【推荐1】Joshua, Helmut, and Bethlehe

Michelle O. Donovan

ISBN 9781462058679

Life is not easy for nine-year-old Joshua during World WarⅡ. Because of his family’s Jewish background, they are sent to live in the concentration camps (集中营). Scared and alone, Joshua one day makes friends with a little mouse he calls Bethlehem who becomes his closest friend.

Encourage Me!

Inspirational Poetry

Gloria Coykendall

ISBN 9781412027854

It is an easy-to-read collection of poems originally written to encourage in faith and to be a cure for chronic depression (长期抑郁).

Seeking the Edge

Dr. Joseph L. Rose

ISBN 9781462031795

Seeking the Edge provides the tools and techniques to find that edge in one’s life—driving readers to achieve success whether in your current job, finding a new job, in education, family, or even hobbies.

More Things in Heaven

Bill Bosworth

ISBN 9780595433582

In his More Things in Heavens, Bill Bosworth presents the highlights of his 83 years of life, including his trips to India and the study of the writings of several great spiritual leaders. More Things in Heavens will attract anyone who insists on finding the deepest meaning for their existence based on their own experiences.

Creation or Evolution

Michael Ebifegha

ISBN 9781450289023

Were humans created, or did they evolve? How old is the Earth? The debate between science and religion continues to be heated. In Creation or Evolution, Michael Ebifegha examines these two opposed world views within the structure of empirical (实证的) science.

【推荐2】Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium(水族馆)

The all-new Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, situated in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, is one of Victoria’s leading visitor attractions and an unforgettable outing for the whole family. Having 12 amazing zones of discovery, Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is the very place that you cannot miss when you visit the city.

◆ Opening Times

Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is open from 9:30 am until 6:00 pm every day of the year, including public holidays. Last admission is at 5:00 pm, one hour before closing.

◆ Location(位置)

Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is located on the corner of Flinders Street and King Street, Melbourne. It is situated on the Yarra River, opposite Crown Entertainment Complex.

◆ Getting to Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium

Train

Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is a short walk from either Flinders or Southern Cross train stations.

Tram(有轨电车)

The Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium train stop is located on the free City Circle Tram route and also routes 70 and 75. City Circle trams run every 10 minutes in both directions.

Shuttle Bus

The Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is a free bus service, stopping at key tourist attractions in and around the City. Running daily, every 15 minutes from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

◆ Car Parking

While there is no public car parking at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, there are several public car parking lots available only a short walk away.

◆ Wheelchair Access

Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium provides people in wheelchairs with full access to all 12 zones. Each floor also has wheelchair accessible toilets.

◆ Terms

Tickets will be emailed to you immediately after purchase or you can download and print your ticket once payment has been accepted. Please print out all tickets purchased and present at the front entrance of Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium. No ticket, no entry!

【推荐1】I grew up in a family that was middle class in terms of finances. Dad worked hard to support the family and mom tried to save a little bit of money while making sure we had enough food to eat and clothes to wear. One of their greatest desires was to raise decent and loving children who had an opportunity to finish college.

Of their four children, my brother, Gener, seemed to be the most sociable. He experienced life by doing simple things that none of us risked doing.

Gener never hesitated to learn new things. He tried his hands at a number of things. He did a lot of things for friends, often not being paid for them.

Gener did not have a history of any health problems from his very young age to adulthood. However, one day he came home, ate his dinner and informed mom and dad that he was retiring to bed. That evening, my “healthy” brother died suddenly of cardiac arrest. All my family were so sorrowful. At the funeral, along with the sadness, my parents and brother felt so much pride. There were so many people that came. Strangers to my parents, each were relating a story of how they were touched by Gener.

A janitor (看门人) came to say that practically every day Gener brought him a sandwich. Finally mom found out why Gener took so many sandwiches to school! Gener never told her what he did with the sandwiches.

Then there was a man who came in bringing money saying that Gener lent him some when he was down and out. Gener never asked him back for the money.

From the school president to the janitor…people came because of his goodness of heart and deeds.

