【推荐1】Looking at the photos of public celebrations for International Pillow Fight Day in the news and social media from the 50 cities around the world, one question occurred to me: What are pillows really stuffed with? Not physically, but symbolically? Armed with nothing more than bring-our-own sacrificial cushions, strangers struck heavily each other in playful feather from Amsterdam to Atlanta, Warsaw to Washington DC. But why? Is there anything more to this delightful celebration?

As a cultural sign, the pillow is falsely soft. Since at least the 16th century, the humble pillow has been given unexpected meanings. The Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu tells a famous story about a wise man who meets a depressed young scholar at an inn and offers him a magic pillow filled with the most vivid dreams of a seemingly more fulfilling life. When the young man awakens to discover that his happy 50-year dream has in fact come and gone in the short space of an after-noon’s nap, our impression of the pillow’s power shifts from wonder to terror.

Succeeding writers have likewise seized upon the pillow. When the 19th-century English novelist Charlotte Bronte poetically observed “a ruffled (不平的,起皱的) mind makes a restless pillow”, she didn’t just change the expected order of the adjectives and nouns, but instead she made unclear the boundaries between mind and matter — the thing resting and the thing rested upon.

That can be considered as a trick which perhaps Bronte learned from the Renaissance philosopher Montaigne, who once insisted that “ignorance is the softest pillow on which a man can rest his head”. On Montaigne’s thinking, intelligence and happiness confront each other forever in a pillow fight that only one can win.

Based on the words of Tang, Bronte, and Montaigne, we can perhaps more easily measure the attraction of the global pillow fight. Like a ritual of release, the annual international pillow fight amounts to a kind of cleansing, a brushing off of daily worries, an emptying of the world’s collective mind. Rather than a launch-pad for weightless rest, the pillow is a symbol of heavy thought: an anchor that drags the world’s soul down- one that must be lightened.

【推荐2】The past ages of man have all been carefully labeled by anthropologists (人类学家). Descriptions like “Paleolithic (旧石器时代) Man”, “Neolithic (新石器时代) Man”, etc., neatly sum up whole periods. When the time comes for anthropologists to turn their attention to the twenty-first century, they will surely choose the label “Legless Man”. Histories of the time will go something like this: “In the twenty-first century, people forgot how to use their legs. Men and women moved about in cars, buses and trains from a very early age. There were lifts in all large buildings to prevent people from walking. And the surprising thing is that they didn’t use their legs even when they went on holiday. They built cable railways, ski-lifts and roads to the top of every huge mountain. All the beauty spots on earth were mined by the presence of large car parks.”

The future history books might also record that we lost the right of using our eyes. In our hurry to get from one place to another, we failed to see anything on the way. Air travel gives you a bird’s-eye view of the world or even less if the wing of the aircraft happens to get in your way. When you travel by car or train, the unclear picture of the countryside constantly slides over the window. When you mention the most impressive place-names in the world, the typical 21st century traveler always says “I’ve been there.” - meaning “I drove through it at 100 miles an hour on the way to somewhere else.”

When you travel at high speeds, the present means nothing: you live mainly in the future because you spend most of your time looking forward to arriving at some other place. But actual arrival, when it is achieved, is meaningless. You want to move on again. By traveling like this, you skip all experience. The traveler on foot, on the other hand, lives in the present. For him traveling and arriving are one and the same thing: he arrives somewhere with every step he makes. He experiences the present moment with his eyes, his ears and the whole of his body. At the end of his journey he feels a delicious physical tiredness. Satisfying sleep will be his: the just reward of all true travelers.

    3     Making a habit of gratitude can also be good for us. Like other positive emotions, feeling grateful on a regular basis can have a big effect on our lives. Brain research shows that positive emotions are good for our bodies, minds, and brains.Positive emotions open us up to see more possibilities and take in more information. They improve our ability to develop skills, learn, and make good decisions.

    4     When we feel grateful for someone’s kindness toward us, we may be more likely to do a kindness in return. Thanking people can make it more likely they’ll do a kindness again.

    5     When we feel and express heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to people in our lives, it creates loving bonds, builds trust, and helps you feel closer.

【推荐2】Since the novel corona-virus (新冠病毒) outbreak, many people have been forced to stay at home for long periods of time to protect themselves from the virus. This has given people more free time to learn new skills and find different ways to entertain themselves.

Some of these activities include things like singing, learning to cook and ordering fresh food online. All of these things can be done in the palm of your hand with mobile apps.

