Making friends is a skill.Like most skills,it1with practice.If you want to meet people and make friends,you must be able to take some actions.You must first go2there are people.You won't make friends staying home alone.
3a club or a group,for talking with those who like the same things as you do is4easier.5join someone in some activities.
Many people are6when talking to people.After all,meeting7means facing the unknown.And it's human nature to feel a bit uncomfortable about the8.Most of our fears about dealing with new people come from doubts about ourselves.We think other people are judging us,find us too tall or too short,too9or too fat.10don't forget that they must be feeling the same way.Try to11yourself as you are,and try to put the other person at ease（舒适）. And you'll feel more12.
Try to act self-confidently（自信地）even if you don't feel that way13you enter a room full of strangers,such as a new classroom,walk tall and straight,look directly at other people and14.If you see someone you'd like to15 something to,don't wait for16person to start a conversation.
Just meeting someone17doesn't mean that you will make friends with that person18is based on mutual（相互的）liking and “give and take”.It takes19and effort to develop.And there are things that20a new friendship from growing.
As a teacher, I think all students were dear to me, especially Mark.
Mark was very talkative, I had to1 him repeatedly that talking without2was not acceptable. Every time I had to correct him for misbehaving. “Thank you for correcting me, Sister!”3 I became accustomed to hearing it many times a day.
Once my 4 was running out when Mark talked again, I5two pieces of tape(胶带) and made a big X with them over his mouth. When I 6 the tape, he still thanked me for correcting him.
One Friday, I asked the students to 7the names of the other students on two pieces, leaving a8between each name, and then write down the 9 thing they should say about others.
Then I10all the lists and gave each student his or her list. Soon the entire class was smiling. “I never knew that11anything to anyone!” “I didn't know12liked me so much!” Mark said, “Thank you for keeping me13 Sister.”
Later Mark joined the army and was 14in Vietnam. After the funeral(葬礼), his father showed me something15 on Mark. It was pieces of notebook paper that had16 been taped and folded many times, on which were the good things that Mark's classmates had said about him. His mother said that he behaved better and better17my list.
Mark's classmates told me that they kept their own lists in18 ways. Hearing this, I finally cried.
Sometimes the19 things could mean the most to others. We forget when life will end. So20 the people you love and care about, before it is too late.
Living aboard can help you make smarter career decisions
Living in a foreign country doesn't just give you the opportunity to learn about different cultures, it can also boost your self-awareness and improve your career.
That's according to a recent study 1 by the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
A team of researchers conducted six studies involving 1,874 subjects and found that living abroad increases 2 they call “self-concept clarity.” This is defined as the extent to which a person is able to clearly and confidently define their beliefs. It has been 3 with a slew of benefits, 4 mental well-being, better stress management and enhanced job performance, the 5 write in Harvard Business Review.
In one of the studies, participants were asked to indicate how strongly they 6statements like, “In general, I have a clear sense of who I am and what I am,” and, “It is often hard for me to make up my mind about things 7 I don't really know what I want.”
Those who had lived abroad, the research found, reported a 8 sense of self than those who had not.
In another study, participants who had lived abroad were randomly assigned to two groups. Half were asked to reflect on the experience of living abroad while the 9 group was asked to reflect on the 10 of living in their home country. The study found that subjects who reflected on living abroad reported higher self-concept clarity than those who reflected on living 11.
Living abroad also forces people to 12 against different cultural values and norms. Repeatedly having to do this allows people to 13which values and norms truly define who they are, the researchers explain.
Finally, the study found that the length of time lived abroad had a far greater 14 than the number of foreign countries lived in. The longer people lived abroad, the more likely they were to develop a better 15 of themselves.
As organizations become increasingly global, these findings have 16 implications in the workplace. When it comes to 17 talent, for example, recruiters（征募）highly value job candidates who have international experience because they appear more 18, outgoing and knowledgeable about global affairs, according to the Financial Times.
Further, living abroad better 19 you to make challenging career decisions, according to the researchers.
“It stands to reason,” they write, “that having a clear sense of self explains which types of career options best match one's 20 and fulfill one's values, thereby enabling people to be clearer and more confident about their career decisions.”
