【推荐1】This is an outbreak of disease that started in Wuhan, one of the central Chinese cities. It’s caused by a novel corona virus that means it’s brand-new.     1    .

What are the symptoms?

The virus is from a family called the corona viruses. The symptoms of this illness are pretty mundane ( 平 凡 的 ) on the face of it: it’s a dry cough fever and then breathing problems.     2    . However, as for the more severe cases, people have gone on to develop viral pneumonia, and all the deaths have been among those people.

    3    

This brand-new coronavirus came from animals, and it’s believed that the source was actually a seafood market in Wuhan, which also sells wild animals. So far all the cases have come out of Wuhan. But somepeople haven’t picked it up there.

Should I be panicking about this outbreak?

As we can see, older people are ending up in hospital with the virus. They’re usually over 40, and the very youngest person diagnosed is about 13 or 14 years old. So it doesn’t appear to be affecting small children.     4    . Basically their immune systems are not very strong, and they’re going to find it very hard to fight off a virus.

How is this virus transmitted?

We’ve only just discovered that the new corona virus is actually transmitted from one person to another. It was hoped at first actually that it just came from animals as all corona viruses do.     5    . So we’ve got people to people transmission, because the market has been closed for sometime, and there are cases in which people who’ve never been near it.

【推荐2】The secret of successful response

The novel coronavirus(新冠状病毒)is an uncommon threat. We don't know how bad it will be, nor do we know for how long it will spread. But we do know that it has already infected (感染) more than 18,000 people and killed many around the world. It also caused serious global economic damage. We need to adapt our responses to different countries and different parts of the same country in order to limit damage. Using data well is essential to such a successful response.

Data is key to all successful public health programs. In New York City, we raised tobacco taxes and made all indoor public places smoke free. Smoking rates declined at first but then the decline stopped. Because we had a tracking system in place, we realised that progress had stopped. So, we produced strong and direct no tobacco ads to the public. Our programs quickly reduced adult and teenager smoking, preventing more than 10,0000 deaths.

Every country facing the coronavirus disease needs to strengthen their data systems to track diseases, investigate skillfully and respond fast and successfully. Fast action will save lives and save money. But building the capacity to do this isn't free. It will cost about $1 to $2 per person per year for at least 10 years --- at least 30 billion. That's a lot of money for public health, but it's a tiny part of the amount lost when we don't know what we need to know about health threats.

Getting he data right is hardly quick and never easy, but it is always very important if we want to respond successfully, limit spread, and protect our communities and economy.

【推荐1】A new large-scale study that skipping dinner could result in weight gain and a higher likelihood of being overweight or obese.

For years, research has linked skipping breakfast with increased BMI (body mass index), but few studies have been carried out into the effect of the other meals of the day. However, researchers at Osaka University, whose study assessed breakfast, lunch, and diner habits, concluded that not eating diner is a “significant predictor of weight gain and overweight/obesity.”

The study followed 17,573 male and 8,860 female students over the age of 18 enrolled at Osaka University over an average of three years. As part of their annual check-ups, the students were asked how often they ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Researchers also took into consideration the time of eating, whether participants’ meal habits changed over the course of the study, and lifestyle factors like sleep, smoking, and drinking.

The number of students who said they sometimes skipped dinner was small, but the researchers found that those who did so all the time or occasionally were more likely to be older, more overweight, a smoker or drinker, to sleep for a shorter period of time, skip other meals more frequently, and eat dinner later when they did eat it.

For both men and women, skipping lunch was more likely to coincide with all the same outcomes except having a higher BMI. Skipping dinner, the researchers found, was”significantly associated” with weight gain of 10% or more, and having a BMI over 25, which is classed as overweight or obese.

It’s worth pointing out that BMI has its limitations — someone who is incredibly muscular and lean can be classed as obese, for example, but when assessing a large population it’s generally considered accurate enough as the outliers outweigh each other, “These results suggest that skipping dinner, which was much less common than skipping breakfast, has a stronger association with weight gain and overweight/obesity than skipping breakfast,” the study said.

The researchers suggested that the reason skipping dinner could lead to weight gain is that it makes people hungrier so they end up eating more over the course of the day. Another possible explanation, they said, is that dinner is typically a meal that lends itself to nutritious foods like lean proteins and vegetables, so skipping dinner may mean a lower quality diet.

