【推荐1】Why you’re more creative in coffee shops

Some of the most successful people in history have done their best work in coffee shops     1    . Among them are Pablo Picasso, J. K. Rowling, Francois Voltaire and Bob Dylan.

A sweet spot of noise and crowds

Some of us stick in our earbuds as soon as we sit down to work in a public setting. But scientists have known for years that background noise can benefit our creative thinking. A study showed that a modest level of surrounding noise in a place like a cafe can actually promote your creative output.     2    . Therefore, this can lead to more creative idea generation.

Air of informality

The typical coffee-shop user might be a lone worker struggling with a creative effort. However, experts say these cafe settings can also benefit work groups who are brainstorming. There is a formal air when gathering on digital meeting platforms.     3    . All those audio and visual stimuli(刺激) help groups, too, compared to the meeting in a formal meeting room.

    4    

One thing that can make working from home or the office feel boring is the visual environment. Often we sit in the same chair and look at the same four walls all day long. In the coffee shops, people come and go. The daylight changes.

    5    . While we tend not to take conscious notice of these micro-stimuli, and likely don’t openly choose to work in this location because of them, these activities around us make our brains work a bit differently than at home.

【推荐1】Mickey Mouse and Shrek are just a couple of the American animated (动画的) characters loved by people all over the world. And they are examples of the evolution of animation, which has brought unique new life to the film industry.

Among the first American animated films was By the Light of the Moon, a silent movie produced in 1911 using silhouette (剪影) animation, where the characters are represented only as black silhouettes.

The real breakthrough for American animation came with Steamboat Willie, created by Walt Disney and released in 1928. It was the first animated film to be accompanied by sound, and its main star, Mickey Mouse, became one of the most loveable and enduring animated characters ever created. Disney also created the first American full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Released in 1937, it enjoyed worldwide box-office success.

Disney’s extremely careful attention to high-quality details in the thousands of hand-painted drawings required at that time to make an animated film elevated this film technique to the level of a serious art form.

Clay animation is a type of stop-motion animation using forms made of clay. Clay animation films have been produced in the United States since 1908. But this form of animation only won wide popular appeal in 1955 with a short film called Gumbasia, created by Art Clokey.

Computer-generated imagery, or CGI, brought animation to a new level of artistry and realism. CGI animation had been used in films since the 1960s. It began to develop rapidly in the mid-1990s. Toy Story, released in 1995 and created by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures, was the first completely computer-generated animated feature film.

In 2001, DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images released Shrek, the first computer-animated feature film to win an Oscar. Shrek returned in 2004 with his talking donkey, his princess bride Fiona and an army of fairy-tale characters in Shrek 2. Hugely popular, that film became the highest-grossing(票房最高的) animated film of all time.

In addition to strictly animated movies, animation has been mixed into films showing live actors as well. Who can forget the terrifyingly real dinosaurs thundering through Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park movies and the actors they chase? Thanks to the powerful capabilities of today’s computers and the unlimited imagination of American filmmakers, animation will be entertaining audiences worldwide for a long time to come.

【推荐2】Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

These three short plays by Suzan Lori•Parks are the start of an ambitious attempt to retell the story of the American civil war. The focus is on a   slave promised his freedom by his master if he joins in the fight against the Union. Steve Toussaint and Jimmy Akingbola head the cast, and Jo Bonney is in charge.

★15 September to 4 October, Royal Court, London. Box office: 020•7565 5000.

A Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer

Bryony Kimmings and Brian Lobel consider our attitudes to cancer and the language we employ to deal with it through the stories of five people. This is an all•singing, all•dancing affair with music by Tom Parkinson, wiping off the pink charity ribbons to look at the realities of diagnosis(诊断) and what it means for the wider family.

★20～24 September, Home, Manchester. Box office: 0161•200 1500.

The Nest

Every parent wants the best for their baby. Kurt and Martha are prepared to work hard to ensure theirs has everything he needs, even if that means Kurt taking on extra work. Franz Xaver Kroetz’s extraordinary play about the damage that profit causes to individuals and the environment gets a new translation from Conor McPherson.

★15～22 October, Lyric, Belfast. Box office: 028•9038 1081.

The Red Barn

David Hare’s new play is based on La Main, a psychological thriller by the great Georges Simenon. The story concerns two couples who, on their way back from a party, struggle through the snow. The play is directed by Robert Icke, and the cast is headed by Mark Strong and Hope Davis.

