【推荐3】Everyone knows they feel amazingly good and refreshed after a good night’s sleep but now scientists have discovered it can help you to live longer too. According to a study in the US, healthy sleeping habits mean men can live almost five years longer, and women for two years. It also found that sleep improves our health and reduces the risk of heart disease.

However, the study by the American College of Cardiology(心脏病学)shows it’s not just about how long you sleep; the quality of your sleep is important, too. Dr Frank Qian, who led the study, said sleep must be restful. The researchers said that sleep of high quality for adults depended on five fundamental elements: getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night; having trouble falling asleep no more than twice a week; having trouble staying asleep no more than twice a week; not using medicine to get to sleep; and waking up feeling rested at least five days a week.

Each factor was given one point, with a maximum of five points for the highest quality of sleep. The researchers looked at the results of a survey of 172,321 people in the US that measured their health habits, including sleep, over five years. They found that people who had all five points were likely to live longer and lead healthier lives than those who had sleep difficulties.

According to the Sleep Charity, a good night’s sleep can improve people’s memory and immune(免疫)system. Dr Qian admits that no one’s sleep is perfect—everyone has a late or restless night sometimes. However, he said, “Even from a young age, if people can develop these good habits of getting enough sleep, making sure they are sleeping without too many distractions, which originate from daily troubles or noisy surroundings. And gradually it can greatly benefit their overall long-term health.”

The study was based on people reporting their own sleep habits rather than recording them scientifically, so this may have affected the results and more research is needed.

【推荐3】Vincent Willem van Gogh is a great Dutch painter. In 2017 one of his paintings was sold for $81 million. 2021 seemed to be Vincent Willem van Gogh’s year. There were at least five different exhibits in nearly 40 U.S. cities regarding his works. It’s astonishing to know he sold only a few paintings in his lifetime, for only small sums of money. How did this now-famous painter fail to escape mainstream attention after his death? It was probably thanks to a woman.

Six months after Van Gogh died, his beloved brother Theo passed away. This was extra tragic because Theo had expected to raise the profile of his brother’s works. Fortunately, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger married Theo shortly before his death. Born in 1862, Johanna worked as an English teacher at two different girls’ schools before her marriage. When Theo died, she was left with their son and a sizable art collection. That’s when she decided to pursue Theo’s wishes. “Johanna assumed responsibility for Van Gogh’s artistic legacy, During her lifetime, she devoted herself to raising awareness of Vincent’s art and letters,” says Luijten, the author of a biography of Johanna.

Johanna broke her neck to improve Van Gogh’s name. To do this, she selectively sold his works and inspired writers and art critics to write about his paintings though she was refused many times. Johanna didn’t lose heart. She lent some pieces to well-known museums and organized countless exhibitions and sales. “One of Johanna’s major achievements was the organization of an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in 1905, where she united no less than 484 of Van Gogh’s works. “A Van Gogh exhibition of this scale would never again be matched,” Luijten explains. Another strategic move occurred in 1914 when Johanna published Van Gogh’s letters. Theo had kept hundreds of letters. “This was of vital importance, as following the publication of the letters, the appreciation of Van Gogh as an artist increased further,” says Luijten.

“Despite Van Gogh’s brilliance, he wouldn’t be remembered to the level seen today without the influence of Johanna. Johanna van Gogh-Bonger is perhaps not a household name, but she is a force that shouldn’t be underestimated in making Van Gogh well-known,” said Luijten.