【推荐1】As the morning school bell rings and students rush in, teenagers in one classroom settle onto mats and meditation（冥想）pillows. They fall silent after the teacher taps a “singing bow”.

These students are in a for-credit, year-long mindfulness class, which is meant to ease youth anxiety and depression and to prevent violence. For 90 minutes, three days a week, they practice a mix of yoga, sitting, and walking meditation, deep breathing, journaling, and non-judgmental listening.

Yoga and meditation have gained popularity among Americans in recent decades，supported by studies showing benefits to emotional, mental, and physical health. The centuries-old practices have roots in eastern religions, but Western culture has long focused on physical postures, breathing, and relaxation techniques.

Some people have greeted the move with less than enthusiasm. Last year, an elementary school in Ohio ended its mindfulness program after parents complained it was too closely linked to religion. But many school districts are reporting success. In Richmond, California, schools have reported drops in school problems among low-income, at-risk youths. The school district in South Burlington, Vermont, introduced a successful mindfulness course as part of a health and wellness program, and now administrators there have advocated mindfulness into K-12 curriculums.

Two years ago, Caverly Morgan developed the after-school mindfulness program teamed up with Allyson Copacino，who teaches yoga. After hundreds of students signed up, Principal Brian Chatard took note. The school was dealing with a student’s suicide, and few resources were available to address students’ emotional and mental health.

“High school is the hardest period of time for kids,” Mr. Chatard said. “You’ve got emotional changes, physical changes, and all the social pressures. It’s also the onset of mental illness for some kids, depression hits, and there’s the pressure of college and sports. All these things kids do is over¬whelming without having a strategy (策略）to deal with it.”   And now schools all over the country are introducing the practices.

【推荐2】On a sunny day last August, Tim heard some shouting. Looking out to the sea carefully, he saw a couple of kids in a rowboat were being pulled out to sea.
     Two 12-year-old boys, Christian and Jack, rowed out a boat to search for a football. Once they'd rowed beyond the calm waters, a beach umbrella tied to the boat caught the wind and pulled the boat into open water. The pair panicked and tried to row back to shore. But they were no match for it and the boat was out of control.
   Tim knew it would soon be swallowed by the waves."Everything went quiet in my head," Tim recalls(回忆). "I was trying to figure out how to swim to the boys in a straight line."Tim took off his clothes and jumped into the water. Every 500 yards or so, he raised his head to judge his progress. "At one point, I considered turning back," he says. "I wondered if I was putting my life at risk." After 30 minutes of struggling, he was close enough to yell to the boys, "Take down the umbrella!"Christian made much effort to take down the umbrella. Then Tim was able to catch up and climb aboard the boat. He took over rowing, but the waves were almost too strong for him."Let's aim for the pier(码头)," Jack said. Tim turned the boat toward it. Soon afterward, waves crashed over the boat, and it began to sink. "Can you guys swim?" he cried. "A little bit," the boys said.
   Once they were in the water, Tim decided it would he safer and faster for him to pull the boys toward the pier. Christian and Jack were wearing life jackets and floated on their backs. Tim swan toward land as water washed over the boys' faces.“Are we almost there?" they asked again and again. "Yes," Tim told them each time.After 30minutes, they reached the pier.

A．To go boat rowing.

B．To get back their football.

C．To swim in the open water.

D．To test the umbrella as a sail.