【推荐1】Petra may be the treasure of the world, hidden among mountains. Its most beautiful scenery makes it the greatest ancient site still­standing nowadays. Common sense says, “Perhaps there’s nothing on the planet that resembles it.” Without doubt, there’s nothing on the world that resembles it. The rock­carved (雕刻的) rose­red town of Petra is filled with mysterious charm; it had been “designed to strike wonder into all who entered it”.

Petra is the most well­known and beautiful site in Jordan that is about 262 km south of Amman, and 133 km north of Aqaba. The Dead Sea is 80 kilometers north of it. It was the legacy from the Nabataeans, who settled in the southwest of Jordan a lot more than 2,000 years back. Because of its excellent culture, buildings and many water channels, Petra has become a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World that attracts visitors all over the world.

To get there, you must pass through a kilometer long, cool, dark and narrow gorge (峡谷) whose two high sides keep the sunlight out. Suddenly the gorge opens right into a natural square covered with Petra’s most well­known monuments (遗址), which glow in the bright sun. The old town shows the visitors its beautiful look. It leads people to think about the creativity of the Nabataeans who made Petra as their capital.

Petra flourished for more than 400 years at about the time of Rome until it had been occupied through the Roman legions in 106 AD. Petra has 800 monuments, including buildings, tombs, baths, halls, temples, and streets, which were mostly carved in the pretty sandstone.

Petra sights are in their finest at the beginning of morning and late afternoon. Once the sun warms the colorful stones, you will see the greatness of Petra since it was seen first when discovered in 1812 after being lost through the 16th century for nearly 300 years!

【推荐2】Peggy Whitson's job demands a daily two­hour workout in a gym where weight has no meaning and the view changes at 17,000 miles an hour.

Whitson makes it look easy. At 57, she is the oldest woman to fly in space, breaking the record last November, 2016, when she began her third long­term stay at the International Space Station. After returning home in September, 2017, the NASA astronaut felt matter­-of­-fact about the age milestone.

“It wasn't a record I was seeking for,” Whitson said. “I was 42 and 48 for my first two space flights. I feel lucky that I was able to get to do another one in my 50s. I don't think people should let age discourage them, even on those jobs that require some amount of physical fitness. The oldest man is John Glenn (at 77), and we've had male astronauts in their 60s before, so it's just a matter of time before women start flying in space at this age”.

On the earth, she stays fit by weightlifting, biking, playing basketball and water skiing. She shared what it's like to live in microgravity: “It's like you're in a swimming pool, but you don't have to worry about breathing. If I push off from one side, I'm going to float to the other side. Every direction feels exactly the same, which is really hard for your brain to grasp, but it's amazing how fast you adapt.

It's a big shock for the body to come back to Earth—everything is so heavy. We spend a lot of time getting used to being back in gravity again. Back pain was really the most dramatic for me this time. For me, coming home is harder than going up into space.”

【推荐3】We all know at least one person who loves their food insanely hot. They insist that their hot wings “aren’t spicy enough unless I’m dripping with sweat.” From Latin America to Sichuan province, chili peppers and their famous burning taste have become a worldwide sensation. But how could something that burns so hot possibly be any good for people?

In a study by researchers at Marshall University in the US, scientists made the first complete description of capsaicin (辣椒素) — a chemical found in spicy chilis — and its anti-cancer properties. Although capsaicin is not normally a good medicine due to some negative properties such as its spicy flavor, the study found that there are ways to bring out its anti-cancer benefits while overcoming these negatives.

In nature, capsaicin evolved as a defense mechanism (机制) in plants to drive away unwanted animals while attracting those that could spread the seeds, such as birds which cannot taste or feel the spice. From a scientific point of view, capsaicin works by triggering (触发) a pain receptor called TRPV1, causing the body to react as if it had actually touched something hot and dangerous. Yet, this natural repellent (驱虫剂) for most animals has instead become a favorite food for many people, often called “chiliheads”.

So, what is it that attracts humans to capsaicin, chili peppers and spicy food in general? Besides its many health benefits — such as pain relief, weight loss, and body heat regulation — people love eating chili peppers precisely because it hits the pain receptors in just the right way.

As an article published by Scientific American noted: “People seem to enjoy — and actively seek out — many other sensations ... the sensation of falling provided by roller coasters or skydiving, the feelings of fear and anxiety while watching horror movies, the physical pain experienced upon jumping into icy water, or even the feelings of sadness that come while watching a tearjerker.”

So, the next time you bite into a hot chili pepper, remember: it’s not just healthy, but fun too!

【推荐2】From encouraging schoolwork and sports to modeling values as a child grows, parents have great influences on their children’s lives. They are, however, not the only influences—especially after children enter school. While parents may want to lead their child along a certain path, a parents’ job is to prepare a child for independence and the ability to achieve what they choose.

To parent effectively, it’s not enough to simply avoid the obvious dangers like abuse, neglect. Indeed, the National Academy of Sciences delineates four major responsibilities for parents: maintaining children’s health and safety, promoting their emotional health and happiness, developing social skills, and preparing children intellectually.

Many studies suggest that the best-adjusted children are brought up by parents who find a way to combine warmth with clear behavioral expectations. Parents may find the Four C’s helpful: care (showing acceptance and affection), consistency (maintaining a stable environment), choices (allowing the child to develop independence), and consequences (using results of choices, whether positive or negative).

Not every parenting style is for the child’s benefit. There is such a thing as overparenting, which can cripple children as they move into adulthood and make them unable to deal with the difficulties. Two examples of overparenting styles include “helicopter parenting,” in which children are over-monitored and kept out of harm’s way, and “snowplow parenting,” in which potential difficulties are removed from a child’s path. Both can negatively impact a child’s later independence, mental health, and self-worth.

Of course, there is such a thing as too-little parenting, too, and research proved that lack of parenting often leads to poor behaviors in children. This may be, in part, because it encourages the young to be rely too much on peer culture.

Finally, parents should try hard to be loving but firm, while giving children enough space to develop their own interests, explore independence, and experience failure.

【推荐3】When your parents advise you to “get an education” in order to raise your income, they tell you only half the truth. What they really mean is to get just enough education to provide manpower（人力资源） for your society, but not so much that you prove an embarrassment to your society.

Get a high school diploma, at least. Without that, you will be occupationally dead unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison, and you can successfully dropout in grade school.

Get a college degree, if possible. With a BA, you are on the launching pad. But now you have to start to put on the brakes. If you go for a master’s degree, make sure it is an MBA, and only from a first-rate university. Beyond this, the famous law of diminishing returns begins to take effect. Do you know, for instance, that heavy truck drivers earn more a year than full professors? Yes, the average 2017 salary for those truckers was $240,000, while the full professor managed to average just $230,930.

A Ph.D is the highest degree you can get but except in a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes, you are, facing a dark future. There are more Ph.Ds unemployed or underemployed in this country than in any other part of the world by far.

If you become a doctor in geography or history or anthropology or political science or—worst of all—in philosophy, you run the risk of becoming overeducated for our national demands.

Thousands of doctors are selling shoes, driving cars, waiting on table, and endlessly filling out applications month after month. They may also take a job in some backwater(闭塞)high school or college that pays much less than the doorkeeper earns.

Income and education are closely related. Far enough, that is, to make you useful to the gross national product, but not so far that nobody can turn much of a profit on you.