1 . You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABCs? Do you know there is such a thing as “a banana person”? How strange! ABC means American-born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside. So, when a person is a “banana”, he or she is white inside-thinking like a Westerner and yellow outside-looking like a Chinese.

Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese. But if ABCs cannot speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are overseas (海外的)Chinese. These people may be citizens (公民)of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair.

But they are not Chinese citizens. They are people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist C. N. Yang(杨振宁). He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. Chinese people love him. But he is an American citizen.

4 . Richard is a very a successful businessman. It is common for him to work hard with a non-stop. He wasn’t aware that he might wear himself out or die an early death until he overslept one morning, which was a sort of alarm. And then what happened? He had a week’s leave during which time he read novels, listened to music and walked with his wife on a beach, which has enabled Richard to return to work again.

In our modern life, we have lost the rhythm between action and rest. Amazingly, within this world there is a universal but silly saying: “I am so busy.”

We say this to one another as if our tireless efforts, were a talent by nature and an ability to successfully deal with stress. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others. To be unavailable to our friends and family, and to be unable to find time to relax — this has become the model of a successful life.

Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the guide telling us where to go, the food providing us with strength, the quiet giving us wisdom.

How have we allowed this to happen? I believe it is this: we have forgotten the Sabbath, the day of the week — for followers of some religions — for rest and praying. It is a day when we are not supposed to work, a time when we devote ourselves to enjoying and celebrating what is beautiful. It is a good time to bless our children and loved ones, give thanks, share meals, walk and sleep. It is a time for us to take a rest, to put our work aside, trusting that there are larger forces at work taking care of the world.

Rest is a spiritual and biological need; however, in our strong ambition to be successful and care for our many responsibilities, we may feel terribly guilty when we take time to rest. The Sabbath gives us permission to stop work. In fact, “Remember the Sabbath” is more than simply permission to rest; it is a rule to obey and a principle to follow.

5 . Why Walking in Nature Makes You a Better Worker?

We’re busy at work, distracted (注意力分散的) by technology and often live in urban environments far from wild spaces.    1    . The average American, for example, spends about 90% of their life indoors. But what happens if we maketime for an hour outside each day?

    2    . You’ll have to go out for a walk, which is beneficial if most of your day involves sitting in front of a screen. Research shows short breaks can improve work enthusiasm, and a quick break in natural light will deliver a shot of vitamin D.

There are also a lot of mental benefits when you are in nature-you are happy and your brain can make sense of life. “When people are all out in nature, even in urban nature, people tend to have more positive emotion and energy than when they are indoors.    3    ,” said Lisa Nisbet, associate professor at Canada’s Trent University.

The idea that nature is good for us has been gaining grounds since the 1980s.    4    . Afterwards, shinrin-yoku, the Japanese concept, which is the practice of taking a short, leisurely visit to a forest for health benefits, followed that. Researchers of shinrin yoku have since found plenty of physical and mental benefits, while global studies suggest spending time in nature can, for example, restore our ability to focus, increase our creativity, and even help us live longer.

Of course, many of us live in cities with no ready access toforests or the wilderess.    5    . Various studies have shown that green environments in cities have beneficial effects.

6 . There is something to be said for being a generalist, even if you are a specialist. Knowing a little about a lot of things that interest you can add to the richness of a whole, well-lived life.

Society pushes us to specialize, to become experts. This requires commitment to a particular occupation, branch of study or research. The drawback to being specialists is we often come to know more and more about less and less. There is a great deal of pressure to master one’s field. You may pursue training, degrees, or increasing levels of responsibility at work. Then you discover the pressure of having to keep up.

Some people seem willing to work around the clock in their narrow specialty. But such commitment can also weaken a sense of freedom. These specialists could work at the office until ten each night, then look back and realize they would have loved to have gone home and enjoyed the sweetness of their family and friends, or traveled to exciting places, meeting interesting people. Mastering one thing to the exclusion of others can hold back your true spirit.

Generalists on the other hand, know a lot about a wide range of subjects and view the whole with all its connections. They are people of ability, talent, and enthusiasm who can bring their broad perspective into specific fields of expertise. The doctor who is also a poet and philosopher is a superior doctor, one who can give so much more to his patients than just good medical skills.

