【推荐1】“There may be no more powerful method of learning than through music, and no more important lessons for children than those that focus on character and social and emotional skills,” according to clinical psychologist (临床心理学家) and author Don MacMannis, Ph.D., who is a music director and songwriter for the hit children’s series Jay Jay the Jet Plane.

MacMannis has developed over 40 songs in a variety of types that help kids with everything from being confident and managing their feelings to respecting others and understanding responsibility.

To test the 40 songs’ effects on school kids, a study involved 320 first­ and second­grade students from 16 classrooms at schools in Santa Barbara and Goleta, California. Kids were given a CD, and then received nine lessons using songs and activities from trained college students. The themes were: Friendship and Reaching Out, Respect and Caring, Celebrating Differences, Expressing and Managing Feelings, Communication and Conflict, Positive Thinking, Dealing with Fears, Best Effort, and Manners and Review.

To test the efficiency of the intervention (介入), teachers completed the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) for each child four times in one year along with other assessments about the classroom. The college students who taught the lessons, the school’s principal and the children’s parents all provided feedback as well.

Both first and second graders showed a variety of improvements, including “approaching peers, understanding and using the Golden Rule, settling conflicts by talking out feelings, staying on tasks and having a positive attitude,” according to MacMannis. Second graders also “showed improvements on concentration and self­control.”

Music is a great way to engage your kids in powerful lessons, such as teaching them social and emotional skills. “Music makes complex concepts more accessible and enjoyable. It assists the progress of language learning. Cheerful or inspirational music also may improve cognitive (认知的) abilities. Music appears to light up various regions of the brain related to language, hearing and motor control,” MacMannis said.

【推荐2】What springs to mind when you think of kung fu, also known as wushu? Maybe the image of Shaolin monks striking fierce poses with a serious look in their eyes, or popular children’s movies like Kung Fu Panda. But do they really portray the meaning of kung fu?

Recently, Laurence J. Brahm, a documentary filmmaker from the United States, explored this question in Searching for Kung Fu. In the movie, Brahm started a kung fu pilgrimage (朝圣之旅), travelling to cities in China and the US in search of the origin and value of kung fu. Brahm himself is a kung fu lover who has been devoted to the practice for more than 40 years. For him, pursuing this craft was more than a pastime. Now, Kung fu has become a daily routine for him and also the way he greets the day.

“Martial arts can help us connect our body, connect our neural system, connect our blood flow, and also help connect us into our environment to increase our awareness. Martial arts is moving meditation (冥想).” Brahm said.

Still others find additional meanings in the practice. “Chinese kung fu is full of Chinese philosophies and core values,” Hong Kong actor Bruce Leung told Xinhua. “Nonviolence is one of these values, which is shown both in the name and the practice. Wu, consists of two characters-ge, meaning “dagger-ax”, and zhi, meaning “to stop”. So, the meaning of kung fu in Chinese is the art of stopping fighting, the art of nonviolence.”

Brahm’s appreciation of kung fu is clear. He sees it as “a mirror of Chinese culture”. “Whydoes China want to be in harmony with other nations? It’s part of the psychology of the Chinese people. It’s also national psychology.” Brahm told Xinhua.

Brahm also believes that today’s world urgently needs to restart equal exchanges between countries without stereotypes, and that culture and sports, such as kung fu, can serve as a great channel and platform.

【推荐3】When people think about improving their physical fitness, they often neglect (忽视) balance. Good balance is a necessary part of being physically fit and key to living a long life, according to research. It’s important for everyone, no matter your age.

Older adults are most affected by poor balance. Falls are the leading cause of injury and death for those 65 and older, with nearly 30% in this age group reporting at least one fall in 2018, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But younger adults frequently fall down, too.

Forty-eight percent of young adults reported falling at least once during one 16-week study. The falls most commonly happened during sports activities, with women in the study reporting more falls and fall-related injuries than men.

Falls within the previous two years were reported by 18% of young adults (ages 20 to 45) in another study published in the journal BMC Public Health. That figure (数据) compared with 21% of middle-aged adults (46 to 65) reporting falls and 35% of those over 65. While falls among young adults were often connected with sports, falls by the middle-aged group were typically related to health problems and physical changes.

Many factors (因素) can affect your balance outside of age, such as vision changes, brain injuries, overweight and a general lack of physical fitness. Even if you have no risk factors, simply neglecting to work regularly on your balance will result in increased instability (不稳定性).

“Our body is conditioned to lose what we don’t regularly use and practice, and balance is no different,” said Susan Baxter.

【推荐1】One of the sailors who sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World was a man named Juan Ponce de Leon. This voyage changed his life.

He decided to stay when Columbus returned. Ponce was named governor of Puerto Rico (then called Boriquien) in 1508.

While there, he heard many stories of a magical water source. People called it the Fountain of Youth and said that drinking its water kept you young.

