【推荐2】I watched my Dad close the door. It was a really cold night in dead silence and I was all alone at home. My parents left because they had been running fever for several days and they were showing other symptoms of COVID-19. It was the 9th day of Wuhan lockdown (封锁) starting on January 23.

The virus we now know as COVID-19 is somehow frightening partly because it seems that it may infect anyone. But that is only partly true. All the proof suggests that it can be cruel to older people, so I was wondering whether my parents would make it and whether we would ever take family photos, which my parents and I had talked about during the Spring Festival holiday.

On their second day away my parents called and asked me how I was. We talked using FaceTime, and the moment I saw mom lying there with an oxygen mask (氧气罩) and my dad could not talk without breathing heavily, I realized that I had to live on my own.

But two weeks later, I had a fever and had to go into quarantine (隔离) and be put under medical observations for 14 days. Fortunately, my illness turned out to be due to a bacterial infections (感染) but not COVID-19.

The doctors and nurses would work a whole day preparing for new patients and seemed extremely sorry for not having everything that was needed. Most of the patients were really understanding, but of course there were those who were not, and complained loudly, but all the doctors and nurses tried their best to deal with it in a calming way. And they are all from other cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou, and some of them are just three or four years older than me.

When the quarantine was over, every patient thanked the workers for what they had done, but the answer they received was exactly the same: “That’s what we’re here for.”

【推荐3】Infectious diseases and associated deaths have reduced, but they remain a significant threat throughout the world. Infectious diseases outbreaks and the fear and panic that accompany them present various economic risks.

First, there are costs to the health system, both public and private, of medical treatment of the infected and of outbreak control. Concern over the spread of a relatively contained outbreak can lead to decreased trade. Travel and tourism to regions affected by outbreaks are also likely to decline. Some long-running outbreaks, such as HIV, prevent foreign direct investment.

The economic risks are large. It is estimated that the expected yearly cost of infectious diseases is at roughly $500 billion. Even when the health impact of an outbreak is relatively limited, its economic consequences can quickly become expanded. Liberia, for example, saw GDP growth decline 8 percentages from 2013 to 2014 during the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

The risk is complex, but policymakers have tools in response.

Investing in improved health care, supply of clean water, and better health systems can reduce the frequency of human contact with viruses. Investment in reliable disease monitoring in both human and animal populations is also critical. Within formal global watch systems, instead of discouraging reporting possible outbreaks, it may be beneficial to develop incentives for reporting suspected cases, as countries may reasonably fear the effects of such reporting on trade, tourism, and other economic outcomes. Informal monitoring systems, social media for example, which collect information from official reports, media reports, online discussions, and eyewitness observations, can also help national health systems and international responders get ahead of the outbreak news during the early stages. Cooperations for monitoring infectious diseases readiness at the national level provide information national governments can use to react timely to their outbreaks.

There is a significant market failure when it comes to vaccines (疫苗) against individual low-probability viruses that collectively are likely to cause panic. Given the low probability that any single vaccine of this type will be needed, high Research and Development (R&D) costs, and delayed returns, medical companies hesitate to invest in their development. However, responsible international corporations such as CFPI can overcome this market failure. Its goals include advancing candidate vaccines against specific low-probability, high-severity viruses through proof of concept to enable rapid clinical testing in the event of outbreaks. It also aims to fund development of institutional and technical platforms to speed R&D in response to outbreaks for which there are no vaccines.

Undoubtedly, humans and infectious viruses will coexist. However, we can take effective measures to manage the risk of the diseases. Joint action now at the local, national, and multinational levels can go a long way toward protecting our collective well-being in the future.

【推荐1】The term “birdbrain” is frequently used to describe a person’s lack of intelligence and good decision-making ability. However, some scientists believe it should be considered a compliment, given that many birds can perform tasks that were once considered human fields. These include making tools, solving problems, and planning for future needs. Now, Griffin, an African Grey parrot, has proved that birds may even possess better visual memories than human adults and children.

The study led by Hrag Pailian, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, required the parrot to compete in the shell game against 21 adults and 216-to 8-year-old children. The popular game involves hiding a small object under one of three or more upside-down cups, which are moved around. Participants are required to accurately identify the cup under which the object lies.

