【推荐2】As the international demand for narrative films （纪录片）continues to increase with popular streaming services like Netflix and others, the two questions then come： Will the coming generations receive most of their entertainment through visual means rather than through the written word? Will such an increase of narrative film reduce the importance of reading?

Growing examples of this trend include the dimishment(减少）of fiction lovers, the ever-rising culture of computer games, the wave of streaming services of wide international reach, and movies filled with special effects made for children and teenagers. Nor must we ignore the economic dangers that lie ahead for the written word. The narrative film industry is a moneymaker that surpasses the publishing industry.

The other underlying question, of course,is “does it really matter if the written word bows to the world of narrative films?" From my point of view, any diminishment of fiction delivered by words is a loss for mankind.

There is no greater human feature than the imagination. It lies at the very soul of the human species. It is the brain's most powerful engine. It is the essential muscle of life and like all muscles it must be exercised and strengthened.

Writing and reading are the principal tools that inspire and create our imagination. Anything that diminishes that power is the enemy of mankind.

It should be known that I am not opposed to new media and technological advances. Instead, I have always felt it necessary to adapt to advancing technology. In fact, a number of my novels are in various stages of development for film, TV and live stage productions. My hope is that the written word will only stand to be complemented(补充） by technology, not pushed to the edge of extinction.

Of course, there are those who will present arguments for the superiority of the moving image over the written word. Each has its place. My argument is for finding the right balance between it and the moving image.

【推荐3】Max Vernon Mathews has been called the father of computer music. He created electronic tools so that people could use computers as musical instruments. He had a huge influence on the development of electronic music and how it is written, recorded and played.

In 1957, Max Mathews wrote the first computer program that enabled a computer to create sound and play it back. At the time, he was working as an engineer at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey. His computer program was called Music. It enabled a large IBM computer to play a seventeen-second piece of music that he had written.

The computer was so slow that it would have taken an hour to play the piece of music in seventeen seconds. For that reason, Mathews moved the work to a tape player, which could be sped up to play the music at a normal speed. He later said that the sound quality of the musical notes was not great, but the technical importance of the music was huge.

The science fiction writer Arthur C.Clarke visited Bell Laboratories in the 1960s. He heard a computer “sing” the song “Daisy Bell” on devices and programs developed by Max Mathews and other engineers. Clarke noted this technology in his book 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was later made into a movie.

Mathews continued creating other versions of the Music program. He became interested in how computers could help musicians outside recording studios. The Groove program he developed was the first computer program made for live performances. He also developed an electronic device he called the Radio Baton. The device looks like two drum sticks. It enables the user to control the speed and sound levels of orchestral music played on a computer. The user does this by moving the two sticks on a special electronic surface.

Max Mathews believed modern musicians are not making full use of the power of computer music. He said a violin always sounds like a violin. But with a computer, the way a violin sounds is unlimited. He said he did not want computer sounds to replace live music. But he said he hoped laptop computers would one day be considered serious instruments.

【推荐1】Research shows that isolation（隔绝）is bad for us and associated with certain diseases including depression, high blood pressure and heart disease. Yet teenagers seek isolation by using the device of our times—a screen, screens of all kinds. However, in whatever form, screens are addictive（上瘾的）,and addictive from an early age. Research has shown that given the chance, six-month-old babies prefer screens to real human faces.

Hand in hand with this addiction to screens, we are seeing an explosion （增长）of teenage mental health problems. Social media claims to be inclusive（包容的）, keeping you connected. But it’s not. It isolates you from real people. Screens have even been described as being poisonous（有害的）for teenagers.

Psychologist Jean Twenge, a professor at San Diego State University, believes today’s teenagers are “on the edge” of a major mental health problem. The problem is, she claims, children born between 1995 and 2012 have grown up with a smart phone in their hands, and it has “changed every aspect” of their lives. The number of teenagers who actually see their friends frequently has dropped by more than 40% since 2000. In 2015, only 56% of 17-year-old went on a date, down from 85%. Modern teenagers are slower to learn to drive, or earn money and spend more time at home. They’re “on their phone, in their room, alone and often depressed（压抑的）”, she says.

