【推荐1】When was the last time you listened to someone? And when was the last time someone really listened to you? I asked people what it meant to be a good listener. The typical response was a blank stare. People had no trouble, however, telling me what it meant to be a bad listener.

Of course, technology plays a role. Social media helps filter out (滤掉) opposing views. People find phone calls disturbing and ignore voice mail, preferring text or wordless emoji. But tech is not the only blame. High schools and colleges rarely, if ever, offer classes or activities that teach careful listening. Traffic noise on city streets and music playing in shops exceed (超过) the volume of normal conversation by as much as 30 decibels (分贝), and can even cause hearing loss.

So how can we recover the lost art of listening? After years of studying and consulting, I discovered that listening goes beyond simply hearing what people say. It also involves paying attention to how they say it and what they do while they are saying it, in what context, and how what they say resonates (与……共鸣) within you. It’s not about merely holding your peace while someone are talking. Quite the opposite. A lot of listening has to do with how you respond — the degree to which you assist in the clear expression of the other person’s thoughts and in the process, express your own.

Good listeners ask good questions. Good questions don’t begin with “Wouldn’t you agree...?” or “Don’t you think…?” and they definitely don’t end with “right?” The idea is to explore the other person’s point of view, not sway it. It is not right to put your own thought into others’ head. You also want to avoid asking people personal and evaluating questions. Instead, ask about people’s interests so that they feel more connected than if they spend time together finishing a task.

The reward of good listening will almost certainly be more interesting conversations. Attentive listeners receive more information, related details from the speakers, even when the listeners didn’t ask any questions. We are, each of us, the sum of what we attend to in life. And to listen poorly, selectively or not at all limits your understanding of the world and prevents you from becoming the best you can be.

【推荐2】Traveling by subway can sometimes be quite an adventure, especially during rush hour. There are the times when you have to avoid cups of coffee that could spill on you. The smells of some passengers’ food are very strong, too.

According to the Beijing subway passenger regulations, which went into effect on May 15th, passengers except babies and the sick are no longer allowed to eat or drink on the subway. Violators (违规者) who do not stop after being asked to will be asked to get off. The violation will also be recorded in the violators’ credit record.

Some support the rule. The reason is that the smell of food and drink can annoy other passengers. “The smell of food fills the carriage, causing people discomfort, especially in the hot summer. Besides, eating on the subway produces rubbish. And on the subway, people often spill their drinks,” said Zheng Yiou, 17, a student from Hefei.

However, others question this rule. “Some citizens live so far from their work places that they have limited time to have breakfast before they go to work. Eating while they travel saves them time and decreases the chance that they will be late for work,” He Songlin, a 17-year-old student from Chengdu said. “And some people, like those with low blood sugar levels, get sick if they can’t eat when they must.”

Other Chinese cities like Nanjing and Chengdu have similar regulations. Some foreign cities also ban eating and drinking on the subway. For example, eating and drinking have long been banned on the subway in Washington, D. C. Singapore fines people who eat or drink on the subway up to 500 Singapore dollars.

Chen Yanyan, a professor from Beijing University of Technology, believed we should consider the need of some people to eat or drink on the subway. “Commuters (上班族) and travelers are sometimes too busy to eat. Maybe we could learn from Tokyo, where there are many subway stations equipped with services, allowing passengers to eat and drink,” she said.

【推荐3】For some people, there’s no better companion than man’s best friend — a dog. This four-legged canine can bring comfort and joy and provide much-needed exercise for you when it needs walkies! This probably explains why dog ownership increased last year because people spent more time at home during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

It was demand for puppies in particular that saw the biggest increase. Who couldn’t resist their playful personalities, adorable eyes, and super-soft coats?

However, as demand for a new pooch increased, so did the price tag. Popular breeds, such as Cockapoos and Cocker Spaniels, saw even sharper price increases, and puppies have been selling for £3,000 or more.

Animal welfare charities fear that high prices could encourage puppy farming, smuggling (贩卖) or dog theft. And a BBC investigation found some breeders have been selling puppies (幼犬) and kittens on social media sites — something charities have called “extremely irresponsible”.

But despite some new owners purchasing a dog legally, maybe from a rescue centre or registered breeder, they’ve proved to be ill-prepared for life with a new pet, and the pet itself has found it hard to come to terms with life in a new home. Animal behaviourists in the UK have reported a surge in requests to help dogs suffering from fear-aggression (害怕攻击) after their lives have been turned upside down.

