【推荐1】Anjali Mishra is a rising junior at Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon. At 17, she is president and founder of her school’s UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) USA club, and a member of UNICEF’s national council (委员会). She also volunteers her time in different communities.

How did Anjali develop such a passion (热情) for helping others? When she was a freshman, she had an experience that greatly changed her attitude. She was invited to a cousin’s wedding in India.

“My mom kind of forced me to go,” Anjali says. “When I saw children on the street, I realized how lucky I was as a child. I was able to get whatever I wanted, and my every need was satisfied.”

Anjali asked herself: “What can I do to help? UNICEF stood out to me because it’s always on the front lines helping children in need.”

After starting a UNICEF club at her school, Anjali noticed that the community responded actively. She took things a step further by applying to UNICEF’s national council.

“UNICEF really liked my work,” she says. “Out of 3,000 applicants, they chose 6 high school students to be on the national council, and I was one of them.”

As a member of the council, Anjali helps organize high school UNICEF clubs around the country and provide resources so that the clubs can manage themselves.

The teen also founded an organization called “Activists United.” Members educate people on the dangers of guns. Anjali encourages other kids to start local clubs and organizations, too. “It takes a lot of effort, but you can get it done if you’re passionate,” she says.

【推荐2】Seasonal affective disorder(SAD)is a type of depression that sets in or starts in the winter months.     1    . It is often a cyclical, recurring disorder. You’ll feel depression every winter and begin to feel better each spring.

SAD depression is caused by lowered levels of serotonin(血清素), the mood-affecting brain chemical that is caused by seasonal changes in daylight. Although any amount of outdoor light can help raise serotonin levels, getting light in the morning seems to offer the most benefit.     2    . In your home or office, try sitting close to a window that faces south. Replacing light bulbs(电灯泡)in your home with full spectrum light bulbs can help because their light is similar to sunlight.

    3    . Exercise raises levels of serotonin and also increases levels of endorphins, which have been shown to fight depression. Moderate exercise such as walking, riding a stationary bike, or swimming is a great way to get started.

Vitamin D is necessary for the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine(chemicals associated with depression), so researchers concluded that a link between low vitamin D levels and depression was logical. Scientists recommend one to take vitamin D 2,000 IU daily,     4    .

Year-end panic refers to the self-reproach(自责)and overall feeling of panic brought about by the approach of the year’s end, often due to a poor financial year and pressure from work and family.     5    . While regretting for the failed plans in the past year, you can still make resolution to do it better in the coming year.

【推荐3】Scientists are working to stop a deadly virus that infects pigs. This African swine flu (猪流感) virus is causing huge losses for farmers in China and other Asian countries. Many farmers have tried to contain it by destroying infected animals. But the spread of the disease into East Asia has stepped up the search for other ways to deal with the problem.

The virus had not been considered a major concern for researchers until it appeared in China last year. Chinese farmers raise about half of the world’s pigs. Some researchers think the virus might have come from infected animals in Eastern Europe or Russia. Since then it has spread to China, Vietnam and other Asian countries. Millions of pigs have been destroyed.

Although swine flu does not sicken people, it is very infectious and deadly to pigs. As the deadly virus kills pigs across Asia, scientists are speeding up efforts to develop a vaccine (疫苗). “Today’s situation, where you have this global danger, puts a lot more emphasis on it,” said Doctor Luis Rodriguez, who leads the United States government laboratory for foreign animal diseases.

Vaccines are often developed by killing a virus before it is put into an animal. The disabled virus does not make the animal sick, but it activates the body’s natural defenses against disease. The immune system is then able to identify the virus and produce antibodies against it. However, this method is not effective with all viruses including the one that causes African swine flu. For swine flu, scientists have been working on a different kind of vaccine. It is made from a weakened virus, not a dead one. The problem for researchers has been how to change the virus so it can be safely used.

Vietnam’s government reported a few weeks ago that it was testing vaccines, but provided few details. In China, the government says scientists are working on a vaccine that genetically changes the virus, which is similar to a method being used by scientists in the US.

【推荐2】A trip to London

My family had dreamed of a trip to London for a long time. Luckily it was possible for us to realize our dream because all of us were free on the weekend.

We planned to drive into Cambridge and caught the 7: 34 train to Liverpool Street Station.Then my wife and I would separate from Joan, my wife’s sister, to do different things and finally meet again for lunch. And after lunch, we would go to the concert.

But we were late because of a thick London fog. The train had to move along so slowly that it was not until 10:30 that it got there. In spite of our late arrival, Joan decided that she would go to see the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London while we went shopping. It was only after her sister had disappeared into the fog that my wife realized that we hadn’t decided where we should meet for lunch. Since I had our three tickets for the concert in my pocket, this was indeed a problem. We didn’t have any mobile phones at that time. There seemed to be nothing we could do except taking a taxi to the Tower of London, and try to find her there. Needless to say, we didn’t find her.

