【推荐1】Sharing a bed with a pet at night is a common feature of nighttime routines in the United States. According to a 2021—2022 survey, 43 percent of pet dogs in the United States and 49 percent of pet cats sleep on their owner’s bed. When it comes to the perks of sharing your bed with your favourite furry friend, however, experts are divided.

First, it’s worth noting that the majority of research on the topic of co-sleeping with pets has focused on dogs rather than cats. Mark Fierstein, an internal medicine specialist at NYUL angone Health in New York City, suggests this is because cats may want to play or even purposely wake up their owner. Rabbits or hamsters are also out of the question.

A benefit of sleeping with pets is that the practice may prevent loneliness, Fierstein says. “Often, people who co-sleep with pets report an increased sense of security, companionship, and relaxation,” he notes. “For some people, the dog’s warmth, steady heartbeat, and protective nature can make sleeping with them feel safe and cozy.” This may be especially true of people who are managing trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Leslie Sinn, a psychologist, says according to a survey,60% of PTSD suffers feel calm down if they wake up to see the presence of the dog.

Some research suggests co-sleeping with pets may increase mid-night awakenings for people. “If the owner is a light sleeper, he or she may not do well with a dog or cat in the bedroom,” notes Fierstein. For example, he points out that a dog who snores loudly is not an ideal sleeping mate.

Dogs may also show aggressive behaviour—such as biting. Allowing pets in the bedroom can also expose owners to potential allergens, like pet hair, as well as viruses that cause disease.

【推荐3】Since the earliest times, trees have always been very useful and important to men who made use of them in a number of ways for their daily life. Even today trees continue to serve men in so many useful ways.

They supply men with food, fuel (燃料) for burning and building materials in the form of wood. Without trees it would be impossible to build houses, boats and even bridges. Furniture such as tables and chairs is also made of wood.

In the tropics (热带) where it is very warm throughout the year, trees protect men from the terrible heat of the sun. They are also useful in preventing good and fertile (肥沃的) top soil from being washed away during heavy rains which are so common in the tropics. If there were no trees or vegetables of some types to hold back the soil with their roots, heavy rains would wash away the rich surface soil so important for agriculture. The result is that the land becomes useless and unproductive.

There are many desert areas in the world. A long, long time ago these areas must have been rich, fertile areas too, but people in ancient times cut down trees without any plan. They never took the trouble to plant new trees. Strong winds bit by bit blew away the rich surface soil and in the end the land was turned into useless desert where nothing could grow.

【推荐1】While the novel coronavirus is dangerous for everyone, it is particularly so for the first respond-ere who are being exposed to the illness daily. In the US alone, almost 5,500 nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals have been infected with COVID-19. Unfortunately, of these, dozens have succumbed to the disease. Now, hospital workers worldwide may get some relief thanks to Spot, a semi-autonomous four-legged robot developed by Waltham, Massachusetts-based robotics company, Boston Dynamics.

^“Starting in early March, Boston Dynamics started receiving inquiries from hospitals asking if our robots could help minimize their staff ’s exposure to COVID-19,” the company writes in a blog post. In response, the company reconfigured (改装）the 3-foot tall robot to operate as a mobile telemedicine platform, enabling healthcare providers to determine a patient’s condition remotely.

The first four-legged robot^“dog” was working in the Brigham and Women^’s Hospital of Harvard University on April 9, 2020. Equipped with an iPad “face” and a two-way radio that allows for real-time conversation, Spot helps doctors to speak to patients without coming in contact with them.

^“With current practice at local hospitals, patients suspected to have COVID-19 are asked to line up in tents outside to answer questions and get initial assessments for temperature. This process requires up to five medical staff, placing those individuals at high risk of being exposed to the virus,^”Boston Dynamics explains.^“With the use of a mobile robot, hospitals are able to reduce the number of necessary medical staff at the scene and conserve their limited PPE (personal protective equipment) supply.” The company says the doctors can even use Spot to talk to patients from the safety of their own homes.

