At that age， I'd take any excuse to make estimates and do minor arithmetic. I'd calculate our gas mileage -- figure out useless statistics on things like grocery spending. I'd been hearing an ad campaign about smoking. I can't remember the details， but basically the ad said， every puff of a cigarette takes some number of minutes off of your life: I think it might have been two minutes per puff. At any rate， I decided to do the math for my grandmother. I estimated the number of cigarettes per days， estimated the number of puffs per cigarette and so on. When I was satisfied that I'd come up with a reasonable number， I poked my head into the front of the car， tapped my grandmother on the shoulder， and proudly proclaimed， "At two minutes per puff， you've taken nine years off your life！"

自由民主的传播和世界经济的整合是现代时代最重要的两个趋势。

The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.

最好的原料是制作出色烘焙食品的基础。

我们都被自己过去的幽灵所困扰，有时也被别人的幽灵所困扰。

作家的任务是挖掘埋藏在人心中的秘密。