In the end, my parents realized that even at a young age of 26, my brother lived a full life and was very instrumental in helping others live theirs a little better.

【推荐2】When I was 10 years old, I asked a neighborhood kid who was older than me, “Which city is further west: Reno. Nev., or Los Angeles?” The correct answer is Reno. Nevada. But he was convinced it was the other way around.

He was so convinced that Los Angeles was west of Reno that he was willing to bet me two dollars. So I went into the house to get my Rand McNally Map. The kid looked at the map and said. “The map is drawn funny.” It wasn’t. Was his argument that the map didn’t preserve east, west, north and south? What kind of map would that be? I showed him if you trace down the 120-degree west line of longitude (经度)---which runs almost directly through Reno, Nev. --- you end up in the Pacific Ocean, somewhere west of Los Angeles.

He replied that lines of longitude don’t cross the ocean.

What? I told him that the lines of longitude were there to show how far west or east some location was, regardless of whether it was on land or on sea.

There was one problem, however. He was bigger than me.

I drew a number of conclusions from this story.

There is such a thing as truth, but we often tend to ignore it. Also, it’s not just thinking something that makes it true. Truth not relative. It’s not subjective. It may be hidden. People may wish to ignore it. But there is such a thing as truth and pursuit (追求) of truth: trying to figure out what has really happened, trying to figure out how things really are.

Almost 15 years ago, I came across a story about an innocent man, a man who had been sentenced to death in the Huntsville, Texas, electric chair. And through hard work and luck, I was able to make the movie The Thin Blue Line and to help get him out of prison.

What kept me going was the belief that there had to be answers to the questions. “Did he do it?” “Was he guilty or innocent?” “If he didn’t do it, who did?” and that I could find an answer to these questions through investigating (调查).

It’s not that we find truth with big “T”. We investigate and sometimes we find things out and sometimes don’t. There’s no way to know in advance. It’s just that we have to go ahead as though there are answers to questions. We must go ahead as though, in principle, we can find things out-even if we can’t. The alternative is unacceptable.

I will never know whether the neighborhood kid really didn’t understand the logic of my argument about Reno. Nev. Or whether he understood it completely and just didn’t want to admit it. Or whether he understood it and just didn’t want to admit it. Or whether he understood it and just didn’t want to pay up. I’ll never know.

All I know is I never got my two dollars.

【推荐3】It's said that making friends gets harder when you get older. People settle into their existing friendships during childhood or at university. However, new research suggests that's not what happens. According to a recent survey, the age group that feels least confident in chatting to strangers is those aged 18 to 24. Similarly, it was found that 59% of Millennials   (千禧一代) spend more time chatting to friends on social media than they do seeing them in person

Author and expert on friendship, Kate Leaver, said, "Young people are not confident when speaking to strangers not only because they're afraid of refusal, but also because they've really been socially conditioned not to. Previous generations had a much stronger sense of community in public, shared spaces. We don't have as much access (接近) to that because the way we structure our modern lives means we are less in touch with our communities. Shared public spaces like parks and libraries - places where people might get close to a stranger - are being shut down."

Laura, 27, hates meeting new people. The majority of her friends are from university days. "I'm pretty chatty and open when I get to know someone, but during that first meeting, I'm very shy. I get very anxious about what to talk about, and people judging me or just not understanding my sense of humor."

But not all young people feel the same way. Hayley, 31, regularly meets people in unusual ways and makes friends with them. "I became good friends with someone who I met on the plane," she said. "It just shows how you can really connect when you're offline."

If you're comfortable with your present friendship situation, that's great. But, if you do want to enlarge your social circle, here are some tips. Avoid unpleasant silences by searching for people with common interests - join a book club or a local sports team. If it is too stressful, there are some friendship apps that you can use.Or, strike up a conversation with someone in a public place.

My roommate’s family wants me to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them in their home. I accepted the invitation, and I’m excited about going, but I’m a little nervous about it, too. The social customs in my country are different from those here, so I’m a little worried about making mistakes.

Should I bring a gift, such as candy or flowers? Should I arrive on time or a little late? At the dinner table, how can I know which fork or knife to use? How can I let the family know that I’m thankful for their kindness?