Though Spot has already proved extremely helpful, the robotics manufacturer believes it can be even more so. The engineers are currently working on^“teaching” the robot to perform tasks like temperature checks. The company is also developing new technology that will allow Spot to aid in the disinfection (消毒)of hospitals as well as other public areas.

【推荐2】Zea Tongeman, a 14-year-old student, who is crazy about the Internet, applied technology to create an application that encourages people to recycle while having fun.

Zea was really inspired when she attended “Little Miss Geek Day”, an event that is aimed at making technology more accessible and appealing to young women and inspiring them to consider technology careers. Soon after, she entered “Apps for Good”, a competition that encourages students to create positive changes through technology. Teaming up with her friend, Jordan Stirbu, she laid the foundations for “Jazzy Recycling”.

The “Jazzy Recycling” application is designed to encourage young people to recycle more, which wins the favor of the youth and turns waste disposal (处理) into a game and helps you find places to recycle. Then you scan what you need to recycle, share it, and get rewards such as shopping vouchers (代金券) and games to be unlocked for what you have recycled.

Making use of the teen enthusiasm for sharing every little aspect of their daily life on social media like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, recycling efforts can be shared too as a fun game among friends, which makes more people take part in recycling activities.

Zea explains why she is addicted to the Internet and how technology has changed her, “used to think technology was just fixing computers and using smartphones; I have become very tired from just using what is available. I have discovered another side to it — I can make technology of my own.”

In fact, Zea Tongeman has taken the idea of recycling seriously and hopes all her fellow beings would give it a serious thought. This teen girl from the United Kingdom has made use of computer programming to create her own app that would encourage people to go recycling for a better world.

【推荐3】There is a school in my Manhattan neighbourhood that has been giving out free meals during the Covid-19 pandemic—and every time I walk past it, the line seems longer. A community fridge recently showed up a couple of blocks away; it's one of many that activists have fixed across the city to fight against growing food insecurity. Just around the corner there's a young woman who has become a regular among the beggars I usually see in the area. She lost her job because of Covid-19.

It's not all doom and gloom. While the poor are getting poorer, the 1% are making out like robbers. America's 600-plus billionaires saw their wealth grow by more than $700bn in the first few months of the pandemic. During the same period, more than 50 million American workers lost their jobs. The US government has printed trillions of dollars in economic relief but many of the forgivable emergency loans （贷款） for small businesses seem to have been taken by the super-rich. My local independent coffee shop has closed down, but Kanye West received a partially forgivable loan worth at least $2m. It is becoming increasingly clear that the US is experiencing one of the biggest wealth transfers in history.

Bernie Sanders has a plan to help. Last week, Sanders introduced a bill（ 法案） , Make Billionaires Pay Act, which would establish a one-time 60% tax （税收） on billionaires' pandemic gains and use the money to guarantee Americans free health care for a year. There is very little chance the bill will get passed.

Billionaires shouldn't exit in the first place—the idea that they should be taxed at a higher rate during a pandemic to help pay health care shouldn't be slightly controversial（ 有争议的） . However, there are some who think such a move would be extremely unfair to "poor unfortunate" billionaires who, as we all know, are one of the most unfairly hurt groups in the world.

【推荐2】Call for entries: young women writers competition

Guardian Weekend magazine is launching a writing competition for UK women aged 16-21 on the theme of conversations．

All you have to do is submit a 700-word personal essay that shows off your talents——on the theme of conversations．Did you have an unforgettable conversation with your grandmother about her youth that changed how you viewed her? Do you find having certain conversations really hard, and if so, why? Is there a conversation you regret, or one you regret you never had? We're keen to hear about your personal experiences．

All entries must be sent to weekend@the guardian．com by midnight on 9 March．

There will be one winner and two runners-up．The three winners will each receive £250．The winners will be notified（通知）by email or telephone on or before 30 March 2021 and given details of how to claim their prizes．As part of the editing process, the three winners will participate in a video call with a Guardian Weekend editor to discuss and edit their essay for publication．The one overall winner will also receive a 1-1 work shop with a Guardian editor．

Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification．

■Only one entry is permitted per person．Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted and joint submissions are not allowed．

■The Competition opens at 09:00 on 22 February 2021 and closes at 23:59 on 9 March 2021．Entries received outside this time period will not be considered．

■Your entry must not be copied, and must not contain any third-party materials or content that you do not have permission to use．

■You must include your name, age and contact details, including your email address and phone number．

【推荐3】Geek Squad Protection

Keep your cell phone working like new with the help of over 20,000 Geek Squad Agents who will get you up and running again if the unexpected happens. You’ll be protected in case of drops, spills, cracks, normal wear and tear, or mechanical failure.

