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　　The Garden Burgers located in Truman was recognized by the Garden Burgers head office in Kansas City, Missouri．The Truman location of Garden Burgers recorded the highest sales last year．It brought in over ＄ 1 ,500,000 for the entire year．But what is more important is that Truman only has a population of 40,000．The store directly behind the Truman store in terms of sales is located in a city of over 300,000．

　　Fred Laster and Jasper Watts bought into the Garden Burgers franchise(特许)only 3 years and a few months ago．They have used the combination of a good restaurant location and a series of promotional events to make Garden Burgers one of the most visited restaurants in Truman．However, they are quick to add that these are not the main reasons the store has done so well．"We found a franchise with a solid image and great franchise - wide marketing, " Watts said in a phone interview．

　　Laster and Watts expect this year to be just as productive as last year．After 4 months, they are on pace to exceed last year' s sales by more than ＄70,000．Each year the head office awards the owners of the store achieving the highest sales with a weekend stay at the best hotel in Kansas City and tickets to a Kansas City Chiefs football game．However, due to the extremely good sales performance of the store in Truman, the head office decided to change the tradition．Laster and Watts said their staff, which consists of only 5 university students, would be joining them in Kansas city as well．

　　Tom Justins, the president of Garden Burgers has also sent his congratulations and he hopes that all their stores can look at the example the store has set．

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How Many Lies Do the Children Tell You?

　　Mothers who feel their children don' t appreciate them can add another grievance to the list：half the time, their children are lying to them．A study designed to expose the truth about lying shows that undergraduates lie to their mothers in 46％ of their conversations．Still, mums should feel better than total strangers, who are told lies an astonishing 77 ％ of the time．

　　Bella Depaulo and a team of psychologists from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, asked 77 undergraduates to keep a record of all their conversations for a week, and write down whether they lied at any time．DePaulo named lying broadly, as "when you intentionally try to mislead someone", so she would catch the smallest of lies．

　　The students told an average of two lies a day．They said they had been studying when they had been out drinking．One told his parents that a textbook cost ＄50 rather than ＄20 so that they would send him extra money．Female students constantly told their plain-looking roommates that they were pretty．"They are everyday lies," says DePaulo．

　　DePaulo and her colleagues conclude that people tend to tell fewer lies to those they feel closest to．College students lied to their best friends 28％ of the time but lied to acquaintances 48％ of the time．In close relationships, people were more likely to tell "kind-hearted" lies, designed to protect feelings, rather than self-serving lies．

　　Romantic partners lie somewhere between close friends and acquaintances．Students lied to romantic partners about a third of the time．DePaulo thinks that unmarried lovers can expect less honesty than best friends because of the insecurity that comes with romance．

　　Mothers can take heart from one other finding．They may have been lied to, but at least their children talked to them．The students were recorded telling few lies to their fathers because they had little interaction with them．

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　　Are you going into skiing? Is winter your favorite time of year? If you like snow and ice, maybe you should stay at Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada．But, you can only check in at this hotel during the winter．Why? Because this hotel is built every December．It has 32 rooms and 80 people can stay there each night．The hotel even has a movie theatre, art gallery, and church．Of course, all of these parts of the hotel are made of ice．In fact, all the furniture, art, lights, and even plates and drinking glasses are made out of ice．

　　Because this hotel is so unusual, it is becoming very popular．People from all over the world come to the Ice Hotel to look at the fantastic ice art, drink and eat from designed ice dishes and experience the unique atmosphere．Some couples have even gotten married in the hotel's ice church．But all these guests keep their winter coats on! Because of all the ice, the temperature inside the hotel is always between －2℃ and －5℃．Surprisingly, sleeping is not a problem in the freezing cold hotel rooms．Every guest gets a special cold-weather sleeping bag and some fur blankets．These keep the room comfortable and warm until morning．

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　　Museums have changed．They are no longer places that one “should” go but now they are places to enjoy．

　　At a science museum in Canada, you can feel your hair stand on end as harmless electricity passes through your body．At the Children's Museum in New York, you can play an African drum．There are no “Do Not Touch” signs in some other museums in the USA．

　　More and more museum directors have realized that people learn best when they can become part of what they are seeing．In many science museums, the visitors are encouraged to touch, listen, operate and experiment so as to discover scientific rules for themselves．

　　The purpose is not only to provide fun, but also help people feel at home in the world of science．If people don't understand science, they will be afraid of it; and if they are afraid of science, they will not make the best of it．