For the next few years, Ponce tried to find out where the Fountain of Youth was. He asked permission from Spain’s King Charles V to go in search of it. The king consented, as long as Ponce paid for the ships and crew himself.

The young explorer did so readily, and they set off. It was March 1513. They sailed for days but didn’t see the fountain. On March 27, he came within sight of the Florida coast. On April 2, he landed at what he named St. Augustine. This was the first Spanish settlement on the mainland of North America.

He had several adventures along the way. He did not, however, find the Fountain of Youth. He returned to Boriquien.

He continued to govern the island, and he continued to hear stories of the Fountain of Youth. Finally, in 1521, he set out again.

This time, he landed on the Florida coast again. While he and his men were building houses for a new settlement, they were attacked by native tribesmen (部落成员). Many of his men died, but Ponce escaped, although he was injured. He reached Cuba and entered a hospital, where he died of wounds from the attack in Florida. Juan Ponce de Leon never found the Fountain of Youth. Neither did anyone else, at least as far as we know.

【推荐2】Taking an end-of-season break sounds simple, right? You may think a carefree week spent on a beach is what’s most desired. But actually most athletes would spend hours trying to convince their coaches that they really don't need to rest at all, subsequently filling up all of their given time with as many replacement activities as possible.

This year I was given a week’s holiday by my coach to enjoy absolute relaxation. For the first three days I remained happily wrapped up in the satisfaction of my last race result, embracing pajama days, taking all morning just to have breakfast and using my spare time to socialize more than I usually do. I was enjoying it, and yet···All this resting made me feel restless. Then came Thursday. I laced up my shoes and headed back to the track.

The simple part of resting is the physical act of it, but given that I usually train with focus and tension, learning to check out mentally doesn’t always come naturally after a season, especially when I’m on holiday. After a season with good results, some well-meaning people excitedly ask “What's next?” It can wander in my mind and raise doubt over what I should be doing according to other people’s opinions.

In this case I talked to some experienced athletes and raised my concern, one of whom suggested establishing a general outline of the next season’s goals prior to holidays. I find it helpful, not only preventing me from feeling rushed to get back into workouts too soon and giving a sense of purpose to the rest itself, but also ensuring that I will not spend my break making plans but allow my mind to rest too.

We all fear losing the fitness and the achievements that we worked so hard to gain, but in reality, taking the appropriate rest and knowing how to take it is a help. Here’s hoping that I’ll get the balance next year. But if I didn’t, at least I would enjoy myself.

【推荐2】Chen Shaoqin, a woman from Beijing, has shown the world how life should be lived by working as a tour guide in her seventies.

Chen has only a middle school education. She began studying English at the age of 40, changing herself from a factory worker to a white collar (白领) worker in an international trade company.

Chen continued to learn after retirement (退休), studying art and finally becoming an art guide at the age of 67. Over the past five years, from a person who knew nothing about art to a great volunteer guide, Chen's hard work and love for learning have encouraged many. As a guide, she is able to take special training courses and has the chance to learn from artists, giving her courage to continue.

Chen is proud of many exhibitions (展览) guided by her over the years, including those of famous artists like Zeng Fanzhi, Xu Bing, Qiu Zhijie and Pablo Picasso. She believes that every tour is a beautiful journey and a new chance to learn and be moved. Chen's love for learning has made her an excellent guide. After turning 73 this year, she said. “Well, I may be old, but I believe that the width of one's life can be expanded (延伸) through self-exploration and learning.”

【推荐3】Chantal Aida Gordon never imagined she’d be a plant person.

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astrophysicist, ”says Gordon, 38, cofounder of The Horticult and coauthor of How to Window Box: Small-Space Plants to Grow Indoors or Out.

After studying journalism (新闻业) at New York University, the Maryland native worked as an editorial assistant at Vogue. She thought she’d missed her chance to be a scientist. During a trip to New York in 2013, however, she realized she could still “think like a scientist” when she was “bitten by the gardening bug (对园艺着迷)” while doing research for a coming-of-age novel(小说).

She volunteered at a community garden in East Harlem, and it made her want to be more involved with plants. Her newfound obsession with plants would inspire The Horticult, the gardening lifestyle site she founded with Ryan Benoit.

“We did it for fun, but when we sent out our launch email in 2013, we were surprised and excited to learn that our friends were secret plant lovers,” she says. “So many people in our generation were curious about plants and loved them and wanted more plants in their lives. They just needed some recommendations and guidance.”

While blogging and working at an advertising company, Gordon educated herself through hands-on experience, research and interviews with plant experts. She brought her readers along with her as she discovered the plant world. “In the fashion (时尚) world, exclusivity (排他性) is a positive,” she says. “But in the plant community, everyone is welcome here!”

Two years after building The Horticult, Gordon moved to a small apartment in Los Angeles. She improved the garden outside her apartment and, in the process, she says she has gained self-confidence in who she is as a plant person.