【推荐1】Being bored, lazy and disconnected from physical work leaves lots of time and space for your body and mind to fill with negative substitutes. Just as an old saying goes, idle hands are the devil’s playground.

Neuroscience (神经科学) actually supports this theory. Or at least, research shows that the opposite is true − active hands stimulate your brain to produce chemicals that balance emotions and lower anxiety.

In the 19th century anxious women were often given the prescription to knit (编织) because doctors sensed that it kind of calmed them down. That is not to say that anxiety can be cured by knitting. But it does highlight how repetitive hand movements involved in the craft combine with the satisfaction of casting off a finished product to wear or give. It carries mental health benefits at a deep, biochemical level.

Other research has focused on knitting’s emotional benefits. One study showed that knitting lowers the heart rate by 11 beats per minute. Another linked knitting with a decreased chance of developing cognitive impairment (认知障碍) and memory loss.

And still others point to positive benefits in managing chronic (慢性的) pain and depression. Of course, knitting is not the only way to take your emotional well-being into your own hands. Woodworking, gardening, pottery and painting will also benefit your mental health. And they all involve putting your two hands to work.

What do you do with your hands to keep them busy and keep yourself calm and happy?

【推荐2】Many people think you’re either a creative person or you’re not. While I agree that some people may be slightly more creative than others, I think creativity is a muscle that can be exercised and improved upon.     1    

1. Consume content outside your comfort zone.

2. Do the “No Bad Ideas Brainstorming” exercise.

Get at least one other person to join you for a 45-60 minute brainstorm. No technology and no criticism. Bring a topic or idea to the table and write down all your ideas (on actual paper).     3     It’s important to do this in person and to make absolutely sure you don’t have any negative energy or feedback throughout the process. You may end up with 100 horrible ideas, but I bet you’ll have one or two good ones.

3.     4    

There are studies upon studies that discuss how our diet affects the way we think. Want to start thinking differently? Start giving your body different (and healthier)fuel. You’d be shocked how much more creatively you can think and act when you eat a healthier diet.

4. See a movie in a theater.

Movies on the big scene are one of the last few places you can enjoy a complete sensory experience. The giant bright screen. The thundering surround sound. The smell and taste of fresh popcorn. The somewhat uncomfortable seat with plastic armrests that don’t move.     5    

【推荐3】Both IQ and EQ are considered important to our career success.     1     Enter adaptability quotient(AQ), a subjective set of qualities loosely defined as the ability to improve in an environment of fast and frequent change.

Every profession will require adaptability and flexibility. Say you are an accountant. Your IQ gets you through the examinations. Your EQ helps your connect with an interviewer, land a job, and develop relationships with clients and colleagues.     2     All three quotients are somewhat complementary(互补的), since they all help you solve problems and therefore adapt. An ideal candidate possesses all three, but not everyone does.     3     While there is no definite method of measuring adaptability like an IQ test, companies are changing their recruitment (招聘) processes to help identify people who may be high in it.

Natalie Fratto suggests three ways AQ might show in potential candidates: if they can picture possible versions of the future by asking what if questions; if they can unlearn information to challenge conventional wisdom; and if they enjoy exploration or seeking out new experiences.

    4     First, limit distractions and learn to focus so that you can determine what adaptations to make. Second, ask uncomfortable questions to develop courage and normalize fear. Third, be curious about things that fascinate you by having more conversations rather than Googling the ready answer.

Over the next three years, 120 million people may need to be reskilled because of automation, according to a 2019 IBM study. We may not all be comfortable with the pace of change-but we can prepare.     5    

【推荐1】“The fact that the smoke reached São Paulo and blackened an afternoon proves how unusual the fires that burn in the countryside of Brazil are,” Ricardo Mello, head of the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) Amazon program, said.

The latest figures come at a time of international protest against the inaction of President Jair Bolsonaro's administration. In July, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) showed data to the public, which indicated that there had been a significant rise in deforestation (毁林) rates. Particularly, the figures showed that in July 2019, deforestation had increased nearly 300 percent in comparison to the same month in 2018.

Environmentalists are becoming increasingly concerned, accusing the government of encouraging deforestation and those who want to make use of the forest for commercial gain. During his time in power, Bolsonaro has moved to rob some power of government agencies that are responsible for protecting the rainforest as well as regulations covering native lands and nature reserves. Bolsonaro sees these kinds of regulations as a drag on economic growth in the Amazon region.

Fire in the Amazon is used as a technique to clear land for agriculture. “Farmers clear cut land to make way for agriculture, and then wait for the dry season to set fire to clear the land so they can plant，” Mello said. “It's likely that all of these forest fires are deliberately set by humans.”

Now it is the dry season in the Amazon, which means conditions in many parts of the rainforest are suitable for the fires to spread over large areas. “It is very unlikely that those fires break out naturally，” Mello said. “It is important to remember that 2019 is not a strong El Niño year. When we have strong El Niños, weather gets drier in the northern part of Brazil and this favors fires. This is not the case of 2019.”

【推荐2】Sunscreen protects our skin from sunburn. But did you know that it is harmful to coral living in the ocean?

