【推荐2】Many people cannot forget the beautiful thousand hand dance performed by disabled people during the 2005 CCTV Spring Gala.(晚会) Many of these dancers cannot hear or speak, but their performances are wonderful.

The leading dancer is a beautiful young woman, Tai Lihua, who was born healthy but lose her hearing when she was two years old because of a fever.Not long after that, she also became mute and , from then on, her world was silent.She did not realize this at first, but when she was five, she played a game about sounds with her school friends and discovered she was different.She felt very sad.Her father went to many places looking for treatments for her disabilities, but nothing worked.

When she was seven years old, Tai Lihua went to a school for deaf and mute children, where she did very well in her studies.Her teacher said she used her brain more than other children and was very good at expressing her feelings through movements.

Then when she was fifteen, she started leaning to dance.At first, she found it difficult but she didn't give up.She spent a lot of time practicing and became a brilliant dancer.In the last few years, she has performed in many countries and is much admired by foreign audience.Dancing has changed her life and brought her world wide success and fame.

【推荐1】A couple of years ago, a stay-at-home mum named Gillian Schair was watching a TV show. It was about a lady detective who belonged to a race car driving club. “I thought, ‘I want to start a club of women who do exciting adventures together,’” she said. So, Schair turned off her TV, gathered 25 friends in her living room and launched the Ladies Adventure Club. It now boasts 175women of all ages. They go outdoors in all weather conditions to climb mountains, paddle rivers, ski and camp.

“I feel more alive when I have adventures,” Schair said. “I spent a good portion of my life being a little bit afraid, not willing to take risks. Then in my 30s, I realized that it’s okay to take risks and fail.     1    ”.

Neuroscience(神经科学), psychology and even anthropology back up what Schair has experienced. Humans are meant to seek adventure. Homo sapiens(智人)became the world’s most successful hominid(原始人类)in part because we migrated all over the globe into nearly every possible ecosystem. The thirst for new, exciting experiences is part of our DNA.

Letting ourselves be the fun-seeking, exploratory animals we are is essential to our overall health and mental well-being.     2     That’s one of the reasons clinical(临床的)psychologists are increasingly turning to “adventure therapy” to help patients deal with relationship problems, self-esteem(自尊)issues and post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD，创伤后应激障碍).

Studies have shown that adventure experiences can improve self-confidence, personal identity and social bonding. And it can just make us excited. There’s something about playing in the emotional zone between boredom and total fear that fully engages us. Psychologists call this a state of flow. A little bit of fear, which could be re-framed as excitement, forces us to pay attention. It helps us be fully engaged.     3    

And don’t let the weather keep you indoors. A 2008 study led by University of Chicago psychologist Mark Berman found even in the terrible, blustery(狂风大作的)weather on a winter day, subjects who hiked around a botanical garden showed improvements in short-term memory and attention.

For Gillian Schair, adventuring in winter is particularly appealing.     4     “I love the snow, the trees and the pine-tree smells in the air. There’s something about being outside when it’s cold and still.” Her advice? Grab a friend, some warm clothes and a thermos(保温瓶), and just get outside.

【推荐2】I’ve always described myself as a perfectionist. I wore it like a badge(徽章) of honor. I credited my perfectionism with good grades at school, turning in essays that were rewritten until they felt perfect. I’d always thought of myself as someone who tried his best, but the truth is that I was a quitter, not a trier. I gave up anything that I wasn’t immediately good at. I was so afraid of failing and I wasn’t even trying anymore. It tuned out that perfectionism actually means the fear of failure. And there was so much I wanted to try. There were so many things I felt sure I’d enjoy but never had a go at. What if I failed? What if I was rubbish? The idea was so unbearable that it was easier to leave it as the unknown. If I didn’t try, I couldn’t fail.

