【推荐1】British anthropologists (人类学家) Russell Hill and Robert Barton of the University of Durham, after studying the results of one-on-one boxing, tae kwon do, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling matches at the Olympic Games, conclude that when two competitors are equally matched in fitness and skill, the athlete wearing red is more likely to win.

Hill and Barton report that when one competitor is much better than the other, colour has no effect on the result. However, when there is only a small difference between them, the effect of colour is enough tip the balance. The anthropologists say that the number of times red wins is not simply by chance, but that these results are statistically significant.

Joanna Setchell, a primate (灵长目动物) researcher at the University of Cambridge, has found similar results in nature. She studies the large African monkeys known as mandrills. Mandrills have bright red noses that stand out against their white faces. Setchell’s work shows that the powerful males — the ones who are more successful with females — have a brighter red nose than other males.

As well as the studies on primates by Setchell, another study shows the effect of red among birds. In an experiment, scientists put red plastic rings on the legs of male zebra finches and this increased the birds’ success with female zebra finches, Zebra finches already have bright red beaks (鸟喙), so this study suggests that, as with Olympic athletes, an extra flash of red is significant. In fact, researchers from the University of Glasgow say that the birds’ brightly coloured beaks are an indicator of health. Jonathan Blount, a biologist, and his colleagues think they have found proof that bright red or orange beaks attract females because they mean that the males are healthier. Nothing in nature is simple, however, because in species such as the blue footed booby, a completely different colour seems to give the male birds the same advantage with females.

Meanwhile, what about those athletes who win in their events while wearing red? Do their clothes give them an unintentional advantage? Robert Barton accepts that “that is the implication” of their findings. Is it time for sports authorities to consider new regulations on sports clothing?

【推荐2】As the novel coronavirus rapidly spreading to about 70 nations, many countries are canceling their major sporting and cultural events.

Already, major domestic (国内的) events in China, including the National People’s Congress and the World Athletics Indoor Championships, have already been postponed (推迟). Now the rest of the world seems to be following suit.

The world of soccer is also being affected. In Italy, several matches in February were played behind closed doors (without spectators). Meanwhile, entire soccer leagues in Japan, South Korea, and China’s Super League have all been placed on hold (暂停). There is also the possibility that Euro 2020 — an international soccer tournament for European teams — could be cancelled. When asked about the cancellations, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said, “The health of persons is much more important than any football game. If games have to be postponed, then we have to go through that.”

The outbreak is also impacting cultural events around the world. Facing Europe’s largest COVID-19 epidemic, with over 2,000 confirmed cases (确诊病例) so far, Italy also cut short its iconic Venice carnival (狂欢节) and Milan Fashion Week show. The latter was being live-streamed from an empty theater.

Now, the biggest event in doubt is the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Held every four years, the event attracts hundreds of thousands of people and has not been postponed since 1944 — due to World War II. Set to begin on July 24, Japanese officials remain optimistic. In a press conference, Toshiro Muto, Tokyo 2020 CEO said, both the Olympics and Paralympics (残奥会) will go ahead as planned. He added, “The situation of the coronavirus infection is difficult to predict, but we will take measures [so] that we’ll have a safe Olympic Games.”

Speaking to the Washington Post about the Games, infectious (传染的) disease researcher Yvonne Maldonado said, “You bring many people together, and then you ship them back all over the world: That’s the perfect way to transmit. If you want to disseminate (传播) a disease, that would be the way to do it.”

On Feb 26, the World Health Organization said the virus was spreading faster outside China than inside for the first time, prompting (敦促) many countries to follow China’s strict isolation measures.

【推荐3】You may have come across several “strange” cultural practices; some would grip you with fear, while others would leave you astonished. The wife-carrying competition in Finland falls into the latter category.

Strange as it might sound, wife-carrying is a real sport in Finland. In fact, it is a highly competitive sport in which male competitors race while each carrying a female teammate. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The length of the official track is 253.5 metres with two dry obstacles (障碍) and a water obstacle about one metre deep.

The first modern-day wife-carrying event was held in Finland in 1992 and foreign competitors gained admission in 1995. This event is now held annually in Sonkajärvi, Finland as the World Championship.

Although many might consider the sport a joke, competitors take it very seriously. Like every serious sport, the wife-carrying competition also has its guidelines which are set by the International Wife-Carrying Competition Rules Committee. While the International rules are the basis for all competitions, rules and prizes do vary for each competition.

It is not mandatory that you must be legally married to the “wife” to be carried, she may even be your neighbour’s wife or even someone you met during the competition; she must, however, be over 17 years of age. And her minimum weight must be 49 kilograms; otherwise, she will be burdened with a rucksack containing additional weight to bring the total load to be carried up to 49 kg. All participants must enjoy themselves. Yes, that is also one of the rules.

Special prizes go to the most entertaining couple, the best costume, and the strongest carrier. And for the grand prize, the wife’s weight in beer goes to the couple who completes the course in the shortest time. Whether you win or lose, the good thing is the sport encourages team spirit among couples.

【推荐1】A boy shivers in the harsh Oslo winter, wrapping his arms around himself on a bus stop bench. He isn’t wearing a coat and temperatures in the Norwegian capital regularly plunge to -10℃ during winter.

A heartbreaking scene, but the actions of the ordinary people who witnessed the dilemma of 11 year old Johannes Lonnestad Flaaten are both joyous and inspiring.

A young blonde woman who sat next to the boy and noticed him rubbing his arms. She immediately asked him: “Don't you have a jacket?” “No, someone stole it”, he replied. She questioned him and discovered he was on a school trip and was told to meet his teacher at the bus stop. She asked him the name of his school and where he was from as she selflessly draped(挂上) her own coat around his shoulders. Later, another older woman at first gave him her scarf, then wrapped him in her large padded jacket. Throughout the day, more and more people offered Johannes their gloves and even the coats off their backs as they waited for their bus.

Johanne's dilemma was a hidden camera experiment by Norwegian charity SOS Children's Village as part of their winter campaign to gather donations to send much-needed coats and blankets to help Syrian children get through the winter. Many of the refugees (难民）have left their homes without winter clothing.

"People should care as much about children in Syria as they care about this boy," Synne Ronning, the information head of SOS Children`s Villages Norway, told The Local. She also noted that the child was a volunteer who was never in any danger during the filming.