Before, young people would go outside and meet friends at karaoke bars (卡拉OK酒吧). Now, friends can meet and sing on the mobile karaoke app Changba. “The Changba app not only gives me the chance to share my songs with friends, but also lets me sing whatever I like at home.” said an app user.

Some people have also taken up cooking as a new hobby to pass the time. You don’t need to attend culinary (烹饪的) school, thanks to apps like Xiachufang and Ecook, which make it easier for those who want to learn how to cook. These apps provide a platform for users to look up different recipes (菜谱) and to share their own recipes with others. “Using this app, I have learned many new and healthy dishes which help me eat better.” an app user commented on the app’s website.

To help people avoid crowded places like grocery stores, apps that deliver (递送) goods right to your door have also become very popular. “It is obvious that the epidemic (疫情) has attracted new groups of consumers (消费者), such as elderly people, who originally didn’t belong to our target user group.” Zhang Yi, an analyst from the market research company, said.

Indeed, during this special time, these apps have opened up a whole new world of opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.

【推荐3】You are given many opportunities in life to choose to be a victim or creator. When you choose to be a victim, the world is a cold and difficult place. “They” did things to you which caused all of your pain and suffering. “They” are wrong and bad, and life is terrible as long as “they” are around. Or you may blame yourself for all your problems, thus internalizing (内化) your victimization (受害). The truth is, your life is likely to stay that way as long as you feel a need to blame yourself or others.

Those who choose to be creators look at life quite differently. They know there are individuals who might like to control their lives, but they don’t let this get in the way. They know they have their weaknesses, yet they don’t blame themselves when they fail. Whatever happens, they have choice in the matter. They believe their dance with each sacred (神圣的) moment of life is a gift and that storms are a natural part of life which can bring the rain needed for emotional and spiritual growth.

Victims and creators live in the same physical world and deal with many of the same physical realities, yet their experience of life is worlds apart. Victims relish (沉溺) in anger, guilt, and other emotions that cause others—and even themselves—to feel like victims, too. Creators consciously choose love, inspiration, and other qualities which inspire not only themselves, but all around them. Both victims and creators always have choice to determine the direction of their lives.

In reality, all of us play the victim or the creator at various points in our lives. One person, on losing a job or a special relationship, may feel as if it is the end of the world and sink into terrible suffering for months, years, or even a lifetime. Another with the same experience may choose to first experience the grief, then accept the loss and soon move on to be a powerful creative force in his life.

In every moment and every circumstance, you can choose to have a fuller, richer life by setting a clear intention to transform the victim within, and by inviting into your life the powerful creator that you are.

【推荐1】Sometimes fishing ships disappear: Captains turn off the radios that broadcast their locations, leaving regulators wondering whether the ships are fishing illegally. Now, researchers have shown that albatrosses(信天翁)bearing small detectors can find these doubtful ships, even in the middle of the open ocean. After a 6-month study with the large seabirds, the researchers say that more than one-third of ships in the southern Indian Ocean are fishing illegally.

“These are animal police,” says Boris Worm of Dalhousie University. “You’re empowering animals to survey their own environment, ”Worm says. “That’s pretty cool.” The method could also help albatrosses themselves, which can be killed when they get caught or accidentally eat fishing hooks. The researchers will be there on time.

Illegal fishing is a major concern for environment biologists, especially in remote areas. Over the past decade, scientists have studied the problem with data from automatic identification systems (AISs) on ships, which send their identity, location, speed, and direction to satellites. But AlSs can be turned off. Researchers suspect that fishing ships turn off AISs when they are fishing illegally or want to prevent competitors from knowing where they are getting a good catch.

Albatrosses make good spies. The birds, which live on fish, can spot a fishing ship from as far away as 30 kilometers. Some species fly hundreds or thousands of kilometers while hunting. Between December 2018 and June 2019, the birds met 353 ships. Those locations were sent to the lab in less than 2 hours. If they did not match the locations of ships with an active AIS, the team knew the ships had switched it off. In international waters, 37% of detected ships had their AlS switched off and fished illegally.

Although the albatrosses can detect ships, they cannot track them over longer distances, one scientist says. He says, “What you need to do is to look for patterns to take pictures as evidence.” More albatrosses will be arranged in March and April around the Prince Edward Islands in the southern Indian Ocean to reveal the illegal fishing.