I recently heard a story about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs.What set him so far apart from others?
He1that, in his opinion, it all came from an 2from his mother that happened when he was about 2 years old.He had been trying to3a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his 4on the slippery bottle and it 5, making its contents pouring all over the kitchen floor.
When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of 6at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said: "Robert, what a 7and wonderful mess you have made! I have 8 seen such a huge pool of milk.Well, the damage has already been done.Would you like to 9down and play in the milk for a few minutes 10we clean it up?"
Indeed, he did.After a few minutes, his mother said: "You know, Robert, 11you make a mess like this, you have to clean it up at last and 12everything to its proper order.So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge （海绵）, a towel, or a mop.Which do you 13?" He chose the sponge and together they 14the milk.
His mother then said: "You know, what happened just now is a 15experiment in how effectively to carry a big milk bottle with two 16 hands.Let's go out in the backyard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can17a way to carry it without dropping it." The little boy 18 that if he held the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it.
This scientist then 19that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make 20.
Wouldn't it be great if all parents would respond the way Robert's mother responded to him?
During my lifetime, I've learnt something important: it's good to learn new skills outside of your comfort zone. About seven years ago, I started learning how to paint as a 1. I was pretty terrible. Everything looked 2, and my colors were totally off. My friends and colleagues suggested that I stop 3 my time on something I wasn't good at. "4 on your day job," they said.
I kept at it — practicing, taking classes, finding the right 5 who could guide and challenge me. I am now 6 "good". Today, the same friends say I was born with this 7.
The same thing 8 when I started piano and singing lessons a couple of years ago. Comments shifted from, "Stop wasting your time and focus on what you know," to "You've got a musical gene."
These 9 originate from long-held beliefs that growth is usually not possible for adults. Even when there is evidence of learning, it can be 10 to inborn talent. Most scientific studies on adulthood focus on cognitive (认知) decline, rather than 11, suggesting that even scientists may think that development is limited in adulthood.
A few recent studies suggest that 12 new skills, such as photography, for even three months may enhance the functioning of the brain in adults.
I would take these studies one step further to argue that a(n) 13 cause of cognitive decline is the fact that adults learn fewer new skills 14 to children. If we can 15 how to learn well as adults, then perhaps we can 16 cognitive decline.
Adults are often 17 to go outside of their comfort zones. We fear looking 18for making mistakes; we fear failure could cost us our jobs. Perhaps a reason why we suffer from cognitive decline is that we do not engage in learning new skills for many years.
To better communicate with my German friends, I am starting to learn German. I'm 19 at the "listening and babbling (咿呀学语)" phase. Sure, some may laugh at an adult babbling, but I hope one day I can 20 German fluently, and inspire many other adults to learn like a baby.
People from Great Britain brought the English language to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries. And in the 1 300 years, there have been so many 2 in both places that now people can easily 3 an English person from an American in the 4 he or she talks.
Many old words 5 in England but were kept in America. For example, 300 years ago people in Great Britain got their water from something they 6 either a "aucet", "spigot", or a "tap". All these words are 7 heard in different parts of America, but only "tap" is still 8 in England. Americans often make 9 new words or change old ones. "Corn" is one kind of plant in America and 10 in England.
Also, over the last three centuries the English language has 11 thousands of new words for things that weren't 12 before. And often, American and English people used two 13 names for them. A tin can is called "tin" for short in English, but a "can"in America. The word "radio" is 14 all over the world, including America. But many English people call it a "wireless". And almost anything 15 something to do with cars, railroads, etc. has different 16 in British and American English.
But now American and British English may be 17 closer together. One thing is that 18 people can hear a large amount of American speech daily in 19, on television, or from travelers. Because of this, Americans 20 to be influencing the British more and more. So some day, English may even be the same on both sides of the Atlantic.
Clowns hold a confusing place in the human mind. They make some people roar with 1; they make some people scream in horror. For the past few months a series of frightening sightings of people dressed as 2 have been reported around the world. So we asked ourselves: What is it about these painted people that 3 us? It turns out that 4 may have the answer.
