difference.

8 . The term “midlife crisis” was first coined in the 1960s, when remaining a traditional adult lost its attraction for some, and the temptation to join in with the experimentations of the youth of the time became too strong to ________. It was thought to occur mostly with men between the ages of 40 and 60, and there have always seemed to be some people who follow its ________ pattern, apparently unable to see that they have become a figure of fun.

According to recent studies, however, things have changed, and the midlife crisis itself has undergone a major ________ over the years. For a start, a desperate attempt to hang on to a more ________ appearance clearly passes the equal-opportunities test these days, with so many women going under the cosmetic surgeon’s knife that the men’s preference for a little hair dye seems tame ________. And it all begins even younger. One of the reasons for a major identity crisis appears to have been the ________ of long-held career goals, leading to an empty sense of “ ...so what now”? With younger people achieving senior management positions much ________ (the average age of CEOs has fallen from 59 to 48 in the last generation), these career plateaus (停滞期) can come much earlier in life. Even for those who aren’t as ________, severe work pressure often leads to a need to re-evaluate career options in one’s 30s, bringing on a crossroads moment well before the big four-oh is reached. This ________ women too these days, and whether career-oriented or not, another factor for mothers is the confusing ________ that hits them when the children have left home.

Many of the people who responded to surveys on the topic ________ the term “midlife crisis” itself, however, and the way it is used. The majority of respondents thought it was an insulting stereotype, and men said that while they are ________ for “letting themselves go” as they get older, any attempt to take care of their appearance after the age of 40 was often met with ridicule and the accusation of a midlife crisis.

Perhaps we need to remember that we get the word “crisis” from the Greek krisis, meaning “turning point”. It’s not difficult to see, as the psychologist Carl Jung explained in some detail, that while our personalities may alter somewhat throughout life, there should come a time when the ego identity we’ve grown up with undergoes a big change ________ the second half of life. And it’s not as if exploring new activities and deciding to get in better ________ is something to be criticized. As a spokesman for Jeep, one of the companies who carried out one of the surveys, said, “The traditional image of a midlife crisis is dead and ________. Nowadays it’s more about living for the moment and making the most of things and leading an active and healthy lifestyle.”

9 . Without less public attention, the nation’s egg producers are in the midst of a multibillion-dollar shift to cage-free eggs that is dramatically changing the lives of millions of hens in response to new laws and demands from restaurant chains. In a decade, the percentage of hens in cage-free housing has soared from 4% in 2010 to 28% in 2020, and that figure is expected to more than double to about 70% in the next four years.

The change marks one of the animal welfare movement’s biggest successes after years of battles with the food industry. The transition has cost billions of dollars for producers who initially resisted calls for more humane treatment of chickens but have since fully embraced the new reality.

Beginning in about 2015, many companies such as McDonald’s, Burger King responded to pressure from animal welfare groups by announcing their commitment to cage-free eggs. That was followed by laws requiring cage-free housing in California and similar rules in at least seven other states. Meanwhile, they widely promoted their move to cage-free as good for their brand’s image.

Animal rights groups have made allowing animals room to move a priority in their campaigns but the results have been mixed. The pork industry is fighting to block the California initiative that required more space for breeding pigs, and a state judge recently delayed implementation of new rules.

Looking years into the future, egg company leaders said they think the demand for cheaper eggs from caged hens will remain roughly 25% or more of the market, but Balk at the Humane Society said he expects it to become a tiny percentage of overall sales. Balk notes that hundreds of national retailers, restaurants, grocers and food manufacturers either have implemented cage-free requirements or plan to do so within a few years. “This is the future of every state in America,” he said.

10 . In 1910, the Los Angeles Times ran a story about a boy who was charged with opening a valve (阀门) on a water pump powered by a steam engine to release the built-up pressure. His whole job consisted of staring at these machines all day, which was incredibly boring. The “ lazy ” boy then invented a release for the pump to run just as it should and won his freedom. The first automatic steam engine was born.

This story may be fictional, but the boy’s behavior reflects a deeper truth. When we are feeling lazy, we often search for an easier way, trying to update the process and save time and effort. In other words, laziness can drive innovation.

In recent years, some psychologists and business leaders have wised up to this insight, changing our perspective of what laziness really means. Both Bill Gates and Walter Chrysler have been credited with a quote: “ I always choose a lazy person to do a hard job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it. ”

Our brains are born for laziness. Compared with our ancestors who had to conserve energy to compete for food, flee from predators, and fight, we now don’t take survival as a daily issue. It seems natural that we would choose to be “lazier” , but the opposite has occurred. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans sleep less and work more than we used to; productivity per worker has gone up 400 percent since 1950. Our culture teaches us that our worth depends on how industrious we are, so we work even harder to produce even more.

But there’s one big paradox (悖论), sad but true: The harder we work, the less productive we are. When demand increases, we tend to push harder. Yet the trouble is that, without any refresh and recharge, we are less efficient, make more mistakes, and get less engaged with what we’re doing.

Therefore, how can we make our labor more meaningful and our lives more fulfilling? Current research in psychology and neuroscience points to a new understanding of the value of the wandering mind. Taking breaks and allowing your thoughts to drift can help your brain retain information, refocus, and gain fresh perspective.

Here’s the core problem: When the time finally comes to put our feet up, we often don’t know how. We have little training in how to be idle. But at least give it a shot. Maybe this week, notice some downtime in your day, some white space in your calendar. Instead of filling the space with more work, just sit in the sofa, and be, in the words of poet Mary Oliver, “ idle and blessed. ”