Looking to the future, there are concerns about the welfare (幸福安康) of these much-loved pets. Ian Atkin, manager of the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary in the UK, told the BBC: “At the moment, the dogs are having a great time, but separation anxiety could still surface when people go back to work.” And Claire Calder from the UK’s Dogs Trust rescue charity says “the economic situation also means that some people may find they can’t afford to look after a dog.” The message is not to buy a puppy in haste and to pick one that fits into your lifestyle.

【推荐1】I used to be the most determined resolution-maker. Even as a child, I was always goal-centered and loved the feeling of accomplishing things, and every January 1st, I would sit down and write out my resolutions (目标) for the upcoming year. And what resolutions they were! I always picked big goals, like: In the New Year, I will lose 50 pounds! And run a marathon! And study scripture (圣经) every day!

The problem? I’d start out strong, but by February or March, I’d be out of willpower and I’d slide quietly back into my old habits. Every winter, I’d feel guilty and ashamed, looking back at all of the amazing things... I think one of my biggest problems with New Years resolutions was wanting to “dream big” but not having the skills and ability to do those things.

Now I take the opposite approach I’m all about the little goals. First, little goals are easy to set. Instead of saying I’m going to run a marathon, I’ve decided I’m going to run 20 minutes three days a week. Second, little goals are easier to accomplish. Every time I check one of my mini goals off my list, I feel a burst of pride and accomplishment. It’s a great feeling, and I don’t have to wait until the end of the year to enjoy it!

The other great thing about making small goals instead of resolutions is that you can build small goals on top of each other, adding the achievements together. For instance, recently I decided to make sure I ate five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. After a few months, this became a solid habit.

【推荐2】A vaccine (疫苗) that protects against one of the main common cold viruses has been shown to be safe and effective in a clinical trial and could be available by 2024.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) spreads so easily that more than 90 percent of people have experienced their first infection (感染) by the age of 2. It usually causes cold-like symptoms but can lead to severe illness in young children and older people. All around the world, about 60,000 children under the age of 5 and 14,000 people over the age of 65 die each year after developing the virus.

Developing vaccines against RSV and other respiratory viruses has been difficult because the respiratory tract (呼吸道) is a surface exposed directly to the outside world, says Kirsten Spann at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia.

“It’s harder for antiviral antibodies (抗病毒抗体) in the blood to reach viruses in the respiratory tract, or even know they are there, because there is some physical separation,” she says.

In recent years, however, there has been rapid progress in finding new ways to improve immunity against respiratory viruses.

Several RSV vaccines are being tested in clinical trials, including one made by German company Bavarian Nordic. Its vaccine is designed to build immunity against RSV by exposing me body to five small fragments of the virus.

In a clinical trial involving 420 adults aged 55 and older, a single injection (注射) of the vaccine in the upper arm increased the levels of RSV-fighting antibodies inside the nose by three times and caused no serious side effects.

This immune response lasted for six months ---- enough to cover a winter cold season ---- and was restored with a booster shot at 12 months.

The results are promising, but more research is needed to see if the immune response is strong enough to prevent RSV infections, says Spann.

Bavarian Nordic is now planning a bigger clinical trial of its RSV vaccine that is scheduled to begin in 2021 and will involve more than 12,000 adults. If the results are positive, the company hopes to make the vaccine available by 2024. The firm plans to offer the vaccine to children too, but not until it has passed clinical trials involving people in this age range

【推荐3】Stained glass artists create different designs by making cuts on the glass to “score” it and then breaking off the pattern that they want to use in the finished product. The most difficult cut in stained glass is called an inside cut. Basically, it’s a curved line where you throw away the part inside of the curve. The problem with inside cuts is that the edges of the curve tend to break off when the pieces of scored glass are broken apart.

As the artist talked about inside cuts, he said, “The glass will break into pieces if you try to cut too much off at once. The best way to do an inside cut is to slice off smaller curves piece-by-piece. In fact, it’s not just the best way lo do it, but it’s the only way to do it.”

How many times do you try to make a big change and cut the entire piece at once? We convince ourselves that we can do this all the time. We’ll commit to transforming our diet overnight or we get inspired to launch a business in a weekend or we finally get motivated to work out and push ourselves to the edge of burning out.

Why not approach your goals and dreams like a stained glass artist? Starting by slicing a shallow curve and breaking a small piece off, you cut a slightly deeper curve and break that off until you have your full inside cut. By slowly cutting deeper and deeper curves, you prevent the glass from breaking as it change shape.

Of course, change isn’t easy — no mailer how you do it. Slow gains are boring, but if we keep making small improvements, then pretty soon we will end up with a beautiful masterpiece on our hands instead of a bunch of broken pieces.