Clowns date back to ancient Egypt and evolved into the court jesters (朝廷弄臣) in the Middle Ages. These jokesters were paid to be funny and did whatever it took to 5 people.
The 6 clowns didn't arrive until the 1800s when joseph Grinmaldi, a London clown, painted his face white and his cheeks red, and wore strange and colorful costumes. Although Grinmaldi's clown life caused a lot of laughter, his life behind makeup was anything but 7. Sadly, he died penniless and an alcoholic.
8, in France, Jean-Gaspard Deburau became famous for creating a clown called Pierrot. However, Deburau's mime act was not what made him world-famous. The white-faced clown 9a boy with a cane just because the child had laughed at him. 10 he was eventually acquitted (宣判无罪) of the crime, the 11 of the killer clown stayed in people's mind.
Perhaps the most 12 clown in history was John Wayne Gary, who was found guilty of the murder of more than 35 men in the 1970s. When asked about his 13, Gary said, "You know clowns can get away with murder."
So it's no 14 that even horror movies and television shows featuring clowns can still give many of us nightmares. It seems like a few 15 examples have influenced the public's opinions of clowns.
A "blogger" is a person who writes on an Internet website called a "blog"(博客). The word "blog" is a1way of saying "web log", or "personal website". Anyone can start a 2, and they can write about anything they like.
There are millions of blogs on the internet today. They3 news, information and ideas for people who read them. They contain 4 to other websites, and they provide a place for people to write their 5 and react to the ideas of others.
A research company called Perseus has 6 more than 3, 000 web logs. It says that blogs are most 7 with teenage girls. They use them to 8 their friends know what is happening in their lives. The study9 says that more than 100, 000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year. 10, some people develop 11blogs to present political and other ideas. 12, the Republican and Democratic parties(政党) in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs. And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their 13.
At the same time, some long-standing blogs have 14. Last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service "weblogs. com". He said the site became too expensive to 15. He started the blog four years ago, and thousands of people had 16 on it. They were 17 that the site had been closed.
One blog that is still going 18 is called Rebecca's Pocket. Rebecca Blood created the website in 1999. She wrote about the history of blogs on the site. That 19 led to a book called The Weblog Handbook. It has been 20into four languages so far.
The British Isles consist of two large islands. One is called Ireland and 1 Britain. Britain, or Great Britain, is the larger one of these two islands, and it is 2 into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England.
The United Kingdom is that part of the British Isles3 by the Queen. It is made up of Scotland, Wales and England, that is, the 4 of Britain, and also about one sixth of Ireland, the northern part. The 5 of Ireland is self-governing. The 6 name of the United Kingdom is 7 "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
England is8and richer than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland，and has the most 9 of the United Kingdom, so people often use the 10 "England" and "English" when they 11 "Britain" and "British". This sometimes makes the Scots and the Welsh a little 12. The Scots in particular are very 13 of their separate nationality. The Welsh too do not 14 themselves as the English, and have a culture and 15 a language of their own.
Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1801, but for forty years the "Irish 16 "was the greatest headache of the United Kingdom. 17, Ireland was divided into two: Northern Ireland still 18 to the United Kingdom, and in 1922 the rest of Ireland 19 to found an Irish Free State，later called Eire and now the Republic of Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland does not regard itself as part of Britain, and is not now even a supporter of the Commonwealth of Nations. Unlike the major Commonwealth countries, it did not lift a finger to 20 British in the Second World War and now wants the whole of Ireland to be a republic.
What do tennis player Goran Ivanisevic and songwriter Paul McCartney have in common with Fidel Castro?
110 percent of the world's population they are2, according to Lauren Milsom, organizer of Monday's Left-Handers Day on August 13, 2001. “It is well-known that a lot of3people were left-handed,” Milsom said. "Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Jimi Hendrix and Pablo Picasso are all among them," she4.
This special day was first declared and5on Friday, August 13, 1976 by an organization called Left-handers International. They chose to6their business on that day to7the misunderstandings and misconceptions about left-handers. They8a magazine for left-handers and they had sold left-handed9for more than twenty years before going out of10a few years ago. The holiday is celebrated11on the 13th of August.