And then one day I accidentally stepped into an art supply store. Before I could stop myself, I bought a tiny set of paints, some paper, and brushes. I headed home full of anticipation, opened them up, and started painting. And the results were…really bad. Frustrated, I pushed everything into a drawer and decided to forget the idea. But then a weird thing happened—I kept thinking about being a quitter, so I got the paints back out and started again. I was still terrible at painting, but my motivation this time never lessened. I decided to share my paintings on social media, showing my progress and the efforts behind the scenes instead of the so-called perfection.

Now, three years later, I paint almost every day and have set up my own art business. I regularly fail and make a mess, but I never quit. And even better, I’m constantly trying new things that just a few years ago I couldn’t even have imagined. I enjoyed the moments in the painting workshops and attended drawing classes. I’ve made friends with fellow creatives from around the world. Most importantly, I’ve failed a bunch of times and just kept going. Because I’m no longer aiming for perfection or even excellence, I’m simply enjoying the process. And I’m so much happier. So pick something you’ve always wanted to try and get stuck in. You won’t regret it.

【推荐3】Dreams don’t always come true, but when they do, sometimes reality doesn’t live up to your expectations.

As a MA Sports Journalism student at the University of Sunderland, I was delighted when I was offered a three-week placement (实习岗位) at BBC Sport (Online). As a 21-year-old, whose dream was to make it as a sports journalist (记者), there couldn’t have been a better place to learn the tricks of the trade. And not only did my dream of working at the BBC come true, but my time there exceeded (超过) even my wildest imagination.

After a couple of days of training to show me how the Content Production System works, I started writing news reports, helping out with the media monitoring (监督) of various events, including the final of the Uefa Europa League, Roland Garros, Canadian Grand Prix and the test match between England and New Zealand. Not only was I given something to do on every single day of my placement, but also I got to interact with some of the sharpest minds in the industry, who were all easy-going and made me feel at home. I learnt that there were various roles played by a journalist, aside from merely writing articles.

My biggest takeaway from the placement was the media monitoring skills which I developed during my time at Salford. Every day at the BBC gave me fresh insight (见识) into the various aspects of the website and how the content was produced.

I would like to thank the BBC for the wonderful opportunity and would advise any beginning sports journalist to give the placement a try, because the insight and experience of working with some of the best journalists in the UK isn’t something that happens every single day.

【推荐1】Last November, Michelle McGagh, a 34-year-old journalist, looked at her finances and discovered that every year she spent a lot of money unnecessarily.    1     She allowed herself £30 a week to buy food and household essentials. But she couldn’t spend money on anything else— no clothes, no buses or flights, and no meals out.

At first, she tried to see her friends as often as before. She cycled 120 miles to be at a friend’s wedding, and camped in their garden to avoid paying for accommodation.    2     But she couldn’t join them for dinner in a restaurant, and when they went to the pub, she drank tap water. In the end, she simply went out less, which made her feel a bit lonely.

Of course, she couldn’t afford to go abroad, so she missed a trip to Brazil.     3     Here, for the first and only time in the year, she bought food that she had not cooked herself—a bag of chips for £1.95.

At the end of the year, she had saved £23,000. She was much slimmer and fitter. She says she now feels freer and happier, because she appreciates the simple things in life.     4     But she learned the hard way that you can’t   really socialize if you don’t want to spend money. The evening after her year-long challenge ended, she bought all her friends a drink in the pub. But she has not gone back to her past spending habits.     5     “Whenever you open your wallet, think about whether what you are buying is something you need or something you want," says McGagh.

【推荐3】My first day at senior high

I rushed out of my home with eagerness to get to know my new school.     1     I had imagined it over and over again in my mind.

    2     And there were several new brilliant buildings standing on the playground. “You are a new student, right? ” A soft voice behind me asked. Turning around, I saw a young lady. “Yes, ” I said. “    3     So if you need any help, please turn to me, ” she said with a smile on her face.

    4    . When I stepped into it, all the students had been there. Our head teacher, a middle-aged man with black and curly hair came in.     5     I felt very nervous. The feeling lasted more than half an hour, because I was the last one to give the introduction.

What an impressive day!