　　One cause of all these changes is the increase in wealth and spare time．Another cause is the growing number of young people in the population．Many of them are college students or college graduates．They see things in a new and different way．They want art that they can take part in．The same is true of science and history．

　　The old museums have been changing and the government is encouraging the building of new and modern museums．In the United States and Canada, there are more than 6, 000 museums, almost twice as many as there were 25 years ago．

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　　Why do we play sports?You might say “to get exercise”and you'd be right．To have fun? That's true, too．But there's more．In fact, there are at least 5 more reasons．According to the Women's Sports Foundation, girls who play sports get a lot more than just fit．

　　Girls who play sports do better in school．You might think that playing sports will take up all your study time．But research shows that gilrs who play sports do better in school than those who don't．Exercise improves learning, memory, and concentration, which can give active girls an advantage in the classroom．

　　`Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goalsetting skills．Sports teach valuable life skills．When you work with coaches, trainers, and teammates to win games and achieve goals, you're learning how to be successful．Those skills will serve you well at work and in family life．

　　Sports are good for a girl's health．In addition to being fit and keeping a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke．And later in life, gilrs who exercise are less likely to get osteoporosis(骨质疏松症)．

　　Playing sports improves self-confidence．Girls who play sports feel better about themselves．Why?It builds confidence when you know you can practice, improve, and achieve your goals．Sports are also a feel-good activity because they help girls get in shape, keep a healthy weight, and make new friends．

　　Exercise cuts the pressure．Playing sports can reduce stress and help you feel a little happier．How? The brain chemicals released during exercise improve a person's mood．Friends are another mood-lifter．And being on a team creates tight bonds between friends．It's good to know your teammates will support you－both on and off the field!

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　　At Blossom End Railroad Station, 22-year-old Stanley Vine sat, waiting for his new employer．The surrounding green fields were so unlike the muddy landscape of war-torn France．After four horrible years as an army private fighting in Europe, Stanley had returned to England in February 1946．Armed now with some savings and with no prospects for a job in England, he answered a newspaper ad for farm help in Canada．Two months later he was on his way．

　　When the old car rumbled toward the tiny station, Stanley rose to his feet, trying to make the most of his five foot, four inch frame．The farmer, Alphonse Lapine, shook his head and complained, “You're a skinny thing．” On the way to his dairy farm, Alphonse explained that he had a wife and seven kids．“Money's tight．You'll get room and board．You'll get up at dawn for milking, and then help me around the farm until evening milking time again．Ten dollars a week．Sundays off．” Stanley nodded．He had never been on a farm before, but he took the job．

　　From the beginning Stanley was treated horribly by the whole family．They made fun of the way he dressed and talked．He could do nothing right．The humourless farmer frequently lost his temper, criticizing Stanley for the slightest mistake．The oldest son, 13-year-old Armand, constantly played nasty tricks on him．But the kind-hearted Stanley never responded．

　　Stanley never became part of the Lapine family．After work, they ignored him．He spent his nights alone in a tiny bedroom．However, each evening before retiring, he lovingly cared for the farmer's horses, eagerly awaiting him at the field gate．He called them his gentle giants．On Saturday nights he hitch-hiked into the nearest town and wandered the streets or enjoyed a restaurant meal before returning to the farm．

　　Early one November morning Alphonse Lapine discovered that Stanley had disappeared, after only six months as his farmhand．The railway station master, when questioned later that week, said he had not seen him．In fact no one in the community ever heard of him again．That is, until one evening, almost 20 years later, when Armand, opened an American sports magazine and came across a shocking headline, “Millionaire jockey, Stanley Vine, ex-British soldier and 5-time horse riding champion, began life in North America as a farmhand in Canada．”

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　　Chocolate soap is supposed to be good for the skin．But it's not so good for the tongue．Unfortunately for the US soldiers of World War II, the chocolate bars the army gave them tasted like they were intended for use in the bath．

　　In the army's defense, it wasn't trying to win any cooking awards．In fact, it specifically ordered that its chocolate bars not be too delicious, so soldiers wouldn't eat them too quickly．These bars were created for survival, not taste．“They were awful,” John Otto, a former army captain in World War II said．“They were big, thick things, and they weren't any good．I tried 'em, but I had to be awful hungry after I tried them once．”

