【推荐1】Is looking fashionable more important than being comfortable? Many people seem to think so, judging by the things they wear. But fashion is not everything. It is more important to be a healthy and good person.

People go to great lengths to be fashionable. Some people think they have to have a certain body type, so they go on extreme, unhealthy diets in order to change their bodies. In addition, many women wear uncomfortable fashions, such as high-heeled shoes that create blisters and tight body shapers that limit blood flow. Men and women alike spend time and money on products that change their natural hair color and use hot irons and blow dryers to curl or straighten their hair. Some people spend several hours a day in front of a mirror. Is fashion important enough to spend so much time and effort on changing how you look like?

If the purpose of fashion is to make a person feel good, it does not make sense that he or she would go through so much discomfort to be fashionable. Fashion should not come first. People should prioritize being healthy and positive. What people wear does not indicate anything about their personalities. Instead of spending hours choosing a suit, perhaps you should call your friends and do something together! Instead of going on strict diets and starving, why not eat some healthy foods and then exercise? By doing these things, you can keep a healthy lifestyle and truly grow as a person.

【推荐2】Have you ever heard someone say, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, or give you advice about why it’s vital to start the day with a healthy breakfast.     1     Is it really that important? In a sense, it really matters.

Energy restoration

The word “breakfast” comes from “breaking the fast” — the idea of ending the period in which we didn’t eat during the night. The regeneration process that takes place while we sleep consumes some of our natural food reserves to heal our bodies.     2     So, in that way, a healthy breakfast makes sense.

Weight management

There are also many often-quoted studies which seem to link a state of obesity with skipping breakfast.     3     In a US study, 50,000 people were monitored over seven years, and those who ate a healthy breakfast were found to have a lower BMI, which seems to suggest that breakfast may indeed help people maintain a healthy weight.

Better brain function

    4     Breakfast is also associated with improved brain function, including concentration and language. A review of 54 studies found that eating breakfast can improve memory, though the effects on other brain functions were inconclusive. However, one of the researchers says there is reasonable evidence that breakfast does improve concentration.

What’s most important is what we eat for breakfast. High-protein breakfasts have been found particularly effective in reducing food cravings and consumption later in the day. However, studies found that there is no agreement on what type of breakfast is healthier.     5    

【推荐3】With a host of research showing that late night eating is linked to great er body weight, it’s no wonder avoiding late night eating has long been suggested to people who plan to lose weight. But until now, few studies have actually investigated (调查) why. This is what a recent US study set out to uncover.

Researchers had 16 participants follow two different meal schedules, each for a period of six days in total. The first group had their meals early in the day with the last meal consumed six hours and 40 minutes before bedtime. The second group had their daily meals four hours later. This meant they skipped breakfast and instead had lunch, dinner and an evening meal. Their last meal was consumed only two and a half hours before sleep. All the participants consumed the same diet, and all of their meals were equally space d with around four hours between them.

The researchers looked at three measures associated with weight gain: the influence of appetite, the impact of eating time on calories burned, and changes of fat tissue (组织). They found that compared to an early eating pattern, late eating not only increased feelings of hunger the following day, it also increased the rate of “hunger” hormones (激素) in the blood. Late eating also caused a decrease in calories burned the following day. Fat tissue samples taken from the participants also showed the increased fat storage. These results suggest that late eating could lead to weight gain.

Given that the study was only conducted on a limited number of participants and over a very short time, more research will be needed to further understand whether these changes are only temporary, and what effects long-term late night eating can have on the weight gain mechanisms (机制).

Anyway, this study adds to a growing body of evidence showing just how important meal timing can be when it comes to body weight. Therefore, people who are watching their weight may want to stay away from the late night snacks and favour eating most of their meals earlier.

【推荐2】The US teenager Thomas Cheatham had planned to study Latin during his time at Hebron High School in Texas. But when he learned that the school district was going to offer a Mandarin class, he quickly changed his mind.

“I thought Mandarin would be more useful than Latin,” said Cheatham, who is now in his second year of studying the language. He speaks Mandarin to order food at Chinese restaurants and can read social media posts from his Chinese-speaking friends.

While it's a difficult language to master, the high school junior, who plans to study computer engineering, thinks it will be important for his career. “Chinese is a good language to know, especially with China becoming more powerful,” he said.

Many experts agree that proficiency in a language spoken by a billion people worldwide will give American students the edge in the global economy. “People are looking on China as our next economic competitor, and interest in Mandarin is growing,” said Marty Abbott, the executive director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. “We're seeing it in all parts of the country.”

According to Abbott, as many as 100,000 students are now studying Mandarin throughout the US, in public and private schools. She said the US government has designated Mandarin as a “critical needs” language and provides professional development programs for teachers. “Our government wants to increase our language competency for economic competitiveness,” Abbott said.

At the same time, the Chinese government is spreading knowledge of the Chinese language and culture through Confucius Institutes set up in many US states. For example, the Confucius Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas has been the home of a Confucius Institute for 10 years. It sponsors Confucius Classrooms at 21 local public and private schools, where tens of thousands of students are learning Mandarin.

【推荐3】What are you waiting for? A new series of movies shown this year can’t be missed. Have you enjoyed them already?

Frozen was the highest grossing (票房) animated film ever, In Frozen II Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Krist left off Arendelle to seek the source of Elsa’s icy magic. Although the millions of children who loved the first film are older now, they might give it a reception.

A festive romantic comedy, Emilia Clarke stars in Last Christmas as Bridget Jonesy , a shop assistant, whose life in London is a mess, and Henry Golding as the eligible bachelor(黄金单身汉)who tidies it up. The film’s director, Paul Feig, and co-writer, Emma Thompson, promise that the film is worth expecting.

Tom Hanks stars in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood as the only American celebrity(名人) more famous than he is. As the host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for more than 30 years, Fred Rogers is a legend of pre-school children’s television, which appeals to a large audience.

Hollywood action movies starring women are rare. But have you seen a movie starred, written and directed by women, too? Charlie’s Angels is one of the first. A reboot (翻拍) of the 1970s TV series, not to mention the two films from 2000 and 2003, the new version is directed by Elizabeth Banks. She also plays Bosley, one of the female detectives who are employed by Charles Townsend to go on global adventures.