1 . That artificial food dyes (染料) are unhealthy is not news. Some are known to cause hyperactivity (多动症) in some children, affecting their ability to learn. But regulatory agencies (监管机构) around the world don’t necessarily agree on which food dyes are a problem, or why. That may soon change. A 2021 peer-reviewed report by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that artificial food dyes “cause or worsen neurobehavioral (神经行为的) problems in some children” and that the current levels that are regarded safe for consumption by the federal government are too high.

California is now considering requiring warning labels on food products and dietary supplements containing the seven most commonly used artificial dyes. The warning label requirement would put California on par with the European Union, which since 2010 has required food products containing certain artificial food dyes to carry warning labels about their negative effect on activity and attention in children.

Artificial dyes are used in foods for one reason: to make products look prettier. Bright colors make candies appealing, especially to kids. But dyes are also in chocolate cake mixes, salad dressings and other products that don’t seem to cry out for a color boost.

In Europe, it was the 2010 label lawmaking that triggered (引发) companies’ decisions to reformulate. “If you’re a company, you do not want to put a warning label on your product.” says Lefferts, an environmental health consultant. Warning labels are why European Starburst Fruit Chews are now colored with natural products, not the artificial dyes that brighten their North American counterparts (同类商品).

Given that artificial food dyes are used far more than needed, we need to be more cautious. After all, we don’t dye fresh fruits and vegetables, but we do dye candy and sprinkles, points out Joe Schwarcz, a chemistry professor at McGill University in Montreal. “The foods in which you find food dyes are foods that are poor in nutrition,” he says. “If you limit foods that contain food dyes, you automatically make your diet better.”

3 . When you set a foot outside of your door to drop trash, go to a social event or go for a walk, thoughts like “I hope I don’t see anyone I know” or “please don’t talk to me” may run through your mind. I’ve also said such things to myself. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is to talk with someone, especially someone new.

Why do we go out of our ways to avoid people? Do we think meeting new people is a waste of time? Or are we just lazy, thinking that meeting someone new really is a trouble?

Communication is the key to life. We have been told that many times. Take the past generations, like our parents, for example. They seem to take full advantage of that whole “communication” idea because they grew up talking face to face while Generation-Y grew up staring at screens. We spend hours of our days sitting on Facebook. We send messages to our friends and think about all of the things we want to say to certain people that we don’t have the courage to actually do in reality.

Nowadays, we are so caught up in our little circle of friends — our comfort zone. We love it that they laugh at our jokes, understand our feelings and can read our minds. Most importantly, they know when we want to be alone. They just get us.

Holding a conversation with someone new means agreeing with things that you don’t actually believe and being someone you think they want you to be — it is, as I said before, a trouble. It takes up so much energy, and at some point or another, it is too tiring.

But meeting new people is important. Life is too short, so meet all the people you can meet, make the effort to go out and laugh. Remember, every “hello” leads to a smile — and a smile is worth a lot.

5 . Nobody likes to fail. It makes people feel embarrassed and discouraged. What’s worse, it may cause major professional or personal trouble and lead to negativity. Basically, failure is no fun for most people. However, a vast body of research tells us that failure provides us with a chance to grow and develop, increases adaptability, and helps protect against anxiety.

It’s hard to change the mindset(心态) of a lifetime. But even if we still can’t get over the broken marriage or the failed College Entrance Examination or the work presentation that went fearfully wrong, it might not be too late for our kids.

Christy Pennison, a professional consultant, says she works with an increasing number of kids and teens who show significant anxiety around a fear of failure. She said, “We want to protect our children, and we want them to live happy and meaningful lives, so we frequently tell them the harm of failure and ask them to avoid failure. The children experiencing internal and sometimes extenal pressure think they shouldn’t fail. Meanwhile, we always have high expectations of them. So when they don’t live up to a certain standard, or things don’t go according to the plans, they will feel upset and anxious.”

Pennison argues that failures, are often the hidden learning chances that can help people develop positive qualities, like persistence, focus, flexibility, patience, and positive self-image.

