INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Slow down and enjoy what you’re eating. It helps to treat this like an exercise: concentrate on your food as you chew, mentally thinking about its texture and flavor. Otherwise, you may be missing out on crucial stimulus and the more subtle flavors in your meals. Unless you’ve always been a foodie, you might find that eating is a bit boring. Many of us have the TV playing in the background while we eat, or worse, eat at our desk during work. These distractions make your digestive system 30 to 40 percent less efficient when it’s time to break down food. You’re missing out on flavors you should be enjoying, and also making it more likely that your meal will cause gas, bloating and constipation. Make sure you do the following when eating:  No electronics. Keep the TV off and don’t eat at the computer. Get comfortable. Sit down at a table, and make sure you are comfortable as this will encourage you to take your time when you eat. Don’t reach for the ketchup or BBQ sauce as soon as it’s time to eat. Over-complicating your meals by adding condiments robs you of the chance to savor a food’s texture and flavors. While an appropriate sauce can complement a food’s natural taste, you shouldn’t be slathering all your meals with condiments, as it desensitizes your taste buds. Salt and sugar can overstimulate your taste buds when ingested in high enough quantities, leaving them desensitized to other flavors. Many processed foods, be they chips, cereal or ketchup, have an abundance of both these substances. Make an active effort to limit the presence of processed foods in your diet and your taste buds will start regaining their sensitivity. As you do this, keep the following in mind:  While technically processed foods, meat and dairy products are processed for safety reasons. Don’t feel the need to avoid them.  Try to avoid foods that come bagged or boxed, such as cookies, chips or cereal. Avoid frozen foods, even frozen fruits and vegetables. They are less preferable than their fresh counterparts.

SUMMARY: Eat more slowly. Focus on your meal. Ease up on the condiments. Avoid processed foods.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Even if you did not need a visa to travel to Hong Kong, you will need a visa to go to Shenzhen. Get your visa before your trip to Hong Kong if possible. Submit an application to the Chinese Embassy near you. This visa allows you to travel around all of China, not just Shenzhen. If you are already in Hong Kong, visit the Chinese Foreign Ministry and apply in person. It will take you 4 days to get a visa, although some nationalities can pay for faster service. The cost of this visa will depend on your nationality. When you go through the border checkpoint, ask for a 5-day Shenzhen visa. You can only stay in Shenzhen on this visa. Fill out the forms the agent gives you. You cannot get this visa if you are from the US or France. The fees for this visa depend on your country of origin. Follow the signs for “Foreigners” to get in the right line. These will be marked in English and Chinese.  Lines can be very long around 8 am and 5 pm, so plan accordingly. At the customs desk, you may be asked to fill out a form with your personal information, purpose of trip, and other information. The immigration agent will check your visa, stamp your passport, and let you through. You will be asked to declare any gifts, alcoholic drinks, tobacco products, radio transmitters, and cash over 20,000 RMB ($3,000) when you pass through customs. Once you are past the border, continue to your destination via public transport. Depending on which checkpoint you came through, you can travel through Shenzhen by bus, taxi, Metro (subway), or train.  At Lo Wu (sometimes called Luo Hu) station, you can board another train as soon as you leave customs. From Shenzhen Bay Crossing, hire a taxi. At Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang,  look for buses leaving for various parts of Shenzhen as well as taxis. At Futian, board the Metro, which stops just outside of the checkpoint. At Shekou Ferry Terminal, catch a bus or taxi. You can also get on a shuttle to take you to the closest Metro stop.

SUMMARY: Apply for a Chinese Visitor’s visa before your trip for the fastest entry. Apply for a 5-day Shenzhen visa at the border for a last minute trip. Wait in the line for foreigners to clear immigration. Show your passport and visa when asked at customs. Board public transport on the other side of the border.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: This is one of the most common questions asked among people meeting for the first time. Since you're not a French speaker, the person you're talking to will probably be even more interested to learn your origins. Use one of the phrases below:   J'habite à ______ (I live in ______): Zhah-beet ah (location)   Je vis à ______ (I live in ______): Zhuh veez ah (location)   Je suis de ______ (I'm from ______): Zhuh swee duh (location)  Put the name of your city, state, or country in the blank. For example, if you're from the U.S. you might say, "Je suis des États-Unis." This isn't always a topic of conversation that will come up, but if you're a young person meeting people who are older than you, it's nice to know how to say. Use the easy phrase below:   J'ai ___ ans (I'm ___ years old): Zheh (number) ahn. The final n is very delicate — more or less silent. Put the number of years old you are in the blank. See our guide to counting in French for help. Being able to introduce other people is almost as important as being able to introduce yourself — especially if they're not great French speakers. Use the phrases below to make introductions between people you know and people you don't:   Je vous présente ______ (I present you ______): Zhuh voo preh-zont (name and/or title)   Voici ______ (Here is ______): Vwuh-see (name and/or title)  After you say someone's name, you may want to describe your relationship with this person in a few words. For instance, you might say "Voici Emma, ma femme" ("Here is Emma, my wife"). Once introductions are out of the way, the conversation itself can commence. Below are just a few basic questions you may want to have ready — you don't need to be perfectly fluent to show you're interested in learning more about the person you're meeting.   Comment vous appelez-vous? (What is your name?): Co-mahnt vooz ah-play-voo?   D'où êtes-vous ? (Where are you from?): Doo eht-voo?   Quel est votre profession? (What do you do for a living?): Kell ay vote-ruh pro-fess-yone?   Comment allez-vous? (How are you?): Co-mahnt ah-lay-voo?

SUMMARY:
Mention where you're from. If appropriate, mention how old you are. Introduce other people with you. Ask a few basic questions.