12Left-Handers Day is not13a celebration of the creative superiority of lefties(左撇子), it also aims at14awareness of the difficulties presented by a right-handed world. This is a day for left-handers to15their pride and pay tribute(歌颂) to famous left-handers past and present,16some of our greatest artists, athletes and entertainers.17, this day is to praise the creativity and talents of those left-handers who are less famous but equally18members of our society.
On this Left-Handers Day, a recital(独奏音乐会)19the performance of a left-handed pianist on his left-handed piano, also served to20the difficulties left-handers are always facing when using power tools in the home.
Every day, the news of the world reaches people by over 300 million copies of daily papers, over 400 million radio sets, and over 150 million television sets. Additional news is 1 by motion pictures, in theatres and cinemas all over the world.
As more people learn what the important events of the day are, 2 still only care about the events of their own household. Nearly four hundred years ago the English writer John Donne said, "No man is an island. "This 3 is more proper today than it was when Donne lived. 4 , wherever he lives, a man 5 to some society and we are becoming more and more aware that 6 happens in one particular society affects, somehow, the life of mankind.
Newspapers have been published in the 7 world for about four hundred years. Most of the newspapers 8 today are read in Europe and North America. However, 9 they may be read in all parts of the world 10 the new inventions that are changing the techniques of newspaper 11 .
Electronics and automation have made it 12 to produce pictures and texts far more quickly than before. Photographic copying doesn't need to use type and printing machines. And fewer experts, 13 typesetters(排字工人), are needed to produce a paper or magazine with the 14 method. Therefore, the publishing of newspapers and magazines can 15 more money. Besides, photocopies can be sent over great 16 now by means of television channels and satellites. Thus, 17 can be brought to the public more quickly than before.
Machines that prepare printed texts for photocopies are being used a great deal today. 18 film is light and small, it can be sent rapidly 19 other places and used to print copies of the text where they are needed. Film pictures can also be 20 projected on a movie or television screen.
Some people believe that in order to reach their goals and dreams, they have to learn to be competitive. I1the opinion. Learning to 2 others is the best way to achieve a better life.
For one thing, becoming more cooperative(合作的) will help 3one's chance of success. In today's world, few 4can be made through a single person's 5As the old saying goes, two heads are 6than one. Many people working together are more likely to solve a problem or think of an idea than one person working7. If you learn to work at ease with your coworkers, everything will be done smoothly and finished 8. But if you insist on being a strong 9in the workplace, you will receive little help or advice from others. Few people will be 10to exchange ideas with you.
For another, a 11working environment will benefit the whole organization. Everyone is working for the 12of the organization. 13they are trying to help each other，better understanding will be achieved. All members of the organization will focus on how to work together to 14their tasks. 15 ， if somebody regards others as competitors, disagreements may arise among workers. 16, people's attention to their jobs is drawn away. Everybody wants to put themselves higher than the other 17. Negative thoughts will eat up some workers souls(心灵).In the end, nothing will be 18.
In conclusion, learning to work with others and be more cooperative will 19the success not only at the 20level，but also at the organizational level. A warm atmosphere will be enjoyed by each member of the group, who will have a positive outlook on life.
Body language is the quiet, secret and most powerful language of all! It speaks 1than words. According to specialists, our bodies send out more2than we realize. In fact, non-verbal(非言语) communication takes up about 50% of what we really 3. And body language is particularly4when we attempt to communicate across cultures. Indeed, what is called body language is so 5a part of us that it's actually often unnoticed. And misunderstandings occur as a result of it.6, different societies treat the7between people differently. Northern Europeans usually do not like having 8contact(接触)even with friends, and certainly not with 9. People from Latin American countries, 10, touch each other quite a lot. Therefore, it's possible that in11, it may look like a Latino is12a Norwegian all over the room. The Latino, trying to express friendship, will keep moving13. The Norwegian, very probably seeing this as pushiness, will keep14— which the Latino will in return regard as 15.
Clearly, a great deal is going on when people 16. And only a part of it is in the words themselves. And when parties are from 17cultures, there's a strong possibility of18. But whatever the situation, the best19is to obey the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be20.
Do Brain Training Games Work?
