【推荐1】Books for Young Readers

Ivy+Bean by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall

Ivy is quiet; Bean is loud and goofy. Ivy wants to be a witch; Bean wants to play games. Naturally, they’re going to end up being best friends and getting into all kinds of scrapes together since their approach to pretty much everything—from discovering dinosaurs to starting their own summer camp—is “Why not?” (For ages 6 to 10)

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson and Nina Mata

Ryan Hart wants to see the good in everybody, even when she gets teased for having a boy’s name. She has a lot to deal with—her dad’s been laid off and the family has to move to a smaller house. But when Ryan runs into problems, she’s always looking for ways to make sunshine. (For ages 7 to 10)

Better Nate Than Ever (series) by Tim Federle

The budding drama club kids in your life will love this trilogy (三部曲) about a small-town boy with big Broadway dreams. Nate Foster longs to get away from Jankburg. Pennsylvania to star in a Broadway show. And then something amazing happens. There’s an open casting call for a Broadway musical based on E. T. He just has to get there. (For ages 10 and up)

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Fans of Raina Telgemeier will love Jerry Craft’s sympathetic graphic novel about seventh-grader Jordan, who’s trying to fit in at the fancy new private school where he’s one of the few kids of color in his grade. And all he really wants to do is draw comics—so how can he stay true to himself and his neighborhood, and still figure out his new school? (For ages 8 to 12)

【推荐2】Here are some of the best books I read this year.

“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This :book follows a fictional Hollywood celebrity as she retells the story of her extraordinary personal/life and supposedly wonderful career to reporter Monique Grant. From start to finish, this book took me less than two days to read—it had me hooked with all its unexpected twists and turns(一波三折)!

“The Stationery Shop”by Marjan Kamali

This beautifully complicated novel follows the life of a girl named Roys—from her passionate life withBahman in Tehran, her college life in Oakland and all the twists and turns of her marriage with Walter. Overall, the book has taught me so much about grief, belonging and compassion in ways no other book has before.

“Where the Crawdads Sing”by Delia Owens

I only read this book because the movie was coming out, but it was one of my favorite reads of the year .The novel is about a girl named Kya who. was abandoned at an early age in a marsh(湿地). Raising herself alone, we see her struggle with normality, living alone and being suspected of murder.

“Book Lovers”by Emily Henry

Henry tells the story of beautiful literary agent Nora, who goes on vacation with her sister to the small town of Sunshine Falls. There, she meets one of the people she knows from the city, a book editor with whom she has a special past. They’re thrown together again and again in a series of coincidental meetings, and you are left with a thoroughly entertaining and heartwarming read.

【推荐3】Children who grow up at homes filled with books tend to have less cognitive (认知的) decrease when they reach old age, even when taking factors such as wealth and education into consideration.

Previous studies have found that children with large home libraries are more likely to do well at school and in their later careers. Ella Cohn-Schwartz at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and her workmates wondered whether the benefits of early book exposure extend into old age.

They analyzed data from over 8000 men and women aged 65 and older without Alzheimer’s disease in 16 European countries, who had taken memory tests in 2011 and 2013. The tests included trying to memorize lists of words and naming as many animals as possible in one minute. Participants were asked to recall how many books their family homes contained when they were children: no books, one shelf (about 25 books), one bookcase (about 100 books), two bookcases or more.

Those who grew up with larger book collections performed better in all memory tests. They also showed slower cognitive decrease, with a smaller drop in their test scores between 2011 and 2013. This may be because their early book exposure encouraged them to read more, which in turn improved their “cognitive reserve”, says Cohn-Schwartz.

The findings remained the same when the researchers made adjustments for the participants’ wealth, education, physical health and other factors. This suggests that large home libraries are not just a sign of having more money, they can also protect the brain in various ways, says Cohn-Schwartz.

Moreover, children who grow up at homes filled with books are probably also encouraged to take up other wholesome activities, doing sports, for example, which could also improve their cognitive reserve according to Ralph Martins at Edith Cow an University in Perth, Australia.

【推荐3】Global Destinations Where Visitors Are Strictly Off-Limits (禁止进入的)

In our times, we like to think that we can travel whenever and wherever we’d like. However, there are destinations around the globe that are simply off-limits. The reasons for these closures vary.

HEART REEF, AUSTRALIA

Located in Queensland’s Whitsundays, Heart Reef is a heart-shaped formation of coral nestled within Hardy Reef which was first discovered in 1975. As it’s a protected area, no one is allowed to swim or dive near Heart Reef. Luckily, it’s visible from above, so visitors can still take in this romantic natural formation by air.

SVALBARD SEED VAULT, NORWAY

While there are many seed vaults (种子库) around the world, perhaps the best known - and largest - is Norway’s Svalbard Seed Vault. It holds seeds from crops around the world as a safety measure against seed loss. As of June 2021, it held over 1 million different crop samples. The vault itself is closed to the public, thought ours bring groups to visit the entrance.

LASCAUX CAVES, FRANCE

The Lascaux Caves are one of the great treasures of pre-historic art. For about I5 years thousands of visitors a day entered the caves to enjoy the Paleolithic paintings, but by 1963 that had come to an end. The caves were closed to the public because the carbon dioxide generated by all the visitors caused green mold to cover the artwork. Since that time, art historians have worked diligently to restore balance in the caves.

SNAKE ISLAND, BRAZIL

As its name suggests, the island is completely filled with poisonous snakes. One to five snakes per square meter make the island their home, including the lethal Golden Lancehead viper. Native to the island, their venom becomes more poisonous as they mature. Due to their presence on the island, the Brazilian government strictly forbids visitors.