【推荐1】It’s clear that hiking—and any other physical activity—can reduce stress and anxiety. But there’s something about being in nature that may expand those effects. Scientists are beginning to find evidence that being in nature greatly influences our brains and our behavior, helping us to reduce anxiety and stress, and increasing our creativity and our ability to connect with other people.

In a recent experiment in Japan, participants were asked to walk either in a forest or in a city center (taking walks of equal length and difficulty) while having their heart rate variability (可变性), heart rate and blood pressure measured. The participants also filled out questionnaires (问卷) about their moods, stress levels and other psychological (心理的) measures.

Results showed that those who walked in forests had apparently (明显地) lower heart rates and higher heart rate variability, indicating (显示) more relaxation and less stress, and reported better moods and less anxiety, than those who walked in city settings. The researchers concluded that there’s something about being in nature that has a helpful effect on stress reduction, above and beyond what exercise alone might have produced.

In another study, researchers in Finland found that city people who walked for as little as 20 minutes through a city park or woodland reported more stress relief than those who walked in a city center. The reasons for this effect are unclear, but scientists believe that we evolve (进化) to be more relaxed in natural spaces.

These studies provide evidence that being in natural spaces—or even just looking out of a window onto a natural scene—somehow helps us become calm and relieves (缓解) stress.

【推荐1】Picture yourself sitting at home in a quiet reading book, ignoring the world around you, engrossed in a tale. You read the brief introduction of a book, instantly became interested in it and now you’re in the middle of an absolute page-turner. But, there’s a hot debate - physical books vs. e-books vs. audiobooks. Does the device you’re using to read affect your reaction to the book?

Generally, reading uses several areas of the brain, including attention span, reasoning, reading fluency, memory and language comprehension. Reading is known to strengthen communicative ability, vocabulary and increase emotional intelligence and social perception. So, whichever way you’re reading, there are definitely benefits.

But, let’s look at the pros to reading with your eyes - that’s physical books and e-books. They can help to retain information better. This is because when you can actually see the words; your attention is held more closely. Add to this the fact that with physical books you can go back and find any part you missed, especially if your mind wanders, which it likely will at some point or other.

On the other hand, there’s the audiobook. Headphones in, you’re switched off from life and the story really comes alive, almost like watching a film- in your head. From a scientific perspective, listening to an audiobook is likely to help you develop a greater sense of empathy as you hear the emotion of the narrator. We can more easily understand inflection and intonation. Hearing the story engages different parts of the brain, heightening the intensity and imagery, making you enjoy it more. Yet, going back to attention span, with an audiobook it’s true that it’s much harder to go back and listen again.

All in all, it seems that there are advantages to both physical books and audiobooks. Perhaps, next time you find yourself browsing bookshop shelves, also consider the format. It may just change your whole literary experience.

【推荐2】The Happiest Place on Earth may soon be welcoming visitors again. On Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that Shanghai Disneyland will reopen on May 11. But one of the new safety measures is phased (分阶段的) reopening. This means Disney will begin by gradually and partially reopening certain locations.

If you've ever been to a Disney theme park, especially during peak days, you know how crowded it can get and how necessary FastPasses are. On a "normal day" at Disneyland, park attendance is 65,000 people, according to Walt Disney Imagineering director Kim Irvine. So physical distancing and capacity measures are major focuses as Disney prepares to reopen. Dr. Hymel says that Disney will "conduct physical distancing guidelines based on guidance from health authorities."

The new measures will likely include a guest capacity (容量) based on state and federal guidelines. Disney is also exploring ways technology can help with social distancing-experiments in this aspect include using virtual queues at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in advance.

Other new measures include increased cleaning of high traffic areas. Disney will follow guidelines from the medical community and the government for improved screening procedures and prevention measures; this means guests will likely need facial masks. Disney Parks have already adopted new measures such as providing hand soaps and setting up hand washing stations.

Shanghai Disneyland has sold out all tickets for May 11. The theme park said that all tickets were gone in a matter of minutes after sales started at 8 am on Friday.

【推荐3】World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is to be staged in Shanghai from May 1 to October 31, 2010. If you plan to visit the Shanghai Expo this summer, China Pavilion is a must-see area for you.

China Pavilion, which is called Oriental Crown (东方之冠), is located at the center of the Expo site. Standing 63 meters tall, the China Pavilion takes the shape of an emperor’s crown, with the upper layers larger than the lower ones. Covering 160,000 square meters in floor space, the pavilion consists of a national hall and a regional hall. Construction on the China Pavilion began on December 18, 2007. The design of the China Pavilion was picked from a total of 344 designs put forward by Chinese from around the world. The pavilion possesses both traditional and modern features, which helps develop the theme of the 2010 Expo“Better City, Better Life”. For example, it is red in appearance, which contains the elements of traditional Chinese culture, and it is green indoors, with the use of energy-saving techniques. The Shanghai World Expo is expected to attract 70 million visitors from across the globe. It is estimated that 400,000 people will visit the Expo and its 140 pavilions every day during the period, but the China Pavilion is only able to receive about one tenth of the total. How to accommodate so many people in the pavilion remains a tough task. Luckily, the China Pavilion is built as a permanent landmark.

During the Expo, the main structure will be used for an exhibition based on the theme of “Chinese wisdom in urban development” by explaining the values of harmony, nature and spirit. The three-story pavilion has three sections. The top floor’s “Footprint of the East” will show some of the changes in Chinese cities. There, you can see a film which shows how Chinese cities have changed, especially in the past 30 years. According to Lu Chuan, director of the film, the scenery is like something from Lord of the Rings. On the second floor, “Journey of Wisdom” will explain China’s four great inventions. And the ground’s “Blossoming City” will display scenes from cities of the future.