The researchers note that their study had limitations: It should be repeated to assess a wider population, and they also didn’t take into account factors like exercise, stress, or depression.

【推荐2】If music makes you smarter and exercise helps you to think, surely exercising to music can turn you into a clever person.

A team of scientists from Ohio State University did experiments on 33 volunteers who were getting better from heart disease after operations. They found those volunteers who exercised while listening to Italian musician Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons did much better on language ability tests than without music. It is also used in medical fields for patients who have had head hurts because of its moderate tempo (舒缓的节拍).

“Exercise seems to cause positive changes in the nerve (神经) system and these changes may improve the learning ability of people with heart disease,” said the psychologist Charles Emery, who led the study. “And listening to music is thought to enhance understanding. We just wanted to put the two results together,” he added.

The volunteers said they felt better emotionally and physically after exercising with or without music. But their improvement on the test doubled after listening to music during exercise. Scientists have proved that music can be good for health and education. It helps reduce stress and sadness, encourage relaxation or sleep, wake up the body and improve memory and thoughts.

Scientists have been studying the results of exercise to music on learning and understanding since the early 1950s. By 2000, psychologists were using Mozart’s music, especially his violin pieces, to help children with speech disorders. Mozart was chosen because his music is not overexciting and has clear structures. A study showed that students who listened to Mozart’s violin pieces and exercised went on to get higher marks in an IQ test. With important exams drawing near, your parents will not probably allow you to listen to music or play sports. But perhaps now you have good reasons to argue with them.

【推荐2】Are Potato Fries a Cultural Treasure?

Belgium is divided into three communities. Each one has its own language and traditions. But the people of Belgium are united in their love for Belgian potato fries. The fries are prepared and sold the same way in all areas of the country.

The Reuters news service reports that potatoes reached Belgium in the 16th century. But it was not until the 19th century that restaurants and others began selling potato fries throughout the country as a separate meal.

Recently, a Belgian group launched a campaign aimed at getting the United Nations to recognize the popular treat. The group wanted the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to place the food on its cultural heritage list.

The UNESCO list recognizes more than 300 objects, beliefs and practices. They include Turkish coffee and the traditional Chinese theater known as Peking Opera. The list also includes a dance, the Argentinian tango, and the singing of the Aka pygmies of the Central African Republic. UNESCO says the list is "made up of intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate the diversity of heritage and raise awareness about its importance".

To appear on the list, each item needs an expression of support from a minister of culture. Belgium has three such ministers— one for each part of the country.

Belgian potato fries are traditionally sold in a paper wrapper or cone in a "fritkot", a small house or shack. There are about 5,000 fritkots in Belgium. That means they are 10 times more common as a percentage of the population as McDonald’s restaurants in the United States. The national organization of fritkot owners says the small, often unfinished buildings are much like Belgium itself. It says these buildings combine the country’s acceptance of disorder with a dislike of structures that all look the same. The group says 95 percent of Belgians visit a potato fries shack at least once a year.

【推荐3】If a president, a philosopher, and one of the best-selling writers credited the same secret for their success, would you try to follow it too? What if the secret was something you already knew how to do? In fact, you probably do it every day. Here’s what Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “It is only ideas gained from walking that have any worth.” Thomas Jefferson: “Walking is the best possible exercise.” Charles Dickens: “If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and die.”

Researchers have found quite a lot of connections between walking and producing ideas. A Stanford University study found that participants were 81 percent more creative when walking as opposed to sitting. According to the study, walking outside-compared with on a treadmill (跑步机) — produces the most novel and highest-quality ideas.

The movement aspect of walking is obviously key. Our creative thinking is triggered by physical movement, which is exactly why walking -with your dog, a friend, or alone-feeds creative thinking.

The scenery is almost as important as the sweat. Breaking your routine with a walk can be a catalyst for fresh understanding of problems or projects. Just by going outside, you are stepping out of your familiar surroundings and your comfort zone, which is necessary if you want to open your mind to new possibilities. You can walk through a tree-filled neighborhood. You can walk through a park and observe people joking or birds singing. Being inside, you’re more likely to be lifeless, which means you don’t have enough energy to wonder or create things.

So instead of setting a fitness goal, why not set a creativity goal that starts with walking? Involve yourself more closely in your surroundings. Turn off your phone and give yourself the chance to be present in the world, to hear conversations and natural sounds, and to notice the way people move and the way the sun reflects in a puddle.