【推荐1】As an adult, I like nothing better than to sit on the beach reading. If I have a satisfying reading time on the beach, I will be happy for many days. However, I'm sad to say it isn't really a thing for children. Most children would rather play in the waves or play with sand. But the truth is that even when children are on vacation, they need reading time that we, adults, look forward to. The method is getting them to sit for 5 or 10 minutes to enjoy the pleasure of reading.

Books can probably get wet or filled with sand, They are then pretty much ruined. Some book chapters (章节) may be a little long. Your children may be willing to sit for 10 minutes. However, they may be annoyed at reading if it takes longer than 10 minutes. And if your children are similar to my daughter, they are likely to love reading on the beach.

Every time I go to the beach with my daughter, I will bring a magazine for her. Generally, magazines are not too heavy. They can also be thrown away if they get wet. Besides, they provide just the right amount of reading when my daughter is ready to sit under the sun umbrella. Literary (文学的) magazines like Cricket, Spider and Ladybug will allow your children to read wonderful fiction. Discovery magazines like Click, Dig, and Faces have articles on all sorts of topics that will excite and interest your children. And like the short stories in the literary magazines, these articles have the right length (长度) for reading on the beach.

So don't leave magazines behind when you pack your bags! Put a magazine or two in the pocket of the bag and when your children need a few minutes to relax, pull it out and get them to sit for 10 minutes or so.

【推荐2】You can take fish oil supplements (补充剂). You can invest in a language class, books, or a few hours of exercise every week. There are countless methods to improve your memory. But the cheapest, easiest, and most time-tested way to make your brain think is—reading. There’s something astonishing about how such an ordinary activity can improve your brain in so many ways.

The most basic impact occurs in the area associated with language reception in your brain. Processing written material—from the letters to the words to the sentences to the stories themselves—get the neurons (神经元) to attention as they start the work of transporting all that information. “Typically, when you read, you have more time to think.” says Maryanne Wolf, director of the UCLA Center for Diverse Learners. “Reading gives you a unique pause button for comprehension and insight. By and large, with oral language—when you watch a film or listen to a tape—you don’t press pause.”

And the benefits of reading continue long after you’ve put down that great book. A small study at Emory University found that some of those benefits lasted for five days. “We call that a shadow activity, almost like a muscle memory,” says Gregory Berns, PhD, director of the Center for Neuron Policy at Emory.

OK, you say, it’s hardly surprising that the language part of the brain would get a workout from reading. But reading also makes the region responsible for motor activity—the central sulcus (中央沟)—energetic. That’s because the brain is a play actor. You may not actually be riding a horse when you’re reading Seabiscuit, but your brain acts as if it is. And the more parts of your brain that get a workout, the better it is for your overall cognitive (认知的) performance. Generally speaking, close literary reading, like a Jane Austen novel, in particular gives your brain a major workout, as opposed to the more limited effects that come from more leisurely reading.

What if you are a poor, or even a dyslexic reader who feels as if you’ll never be able to read enough to gain these benefits? The study shows the ability to read closely is something that needs to be developed. In her new book, Reader, Come Home, Wolf notes that even she, who reads for a living, has found her ability to concentrate on the written word weakening as more of what we read is on a screen. That sets up a negative cycle: Without the continuing exercise of our reading “muscles”, the brain loses its ability to control the complex processes that allow us to read deeply.

Of course, there’s an easy solution: Turn off your phone and your computer, set aside a good hour or two — and just read.

【推荐3】Fact or Fiction?

Non-fiction can be broken down into many categories. One category is literary non-fiction, which is still based in fact but employs some of the storytelling elements that fiction uses. Literary non-fiction includes a type of autobiography(自传) called memoir. Memoir most often focuses on a certain period of the author’s life. It is, by definition, rooted in truth. Still, people sometimes question whether memoir should be categorized as non-fiction at all.

As non-fiction, memoir is intended to be factual. Is this really the case, though, considering memoir relies on human memory? One classic study, led by psychologist   Elizabeth   Loftus, showed how easily an interviewer’s choice of wording can influence an eyewitness’s account of a traffic accident. It is therefore reasonable to wonder whether memoir should continue to be branded as non-fiction.