★6～20 October, Lyttelton, London. Box office: 020•7452 3000.

【推荐1】Hot Technology Products at CES 2020

The consumer electronics show, or CES, presents new technology developments annually. Here are some latest products launched at CES 2020.

Samsung introduced a TV that can be used to watch video designed for a smartphone. The Sero TV does this by turning itself from the normal TV position to an upright position that looks like the shape of a phone. The V can connect to mobile devices to play video directly from the phone.

A company called TOWNEW presented; waste can designed for the home that does a lot of the dirty work on its own. When the can is full, the user touches a button to activate the machine's smart abilities. The device then completely closes off the waste bag inside, puts a new one in place, all by itself, and raises its top so the user can pick up and throw away the bag.

Automobile industry company Continental showed off a new technology that seems to make the front end of a vehicle disappear. The technology, called "Transparent Hood," aims to make driving safer and easier. Cameras provide video of the area underneath the vehicle, permitting the driver to see objects and road conditions that might present danger.

A company called Aō Air introduced a wearable air purifier. Designed to be a high-tech face covering to block pollution, the device pulls air through a filtration(过滤)system and then uses fans to create a small area of clean air at its front, allowing the air to be purified-without the need for a solid container.

【推荐1】Severe heat waves have killed more than 100 people in India this summer and are predicted to worsen in coming years, creating a possible crisis as large parts of the country potentially become too hot to be inhabitable (适宜居住的).

Heat waves in India usually take place between March and July and abate (减弱) once the rains arrive. But in recent years these hot waves have become more severe, more frequent and longer.

India is among the countries expected to be worst affected by severe heat, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say that even if the world succeeds in limiting the rise in average global temperatures, parts of India will become extremely hot.

Last year, there were over 480 official heat waves across India. During that period, more than 5,000 people died. This June, temperatures of 48 degrees Celsius hit Delhi. Churu nearly broke the country's heat record with a high of 50.6 degree Celsius. Bihar closed all schools, colleges and coaching centers for five days after severe heat killed more than 100 people. The closures were accompanied by warnings to stay indoors during the hottest time of the day.

India is trying to develop a heat action plan. The city of Ahmedabad, in Gujarat introduced the country's first action plan in 2013, and its text messages, extra drinking stations and advice to keep out of the sun are credited with saving more than 2,000 lives.

At the same time, India is seeking long term solution The country has planned to cut its carbon emissions (排放) by 33% to 35% in 2030.

【推荐2】Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today's stars, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of the world’s attention. Paparazzi(狗仔队)camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids(小报)publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.

According to psychologist Christina Villarreal, celebrities—famous people—worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. ''Over time,'' Villarreal says, ''they feel separated and alone.''

The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.

Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep ''their story'' alive forever.

If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.

Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.

【推荐3】Every year, thousands of new high school graduates pack their bags, move to new cities, and sign papers accepting loans, the money borrowed from a bank or lenders etc., which they might not be able to pay back. Without proper education on personal finance, especially as it relates to paying for college, young adults are guided into improper loan plans that result in years of debt after graduation. In order to set students up to succeed financially, it is important to educate students and parents on their financial options before school in the fall. The best way to support families heading for college is to require that every high school student take a personal finance class before graduation. This will help smooth the transition into adulthood.

The average student takes out at least one loan to cover the costs of their education each year. In 2014 the average student graduating from college carried a negative balance of about $20,000 in debt, which often spread over multiple lenders. Upon graduation, students rarely know exactly how much money they owe, and even though they are in the state of being unable to pay their debts, they cannot wipe out student loans. These students spend much of their adult lives paying off the gradual increasing debts.

A personal finance course would teach students how to manage their income and expenses, while helping to significantly reduce the amount of debt students carry into adulthood. By teaching students how to save money and live within their means, this course will provide the next generation with a foundation to progress financially. Students choosing to get a job straight out of high school would also benefit from finance education for these very reasons. With education on how to manage their finances, all young people will have the knowledge to make healthy decisions, leading them to improve good credit and purchase needed items like cars and homes with skill and confidence.

While not every young person makes financial mistakes, those who do can face years of difficulty trying to get their finances back under control. Rather than help them through these hard times when they happen, we should try to prevent them from happening at all. Making the completion of personal finance coursework a requirement for graduation would ensure that young people are at least aware of the basics of preserving a financial stability.