【推荐1】How to Become a Morning Person

Everyone knows that early to bed and early to rise is good for health.     1     Here are some ways you can focus on that can help you become a better morning person.

Shift your bedtime.

    2     Most people should aim for at least seven hours a night — so you’ll probably need to inch your bedtime forward as you transition (过渡) to a new schedule. You could fall straight into getting up at your desired time every day, knowing that you’ll feel tired during the transition but will naturally start falling asleep earlier within a few weeks.

Relax before bed.

Don’t watch TV or fiddle around (摆弄) with laptops right before you go to bed because they are shining light into your eyes and maybe even tricking your brain into thinking that it’s earlier than it really is.     3     Try not to do anything too stimulating before bed, and instead focus on relaxing activities like taking a bath or listening to comfortable music.

    4    

The secret to becoming a morning person is exposure to bright light. That’s because light suppresses (抑制) melatonin, a hormone (激素) that plays an important role in circadian (昼夜) rhythm. Natural light is the best, so get outside or open your bedroom window.

Make mornings more pleasant.

Try to schedule something to look forward to in the morning so that getting up feels like less hard. Perhaps a hot cup of coffee, sipped in silence, and the daily crossword puzzle.     5    

【推荐2】Eric Carle, the author and artist behind The Very Hungry Caterpillar and dozens of other children’s books, has passed away at the age of 91. Mr. Carle’s lively, creative and colorful works were loved by children around the world.

Mr. Carle was the author or illustrator of over 70 books for children, including The Grouchy Ladybug, The Mixed-Up Chameleon and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me. The Very Hungry Caterpillar was Mr. Carle’s best-known book. It was published in 1969. Since then, over 55 million copies of the book have been sold, and it has been translated into more than 70 different languages.

Mr. Carle was born in Syracuse, New York in 1929. His parents were German. As he was growing up, Mr. Carle spent a lot of time with his father, who would take him out walking in nature. His father would show him small creatures, explaining their life cycles and filling the young boy’s head with wonder.

Mr. Carle thinks this helps explain why so many of his books are about nature. Many are about bugs like crickets, fireflies, ladybugs and butterflies. Others are about animals, like foxes, squirrels, kangaroos and bears.

In 1952, Mr. Carle got a job as an artist at the New York Times. Author Bill Martin, Jr. asked Mr. Carle to illustrate his book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, which is Mr. Carle’s first try. The book came out in 1967 and was a big hit. After that, he created many children’s books that were very popular with his children.

Most of Mr. Carle’s books are meant for younger readers. He said that he wanted to help make school a fun and welcoming place. “I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn,” he said. “I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun.”

Mr. Carle will be missed, and his creative art and sweet, funny stories will continue to bring joy to very eager readers all around the world.

【推荐2】Lautaro had already spent hours viewing and reviewing the footage he had taken of his grandmother, Maida, in memory of her childhood in southern Italy. There was no shortage of material. Maida was fascinating as she talked about everything from picking grapes in her grandparents’ garden to avoiding wild dogs on her daily routine to school. The problem was finding the best form for the material.

Lautaro had already finished a rough cut that followed his grandmother’s story in time order. The video began with Maida’s earliest memories of the Italian farmyard and ended with her arrival in the United States at age 15, puzzled and excited. Lautaro used family photographs to illustrate Maida’s storytelling. He knew the first version was not bad, but he was not satisfied with the overall video. He was certain that something vital was missing.

Running out of his own ideas, Lautaro decided to get some advice. And who better to ask than Maida herself? Lautaro showed Maida the 10-minute video on his computer. As soon as it was over Maida said, “I can’t get over how much things have changed, Taro. Your life seems so different from mine.” Maida’s words inspired Lautaro. Her reaction told him exactly what was missing: his personal point of view.

A few days later, when Lautaro screened his final project for his classmates and teacher, it was only two minutes longer than his original cut, but those extra minutes made a huge difference. Between Maida’s recollections of her past, Lautaro has added in photographs of his own life today. The contrasts were both striking and touching, and the final image of Lautaro listening to Maida reinforced the warmth and closeness of their relationship. Laurato smiled with pride as his classmates acknowledged his comparative documentary with cheerful applause.

【推荐3】A young man went to a farm and asked for a job. When the old farmer asked what the young man could do to help the farm, he just said, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”

This short answer puzzled(迷惑)the farmer. But he liked the young man and said OK anyway. Everything went well until one night when there was a heavy storm. The old farmer and his wife quickly woke up and started checking to see if everything was safe.

The farmer and his wife checked their things. They found that the farm tools had been put away safely in the house. The truck was parked in the garage. They found that the doors of the farmhouse were closed. The barn(谷仓)was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.

After checking everything, they went to the young man’s room and found that he was sleeping. The farmer and his wife then understood the meaning of the young man’s words—“I can sleep when the wind blows. ”

Because the young man finished all of his work while the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm before it came.

So when the wind blew, he was not afraid. He could sleep in peace.