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　　Laws that would have ensured pupils from five to 16 received a full financial education got lost in the‘wash up’．An application is calling on the next government to bring it back．

　　At school the children are taught to add up and subtract(减法)but, extraordinarily, are not routinely shown how to open a bank account－let alone how to manage their finances in an increasingly complex and demanding world．

　　Today the parenting website Mumsnet and the consumer campaigner Martin Lewis have joined forces to launch an online application to make financial education a compulsory element of the school curriculum in England．Children from five to 16 should be taught about everything from pocket money to pensions, they say．And that was exactly the plan preserved in the Children, Schools and Families bill that was shelved by the government in the so-called“wash-up”earlier this month－the rush to legislation before parliament was dismissed．Consumer and parent groups believe financial education has always been one of the most frustrating omissions of the curriculum(课程)．

　　As the Personal Finance Education Group(Pfeg)points out, the good habits of young children do not last long．Over 75％ of seven-to 11-year-olds are savers but by the time they get to 17, over half of them are in debt to family and friends．By this age, 26％ see a credit card or overdraft(透支)as a way of extending their spending power．Pfeg predicts that these young people will“find it much harder to avoid the serious unexpected dangers that have befallen many of their parents' generation unless they receive good quality financial education while at school．”

　　The UK has been in the worst financial recession(衰退)for generations．It does seem odd that－unless parents step in－young people are left in the dark until they are cruelly introduced to the world of debt when they turn up at university．In a recent poll of over 8,000 people, 97％ supported financial education in schools, while 3％ said it was a job for parents．

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　　A 17-year-old boy, caught sending text messages in class, was recently sent to the vice principal's office．The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy he needed to focus on the teacher, not his cellphone．The boy listened politely and nodded, and that's when Mr．Gallagher noticed the student's fingers moving on his lap．He was testing while being scolded for texting．“It was a subconscious act,”says Mr．Gallagher, who took the phone away．“Young people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they colse their eyes at night．It's compulsive．”

　　A study this year by psychology students at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga．, found that the more time young people spend on Facebook, the more likely they are to have lower grades and weaker study habits．Heavy Facebook users show signs of being more sociable, but they are also more likely to be anxious, hostile or depressed．(Doctors, meanwhile, are now laming addictions to‘night texting’for disturbing the sleep patterns of teens．)

　　Almost a quarter of today's teens check Facebook more than 10 times a day, according to a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that monitors media's impact on families．Will these young people get rid of this habit once they enter the work force, or will employers come to see texting and‘social－network checking’as accepted parts of the workday?

　　Think back, When today's older workers were in their 20s,they might have taken a break on the job to call friends and make after-work plans．In those earlier eras, companies discouraged non-business-related calls, and someone who made personal calls all day risked being fired．It was impossible to imagine the constant back-and-forth texting that defines interactions among young people today．

　　Educators are also being asked by parents, students and educational strategists to reconsider their rules．“In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class．Now students are good at texting with their phones still in their pockets,”says 40-year-old Mr．Gallagher, the vice principal,“and they're able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over．Students are just fundamentally different today．They will take suspensions rather than give up their phones．”

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　　Would you eat a ready meal from the fridge rather than cook from scratch?Have you been doing internet shopping rather than going to the stores?What can't you be bothered to do?

　　A study into how lazy British people are has found more than half of adults are so lazy they'd catch the lift rather than climb two flights of stairs．

　　Just over 2000 people were quizzed by independent researchers at Nuffield Health, Britain's largest health charity．The results were astonishing．

　　About one in six people surveyed said if their remote control was broken, they would continue watching the same channel rather than get up．

　　More than one third of those questioned said they would not run to catch a bus．Worryingly, of the 654 respondents with children, 64％ said they were often too tired to play with them．

　　This led the report to conclude that it's no wonder that one in six children in the UK are classified as obese(very fat)before they start school．

　　Dr Sarah Dauncey, medical director of Nuffield Health, said：“People need to get fitter, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of their families, friends and evidently their pets too．”

　　“If we don't start to take control of this problem, a whole generation will become too unfit to perform even the most rudimentary of tasks．”

　　And Scotland's largest city, Glasgow, was shamed as the most inactive city in the UK, with 75％ surveyed admitting they do not get enough exercise, followed closely by Birmingham and Southampton, both with 67％．

　　The results cause serious challenges for the National Health Service, where obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer have been on a steady increase for the past 40 years and are costing billions of pounds every year．

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　　You're rushing to work and a man ahead of you collapses on the sidewalk．Do you stop to help?In a study of by-standers, it was found that some people avert their gaze and keep on walking rather than stop and get involved．

　　“There is a tendency to decide that no action is needed．”says a psychologist．“The first thoughts that pop into your mind often keep you from offering help．In order to take action, you have to work against them．”Here are some common thoughts that might prevent you from helping．

　　●Why should I be the one?I'm probably not the most competent(有能力的)person in this crowd．You might think someone older or with more medical knowledge should offer assistance．