With an ageing population worried about cognitive (认知的) decline, brain training apps have soared in popularity. Search "brain training", and you will find 1 apps and websites promising to make you mentally agile (敏捷的). In the same way that we might go to the gym to exercise, a daily mental 2 is said to produce physical changes in the brain. All you will have to do is to 3 a few minutes each day to complete puzzles, memory games and word quizzes.
At least that's the idea. And there are a lot of people who are 4 into it. In 2018, consumers spent an estimated $1.9 billion on brain training apps—a fourfold increase from 2012. Of course, smartphones were not the original home for brain training games. 5, Nintendo recently released its fourth all-time best-selling game, Brain Age, and brought it to the Switch in Japan last month. The idea of improving mental fitness clearly has widespread appeal, but is it based on scientific evidence or 6 marketing promises?
In 2014, the Stanford Center on Longevity published an open letter 7 by 69 international neuroscientists (神经科学家) and cognitive psychologists. There is no convincing scientific evidence, the experts argued, that playing brain games improves cognitive abilities in everyday life.
Two years later, another team of psychologists reviewed every scientific study cited by major brain training companies 8 their products. They questioned not only how the evidence had been reported and interpreted, but the way many of the studies had been designed. The 9 included small sample sizes, inadequate control groups, and cherry-picking (挑选最有利的) research outcomes to 10.
If the science is so 11 flawed (错误的), why do people feel the need to train their brains with these apps and games?
That's 12, according to Til Wykes, a professor at King's College London. Nintendo's Brain Age game, for instance, assigns players a score based on their gaming performance. They might start with a "brain age" score of 60 and after a few weeks of 13, will be told they have reduced it to 40. For some people, there is clearly some positive reward for seeing themselves improve over time. Wykes stresses, 14, that for people who are really worried about their cognition, learning a new language would be more beneficial, which has been shown to improve brain 15.
Body language is the quiet, secret and most powerful language of all! It speaks 1than words. According to specialists, our bodies send out more2than we realize. In fact, non-verbal(非言语) communication takes up about 50% of what we really 3. And body language is particularly4when we attempt to communicate across cultures. Indeed, what is called body language is so 5a part of us that it's actually often unnoticed. And misunderstandings occur as a result of it.6, different societies treat the7between people differently. Northern Europeans usually do not like having 8contact(接触)even with friends, and certainly not with 9. People from Latin American countries, 10, touch each other quite a lot. Therefore, it's possible that in11, it may look like a Latino is12a Norwegian all over the room. The Latino, trying to express friendship, will keep moving13. The Norwegian, very probably seeing this as pushiness, will keep14— which the Latino will in return regard as 15.
Clearly, a great deal is going on when people 16. And only a part of it is in the words themselves. And when parties are from 17cultures, there's a strong possibility of18. But whatever the situation, the best19is to obey the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be20.
Not in history has a modem, city been so completely destroyed. San Francisco is gone. Nothing remains of it 1memories and a few homes that were near the edge of the city. The factories, great stores and newspaper buildings, the hotels and the huge homes of the very 2 are all gone.
Within 3 of the earthquake the fires began. Within an hour a huge tower of smoke 4by the fires could be seen a hundred miles away. And for three days and nights this huge fire moved in the sky, 5the sun, darkening the day and filling the land with smoke.
There was nothing 6the flames. There was no organization, no communication. The earthquake had destroyed all of the modern 7 of a twentieth century city. The streets were broken and filled with pieces of fallen walls. The telephone and telegraph systems were broken. And the great water pipes had8. All inventions and safety plans of man had been destroyed 9 by thirty seconds of movement by the earth.
By Wednesday afternoon, only twelve hours after the 10half the heart of the city was gone. I watched the huge fire. It was very 11 There was no wind. Yet from every 12 wind was 13 upon the city. East, west, north and south, strong winds were blowing upon the 14 city.
The 15 air made a huge wind that pulled air into the fire, 16into the atmosphere. Day and night the calm continued, and yet, near the flames, the wind was often as strong as a storm.
