【推荐1】Science experiments are a fun way for kids to learn all about science.I will introduce a few great experiments and teach your child all about the wonders of inertia(惯性).

You'll need some coins, at least eleven, and a smooth table.Stack(堆叠) all but one of the coins on the smooth table, making sure that the “high rise” is straight. Coins with wide edges make this experiment easy to do. Flick ( 弹 ) the extra coin quickly towards the bottom of the stack so that it hits the bottom coin.The bottom coin from the stack should shoot out from under the other coins without changing the rest of the stack. With good aim and quick flicks of your finger, you should be able to shoot all of the coins out of the stack one by one. Because the inertia of the stack of coins is so great, the force from the flicked coin is not enough to make the entire stack move or fall down.

Place a narrow piece of paper on a smooth table. Hold the paper so that most of it hangs off the table.Place a pencil on the paper so that it is standing straight.Now,slowly try to pull the paper out from under the pencil.What happens? Set up the paper and pencil again, and give the paper a fast pull. What happens to the pencil this time?

Since the still pencil wants to stay at rest, it will be against the fast movement of the paper.This means that when the paper is moved quickly out from under the pencil, the pencil remains standing straight. If the paper is moved slowly, the movement has a chance to influence the pencil, and it will fall down.

【推荐2】Daydreaming was viewed as a waste of time. Or it was considered an unhealthy escape from real life and its duties. Daydreaming has always had a bad reputation, but now scientific research has showed that daydreaming may actually improve your mental health and creativity. It can even help you achieve your desired goals.

Now some people are taking a fresh look at daydreaming. Some think it may be a very healthy thing to do. Researchers are finding daydreaming, they tell us, is a good means of relaxation. But its benefits go beyond this. A number of psychologists have conducted experiments and have reached some surprising conclusions.

Dr. Joan T. Freyberg has concluded that daydreaming contributes to intellectual growth. It also improves concentration, attention span, and the ability to get along with others, she says. In an experiment with school children, the same researcher found that daydreaming led the children to pay more attention to details. They had more happy feelings. They worked together better. Another researcher reported that daydreaming seemed to produce improved self­control and creative abilities.

But that’s only part of the story. The most remarkable thing about daydreaming may be its usefulness in shaping our future lives as we want them to be. Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser believed that much of his success was due to the positive use of daydreaming. He maintained that “you can imagine your future”. Florence Nightingale dreamed of becoming a nurse. The young Thomas Edison pictured himself as an inventor. For these famous achievers, it appears that their daydreams came true.

Of course daydreaming is no substitute(代替者) for hard work. You have to work hard to develop skills. Daydreaming alone can’t turn you into your heart’s desire. But in combination with the more usual methods of self­development, it might make a critical difference. And who knows: You might see your own daydreams come true.

【推荐1】Ballet is a dance form that has a long history. The fact that it survives to this day shows that it has adjusted as times have changed.

Ballet began in the royal courts during the Renaissance. At that time it became common for kings and queens, as well as other nobility, to participate in pageants that included music, poetry, and dance. As these entertainments moved from the Italian courts to the French ones, court ladies began participating in them. Though their long dresses prevented much movement, they were able to perform elaborate walking patterns. It was not until the 1600s that women dancers shortened their skirts, changed to flat shoes, and began doing some of the leaps and turns performed by men.

It was also in the 1600s that professional ballet began. King Louis XIV of France, himself a devoted dancer, founded the Royal Academy of Dance. The five basic feet positions from which all ballet steps begin were finalized. In the late 1700s another important change occurred. Ballet began to tell a story on its own. It was no longer simply dance to be performed between acts of plays. Elaborate wigs and costumes were eliminated. By the early 1800s dancers learned to rise on their toes to make it appear that they were floating.

Classical ballet as we know it today was influenced primarily by Russian dancing. The Russians remained interested in ballet when it declined in other European countries in the mid-1800s. One of the most influential figures of the early 20th century was Sergei Diaghilev. His dance company, the Ballets Russes, brought a new energy and excitement to ballet. One of his chief assistants, George Balanchine, went on to found the New York City Ballet in 1948 and to influence new generations of dancers.