　　As unappealing as the chocolate bars were to some, others liked them．Samuel Hinkle, the chemist who created the chocolate bars, pointed out that the number of bars made were far greater than the army needed．“It soon became obvious that the generous American soldiers were sharing their valued possessions with their foreign friends, whether soldiers of other countries or local citizens．”

　　The bars turned many hungry Europeans into friends of the United States．“People wanted them,” said Otto．“You'd give them to kids．In some places they were very hungry．And they sure helped relax people about American soldiers．”

　　Otto said he never saw a European turn his or her nose up at the chocolate．“It was food,” he said．“At that time, everyone was very hungry．I saw German kids standing outside the U．S．army kitchen．They weren't begging, just standing there very politely．When we were done, the kids would eat the food out of the garbage．They were that hungry．”

　　Other Europeans did not see chocolate until well after the war ended．“We didn't see any Americans where I was,” said Elizabeth Radsma, who was 25 years old when the Germans occupied her country, the Netherlands．“Even after the war, we saw only English．Maybe the Americans gave out some chocolate in the big cities, but we were only in a small town．Before the British, we saw only German soldiers．But chocolate? Don't make me laugh! Maybe in my dreams!”

　　A soldier in the field might have responded “Be careful what you wish for”－and then gratefully bit down on a chocolate bar, the only food available for miles．

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　　It's interesting to see how people make use of the time they spend on public transport in Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai．

　　In crowded buses and trains people manage to take a short nap and some even reach the snoring stage．Or they spread out a newspaper over multiple knees and arms to read about the latest sport results or political crisis．

　　Then there are the experienced travellers who have been playing cards with the same group over the last decade or so．They even have their specific seats so well-worn that you can make out the shape of their backsides．

　　There is no doubt about it．Travelling by public transport is being in the thick of the seasons of life－a sweaty life in summer where people, blissfully unaware of the rivers of sweat running down their brows and inside their clothes．At the first smell of a perfumed man or woman boarding the stuffy bus or train, most people feel they are reborn．

　　During the rains you can't avoid getting wet or muddied．The windows, almost always, are not a perfect fit and if you're not drenched by a sudden, heavy rain shower then you are bound to catch a jet spray of muddy water caused by a fellow motorist driving fast through a puddle．

　　Rains are a perfect time for people to switch their old umbrellas for new ones．Since there are so many that look alike, it's impossible to tell whose is whose．

　　Winter is the time when it feels good－or at least warm－to be part of a crowd．It is amazing how much the collective breaths of a 100 or so people can raise the freezing temperature inside．Looking at the masses dressed in their bright red pullovers or green coats, it's fun to imagine what faces lie beneath their dark woolen hats．

　　The cold winter passes, making way for spring．It is impossible not to see every little flower by the wayside blooming proudly．And the warm sun manages to transmit some of their pleasantness to the inside of a bus or train．

　　Now, wouldn't it be perfect if we had a public transport worth the name in all our cities?

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　　Experts believe that storms and severe weather in North America and Asia have disrupted bird flight paths across the world and swept huge numbers of bird species towards the British Isles．

　　Birds flying to the other side of the Atlantic or to the Pacific to lay their eggs have been trapped in Britain and Ireland, adding their numbers to native species, and causing great excitement in the bird-watching community．

　　Local birdwatchers have already observed a total of 442 species in the British Isles this year．The highest number ever seen in one year is 445, in 2008．

　　“We only need four more to break our record,” said Lee Evans, who runs the British Birding Association．“With three months to go I'm sure we'll do it．”

　　Last month an extremely rare Siberian Rubythroat bird was seen in Scotland, sending hundreds of birdwatchers north in the hope of catching a glimpse of this colourful Asian beauty．Another very uncommon bird, the bufflehead duck was cited in Cornwell and caused similar excitement．“I couldn't believe it,” said Evans．“The poor thing was completely knackered．It must have been blown to England by the storms while trying to fly from Canada to the southern United States for the winter．That's 3000 miles!”

　　Evans said that global warming over the past decade was playing a key role in transforming bird movements across the world．In addition, melting Arctic sea ice may also be opening up bird flight paths over the North Pole, making it easier for birds from the Pacific－such as the slaty-backed gull and tufted puffin, both of which appeared in London earlier this year－to reach Britain．

　　Bird-watching is becoming an increasingly popular hobby among all age groups, added Evans．“A fifth of our members are under 18．This is a round-the-year hobby that you can enjoy from the kitchen window or from a car．More and more people are bird-watching, and as a result more and more unexpected species are being spotted in the British Isles．”

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