The Harvard team began by placing different-colored pom-poms under four cups and moving them around. To make the task more challenging, the researchers required participants to track two, three, and four pom-poms at the same time. The cup positions we removed between zero to four times for each of the combinations.

An analysis of the results showed that Griffin outperformed the children across all levels on average. Even more impressive, the “bird brain” performed as well as, or slightly better, than the 21 Harvard students on12 of the 14 trials! It was only in the final two tests, which had the most pom-poms and most movement that the parrot fell behind the adults. However, Griffin’s performance never dropped below that of the children.

The fun experiment was part of a study conducted to test the brain’s ability to keep memories of things that are no longer in view and then updating them when faced with new information, like a change in location. The cognitive system, known as visual working memory, is one of the foundations for intelligent behavior.

【推荐2】When it comes to the judgement of their bodies, women can’t win. People often make “fat jokes”, but fat-shaming is no laughing matter; neither is fit-shaming.

I spoke to two women who were ashamed for being fat, and then, after losing weight, ashamed for being fit.

Sarah Moore is a 29-year-old mother of three from US. She became a personal trainer after losing more than 45 kg. She remembers the fat-shaming she had before. When waiting to get on a roller coaster(过山车) once, people behind her were complaining about the wait, and someone said, “Don’t worry. She’s not going to fit on here, and you’ll soon be next.” But after losing weight, Moore said people still commented on her body even more. “Are you sure you can eat that? Aren’t you worried you’ll regain the weight?”

“Fat-shaming made me feel sad and helpless, and fit-shaming makes me angry,” she said. Changes in body weight can also influence relationships. It can upset the balance because others can get jealous(嫉妒). People who lose weight can experience personality changes, such as an increase in confidence, which also influences relationships.

Fit-shaming has been harder to deal with for Andrea Sereda, a 38-year-old social worker in Canada. She said that when she was 9, her grandfather told her at a birthday party, “I don’t think you should eat cake,” and made comments about how many calories(卡路里) she took in. She also experienced similar things in college. The judgment of Sereda’s body increased after she lost 57 kg. It’s worse with people who knew me before,” Sereda said. “People always say, ‘you’re too slim and now you’re going to disappear’.” It was mostly friends making such comments. Closer friends seemed to compare their own bodies negatively to Sereda’s new shape.

Let us try to understand that just because someone has lost weight, it is unfair for them to be commented on their new shape. Everyone has the rights to live free from body-shaming, no matter how they look.

【推荐3】We think of kids playing video games as being in a sort of loneliness, locked in their darkened bedrooms. In truth, they are usually communicating with other gamers, via audio or text, about the action on the screen. And sometimes the chatter shifts from the world of fantasy to real life.

That’s what happened to 14-year-old Reilly Howard from East Hampton, Connecticut last October. While playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, he noticed that an online friend, a-13-year-old from Florida, was not his normal self. Reilly’s sixth sense was confirmed when the friend messaged him, “Yo, we need to talk.” Reilly immediately called him.

“He starts to open up about what’s going on in his life: ‘I have nothing to live for; I’m going to kill myself.’ Reilly told nbcconnecucut.com. He couldn’t even talk, he was crying so much.” Unable to verbally convey his sufferings, his friend typed out, “Tonight is going to be the night.”

Suicide is a lot to throw at a high school kid, but Reilly, a sophomore(二年级学生)at the time, resolved to stay on the line for as long as he was needed. “I knew he didn’t want to be alone, and I didn’t want him to go.” he told WFSB. “He’s my friend. I didn’t want him to die.”

For two hours, Reilly said everything he could think of to persuade his friend to embrace life. “I just kept comforting him. You’ve got a lot to live for.” says Reilly. “I said, I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m going to be playing with you tomorrow. You promise, nothing is going to happen tonight.”

About that time, Reilly’s parents came home from dinner. He filled them in, and they contacted Florida police, who tracked down the boy.

