【推荐2】Whenever we watch a horror movie and something scary happens, we might close our eyes and scream.     1     So why can fear be so much fun?

According to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh in the US, watching horror movies can raise mood, unite people, and boost confidence.

In the study, 262 adults were asked to enter a haunted house (鬼屋) attraction. Inside, they were met with a series of intense scenarios (场景) over the course of 35 minutes, and were asked to record their feelings both before and after the experience. At the same time, the researchers also monitored their brain waves.     2     That’s because in this intense condition, their brains released more dopamine (多巴胺), a chemical which generates a feeling of excitement that continues after their threat has passed.

    3     Experiencing the attraction is just like running a 5-kilometer race or tackling a difficult climbing wall, which means people in scary situations are more likely to be uncertain and depend on others for support. Humans are social and emotional beings— they need each other in times of stress.     4    

In addition, being scared in a safe place could be a good way to boost confidence. Being afraid in a safe place even with people around can serve as a confidence boost.     5    

【推荐1】Over half of Canadian youth and young adults who have consumed energy drinks have experienced negative health effects as a result, according to a study from the University of Waterloo.

In a nationwide survey of Canadian youth, over half of those who had ever consumed an energy drink had reported experiencing a negative health event. Currently, Canadian legislation is meant to prohibit energy drinks from being marketed to children and energy drinks are not recommended to be used by people participating in sporting activities.

"Most risk assessments to date have used coffee as a reference for estimating the health effects of energy drinks. However, it is clear that these products cause a greater health risk," said David Hammond, a Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Waterloo. "The health effects from energy drinks could be due to the different ingredients than coffee, or the ways in which they consumed, including with alcohol or during physical activity.   Regardless, the findings suggest a need to increase monitoring of health effects from these products."

In conducting the study, the researchers surveyed 2,055 young Canadians aged 12 to 24. Of those who had reported consuming energy drinks at some point in their lives, 55.4 percent reported experiencing a negative health event. Of those reporting negative health events, 24.7 percent reported experiencing a fast heartbeat, 24.1 percent reported difficulty sleeping and 18.3 percent reported experiencing headaches.

"The number of health effects observed in our study suggests that more should be done to restrict consumption among children and youth," said Hammond. "At the moment, there are no restrictions on children purchasing energy drinks, and they are marketed at the point-of-sale in grocery stores, as well as advertising that targets children."

【推荐3】The Transoceanic Highway has been celebrated as one of South America's greatest engineering achievements, and supporters say it will greatly improve people's lives. Until recently, travel between the cities of Cusco and Puerto Maldonado in Peru took days by bus or truck—as Mary Luz's story illustrates—and drivers had to use narrow, parually unpaved mountain roads. Now, thanks to the new highway, the trip only takes a few hours, and is much safer.

Despite the highway's many potential benefits, environmentalists are concerned. The Transoceanic passes directly through a large part of the Amazon rain forest, in the state of Madre de Dios in Peru. According to a Peruvian government study, the forested area in the western mountains of this state has the greatest biodiversity of any place on Earth, and until recently, large parts of the forest were in pristine （未开发的） condition. As more people are moving into the region, environmentalists are worrying about the impact this will have on the Amazon's plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else.

Shortly after the highway opened, large numbers of people began coming into Puerto Maldonado from all over Peru—and the world—to mine gold. There's a lot of money to be made in mining, as well as in farming, says environmental photographer Gabby Salazar. “I think we're going to see a big increase in farming,” she says. “Right across the border in Brazil, you see soybean farms all over the place.” Studies show three-quarters of the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon occurs within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of a highway, and environmentalist like Salazar are concerned that the same thing will happen in Peru. “It's having an impact on the environment,” she explains. “It's having an impact on the people as well.”

Faced with these risks, many Peruvians talk about the importance of being practical, “In rural Peru, a lot of people are living in poverty, so it's very difficult to say don't build the highway.” explains Roger Mustalish, president of the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research. “But every time you see a road like this going through, you soon see major changes.” Will these changes be mostly positive or negative? Many Peruvians are hopeful, but only time will tell.