Geek Squad Protection Plan must be purchased with the product online or in store, or within 15 days by visiting a store. A one-time payment option for two years is also available, which offers a 20% discount.

The Geek Squad Complete Protection Plan includes all the above benefits from the standard Geek Squad Protection Plan, plus Loss and Theft coverage. Geek Squad Complete Protection Plan must be purchased with the product in store （not available online）, or within 15 days by visiting a store. A one-time payment option for two years is also available, which offers a 20% discount.

Notice: There is a limit of three claims within 24 months for drops, spills, cracks, mechanical failure, wear, tear or one-time battery replacement. If the claim is for loss or theft, there is a limit of two claims within a rolling 12 months.

【推荐2】It seems that people are gradually losing their smartness as smart phones become increasingly important assistants in their lives. As we rely too much on technology instead of our brains, many people have lost three basic abilities.

The first skill many people have lost is remembering phone numbers. Because phone numbers are stored in smart phone contacts, there’s now no need to dial a number or look at it again. This is fine until you need to call someone for help only to find your phone is not around.

And some people may also have lost their sense of direction because some apps can guide people anywhere they want. People get so dependent on them that when they can’t use their smart phones, they get lost and anxious.

But the worst lost skills may be social ones, meaning that some people are becoming socially disabled. People often bury themselves in their smart phones. As we’re too absent- minded by what’s happening in the virtual (虚拟的) some of us have lost conversational skills and sometimes can’t even tell whether a person is happy or not.

Last August, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 51 students aged 11 and 12 who had over five hours’ screen time ever)r day. Their task was to tell the emotions of 48 pictures of faces that were happy, sad, angry or scared.

The children made an average of 14.02 mistakes at the beginning. But after a five-day camp without electronic products, they made only 9.41 mistakes on average.

Luckily, people still have a chance to get these abilities back. You should try to keep your parents’ numbers in mind for emergencies. You should also pay more attention to street signs and stores, which will help you to draw a mind map and stop you from getting lost. And the easiest solution to social skill loss is to take a break from electronic products.

【推荐3】Brooke wanted a dollhouse and some sugar cookies. So the 6-year-old asked Alexa to get them. Alexa wasn't her mom or babysitter. It was a voice-activated home assistant powered by artificial intelligence(AI). Alexa comes with the Amazon Echo device. And it made Brooke's wishes come true. After being reported on' TV, Alexa devices in many listeners' homes woke up and tried to order dollhouses!

Alexa isn't the only Al willing to order up treats for you. Apple Homepod has Siri, Google Home has its Assistant, and the upcoming Galaxy Home device will have Bixby. People who own these devices use them mainly for listening to music, checking the weather, and setting timers. According to a report from The Information, people don't often do voice shopping. They do it mainly to order simple things like paper towels. But many experts predict a boom in voice shopping in the near future.

Convenience is the main benefit of voice shopping. You can shout out an order as soon as you think of it, even if you're cooking or driving. Besides, people who are unable to use a keyboard or mouse can shop without assistance.

But voice shopping has its downsides. Unwanted things aren't the biggest problem. It's usually very easy to cancel an order or return items. The surprising thing is that these assistants are always listening. They have to be able to respond when you want them. So they listen for "Alexa" or "OK Google" or another command. When they hear it, they start recording the conversation. Some have worried about what happens to these recordings. Should companies be allowed to use them to learn about people's shopping habits? What if someone hacks the device? What if someone hacks smart TVs to turn them into spies that listen all the time?