There was no water to fight the fire.17decided to use explosives. (炸药) to destroy buildings in is path 18They hoped this would create a block to 19or stop the fire. Building after building was destroyed. And still the great fires continued, Jack London told how people tried to save some of their20from the fire.
Usually when another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not news. Rather it is an ordinary1. Such discoveries are so2these days that hardly anybody3them.4, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was5Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of6showing how people lived thousands of years ago, most of which were about people7animals, such as wild cats or dogs. Other images picture animals,8horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images by far9all other animals.
Early artists drawing these pictures finished a difficult but10task. They did not limit themselves to the easily11walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing high walls or going into narrow12in the Lascaux complex.13, the paintings have been14to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily15the images. Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images16.
Although they are not out17, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images are in bad condition and are18recognizable. Therefore, the place was closed to19in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered, to prevent further20.
I was a person who always felt desperate (绝望) before. Months ago my mom1 from a serious disease and had an operation on her brain. I felt the whole world falling down and I had no 2 what I could do to help her to reduce her 3. Whenever I was alone, tears welled up in my eyes.
Last month I 4 a valuable watch, which was an 18-year-old birthday gift from my dad. I couldn't sleep for several nights for the reason that I felt 5about the loss.
There have been many 6 like these in my life. I could never know what to do with such tough matters 7 I read If You Have A Lemon, Make A Lemonade by American author Dale Carnegie.
"When the wise man is handed a lemon, he says, ‘What 8 can I get from this? How can I 9 my situation? How can I turn this lemon into a lemonade?' " he wrote.
I suddenly 10 that life is full of ups and downs, so I need to stay 11all the time. Now when I think of my past, I wish I could have handled things 12. When my mom was fighting for 13, I should have held her hands in mine, telling her things would get better instead of 14 and crying.
Several weeks ago, I participated in a campus singing competition. I didn't 15a prize. If I had not 16 this article, I would definitely (当然) have felt 17again. But instead, I smiled after the competition. I was pleased that in the end I had got some stage 18
Life is not just a bed of roses. There are thorns (刺) as well, but these thorns help us become 19 and strong. When life 20 us a lemon, let's try to make a lemonade.
Parents, the most selfless people on Earth are the biggest reason for your existence. However, we often1to appreciate their efforts. And by the time we realize this, it's2 late. So, don't wait for any 3 day to say sweet things to your parents and tell them how 4 you're for whatever they've done for you.
First, 5 you often forget to call your parents and 6 them how much you miss them, they may often feel you're not making any 7 to stay in touch with them.
Second, you should hug them. You can't possibly 8 whatever they've done for you, but this small gesture(姿势) will 9 make them feel special.
Third, let your emotions out in time, because you 10 know whether there is a tomorrow to express your 11. We all have been mean to our 12 at times, and have said things that 13 them deeply. If so, all you can do is to apologize from the bottom of your 14.
Finally, 15 them to know that they're the real superheroes in your life. You can never 16 them enough. They've always been your 17 to move forward. They taught you all the small and big things about life. They always18 you to work hard and become a successful person in life. Even though you may have 19in a race or failed in an exam, they were and still are your number one 20. So, express yourself before your parents before it's too late.
Different things usually stand for(代表) different feelings. Red, for example, is the color of fire, heat, blood and life. People say red is an exciting and active color. They connect (使发生联系) red 1a strong feeling like anger. Red is used for signs of 2 , such as STOP signs and fire engines. Orange is the bright, warm color of 3in autumn. People say orange is a 4 color. They connect orange with happiness. Yellow is the color of 5. People say it is a cheerful color. They connect yellow too, with happiness. Green is the cool color of grass in 6. People say it is a refreshing(使……清新，恢复) color. In general, people talk about two groups of colors:7colors and cool colors. The warm colors are red, orange and 8. Where there are warm color and a lot of light, people usually want to be 9. Those who like to be with 10 like red. The cool colors are 11 and blue. Where are these colors, people are usually worried. Some scientists say that time seems to 12 more slowly in a room with warm colors. They suggest that a warm color is a good 13 for a living room or a 14.
People who are having a rest or are eating do not want time to pass quickly. 15 colors are better for some offices if the people working there want time to pass quickly.