Certainly,   human   memory can   be   unreliable.   However,   a   memoir   author   is undoubtedly writing about significant and impactful life events. Memories of such events are actually more reliable than others. Studies show that the more influential an event is, the more accurately people recall the details. As an emotionally charged event unfolds, the brain activity changes in a way that amplifies small details. This activity helps build a more precise and accurate memory.

Of course the brain is not a camera that can “save” any memory with perfect accuracy. But if memoir is questionable due to the imperfections of the human mind, then critics will have to tackle non-fiction more broadly. All writers are using their memories when they create, and moreover, they are relying on the memories of others. Journalists conduct interviews to tell a news story and history writers depend on the accuracy of accounts from long ago. Yet they all rightfully fall under the umbrella of non-fiction.

Some people may doubt memoir not because they mistrust human memory, but because they mistrust the author’s morality. Critics may suspect an author of making up events. However, there is no reason to be suspicious of memoir author’s intentions. Writing a factual memoir that appeals to readers has the potential to be profitable for the author, and there is no motivation for a memoir writer to knowingly change or beautify the truth.

Looking beyond the author’s own life events, memoir can inform readers about the world in the same way that other non-fiction can. Memoir has a way of relaying facts about anything from an occupation to brief fashion trends, all of it meaningful to the author.

【推荐2】For years, life went something like this: We'd grow up in one place, head off to college, and then find a city to live in for a few years at time to pursue a job or higher education. The end goal was to find somewhere to settle down, buy a house, start a family, and begin the whole cycle all over again.

But a new model for living is emerging: More and more people are moving from city to city throughout their entire lives, sometimes as frequently as every month. Just ask Alex Chatzielefteriou, who has had a front-row seat watching this evolution unfold.

Six years ago, he launched a startup called Blueground that rents out beautifully designed, fully furnished apartments for a month at a time, at rates that are cheaper than hotels. Today, the company has 3,000 properties in six U.S. cities, along with Dubai, Istanbul, London, Paris, and Chatzielefteriou's native Athens, and a staff of 400. The company just invested $78 million to continue its rapid expansion and make each one feel unique and cosy, rather than standardized, like what you might find in a traditional hotel.

Chatzielefteriou first came up with the idea for Blueground while he was working as a management consultant for McKinsey. “The accommodation of choice for consultants is the hotel,” he says. “I had to spend five years in a hotel room, living in 12 different cities. I loved seeing the world, but I didn't love feeling like I didn't have a home.” As he spoke to his friends and coworkers, he realized that many people were frustrated with this restless lifestyle. And what's more, hotels aren't a particularly cost-effective solution for companies either. In Chatzielefteriou's case, McKinsey sometimes paid S10,000 or more for him to stay in a major city for a month, which was far more expensive than local rents.

【推荐3】Engineers at Zhejiang University have created China's first brain-like computer, named Darwin Mouse, which can copy the way a human brain works and solve complex calculations while using a small amount of the energy used by traditional supercomputers.

Though the technology is still in its early stages, experts say it could be used to run large, real-time simulations(模拟) and make new discoveries in chemistry, medicine and neuroscience. It could also be used to revolutionise computer design, leading to more powerful and efficient artificial intelligence.

Pan Gang, a professor at the university's College of Computer Science and Technology, said neuromorphic(神经形态的) computing has been a focus of the international scientific and engineering communities for some time and is considered one of the key methods to overcome the major computing challenges for artificial intelligence. Darwin Mouse represented a "major milestone achievement" in China's brain-like computing technology.

In late 2018, the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom upgraded its neuromorphic supercomputer SpiNNaker to use a million processors, enabling it to perform 2 trillion actions a second. This allowed the machine to run extremely large-scale real-time simulations, such as modelling parts of the brain. Darwin Mouse uses significantly fewer processors thanks to the latest developments in brain-like chips made in China, allowing it to perform far better.

Another advantage is low energy costs. When information is transmitted, only neurons that receive and process the signals are activated, while other neurons stay asleep, similar to how a brain works. As a result, the energy consumption can be reduced to a small part of that of conventional supercomputers.

"We hope to keep evolving the Darwin series neuromorphic computer towards reaching human levels of intelligence, thus achieving more powerful artificial intelligence with significantly less energy use. It is hopeful that brain-like computers will make their way into our daily lives as the hardware and the software for the technology mature," Pan said.