【推荐1】When did you last write a letter by hand? In a digital world, where sending a text or email is more convenient than using snail mail, is traditional pen and paper dying out? Some people claim that writing has many benefits. So maybe it’s not time to put away your pen yet.

These days, when people request things in writing, a typed, electronic document will be accepted.     1    . But crafting a handwritten document is unique: It requires planning and thought, and it helps you to remember spelling and punctuation.

    2    . This is particularly relevant for students. They are used to typing notes into a laptop, which is thought to lack the “tactile feedback (触觉反馈) ” to the brain that contact between pen and paper does. BBC Worklife website quotes Hetty Roessingh from the University of Calgary, who says that “taking notes by hand involves cognitive (认知的) engagement in summarizing, paraphrasing, organizing, concept and vocabulary mapping.”    3    .

There are everyday benefits to using pen and paper too. Scribbling notes, shopping lists or messages on the back of an envelope can still be useful, quick and portable.    4    . Pen pal writer Katherine Moller told the BBC: “...it is so personal and so precious to know someone chose to turn off the virtual world to spend some time with you.”

    5    especially if your smartphone, tablet or laptop runs out of power!

【推荐2】A group of scientists in labs spread across Europe, the U.S. and Nepal have been working on Qomolangma “remotely”. The project’s goal is to turn the world’s highest mountain into a huge climate laboratory.

During April and May last year, a team of more than 30 biologists, glaciologists, geologists, meteorologists, and geographers fanned out across Qomolangma’s southern side, conducting fieldwork high on the mountain. “We believe the best way to get a full scientific picture of Qomolangma is not just to do one kind of science,” says Paul Mayewski of the University of Maine, the leader of the effort.

Each individual study promises a unique picture of the mountain’s climate-past, present, and future. Ice cores will allow scientists to go back in time-tens, hundreds and perhaps thousands of years to learn about the environment. Snow and water samples give a look at what’s happening on the mountain, today, including the future of the glaciers. The team also fixed a network of automated weather stations, which will document upcoming weather trends for years to come.

One of the hardest tasks fell to Mayewski’s colleague Mariusz Potoeki, who hoped to drill ice cores at several places on the mountain, including the South Col (25,938 feet) and the top of Qomolangma (29,035 feet). The job required a specially designed drill system powered by batteries, and an excellent team to figure out how to prevent the cores from becoming liquid during their long journey back to the University of Maine’s laboratory for analysis.

Potocki abandoned his summit attempt due to the crowds of normal climbers. To his relief, Potocki succeeded in taking the highest ice core ever recovered, at just above Camp Four-26,312 feet above sea level. “The ice doesn’t lie.” Mayewski says. “The very idea that the highest part of the planet hasn’t been spared from human activity ought to be a real wake-up call for everybody.”

【推荐1】A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.

First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs. Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.

In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions (慈善机构、福利院)should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young .

One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.

To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore , it is reasonable to expect that some combinations of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.

【推荐2】When is the right time to get kids involved in teamwork and what does it mean to be part of a team? There are many great ways to introduce kids to team building. Use team building games and activities to get kids to understand the meaning of being in a team.

Try to find some games that have kids work together on some kind of problem solving. Children naturally have a shorter attention span (一段时间) than adults so present it in a funny way. Create a reward system for teams that are able to work together in order to reach a common goal. When they solve the problem and receive a reward, it gives them initiative to keep working hard and cooperating with others. The best games are those that require direct communication between team members.

Organize a game of 20 questions for the kids to play while building a team. Draw up a series of cards with different questions on each. Have each child select a card and then ask another question on it casually. It’s a great way for the kids to share and discover common interests. Kids need to be entertained and social when in a large group. This will lighten the mood greatly and help the quieter team members to come out of their shells.

Have the kids sit in a circle or around a table and share their favorite things. Start with something like movies or books and move on to anything from toys to animals. Sharing interests creates discussion. When you share interests with someone, it is easier to relate to them. Kids finally want to be friends with most other kids. Encouraging them to get along socially is always positive. By sharing interests they can form valuable bonds that will serve them as both individuals and as a team.