So what can parents do to help their children embrace(拥抱) failure instead of avoiding it at all costs? Pennison suggests directing praise towards the effort, not the result. “This allows children to build confidence in themselves,” she explains. “Acknowledging the effort can give children permission to try new things without a fear of failure. And the bigger picture is that the development of the mindset—‘I’d rather try and fail than not try at all.’ —helps them keep a belief in themselves, and expands their world of possibilities.” As Pennison points out, we all fail, but how we get up after we fail is what matters.

6 . Online educational learning games is an effective way with endless option for teaching kids of all age groups, and children are also able to operate the computer without much help. Parents who become familiar with operating the computer find it easier to teach kids through these programs.

Children are not willing to learn math tables or difficult words at school. They find it fun to sit in front of a computer and learn language and solve mathematical problems. In this age of computers, computers are becoming an important part of the child’s daily curriculum (全部课程) with parents opting to teach these children new things each day with the help of online educational games.

Computers are also known to improve the motor skills in children. In addition, the level of these games can be adjusted according to the level and learning ability of the kids. The makers of the games keep the kid’s interest in mind while designing them so that their interest is maintained. Another advantage of these games is that you can find free online games and do not have to invest (投资) in these expensive products. Other activities that are available on the Internet include online coloring games. This is also a constructive way that children can use to pass their leisure time.

Moreover, the children can stay in the comfort of their homes. Kids who are fond of playing on the computer can spend their time learning educational material instead on video games that teach violence.

Parents have to keep an eye on their kids and make sure that they do not spend their time on the computer playing games that could be harmful for them. It is essential to direct the kids to educational sites that have beneficial games and are known to help the progress of these children.

8 . With the invention of the Internet, humanity is now experiencing an adventure toward technological advancement. Nowadays, technology assists us with everyday tasks such as driving, grocery shopping and even dating. Technology is so closely connected to our lives that it’s easy to overlook one important question: When technology really starts to control the world around us, what comes next?

Many experts and workers are scared that automation will take jobs from people who need them and give those jobs to robots. I understand their concern. However, if robots are outperforming us at our jobs, then what do humans have left to offer? We have the emotions and imagination that make us human. A machine might work faster than a person, but that’s because humans built the machines that way. That, itself, is an amazing accomplishment of the human imagination. We are talented, passionate creatures, who do not deserve to be trapped in miserable jobs anymore!

By now, I hope you’re curious to hear which occupations we should focus on in the future. The obvious answer is jobs in technology and robotics. Tech-related jobs will continue to be in big demand, and people who work in these fields will continue to become more important. We should be grateful to them for doing work to take us higher as a society. Besides, we should also focus on jobs in the arts and entertainment. It may sound crazy, but what could better reflect the creativity of the human mind than the arts? I believe technology has opened up our world, allowing us to share our imaginations with everyone!

So, we must ensure that future generations know that we mean it when we say, “follow your dreams.” Welcome to the 21st century: what a time to be alive! There has never been a better time to be yourself, and I can only see it getting even better from here.

10 . If having to make a choice between reading an e-book and a printed book, which would most people choose? Some would go for an e-book while some still prefer the hard-printed book.

Undoubtedly, e-books do have benefits. Firstly, changes to an electronic publication are relatively easy to make. They are quicker to obtain. E-books are more easily updated. The printed books on many subjects can become outdated very quickly. Secondly, e-books can be easily and quickly kept up to date. You usually get far more than just the e-books. Most e-books are sold with bonuses and related information that usually do not come with the purchase of a printed book.Moreover, they take up less space. Instead of a big library,you can fit literally thousands of books on your computer. It also makes it easier to share this information with families and friends.

For nearly twenty years, additionally, futurists have been predicting the development of printed books. They hold the view that digital e-books are on the edge of replacing paper books. However, this has not been the case.A printed book has its advantages too. Firstly, it is an object that can be carried and used alone. It needs no electric outlet (插座), no batteries, nothing. Secondly, e-books will always require some forms of support that the printed book does not need. I believe that the online publishing has not taken off because people want real books. What is being published online more and more are pamphlets (小册子) and things that really do not need to be in print. These are stuff that people throw away afterward. More often, people do not want to read a book on the computer. What could be better than a paper book? It lasts a long time.These books are designed to last a long time without disappearing.

To sum up, there is no denying that the printed book is still very much preferred over its digital cousins. Reading electronic publications is just not the same when it comes to books. People are still very interested in real books and notebooks.