【推荐2】Walking through a local park recently, I saw a teenage boy wearing a T-shirt that read: “Effort wins over talent. ” It reminded me of an idea I think about often, that if you believe you can learn new things and develop new skills, by working hard, you are more likely to achieve those goals. This critical insight was brought up by Dr. Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist, as a “growth mindset”.

According to Dr. Dweck’s research, “talent is not fixed.” Studies by Dweck and others have shown students who have a fixed mindset see new learning experiences as a moment to be judged, not an opportunity to learn. This can make learning a painful struggle, leading many to give up. Students who have a growth mindset, on the other hand, experience challenges as the way to learn and improve. They see hard work as being about learning. Overall, they learn and achieve at higher levels, even when they start out at the same place as those with fixed mindsets.

While Dweck identified growth mindset more than a decade ago, her insights were not made up. They have since been backed up by brain science, made possible by new technology that allows researchers to see images of the brain at work. Studies show that, when a person responds to new and difficult material by engaging in a struggle to learn, the neurons in their brain grow.

Believing that you can grow your abilities through effort—that talent is not fixed—is crucial(要的). As Dweck puts it in her TED talk, we need to focus on showing young people the "Power of Yet” meaning, I haven't learned this yet, or I'm not good at this yet.

Growth mindset is an important idea for educators and schools, but it's also a powerful tool that everyone can use to help themselves to learn and achieve at high levels.

【推荐3】Right now in the Pacific Northwest， the local Lummi tribe is reminding us of our connection to nature， pushing us to question how we treat other species and demanding the release of a captive killer whale from Miami Seaquarium． Many local cultures have known for thousands of years that the success and sustainability of society depend upon our relationship to the natural environment   have tried at great lengths to share this knowledge with us． And it's about time that we listened．

As a conservation biologist， my job is to conduct research that helps protect Earth's biodiversity． From my scientific perspective， I back the Lummi's call to release Lolita back into her native waters． Unlike other captive killer whales that were born at amusement parks， Lolita was taken directly from her native environment， which luckily has remained． This means that the likelihood of a successful reintroduction is quite high．

Why？ First， because Lolita already knows how to hunt from her younger years in the Salish Sea before she was taken． Proponents of keeping killer whales captive often say that the whales are not equipped with the skills to know how to hunt and survive in the wild． This is not the case for Lolita．

Second， the fact that Lolita's family still exists and that her mother is still alive means the chances of her being accepted back into the family are quite high． In addition to their 80-year lifespans， killer whales have also been shown to long-term memories． That makes it very likely that Lolita's family will remember her and welcome her back． The fact that Lolita's mother is still alive is particularly exciting because killer whale families are matriarchal， meaning that the female members of the families largely shape the group's social structure．

From my conservationist perspective， I also back the call to free Lolita． Her family belongs to a group known as "southern resident killer whale，" an endangered species whose populations are not doing well． By bringing Lolita home to the Salish Sea， we are effectively adding one more re-productively mature female into the population． If Lolita reproduces， her offspring will help maintain the wild population of wild resident killer whales．

From an ethical perspective， I support the release of Lolita because it is the right thing to do． We know that killer whales are intelligent， and that they are highly social creatures， parallel to Primates （灵长类） and yes， humans too． What does it mean for us as a society that we allow the captivity of intelligent marine mammals for our own amusement？ If we cannot begin to value the diversity of life on this planet， how are we going to be able to value the diversity of life within the human race？

The release of Lolita would be a victory for the Lummi， for science-based conservation and for repairing the relationships between humans and other species． As Martin Luther King Jr． once put it， One day the ridiculousness of the almost universal human belief in the slavery of other animals will be apparent． We shall then have discovered our souls and become worthier of sharing this planet with them．

A．

B．

C．

D．

【推荐1】On some Swedish trains, passengers carry their e-tickets in their hands—literally. About 3,000 Swedes have chosen to insert grain-of-rice-sized microchips beneath the skin between their thumbs and index fingers. The chips, which cost around $150, can hold personal details, credit-card numbers and medical records. They rely on Radio Frequency ID (RFID), a technology already used in payment cards, tickets and passports.

By one estimate there are 10,000 cyborgs with chip implants around the world. Sweden, home to several microchip companies, has the largest share. Fifty employees of Three Square Market, a Wisconsin-based firm, volunteered to receive chip implants that can be used to pay at vending machines and log in to computers.

