A calorie is a unit of energy, not a measure of weight or nutrient density. The calories you see on nutrition labels，however，are actually kilocalories. The calories on food packaging always refer to kilocalories, even though it just says “calories”. One kilocalorie is the amount of energy required to heat 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius. Calories in our food all come from one of the three nutrients: fats, carbohydrates and proteins.

In 1990, the U. S. government passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, which means that before any packaged food in the U. S. hits the shelves, food scientists have to measure its nutrients and calories. One way to do this is using a tool called bomb calorimeter（弹氧热卡计）. This tool directly measures the amount of energy that a food contains. To use this tool, scientists place the food in question in a sealed（密封的）container surrounded by water and heat it until the food is completely burned off. Scientists then record the rise in water temperature to determine the number of calories in the product.

Food scientists also rely on a calculation developed by the 19th-century U. S. chemist Wilbur Olin Atwater to indirectly estimate the number of calories in food products. Calorimeters don’t take into account that humans lose some calories through heat and feces（类便）. Atwater’s experiments found that proteins and carbohydrates each have about 4 calories per gram and fats have 9 calories per gram.

However, some experts say that the Atwater system is outdated and inaccurate. A 2012 study found that the energy content of certain foods, such as nuts, could not be accurately calculated by the Atwater system. Besides, it does not take into account the digestive process, but assumes the complete conversion of nutrients to energy.

   Society tells us that we should count our blessings, focus on all that we have and feel grateful for what we’ve been given. But there is nothing wrong with “healthy discontent”. In fact, healthy discontent is what motivates us to improve ourselves and our circumstances. Without this feeling, life’s easier to stand still.

I always have a certain level of discomfort. That discomfort drives me to work hard at my job. I don’t just want to remain where I am. Professionally, I want to keep getting better. Likewise, I always have a certain amount of discontent with my home. That drives me to always try to improve it by making it look better.

My feelings of discontent with my job and my home don’t mean that I don’t appreciate them. It’s an incredible blessing to be able to work and be paid for one’s efforts. Similarly, if you live in a safe place, with running water, heating, and air conditioning, you are incredibly fortunate. These are not the things to be taken for granted. However, we should be striving (力争) to improve.

If you happen to be good at playing the piano, you should work to continually improve your skills. The same holds true for our personal development. If you have areas in your personality that need improvement, you should work on them, too.

For instance, I can be very impatient. As a result, I work hard to try to conquer that flaw (缺点) by keeping my impatience to myself. When we feel discontent with ourselves, we have to be honest with ourselves.

It’s easy to make excuses for our bad behavior, but we need to face our discontent and say to ourselves, “I need to work on this.” This week, consider whether you have healthy discontent in your life. Have you become so settled in your life that you don’t see regular improvement?

Do you have a character flaw that you wish you didn’t have? Don’t ignore these things. Instead, take steps to address your areas of discontent and keep improving your life every day. No matter how great we think things are going, there’s always room for improvement.

Kathryn Thompson is my neighbor. She lives with her son and daughter-in-law and their two kids. 【小题1】 (sad), her grandson, one of the two kids, has autism（自闭症）. He loves Mickey Mouse very much and Thompson has always dreamed of 【小题2】 (take) him to Walt Disney World. But she works at a cafe and doesn’t earn much. Therefore, she cannot afford a trip to the theme park.

One day, when two college students were having coffee at the café, they 【小题3】 (chat) with Thompson for a while. And as a result of their 【小题4】 (communicate) with her, they learned of her dream 【小题5】 chance. The two students were kind-hearted, so they decided 【小题6】 (make) her dream come true.

After going back to college, they researched the cost for Thompson’s family of five to visit Walt Disney World. They found that 【小题7】 trip could easily be funded 【小题8】 half of their schoolmates donated just $2. They started the GoFundMe campaign and achieved 【小题9】 (they) goal in less than a month.

Then they went to the cafe and gave the money to Thompson, who 【小题10】 (move) to tears. Because of these two students, she could finally realize her dream.

Keep Calm During the Hard Times

When life gets hard, sometimes it's not easy to control yourself and not to sink deep into the bad feelings. Have you ever wondered how some people can be so calm during the hard times？【小题1】 Here are four things you can do to get through hard times.

Cry if you need to-for a while. Some people like to control themselves.【小题2】 If you do control them, it's like holding a ball under the water. You can do it for a while, but it will finally come back to the surface. So have a good cry once in a while to help you think more clearly.【小题3】 Lost in the bad emotions, we won't change anything. Let's say you just lost your job. Maybe it is a shock. After crying, then you should make the decision to put your calm hat on. Start to find new jobs. Then do something.

Ask for help. Unluckily, a lot of people think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. It's not!【小题4】 Nowhere! Having other people support you will make you feel like you have more power than before.

Believe that things will get better. If you don't believe that things will change, then they won't. I always love Henry Ford's words, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't-you are right." If you think things will get better, then they finally will. If you think they won't, then they won't.【小题5】

Stay calm when life gets hard. If you practice these steps on a regular basis, sooner or later it will become second nature to you.

I have known that you need some host families in China.

Yours sincerely,

Li Bing

I'm glad to hear that you will come to study in our school.

Yours,

Li Ming