【推荐2】It can be a real struggle trying to learn a new language. I had always enjoyed learning languages in school, but only recently did I start learning German. I found that I could understand and learn individual words easiIy, but when it came to literature, I really struggled. That was when my tutor at university suggested reading some children's books printed in the target language.

At first, I felt a bit silly going on a hunt for a book designed for someone half my age, lout then I realised that everyone has to start somewhere. As children, we are given these basic texts to familiarise our brains with certain vocabulary and writing structures, and from there, we can learn and develop. I started with books which are taught to us as children in the UK.1 managed to find Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.

The beauty of reading books that were introduced to you as a child is that you are already familiar with the plot. As a result, you can work out some of the definitions of words with your prior knowledge of the story. At first, I used to read with the book in one hand and a dictionary in the other, but this method did not work well for me. The method I would recommend is to read a chapter of your chosen children’s book and at the end of that chapter, highlight the words you do not know and then look up the definitions. If you can wait a bit before you use a dictionary, you may be surprised what you can get merely from the context of the sentence in the story. Additionally, a lot of children's books have pictures which may give you a clue as to what or to whom the passage is referring.

【推荐2】“Plogging” is a new fitness trend (趋势). It is a combination of “jogging” and the Swedish phrase “plocka upp”, meaning “pick up”. It encourages people to stop while out on jogs to pick up litter.     1    .

Started in Sweden around 2016, plogging is now going global.     2    To advocate plogging, Swedish fitness app Lifesum allows people to record their plogging lime and track their plogging activity as part of the workout choices. According to the app, a typical user will bum 288 calories in 30 minutes of plogging, which is more or less the same as what’s burned off while jogging.

Like other fitness trends, there are plenty of plogging pictures and videos online.     3     Ploggers take plastic bags along with them so they can store the collected litter they find along their route (路线). Many ploggers are surprised to see just how much trash is in parks and along running trails. They even show off their bags of trash online.

Plogging is a great way to encourage people to make a difference in their local environment.     4    All you need for it is a bag for trash and it empowers everyone to help create cleaner, greener and more beautiful communities.

    5     Anyone can do it. You can do it by yourself, with n friend or even in a large group. And it is a challenge you can truly feel good about. Why not give it a go?

【推荐1】The first time you hear somebody mention O. Henry, you might think they’re talking about some guy named Henry (Oh, Henry!), rather than referring to a particular person. But yes, there is an important author named O. Henry. Well, he’s not really named O. Henry—that was just a pen name for the man whose real name was William Sydney Porter. And though he might not be quite as crazily popular as he was a hundred years ago when he was writing, he’s still considered one of the greatest American short story authors. He was good at telling stories of everyday people. Despite the great popularity of the nearly 300 stories he published, he had a hard life, struggling with financial (金融的) problems and alcoholism (酗酒) until his death.

O. Henry’s stories are known for the warmth that shines through many of them, their playful and positive sense of humor, and especially for their surprising endings. In 1904, O. Henry’s first story collection, Cabbages and Kings, was published. Additional collections appeared in 1906 and 1907, and two collections a year were published from 1908 until his death, in 1910.

“The Gift of the Magi” was in O. Henry’s second collection of short stories, The Four Million. It’s about a poor but devoted couple who are willing to give up what means the most to them to buy a gift for the other.

“The Gift of the Magi” is probably his greatest hit, and shows all of the major O. Henry characteristics. Since it was first published, it’s buried itself deep in popular culture. It’s been retold and repackaged in many stories, magazine columns, TV specials, musicals, movies, parodies, you name it. It’s also one of those classic “Christmas stories” that people usually read during the holidays. But even if you know well about one or more of the many imitations— whether it’s the Sesame Street holiday special or The Simpsons—it’s worth reading again.

【推荐2】How do you deal with plastic bags from the supermarket? Throw them away or reuse them? How about eating them?

Indian company EnviGreen has made a bag with natural ingredients (成分). It looks and feels just like plastic, but can be broken down easily. The bags bring no harm to the environment. Both humans and animals can safely eat them.

EnviGreen founder Ashwath Hedge spent four years doing experiments with a combination of 12 natural ingredients. They include potato, corn, vegetable oil and banana. He made the ingredients into liquid and used the liquid to make the bag. Although the EnviGreen bag is about 35 percent more expensive than a common plastic bag, it has many advantages. According to the Wall Street Journal, it takes 1,000 years for common plastic bags to break down. But an EnviGreen bag can naturally break down in less than 180 days. It also breaks down in less than a day in water, and in about 15 seconds in boiling water. Hedge was happy to show it in his interview with The Better India. In the interview, he put an EnviGreen bag in water and ate it with a smile.

According to India’s Minister of State for Atmosphere, Forest and Weather Change, the country produces more than 15,000 tons of plastic waste every day. But only 9,000 tons are processed. In China, 3 billion plastic bags are used every day. Maybe the EnviGreen bag could be a solution to the world problem of plastic pollution.

【推荐3】You have just won five million yuan in a lottery(彩票)--how would you spend it?Before you know it,ten minutes had gone on daydreaming.There is a time and a place for daydreaming,but we don’t have much control over that.Isn’t it worrying that an estimated 30 to 50 percent of our waking time is spent daydreaming?What if your dentist is having that lottery daydream while removing your rotten tooth?

Some studies suggest daydreaming makes us unhappy because we are not concentrating on what is around us but are instead thinking about the past or future.However,a recent study published in the journal Neuropsychologica finds that mind-wandering can be of benefit to us.The researchers measured the brain patterns of more than 100 people using an MRI(核磁共振成像)scanner.This data was compared with tests on creative ability and a questionnaire on how much their minds usually wandered.Those whose minds wandered the most scored higher in creative ability tests and had more efficient brain systems measured in the MRI machine.

Being efficient at mind-wandering means you can zone out and then naturally tune back in without missing any important point or step.Christine Godwin,the lead author of the latest study from the Georgia Institute of Technology,says that if you are concentrating on difficult tasks,your performance will drop if your mind wanders.”But when tasks are easy,people who have high cognitive ability can let their minds wander because it does not affect their performance.You may be thinking about upcoming goals or problem-solving.These are some of the positive sides to mind-wandering.”

Mind-wandering can vary between being more practical or more emotional.What mind-wandering seems to be best at,researchers say,is coming up with new solutions to old problems.So,it’s not always a waste of time!