Things are connected. Let your expertise in one field fuel your passions in all related areas. Some of your interests may not appear to be connected but, once you explore their depths, you discover that they are. My editor Toni, who is also a writer, has edited several history books. She has decided to study Chinese history. Fascinated by the structural beauty of the Forbidden City as a painter, she is equally interested to learn more about Chinese philosophy. “I don’t know where it will lead, but I’m excited I’m on this pursuit.”

These expansions into new worlds help us by giving us new perspectives. We begin to see the interconnectedness of one thing to another in all aspects of our life, of ourselves and the universe. Develop broad, general knowledge and experience. The universe is all yours to explore and enjoy.

7 . When did you last write a letter? Properly write one-by hand? In a digital world, where sending a text or email is far more convenient than using snail mail (传统信件), is it still necessary to write with traditional pen and paper? Well, some people believe that writing still has many benefits.     1    

These days, When people request things in writing, a typed, electronic document will be accepted.     2     But making a handwritten document is unique: It requires planning and thought, and, as well as practicing your handwriting, it helps you to remember spelling and punctuation（标点）.

    3     This is particularly relevant for students, where typing notes into a laptop is thought to lack the “tactile (触觉的) feedback” to the brain that contact between pen and paper does. BBC Worklife website quotes Hetty Roessing from the University of Calgary, who says that “taking notes by hand involves cognitive (认知的) engagement in summarizing, paraphrasing, organizing, concept and vocabulary mapping.” Others agree that handwriting may boost fine motor skills in your hands and fingers.

There are everyday benefits to using pen and paper too. Drawing notes, shopping lists, or messages on the back of an envelope can still be useful, quick and portable.     4     Pen pal writer Katherine Moller told the BBC: “In a world where it is so easy to hop online to email or to send a fast text, it is so personal and so precious to know someone chose to turn off the virtual world to spend some time with you.”

So, while digital skills remain important, don’t write off your pens and pencils yet.----     5    

In many countries, it is not unusual for families of       1    (difference) backgrounds to live together in the shared space.     2    , in the United States, this idea may still be considered odd.

But this type of housing,     3    (call) co-housing, is gaining popularity in the United States, too. Co-housing complexes are popping up across the country. For many people, this way of life is a     4    (relieve) to the busy modern lifestyle. A co-housing community has     5    (private) owned houses and shared land. There is often a “common house” with a kitchen and dining room, meeting room, and maybe a workshop of library or music room. About 25 co-housing communities     6    (build) in recent years, and 150 more are planned.

A co-housing complex is a place     7     residents shop, cook, and eat together. Residents of a co-housing complex like its sense of shared community. Children have other kids     8    (play) with, which many families like. Other residents like the feeling of living in 64.     9     “village”. Residents also say that they can live in co-housing for     10    (little) money than they would pay for nearby apartment.

10 . We've all been there：those times you need to argue your point of view to someone who you know disagrees with you. You immediately go to your keyboard and start to type out that 280-character Twitter，the Facebook reply，or a paragraphs-long email. Surely the reason，logic and strong power of your written words will persuade whoever disagrees with you to see your point of view. But new research suggests a different idea.

That research was conducted by Juliana Schroeder，assistant professor of University of California，Berkeley，and her colleagues. In Schroeder's study of almost 300 people，participants were asked to watch，listen，and read arguments about subjects they agreed or disagreed with. They were asked to judge the character of the communicator and the quality of the argument. Schroeder's team found that the participants who watched or listened to the communicator were less dismissive（抵触的）of their claims than when they read that communicator's same argument.

The idea for her study came from a newspaper article about a politician. “One of us read a speech that was printed in a newspaper from a politician with whom he strongly disagreed. The next week，he heard the exact same speech playing on a radio station. He was shocked by how different his reaction was toward the politician when he read the speech compared to when he heard it. When he read the statement，the politician seemed idiotic，but when he heard it spoken，the politician actually sounded reasonable.

So in the workplace，speaking to someone in person often involves nothing more than walking a few doors down to their office. And that's exactly what you should do if you need to convince that boss or colleague of why your blueprint for the company or project is the right one. Only as a last way should you try to communicate with someone who you disagree with over social media. Twitter's limited text allowance and social media users' short attention make arguing your point a difficult battle.