Yours,

Knowing Nothing

It’s a good idea to bring a gift when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always welcome, or you can bring a bottle of wine if you know the family drink it.

You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late. Don’t get there early. If you are going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them.

Try to relax at the dinner table. If you don’t know how to use the right fork, knife or spoon, just watch the other guests, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, don’t be shy about asking the person next to you; it’s better to ask them than to be silently uncomfortable and nervous.

If you like the food, say so. Of course, you’ll thank the host and hostess for the meal and for their kindness. It’s also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.

Yours,

Betty

【推荐2】What makes us happy?

There has long been a notion that money buys happiness. However, although“we really, really tried that for a couple of generations, it didn’t work,”said Francine Jay, author of The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life.

Thanks to a travel-inspired revelation（启发），Jay has been happily living a simpler life for 12 years.“I always packed as lightly as possible, and found it delighting to get by with just a small carry-on bag,”she told CNN.“I thought if it feels this great to travel lightly, how amazing would it be to live this way? I wanted to have that same feeling of freedom in my everyday life.”

Jay decided to get rid of all her unnecessary possessions and live with just the essentials.“I wanted to spend my time and energy on experiences, rather than things.”

Jay is a follower of a movement called“minimalism（极简主义）”. Growing numbers of people have been attracted to this life-style all over the world. Minimalists are typically progressive and concerned about the environment, Leah Watkins, a lead researcher at Otago University in New Zealand, told Stuff magazine in March.

But many simply experienced unhappiness caused by owning too many possessions. Depression with the materialism of our world isn’t new. English romantic poet William Wordsworth summed up how dispiriting（令人消沉的）this was back in 1802, at the beginning of the industrial age, when he wrote:“Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers”. His preference was to go back to nature. Closer to our own times, the hippies（嬉皮士）of the 1960s also sought to“drop out”of modern life.

And for many minimalists, their key is to unload. Without objects, they“believe people are forced more and more into the present moment and that’s where life happens,”wrote Stuff.

But does simplicity ever feel like a sacrifice?

“It’s eliminating the excess—unused items, unnecessary purchases—from your life. Well, I may have fewer possessions, but I have more space…Minimalism is making room for what matters most,”said Jay.

And“the real questions”，according to Duane Elgin, US social scientist, are“what do you care about?”and“What do you value?”

He told CNN:“It’s important for people to realize minimalism isn’t simply the amount of stuff we consume. It’s about our families, our work, our connection with the larger world, our spiritual dimension. It’s about how we touch the whole world. It’s a way of life.”

【推荐3】Many diseases and medical conditions are caused by things out of our control. Yet experts say you can control and even prevent many of the risk factors that increase your chances of dying.

An unhealthy lifestyle can put you at great risk of heart disease and stroke（中风）.Poor diet, having too much body fat and being short of physical exercise all increase your risk of heart disease —so can smoking and drinking too much wine. So doctors suggest we eat healthy foods, get exercise, stop smoking and drink less.

But there is something else you can do. And it is free and easy. Smile!

Anand Chockalingam is a heart disease specialist at University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Missouri. He advises his patients to smile. He says smiling is a first step in fighting stress and its sometimes harmful effects on human health.

When you feel stressed or under pressure, your body lets out many natural hormones（荷尔蒙）.If you are truly in danger, these hormones can help you. However, when people are stressed for long periods of time, they may not make the best decisions about what to eat. They may overeat, smoke or drink too much. They may not get enough exercise or sleep. And all of these can lead to health problems.

Dr. Chockalingam says a smile may be one way to help. He tells his patients to smile 20 times an hour. To some, that might seem like a lot of smiling. Or some might even feel foolish — smiling for seemingly no reason. But a smile does not need drugs. It does not leave cuts like an operation. It is free and it has no bad side effects.

“Once people smile, they are relaxing, which directly lowers blood pressure, improves sugar levels in the blood. If we are smiling, we are breaking that link between stress and health.”

And it just may provide a little extra protection to everyone's heart health.