Some chemicals in sunscreen, such as benzophenone, can kill coral. Every year, about 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen will flow into coral areas, according to the US National Park Service.

About one and half years ago, Zhang Baoxin, 17, who studies at Guangdong Experimental High School, read about this in an article. Then she had an idea – to make an environmentally friendly sunscreen to protect the marine environment.

To make this happen, Zhang read lots of literature and then put forward a new formula. She mixed natural plant oils with safe and commonly-used sunscreen ingredients, such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide powder .

She tested about 10 kinds of plant oils, including jojoba oil and coconut oil, to figure out whether they can take in sunlight. She then used a microscope to find out if the oil could be mixed with the powder. After trying about 20 formulas, Zhang found a jojoba oil formula that is effective, cheap and easy to make.

Zhang wrote a paper to explain her findings with her experimental process and data. The project made Zhang a nominee(候选人) of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, an award to celebrate teenagers who help solve major water challenges. She was the only nominee from the Chinese mainland in 2020.

After this successful experiment, Zhang made some samples and printed out flyers(传单) for her new formula. She gave them out to people at swimming pools and water parks. “With my formula, anyone can make sunscreen at home. You just need a blender to mix the oil and the powder,” she said.

Zhang wants to study environmental science in college. “I want to use my knowledge to make a better world,” she said.

【推荐3】Families will be rewarded for the first time for putting out less rubbish under new plans to significantly promote recycling, especially of valuable materials like glass.

The new plan for collecting waste in England will scrap fines (罚款) for putting plastic in the wrong recycling bin. Instead, families will be offered rewards for recycling more rubbish measured by a microchip (芯片) in the rubbish bin. Caroline Spelman, an Environment Secretary, said, “It is better to use a plan that offers people rewards, rather than punishing them. We want to help those people who want to do the right thing by reducing waste and recycling at home. This means making sure communities are getting the collection services they want and not punishing hard-working families who make mistakes by putting bins out on the wrong day or leaving the waste in the wrong recycling bin.”

Though the punishment for putting waste in the wrong recycling bin has been given up, plans to try and remove the unpopular twice-a-week bin collections have largely failed despite the efforts of Eric Pickles, a Communities Secretary. Although Mrs. Spelman made it clear that communities will be supported in efforts to increase the times of collections, and the Conservative Party will not force local authorities to return to weekly collections. Most communities expect the introduction of weekly rubbish collections, as this will solve some of the problems about environment.

“We will continue to help local communities develop local solutions to collecting and dealing with family waste and will work with communities to meet families’ reasonable expectations for weekly collections, particularly of smelly waste.” said Mrs. Spelman.

【推荐1】About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that do so are mostly old British colonies (殖民地) like Australia, and Ireland. But Thailand, Indonesia and Japan have also developed this habit.

This strange phenomenon puzzles the rest of the world; however, there is a perfectly good reason. Up to the late 1700s, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it was the sensible option for violent, feudal (封建的) societies of mostly right-handed people. Soldiers with their swords under their right arms naturally passed on each other’s right, and if you passed a stranger on the road, you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between you and him.

Revolutionary France, however, got rid of this practice as part of its sweeping social rethink, and thanks to Napoleon, this change was carried out all over continental Europe. Since he was left-handed, his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any opponent. From then on, any country colonized by the French took to driving on the right.

After the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the US became independent and decided to make traffic drive on the right in order to cut all remaining links to its British colonial past. Once America became the center of the car industry, if you wanted a good reliable vehicle, you bought an American car with right-hand drive. From then on, many countries changed out of necessity.

Today, the EU would like Britain to fall into line with the rest of Europe, but this would cost billions of pounds to change everything round. The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967. This ironically caused a reduction in car accidents because everyone drove carefully while getting used to the new system.

【推荐3】Many of the psychological benefits of outdoor play are already well established. Our brains evolved in natural landscapes, and our perceptual(感知的)systems are particularly well suited to wild outdoor spaces.

This means that natural scenes provide the perfect level of stimulation, which is thought to help recharge the brain when it is tired and easily distractible. Supporting this theory, one study found that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were better able to concentrate following a 20-minute walk in the park, compared to a 20-minute walk on the streets of a well-kept urban area. Being exposed to grass and trees seemed to have had a beneficial effect on their minds. The authors recommended using such “doses(剂量)of nature” as a safe and accessible way of supporting children with ADHD, alongside other tools.

Besides these restorative effects, outdoor play can offer valuable learning experiences. For example, playing with mud or sand can help children develop the way their senses and movement interact, which allows the child to gradually understand his or her body signals.

Such activities — away from the house or classroom — may also help children to find ways to cope with emotions that maybe hard to explore in other environments. So-called “sand tray therapy”, which involves using sand and clay to express one’s thoughts and feelings, is an accepted form of counselling for children who are struggling to verbalise their emotional state.

When it comes to the child’s physical health, the most obvious advantage of outdoor play maybe the exercise A child may find it easier to buildup strength and endurance in a large open space resulting in a reduced risk of overweight, according to one study led by Elizabeth Gershoff, professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, US.

The latest findings, however, suggest there could be a host of other advantages to playing in natural environments — and the secret maybe alive in the mud itself.