Jowan Österlund, the founder of BioHax, a Swedish firm, claims chips are more secure than mobile phones because they are hard to hack. But skeptics still have concerns. RFID chips do not have GPS, but they leave a digital trail when they interact with doors, printers or turnstiles. In 2004 the Mexican attorney-general and his staff had chips inserted in their arms that tracked who had accessed sensitive information.

So why take the risk? Convenience is one draw. The infrastructure for microchip use exists wherever contactless IDs or payments are accepted. Sweden is well suited, as the world’s second most cashless country (after Canada). But the chips have little use unless companies play along. Few shops recognise chip implants yet. Even those organisations that do have had teething troubles. When Swedish rail officials began scanning passengers’ microchips, they saw LinkedIn profiles rather than evidence of ticket purchases. For now the chips are used largely as digital business cards, substitutes for keys or to store emergency documents such as wills.

So exhibitionism is another explanation. Chip enthusiasts include followers of a “trans-humanist” ideology that seeks to make full use of human bodies with technology. Elon Musk, an American entrepreneur, has invested in tech that merges machines with human brains. Some Christians, meanwhile, fear that microchips are “marks of the beast” foretold in the Bible. Hardly, says Mr Österlund. After all, “people once thought the Beatles were the Antichrist.”

【推荐2】Deep in the middle of Sri Lanka, a massive column of rock reaches out from the green tropical forest. It is 660 feet tall and features frescoes (壁画), graffiti, and landscaped gardens.

The rock is known as Sigiriya and holds a special place in the island's cultural history.

It was established as the stronghold of a king over 1,500 years ago, and today the Sigiriya complex stands as one of the earliest preserved examples of ancient urban planning.

Located in the Central Province, the column of rock is somewhat central to the country. The rock is known as Sihagiri, meaning "Lion Rock", a nod to the giant animal carved from stone which greeted visitors at the entrance.

In 476 BC. King Dhatusena ruled over Sri Lanka. One of his illegal sons, Kashyapa, wanted the throne (王位). Kashyapa overthrew Dhatusena and drove his brother Moggallana to Southern India. Kashyapa crowned himself king in 477 BC.

King Kashyapa chose Sigiriya as his palace because its position was an advantage to the defensive stronghold, offering fantastic 360-degree views. Plans to build a city quickly unfolded and after several years, the Sigiriya complex had become a business center for the new King.

Sigiriya was both a palace and a fortress (堡垒); the overall complex featured five gates and measured just under 3 km by just over 1 km. The site plan consisted of a fort，an upper palace on the top of the rock,and lower palaces at ground level. The king also constructed gardens throughout，and for protection a river with walls surrounded the complex.

Frescoes decorate the western side of the rock, along with the mirror wall, a brick face covered in a highly-polished white plaster. When new, the wall was said to be able to produce Reflections.

Over time the Mirror Wall became a graffiti board, covered in verses written by visitors. Known as "Sigiri Graffiti", some of the messages date to the 8th century CE.

【推荐3】Parking in the CBD of any Australian city is expensive, hard to come by and often an unavoidable headache. But Rylan Kindness, a 16-year-old entrepreneur (企业家) from Brisbane, thinks he might have the answer to this problem.

It was after Rylan realized his parents were spending hours to try and find parking deals in the city that he came up with the idea for a centralized system. This system shows users the best price for parking in the area they want and offers users a daily deal with a discount .

Rylan now doubles as a high school student and the CEO of Parking Deals Australia, a role he took on four months ago. Parking Deals Australia isn't even Rylan's first business. When he was barely 11, Rylan came up with an idea to sell wholesale scooter parts online, purely because he just wanted some extra money. On the side, he's succeeding in other passions as well. However, he admits it hasn't always been smooth sailing.

“I've learned so many crazy things through trial and error. Every day I fail somewhere but I always try to get better. My biggest failure was when I first set up everything and thought it was what everyone else would like but it's a shock when I see people not enjoying what I’m doing. It makes me want to cry a little bit but then I polish the product and keep going.”he said.

While Rylan didn't want to say exactly how much his now-bustling company is worth, he did admit he's making a tidy profit.“I earn more in one day than I was earning for three months working in a cafe but I'm investing it all back into the business.... what I've learned is that if you're starting a business just to make money, you're definitely going to fail. I'm there to help millions of people and that's what really gets me going,”he said.

Rylan's goal with Parking Deals Australia is to take it countrywide and save millions of people millions of dollars.