【推荐1】After an earthquake most survivors can be expected to recover over time, particularly with the support of family and friends. Some families will be able to return to their normal life quickly, while others will have to contend with the destruction of their homes, medical problems, and injury to family members. Children especially will need time to recover from the loss of a loved one or a pet or from the closing down of their school.

Children often turn to adults for information, comfort and help. Parents should try to remain calm, answer children’s questions honestly and remain understanding when they see changes in their children’s behavior.

Children react differently to an earthquake depending on their ages, developmental levels and former experiences. Some will respond by withdrawing (不与人交往), while others will have angry outbursts (爆发). Parents should remain sensitive to each child’s reactions. Parents should spend time talking to their children，letting them know that it’s OK to ask questions and to share their worries. Although it may be hard to find time to have these talks, parents can use regular family mealtimes or bedtimes for them. They should answer questions briefly and honestly and be sure to ask their children for their opinions and ideas. Issues may come up more than once and parents should remain patient when you answer the questions again. For young children, parents, after talking about the earthquake, might read a favorite story or have a relaxing family activity to help them calm down. Parents should also tell children they are safe and spend extra time with them. They could play games outside or read together indoors. Most importantly, be sure to tell them you love them.

【推荐2】Now, let’s talk about earthquakes on our planet. Some countries have large numbers of earthquakes. Japan is one of them. Others do not have many. For example, there are few earthquakes in Britain. There is often a great noise during an earthquake. The ground vibrates(震动). Houses fall down. Trains run off the lines. Sometimes, there is a heavy loss of human lives.

Earthquakes often happen near volcanoes, but this is not always true. The centers of some earthquakes are under the sea. The bottom of the sea suddenly moves. The powerful forces inside the earth break the rocks. The coast is shaken and great waves appear. These waves, also known as seismic waves(地震波), or tsunamis(海啸) can travel long distances and rush over the land when they reach it. They are strong enough to break down houses and other buildings. Very often fires follow the most serious earthquakes. In 1906, the numbers of fires were burning in the city. The water pipes were also shaken and broken, so it was not possible to put the fire out. There was no water. The Tokyo Earthquake of 1923 happened just before noon. People were cooking meals on their fires at that time. When the ground shook, the fires shook, too. Hot materials were thrown on the different parts of the houses, some of which were made of wood. Soon 134 fires were burning in the city.

What kind of building stands up best in an earthquake? A building with concrete walls is perhaps the best. A steel frame will make it even stronger. The frame holds the different parts together and the walls so not easily fall. There is less chance of fire because concrete and steel do not burn. Over the years, scientists studied the results of the earthquake in different parts of the world, and they are convinced that this kind of building is the safest.

【推荐2】Isabel Crook was born into a Canadian family in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province in 1915.While her parents were engaged in setting up schools and education organizations in Southwest China, Isabel herself was more interested in anthropology (人类学) and the ethnic minorities in China. As a foreign girl born in an Asian country that was undergoing great changes, she had every reason to be curious about what was going on around her.

At the age of 23, Isabel graduated from a Canadian college with a master’s degree and began carrying out field research in Sichuan Province. In 1947, Isabel and her husband David Crook were warmly welcomed by the Communist Party of China (CPC) to observe and study the revolutionary land reform taking place in China. In 1948 the couple accepted the invitation from a CPC representative to teach at a newly-built foreign affairs school. The school was the forerunner (前身) of today’s Beijing Foreign Studies University(BFSU). As a teacher at BFSU she laid the foundation for foreign language education in China.

As two of the first three foreign teachers at the school, Isabel and her husband brought new Western teaching methods to the classroom. Michael Crook, Isabel’s second son, noted that since some students were extremely poor during the 1950s and 1960s, his parents were especially sensitive to their situation and did what they could to help them while protecting their self-esteem. For example, they would bring food such as eggs and bread for picnics and share them with students who brought steamed bread of corn.

According to the younger Crook, because of his parents’ belief in communism, they chose to use political texts as their teaching materials, such as works once admired by Karl Marx. Understanding that the students would become diplomats (外交官) representing China, his parents tried to help students gain knowledge in different fields to better prepare them for communicating with foreigners in English.

On December 15th 2018, Isabel got the award of “The Most Influential Foreign Expat during 40 Years of China’s Reform and Opening up” from the Chinese government. On September 17, 2019, Isabel was awarded the Friendship Medal — the highest honor in China for foreigners — for her lifetime of devotion to China.

【推荐1】On October 27, 2020, my friend and I boarded the first flight of our journey from Vancouver Island, to Peru, South America.

Twenty-four hours and four airports later we landed in Cusco, Peru, a city of one million people. Coming from Vancouver Island with only 100 feet above sea level, we knew that we were now at a much higher altitude (海拔) —over 11,000 feet—and needed time to get used to the scarcer oxygen (缺氧) levels! We followed the advice of other travellers and the locals: drink lots of coca (古柯) leaf tea and rest for a couple of hours before any activity.

We were soon hiking through the ruins (遗迹) and ancient castles of Cusco. Leaving Cusco the next day, we stopped at the Moray Ruins, which were used for farming by the Incas. Their size and unique design should be considered a lesson in historical engineering skills. This Inca site is one of the least known tourist destinations, but it’s one of the most interesting places to visit.

Arriving in the beautiful Sacred Valley, we stayed at Willka T’ika for the next week. This place is amazing. We enjoyed delicious meals, all made with local produce by loving Quechua people.

You can’t go to Peru without visiting Machu Picchu. The “road” up to the ruins is made up of endless switchbacks (急转弯), resulting in cold sweats (汗). It was worth the ride, though.

It was too soon before we were leaving Peru. We learned the unique history of Inca, Ouechua culture, and the farming methods still widely practiced. The best thing we took away returning home to Vancouver Island was how simple and caring the people are and how deeply they love the earth and everyone they meet.

【推荐2】When I first began running in high school on the track team, it made sense to carefully clock every mile and push myself to race for personal bests. But as I changed from running for sport to running for amusement as an adult, I found that tracking my workouts often just ended with frustration. And it wasn’t until my watch battery died several years ago that I first experienced the sense of calm that came with running for the pure joy of it. I never replaced the watch battery, and that might not be a bad thing for my fitness goals.

This is the idea of unplugged (不插电的) running, which is gaining steam in the fitness community. And recent research has shown that getting rid of your running watch, especially if it’s a smartwatch or fitness tracker, could actually improve your workout — or at least your enjoyment of running.

“People used to have an interest in their sport and get enjoyment out of the sport, but now that’s switching to the data,” said Eoin Whelan, a senior lecturer at the National University of Ireland Galway. “They will compare themselves to people who are better than them, who are running faster or running longer. And in the end we know that makes them feel bad. ”

Whelan also noted that people who are very dependent on smart watches or fitness trackers are more likely to skip their workouts if the batteries on their tracking devices are dead.

In addition, there is evidence that running watch-free is beneficial for more than just the casual jogger. Some professionals also have had success with leaving their watches at home. Welsh runner Steve Jones famously set a world record at the 1984 Chicago Marathon without wearing a watch. More recently, Olympic marathoner Trevor Hofbauer made headlines for winning the 2019 Canadian Marathon Championships without a watch.

“If you have too much information being fed to you in real time, it can kind of get in your head,” Hofbauer said. “For me, the simpler, the better.”