It was now one o'clock, and the concert began at 2: 30. “Perhaps she will think of waiting outside the concert hall,” said my wife hopefully. By this time the fog was so thick that road traffic had to stop, and the only way to get there was by subway. Hand in hand we felt our way along the road to where we thought the nearest station should be. An hour later we were still trying to find it.Just when I was about to become angry, we met a blind man tapping his way confidently through the fog. With his help we found the subway station which was just fifty meters down the road.

By now it was far too late to get to the concert hall before the performance began at 2: 30, so we decided to return to Cambridge. It took seven hours instead of the usual two to make that journey. Nor were we able to get any food and drink on the train. We were tired and hungry.

We finally reached home at ten. Opening the door we were amazed to find Joan at home; she had seen the Crown Jewels, had managed to get another ticket for concert, and had had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant. Of course, she managed to get home, too. Oh my god!

【推荐3】One stride at a time, Tom Panek and his guide dog, Gus, inch closer to their goal. The two have been training in local parks for more than three years with the hopes of competing in an official long­distance race. It’s never been done before. “I’ve been running my whole life. I ran on my cross­country team in high school, and I ran as a young adult,” Panek said. He lost his sight 25 years ago. “When I lost my sight I was too scared to run,” Panek said.

As he adjusted to his blindness, he began running with a human guide, but it wasn’t the same. “Although many people run with running clubs, at the end of the day you’re running your own race. And when you’re tied to another person, it’s no longer your own race. The independence isn’t quite there,” Panek said.

Two years ago, Panek became the CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. The idea of a running guide program was first suggested by Richard Hunter, who was blind and looking to get back in to running.

“Richard shouted out, ‘I’m really curious, have you ever trained a guide dog to run？’ And I said, ‘I don’t know. It hasn’t been done,’” Panek said.

A few months and intense training sessions later, the running guide program was born. Panek and a small team helped train Klinger, a German shepherd, to aid Hunter with running.

He formed a team of experts to train a small group of dogs to run long distances. The dogs begin their training at 18 months old. It’s an exclusive club. Out of 165 graduate dogs, only about 12 are considered race ready.

The team’s final test would be a five­mile race through New York’s Central Park just one week before the New York City Marathon. It was Panek’s and Gus’s first competitive race. Before the race, Panek was overcome with emotion, wiping away his tears of appreciation to the dog who gave him his independence back.

“And crossing that finish line, you know it was a momentous (关键的) occasion for me,” Panek said.

【推荐2】Tim was walking home from school one day when he noticed a boy ahead of him. He had tripped (绊倒) and dropped all of the books he was carrying along with some clothes, a baseball bat and a glove.

Tim knelt down and helped the boy pick up the things. Since they were going the same way, he offered to carry some things for the boy.

As they walked, Tim knew that the boy’s name was Sam. He loved video games, baseball and history, but he was having trouble with some of his subjects.

They arrived at Sam’s home first. Tim was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with some laughs and talk. Then Tim went home.

They continued to see each other at school and had lunch together once or twice a week.

Three days before they finished high school, Sam asked Tim if they could talk. Sam reminded Tim of the day years ago when they had first met. “Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?’’ asked Sam. “You see, I took away all my things from school. I had stored away some of my mother’s sleeping pills. I was going home to kill myself. But after we spent some time talking and laughing, I realized that if I had died, I would have missed so many good times. So you see, Tim, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life. ”

【推荐3】My dad works with green technology. Last summer, he was sent to a small town called Gaviotas in Colombia. He decided to take me with him. At first I wasn’t too keen. What was I going to do in the middle of nowhere, in a country where I couldn’t even speak the language? And anyway, what was so special about Gaviotas?

My dad told me that Gaviotas was an example of how people could live without destroying the environment. This got me a bit more interested, so I did some research. I found out that Gaviotas was founded in 1971 by a group of scientists and artists. They had decided to build a completely new town in the remote, war-worn eastern Colombia where there was nothing.

When we eventually arrived, I was amazed by how green it was and my dad explained that they had replanted millions of trees. There were many different species of birds flying about and flowers everywhere. I was beginning to like it. My dad’s contact in Gaviotas has a son exactly my age Ricardo. He speaks really good English and so for the next week he was my guide to this amazing place. The first thing he pointed out to me was all the fantastic technology that had been invented there. Ricardo told me that they produce 70% of all their own energy and food with very little waste. The trees they planted more than compensate for any greenhouse gases they emit（排放）.

But Gaviotas is not a success just because of its green technology, it’s also a model for how people can live more peacefully together. Every family gets a free home, free meals and free schooling for the children. So there is no poverty. People get on well with each other. It’ s fantastic.

I was really sad to leave Gaviotas, but now I have a new dream: I hope that 20 years from now, we’ll all be living in towns like Gaviotas.