　　●What if he doesn't really need my help?The fear of embarrassment is powerful; no one wants to risk looking foolish in front of others．

　　●No one else looks concerned-this must not be a problem．We can follow the people around us, but most people tend to hold back their emotions in public．

　　“If you spot trouble and find yourself explaining inaction, force yourself to stop and evaluate the situation instead of walking on,”says the psychologist．“Then retry to involve other people; you don't have to take on the entire responsibility of being helpful．Sometimes it's just a matter of turning to the person next to you and saying,‘It looks like we should do something．’Or asking someone if an ambulance has been called and, if not, to call for one．Once you take action, most people will follow you．”

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　　In the same way that a child must be able to move his arms and legs before he can learn to walk, the child must physically be able to produce and experiment particular feelings before these feelings can be modified through learning．Psychologists have found that there are two basic processes by which learning takes place．One kind of learning is called“classical conditioning”．This take places when one event or stimulus(刺激)is always paired with, or followed by, a reward or punishment．It is through classical conditioning that a child learns to connect his mother's face and voice with happiness and love, for he learns that this person provides food and comfort．Negative emotions are learned in a similar way．

　　The second kind of learning is called“operant conditioning”．This takes place when a person learns to do things that produce rewards in his environment and learns not to do things that produce punishments．For example, if a mother always attends to her baby when he cries and comforts him until he is quiet, she may teach him that if he cries he will get attention from mother．Thus, the baby will learn to increase his crying in order to have his mother more．

　　Every day, we grow and have new experiences．We never stop learning by reading, watching television, interacting with other people, and so on．This learning affects our emotions．Why is it that we learn to like some people and dislike others?If a person is nice to us, cares about us, we learn to connect this person with positive feelings, such as joy, happiness, and friendliness．On the other hand, if a person is mean to us, does not care about us, and even purposely does things to harm us, we learn to connect this person with negative feelings, such as unhappiness, discomfort, and anger．

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　　Don't go to Kauai．Go to any of the other Hawaiian Islands－Maui, Lanai, the Big Island－but leave Kauai for us．The weather on Kauai is so unpredictable that sometimes it rains all day－in fact, it's the second-wettest spot on the earth．Yes, there are giant double rainbows all the time, and the sunlight through the clouds is magical．But if you are not interested in these, go somewhere else．You just can't control the nature on Kauai, and who wants to surrender to the nature when you could be at a fine hotel, lying in a comfortable chair next to a swimming pool, with food served upon request?

　　So what if Kauai produces surf champions the way Texas produces cowboys?Most of its 300 white-sand beaches are unmarked．Unless you connect with the local people, the hidden spots are hard to find．While Hanalei is the most beautiful town you've ever dreamed of, you can forget about discos and clubs．Worse, it doesn't have one single four-star restaurant．What it does have is the original drive-through places where you pass by a rambutan tree(红毛丹树), and pick a piece of fruit．

　　Shopping in Kauai?Forget it－unless you are interested in shell necklaces and beautifully carved wood bowls．Kauai is not about pampering．It's about going natural and finding the nature within you．It's a do-it-yourself place that offers walking along the coast, driving and swimming in the Pacific Ocean, and lying on the beach．

　　Don't go to Kauai unless you have a lot of time, because there's only one road, which can be slightly dull．It winds through the beautiful scenery of waterfalls, rivers flowing into the ocean, and taro(芋头)fields．You have no choice but to look at everything, because the speed limit is 35 m．p．h．

　　If you're not interested in color, don't bother with Kauai, because that's what you get－red roads, blue oceans, and a hundred different shades of green．It's like diving on land．Many people on Kauai believe that this is Lemuria－a lost island in the Atlantic．Can you imagine?Those Hawaiians, surfers, New Agers, and people who love nature and beauty and want a different quality of life－what do they know, anyway?Forget about it－you're not going to like it．Go somewhere else．Leave Kauai for us．

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　　I've worked all my life．I've done men's jobs．I've done everything．I've used screw drivers, electric drills, and punch presses．I really know what it means to do man's work．What gets me is, you work all your life like a dog．You pay your taxes into these government programs．But still, when you need help, the people that are paid to help you, they act like it's coming out of their own pockets．

　　My husband George had a stroke not long ago．I've always worked all my life and I never had to do this before, but when George had the stroke I knew I needed some help．After all, I had to quit my job to take care of him．

　　So I went down to the welfare and told them I needed help．We were living with my son at the time．The welfare people said that since we were staying there, he had to take care of us．If we wanted help, we'd have to move out．The trouble was we didn't have anything at all, and George was in the hospital．

　　When I knew I needed some help, I went up here to this place called Hub Center where they're supposed to help people．Well．I told this young kid that was working there that we were starving and didn't have the money to pay our rent or buy our medicine．Well．He started writing something down on a slip of paper, and he wrote for the longest time．Then he gave it to me and said．“Take this paper to 1631 Vine Street and they'll give you a sandwich．”

　　I said,“Thanks for nothing, kid．”

　　I never was so embarrassed in all my life．I thought, well, I know I have to be going crazy．I just have to be, this just can't be happening．

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　　“Keep an eye on this,”said my older brother, Paul, handing me his watch．

　　“What for?”I asked．

　　“I'm going to practice my diving．”

　　“Off the high dive?”I asked．

　　“Sure,”said Paul．“Want to join me?”

