【推荐1】A warm drink of milk before bed has long been the best choice for those wanting a good night’s sleep. But now a study has found it really does help people nod off — if it is milked from a cow at night.

Researchers have discovered that “night milk” contains more melatonin (褪黑激素), which has been proven to help people feel sleepy and reduce anxiety.

The study, by researchers from Seoul, South Korea, involved mice being fed with dried milk powder made from cows milked both during the day and at night.

Those given night milk, which contained 10 times the amount of melatonin, were less active and less anxious than those fed with the milk collected during daytime, according to the study published in The Journal of Medicinal Food.

Night milk quickened the start of sleep and caused the mice to sleep longer.

While the effect of cows milk harvested at different time has not been tested on humans up to now, taking melatonin drugs has been suggested to those who are struggling to fall asleep at night.

Previous studies have also indicated that milk can be excellent for helping sleep because of the calcium content, which helps people to relax.

Milk is also sugar-free and additive-free with nutritionists recommending skimmed milk as the best choice before bed as it is the least fattening. The more fat you take in before bedtime, the greater burden you will put on your body at night.

【推荐2】Children’s lives have changed greatly over the last 50 years. But do they have a happier childhood than you or I did?

It’s difficult to look back on one’s own childhood without some element of nostalgia (怀旧的). I have four brothers and sisters, and my memories are all about being with them. Playing board games on the living room floor, or spending days in the street with the other neighborhood children, racing up and down on our bikes, or exploring the nearby woods. My parents scarcely appear in these memories, except as providers either of meals or of severe blame after some particularly risky adventure.

These days, in the UK at least, the nature of childhood has changed dramatically. Firstly, families are smaller, and there are far more only children. It is common for both parents to work outside the home and there is the feeling that there just isn’t time to bring up a large family, or that no one could possibly afford to have more than one child. As a result, today’s boys and girls spend much of their time alone. Another major change is that youngsters today tend to spend a huge amount of their free time at home, inside. More than anything this is due to the fact that parents worry far more than they used to about real or imagined dangers, so they wouldn’t dream of letting their children play outside by themselves.

Finally, the kind of toys children have and the way they play is totally different. Computer and video games have replaced the board games and more interesting activities of my childhood. The irony (令人啼笑皆非的事情) is that so many ways of playing games are called “interactive”. The fact that you can play electronic games on your own further increases the sense of loneliness felt by many young people today.

Do these changes mean that children today have a less relaxing childhood than I had? I personally believe that they do, but perhaps every generation feels exactly the same.

【推荐3】An earthquake is one of the most common natural disasters． It may cause great damage． So it is wise to learn some simple safety tips to protect yourself or your family members．

Fragile items， like those made of glass should usually be placed on a lower surface， near the ground instead of placing them on cupboards higher up． Never place them near your bed， sofas and other furniture where you would be sitting or lying down． When there is a strong movement，these pieces will fall on the floor directly and not on you．

There is a strong chance of short circuits （短路） and fire breakouts during an earthquake． Make sure you turn off electrical connections and gas immediately when an earthquake happens．

During an earthquake， lie beneath an object that is not easily damaged． Do not go near objects that could directly fall on you． Never use the elevator to go down． Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside． Research has shown that most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to go out． Use the staircases at all times．

If you are outdoors， do not take shelter under a tree， streetlights， electric poles or tall buildings． If you are driving， stop your car and stay in a safe place． Do not park your car under a tree or any tall object．

If trapped in debris （瓦砾堆）， cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing． Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can find you． Use a whistle （哨子） if one is available． Never shout for help． Shouting can cause you to breathe in dangerous amounts of dust． Do not light a match because you may burn yourself． Do not move about or kick up dust．

【推荐1】Gardeners may be able to cut down on the amount of weeds killer they use by dealing with invaders （入侵物） at specific times of the day， such as dawn， a new study suggests．

Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered that the 24﹣hour rhythms of plants leave them more defenseless to herbicides （除草剂） at different points in their daily 24 hour cycle．

They believe the findings could help farmers by reducing crop loss and improving harvests． And gardeners could benefit from knowing which weeds respond better at certain times of the day． In recent years， pesticides and herbicides have been implicated in the decline of important pollinating insects， such as bees．

