【推荐1】Beginning construction in 1632, the Taj Mahal is located in this city of Agra. It is considered one of the most beautiful sites in the world. In fact, it was named one of the new seven wonders of the world.

But it could become more difficult to see and to glimpse this glorious site because of pollution. It’s an unhealthy, even hazardous (危险的) problem for parts of India. Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai were among the 10 most polluted cities on earth this week, according to a Swiss company called IQAir.

CNN’s Michael Holmes explains what it all means. India’s iconic monument almost lost in the smog in the city of Agra. We are facing difficulty in taking pictures of Taj Mahal due to pollution. The Taj Mahal is not clearly visible. Every year, when the temperatures drop and farmers burn their fields, the air turns toxic (有毒的) in many Indian cities.

Delhi is notoriously (声名狼藉) ranked among the world’s most polluted cities. And the current air quality there has once again reached hazardous conditions, forcing primary schools to temporarily close and many people to work from home or just stay indoors altogether. The problem is so serious. A recent air quality life index report says poor air quality could shorten an average Indian’s life expectancy by more than five years, if World Health Organization guidelines on controlling pollution aren’t met. And it’s even affecting one of the country’s favorite pastimes.

India is currently hosting the Cricket World Cup with Bangladesh set to play Sri Lanka in a match in Delhi. But the air quality is so poor. Some players are wearing masks and both teams have canceled training sessions. The coach of Bangladesh’s team says the conditions have not been ideal.

【推荐2】From the world’s last seven to a global population of more than 5,000, China spent nearly 40 years bringing back crested ibises(朱鹗)from the edge of extinction.

With its typical red crest and face, as well as a long black mouth and snow-white feathers, the crested ibis is known as “the oriental gem” in China. They were once widespread in East Asia and Siberia until the 20th century when hunting, ecological damage and increased human activities drove the birds to near extinction.

In 1981, the entire species around the world was down to the seven crested ibises which were found only in Yangxian County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and deep in the Qinling Mountains, making Qinling, a natural boundary between China's north and south,the last shelter of the wild birds.

Since 1981, the local government of Yangxian County has put forward four bans for the protection of the species, prohibiting activities including hunting in the birds' living areas,cutting down trees where they nest, using chemicals in their food-finding areas, and firing guns in their breeding(繁殖)areas. The Chinese government arranged special funds to protect the habitat of crested ibises, sealing off mountains to plant trees in the birds' living areas.China started the artificial breeding of crested ibises in 1991 and had bred more than 400 birds in Shaanxi as of last year.

Years of constant effort have brought promising results. It is estimated that there are more than 5,000 crested ibises in the world now, and a majority of them live in Shaanxi. The bird's habitat in China has risen from less than 5 square km in 1981 to the current 15,000 square km.

“It is lucky that the crested ibis, an ancient bird, is still flying around,” said Zan Linsen, head of the Shaanxi Academy of Forestry. “The conservation story of crested ibises not only shows us the power of ancient life, but also the necessity and urgency of ecological environment protection.”

【推荐1】Today, there are numerous ways to exercise and stay healthy. From working out in a gym to riding a bike to work, staying active may have never been easier. Despite all this, a new study finds Americans are actually much less active than their ancestors 200 years ago. In fact, researchers from Harvard University say the average American stays physically active for 30 fewer minutes than people did in 1820.

The team came to this conclusion after examining historical data which shows that body temperature among Americans has been falling for years. The results of a Stanford University report showed that the average body temperature of Americans has dropped from the age-old 98. 6 degrees Fahrenheit to about 97. 5 degrees.

They also looked at changes in metabolic rates (代谢率), which measure how physically active people are. Researchers found that the resting metabolic rate-the total number of calories the body burns while completely at rest-has declined by six percent since 1820. Researchers say metabolism plays a key role in producing bod heat and much of this depends on how active a person is.

So what’s the cause of all this? “Instead of walking to work, we take cars or trains; instead of physical labor in factories, we use machines,” says lead author Andrew K. Yegian. “We’ve made technology do our physical activity for us. Our hope is that this helps people think more about the long-term changes of activity that have come with our changes in lifestyle and technology.”

The team also pulled data from two other studies to come up with an estimate of how much exercise Americans got in 1820 in comparison to today. “This will bring great benefits to my field of work because it can help us assess just how much increases in the incidence (发生率) of heart disease and Alzheimer’s (老年痴呆症) is related to decreases in physical activity,” says Daniel E. Lieberman.

【推荐2】There’s a child-like joy that comes with ordering something online — whether it be clothes or kitchen facilities. We sit refreshing the postal service to see when our items will arrive, and we become overly excited, hopeful and anxious.

Ryan Howes, a clinical psychologist from Pasadena California, has interpreted this phenomenon as “anticipatory pleasure”. “A lot of people believe that placing that order and waiting for it does feel good. This is why people look forward to dinner reservations, hair appointments and yes, receiving packages,” he says.

But it’s not the purchase itself that brings about this happiness. Experts say there’s something about the anticipation of waiting that is exciting for those in need of change in their lives. “It can be helpful to anticipate good things in the future, ’’says Ryan Howes. “Waiting for a parcel can serve as a temporary distraction (分心) from the dullness of your life because it gives you something new to wake up to and get excited about.”

However, anticipatory pleasure isn’t always a good thing. While waiting, many are worried about their items arriving on time, appearing broken, or simply not living up to expectations. Even when our package finally arrives, you’ll find that initial excitement has probably waned. Howes cautions that comfort shopping is only a temporary fix. It’s just a distraction from bigger problems, but it hasn’t done anything to change the bigger problems. It only helps you escape from them temporarily.

“Many people often seek external solutions, such as luxury purchases or alcohol, as a way of feeling better quickly. However, a healthier long-term curing mechanism is to look inward and appreciate your life with gratitude. Real pleasure comes from taking action rather than wait passively.” Howes says.

So the next time you feel the urge to order and track something online, chew over it.

【推荐3】Recent research demonstrates the harmful mental health effects caused by social media use, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal tendency and self-harm. Adolescents (青少年) who spend more than three hours per day on social media face twice the risk of poor mental health outcomes.

Addictive feeds — designed to make use of personal data to intensify (增强) users’ content that will keep them on the platform for as long as possible — have dramatically heightened the risk to young users’ well-being and made our children addicted to these social media outlets.

In the first seven years after addictive feeds were introduced, suicide rates for 10- to 14-year-old girls doubled and hospitalizations for suicidal tendency and attempts increased nearly twice for all adolescents.

Instead of responding to the problem, social media empires have made great efforts to keep and capture user engagement, and the consequences have been catastrophic.

Beyond the direct harm of social media addiction, the collection of children’s data by these giant companies puts our kids at huge risk, leaving them vulnerable (易受伤的) to having their location and other personal data tracked, shared and sold online. As a consequence, that data is at greater risk of falling into the wrong hands-including human traffickers, identity thieves and others who might prey (欺凌) on young people.

We will not stand by and watch an arms race among social media mega-corporations (大型企业) over who can best profit from our children’s pain and addiction. That is why we should use and are using every tool at our disposal to fight back against these damaging practices: from the courthouse to the statehouse.