Some critics（评论家）, however, say we should encourage our children to spend more time online. Robert Hannigan, former director of GCHQ, said in August that Britain is badly short of engineers and computer scientists, and urged children to develop cyber skill to compete in the digital economy.

I’m not the first to say that social media is inferior to real human contact, and harms mental health. Studies show teens who spend three hours a day online are 35% more likely to suicide（自杀）.The suicide rate among girls aged 12 to 14 has more than doubled in a decade.

【推荐2】Does your ideal vacation include going skiing across frozen ice, spying the northern lights, and playing in the snow? Then you’ll want to skate straight to these winter spots.

Fairbanks, Alaska

Alaska is a good choice for a great winter getaway. For winter fun, head to Fairbanks, where you can stay at a new cottage with glass-ceiling domes for aurora (极光) viewing in comfort and then head out ice fishing and snowmobiling. Want even more adventure? Consider a guided adventure that combines northern lights, cross-country skiing, and dog mushing.

Kirkenes, Norway

The Kirkenes Snow hotel here welcomes visitors to its ice-sculpted rooms. Besides, you can jump on a sled (雪橇) pulled by dogs or bring your appetite for a King Crab Safari. First, you’ll be on a sled pulled by a snowmobile across the icy sea. Then crab fishermen drill into the ice to create a hole to pull up the large crabs. Another quick sled trip and you’ve reached a cozy cottage where crab claws as long as your forearm are served up minutes after being pulled from the cold waters, tasting of salt water. A rich reward for braving the cold.

St. Moritz, Switzerland

Skiing down the Alps is obviously a highlight here, but did you know that night skiing in this Swiss town is some of the best in the world? Picture it: Clear sky, full moon, inky quiet, and a sky full of stars. If you need energy for skiing, you can always refuel with pizza from the wood-fired oven at Murtèl middle station. You can keep skiing until the last cable car at 1:40 a. m. Then, check into your room at the Carlton Hotel, where there are a series of daylight activities.

Quebec City, Canada

In the summer months, Quebec City is an excellent destination thanks to its French features and historic old port. But in the winter, don’t miss the Winter Carnival, the Carnaval de Quebec, the largest winter carnival in the world. During 17 days the Carnival offers more than 200 activities and welcomes nearly 500,000 people (upcoming dates are January 26 to February 11, 2018, and February 1 to 17, 2019).

【推荐3】Welcome to Our Festival

Story Show in Oheron

Adults

8: 00 pm—10: 00 pm

Join us for an evening of true, personal stories about science. Come to the only show where you can hear people—scientists, not-scientists, and half-scientists-tell funny and touching stories about the role of science in their lives.

Cost: $10

Make Your Own iPhone Case through Toysinbox 3D Printing

Families & Teens&. Adults

10: 00 am—12: 30 pm

In this workshop, you will learn to design and make your own iPhone case by 3D printing. First, you will learn how to use a 3D printer. Next, you will design a 3D model for your iPhone case that will have a lovely pattern and your name. Once you create the model, you will print it out on our 3D printers. A 3D-printing worker will guide you through this process step by step. Come and enjoy this fun and unique learning experience!

Cost: $35

DIY Underwater Vehicle Design in MIT Museum Teens

2: 00 pm—5: 00 pm

Dive into the world of ocean engineering by designing and building an underwater vehicle! Test your vehicle in large tanks on the Museum’s floor. Show off your engineering creations and share your design process with Museum visitors.

Cost: $15, Ages 12

Animal Kingdom for Young Ones in Museum of Science, Boston

Families

9: 30 am—2: 00 pm

Join us for a day of hands-on science fun designed especially for pre-schoolers!

Activities include the Museum’s popular “Live Animal Story Time” shows and a talk about baby animals and book-signing by children’s book authors. Take part in special live animal visits and activities in the exhibition halls, as well as design challenges and lab activities—all created with your young scientist in mind!

Cost: $20