Dr． Antony Dodd， senior author of the new study， said， "The research suggests that， in future， we might be able to improve the use of some chemicals that are used in agriculture by taking advantage of the biological clock in plants．

Just like humans， plants have evolved to take advantage of cycles of night and day， with certain biological processes turning on at different times of the day． Scientists have discovered that many drugs work much better in humans if they are given at specific hours． Aspirin， for example， has doubled the impact on thinning the blood if taken at night as opposed to in the morning． The process is known as 'chronotherapy （时间疗法）' and researchers wanted to find out if the same concept could be applied to plants．

Many gardeners already know that plants drink in more water in the morning because their pores （气孔） are open to take advantage of early morning dew and water vapour． At the break of he day， plants are also not busy producing food through photosynthesis （光合作用）． The open pores could also be the reasons that chemicals are more effective at dawn and also at dusk．

The air is also likely to be stiller at dawn and dusk， meaning that pesticides or herbicides are less likely to be blown away to places where they are not wanted． Pesticide labels often warn against spraying on windy days in case they endanger people or animals． Many insects are active early in the morning and around dusk， also making very early morning and early evening effective times for insecticide．

Commenting on the study， Dr． Trevor Dines， Botanical Specialist at the conservation charity Plantlife， said， "This is fascinating research which will be of great interest to many gardeners like me． If anything they used to think the opposite was true ﹣that applying herbicides and pesticides late in the day would be better as they'd remain in wet contact with the plant for longer in the cool of the night and therefore be taken up or absorbed more effectively． This research knocks that assumption on its head．"

【推荐2】It seems we can't get off the planet fast enough. Two thirds of NASA's money is spent on manned space exploration. We've seen all we can see on Earth, right? Wrong. The final place is here, under the surface of the sea.

When we are heading down into the ocean, human limits are quickly reached. At a depth of 200 metres, the water is as black as a moonless night. Most nuclear submarines would implode before they reach 1 km down. At a depth of 3 km—still less than the average depth of the ocean—there's a good chance that you'll discover a new species. The deepest-diving whales go no further. At the very bottom, about 11 km down, lies the Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench in the Pacifice Ocean. Twelve humans have walked on the Moon, but only three have seen the Challenger Deep with their own eyes.

Yet things live down there. Big things. A very loud sound was once heard and scientists suggested that it was produced by an animal bigger than a blue whale, the largest creature known on the planet.

In the late 1990s, a deep-water submarine was dropped in the Southern Ocean, and passing 4, 000 metres, it discovered something huge passing under it. Surprised? Don't be. The ocean covers 71% of the planet's surface and we've studied less than 5% of it. We know more about the dark side of the Moon than about the bottom of the sea.

One reason that we explore space is to find evidence of other life forms. The search for life outside of Earth is important, but robots can look under the dry rock on Mars better than humans. They're absolutely important for doing ocean research too, but they can't look under the sea. The cost of exploration is rising, but the results would benefit all our lives.

Perhaps now it's time to begin a new period of sea exploration. Manned exploration of space is science fiction. The adventure in the deep sea is a science fact.

【推荐3】Do you intend to study at an American university? It takes a long time to get accepted at most American schools, perhaps as much as a year. That’s why you should start choosing a school as soon as possible. It’s a good idea to apply to several different institutions, so that you’ll have a better chance of acceptance at one. You should start looking for information now, because the more information you have about each college, the better choice you can make.

There are two good ways to get information you need. One is a general reference (参考) book, called Guide to American Colleges and Universities. The other good source of information is the catalogue (目录) published by each school.

You can study the general guide in almost any American library. This book has many useful statistics, such as the number of students, the average test scores for people accepted to the school, the number of books in the library, and the number of teachers. You can also find the address of each school in this book.

Although the general guidebook has helpful information, some of the facts may be out-of-date. For example, many schools raise their tuition every year. Since you’ll need to know what your education will cost, out-of-date information will not be good enough. Also, schools sometimes change their requirements for entrance. To be sure that you are getting present information, write to the university and ask for its catalogue. The catalogue has more detailed information. For example, the catalogue can tell you if there is a special foreign student advisor, what kind of courses are offered, and what kind of housing is available. Some universities have dormitories, but at others you have to find your own place to live.

With all of this information, you should be able to pick out several good schools.