　　I didn't answer．Paul knew I was terrified of heights．I could manage the low board, but the high board?Never．

　　I watched enviously as Paul walked to the end of the board, paused briefly, and did a perfect jackknife．It looked so easy．

　　“Hey, why not?”teased a reckless(鲁莽的)voice in my head．“You're a good simmer．”

　　So when Paul came back, I said casually,“I'll take a turn, too．”And before Paul could make some remarks, I got to my feet．

　　As I walked to the tower, my legs didn't seem to belong to me．Standing on the end of the board, I looked down．

　　I couldn't believe how far away the water was．I felt as if I were on the edge of a cliff with a mile of air between me and a bottomless sea．I couldn't; I just couldn't．I had to get back down．But there were impatient kids on the steps behind me．Would they let me by, or would they tease me?And Paul－even in my terror I guessed what he would say．

　　Suddenly I heard Paul shouting far below．“Come down right now!My watch, you're wearing my watch．”

　　An unbelievably sweet relief flooded into me．I quickly turned and threaded my way through the waiting divers, murmuring,“Excuse me, sorry, I just forget about the watch…”

　　I didn't even bother to pretend with Paul．He said,“I could see that you were in trouble．You were scared to death, weren't you?I nodded．

　　“It happens,”said Paul．“I was scared, too, the first few times off the high board．I got over it, and so will you．But for now you're saved．”

　　I said,“Me?I thought you were worried－I mean, you said you were worried－about your watch．”

　　“This watch,”he said,“is waterproof．”

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　　Whether in the workplace or on the football field, effective teamwork can produce amazing results．However, working successfully as a team is not as easy as it may seem．Effective teamwork certainly does not just happen automatically; it takes a great deal of hard work and compromise．There are a number of factors that must be in place to make a good team．

　　Effective leadership is one of the most important components of good teamwork．The team's leader should possess the skills to create and preserve a positive working environment and motivate and inspire the team members to take a positive approach to work and be highly committed．An effective team leader will promote a high level of spirit and make them feel supported and valued．

　　Communication is a vital factor of all interpersonal relationship and especially that of a team．Team members must be able to articulate their feelings, express plans and goals, share ideas and see each other's opinions．

　　Conflicts will arise no matter how well a team functions together．The best way to deal with conflicts is to have some organized methods of handling conflicts．Team members should be able to voice their concerns without fear of offending others．Instead of avoiding conflict issues, a hands-on approach that settles them quickly is much better．It is often advised that the team leader sit with the conflicting parties and help work out their differences without taking sides and trying to remain objective if possible．

　　The team leader must set a good example to create good teamwork．In order to keep team members positive and committed and motivated, the team leader herself/himself needs to show these qualities．The team turns to the leader for support and guidance．So any negative words or behaviors on the leader's part can be disastrous．

　　Regardless of what type of work you are in, knowing how to effectively work on and with a team is going to be extremely important to your success and that of your team．

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　　Most American schools have boys and gifts in the same classroom．But a public high school in the small, rural town of Boonsboro, Maryland, offers a special program called the Academy．Top students in the ninth and tenth grades can attend single-sex classes for math, science, English and social studies．

　　The aim is to help teenagers keep their mind on their work by keeping males and females apart．What they really want to do is take that top group of kids and take them to the very highest level they can achieve there, so that they're prepared for college．

　　Students are invited to enter this program after they finish middle school, and placement in the Academy is voluntary．However, they need high marks and test scores and strong teacher recommendations．They also need to be involved m activities．

　　Almost 350 students have taken part in the Academy．It began as an experiment in 2010．

　　Michael Bair has been at Boonsboro High for twenty years and directs the Academy．His ninth-grade English class for boys centers on books that he believes boys find interesting．He says that the novels the students are reading now are very manly(男子气概的)novels．These novels deal with the arrogance(傲慢)of man and the pride of man which finally leads to man's downfall．

　　One of those books, for example, is The Call of the Wild by Jack London．This classic story tells of a dog stolen from his home and sold to work as a sled dog in Canada's Klondike Gold Rush．

　　Morgan Fleet, a senior at Boonsboro High, likes being in the Academy．She says boys and girls act differently when they are together in a classroom．She believes this difference seems to prevent her from developing herself because she's more focused on thoughts like“Oh, I wish they would shut up．Oh, what do they think of me?“instead of focusing on“What's the homework?What's going on in this class?What's the lesson?”．

　　There is one activity that girls and boys in the Academy do together．At the end of the day, many of them stay and help tutor students who are having trouble in school．

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