The troubled teen is doing well now, thanks to a good friend—one he’d never met in person—who was willing to put down the keyboard and lend an ear. Says Reilly’s mother, Sheila Reilly, “You just have to show up and talk to people. And listen.”

【推荐1】At one time no one could travel on an English road faster than four miles an hour. That was the law until 1896. A man had to walk in front of a car which could not go faster than the man. At night the man had to carry a red lamp.

Once Charles Rolls brought a car from France to England, but he wanted to drive faster than four miles an hour. In order to have no trouble with the police, he had a talk with some of the police officers, who ordered their policemen to look the other way when the car came along the road. This was a good plan in the country, but not so easy to follow in the busy streets of London.

One night Rolls and some friends started from London on their journey to Cambridge. One of the men walked in front with the red lamp, but he walked as fast as he could. The police became very interested in walls and shop-fronts when they heard the car and not one of them saw it.

They reached a hill, but what a waste of time it was to drive down the hill at four miles an hour! Rolls was getting ready to jump into the car, but then he noticed a policeman who was not looking the other way. The slow car reached him.

“Good evening,” said the policeman, looking at the car.

“Good evening,” said Rolls, holding the lamp.

“One of these horseless things,” said the policeman, looking at it with interest.

“Yes,” said Rolls, and waited.

“I’ve often wanted a ride in one, but of course policemen can’t buy things like that.” He turned and looked hopefully in Rolls’s face.

“Jump in,” said Rolls.

“Thanks,” said the policeman, and did so. “Now,” he said, sitting down, “You can let it go just as you like down this hill. There isn’t another policeman on this road for a mile and a half.”

【推荐2】I can proudly say that last year I broke the record for the oldest person in the world to ride a roller coaster. I'm 105, but I feel younger. Even the doctor agrees I'm in good condition. I'm a bit deaf and my legs feel weak, but they are the only issue.

I rode the Twistosaurus at Flamingo Land, which spins you round quite fast. I didn't choose to go on that. I'd have preferred a really fast one that went upside down. But I was told I couldn't ride something like that, because it would affect my blood pressure and I might have some danger.

I wasn't nervous—I don't get frightened of anything. I was securely fastened, so I knew I wouldn't fall out! The roller coaster ride went on for three or four minutes, and it couldn't be a better experience. And I raised a lot of money for the Derbyshire, Leicestershire &Rutland Air Ambulance fund, which was fantastic.

People were saying I'd got a place in the Guinness World Records. Later, someone came to present me with the certificate. I had it on the wall in my living room, with another one I got a year earlier.

My record-breaking ways really began a couple of years ago, with the ice bucket challenge. It turned out that I was probably the oldest person in the world to do it, and the video was very popular. After that, I started to think about what else I could do to raise money for different charities.

I'm not sure if anyone admires all the fun I'm having. They just say I'm daft and that's about it. But I've had many good days and many exciting times. I've had a really good life. I don't think I've wasted any of it.

【推荐3】Helping voters out

The US 2020 presidential election has captured people’s hearts around the world. In order to allow voters to vote in person, poll (投票站) workers need to work at different vote centers. In past elections, most poll workers were elderly, but now that they are more at risk of severe symptoms from COVID-19, there was a growing need for young people to serve as poll workers.

I first became aware of the opportunity to become a poll worker from a story on my Instagram feed from an account called “Poll Hero”. It mentioned a large-scale recruitment (招聘) effort for young poll workers, and I immediately became interested in participating. I signed up to be a poll worker from the website, and a few days later, I registered through the High School Student Election Worker Program with the assistance of a Poll Hero volunteer.

After registering, there were two steps I had to take in order to become certified to serve in this election. The first was an online training course. The course takes around three hours but can be completed in multiple sittings. It covers the different roles workers have, different procedures workers must follow and provides information on how to use tools such as the electronic pollbook. The session is interactive, and I often engaged in simulated (模拟的) situations and knowledge checks to ensure that I understood each lesson. After taking the online course, I had to pass an exam with an 80 percent score or higher to complete that part of my certification. On my first attempt, I passed with a score of exactly 80 percent.

After passing the online course, I attended a two-hour in-person training session where I worked with a real electronic pollbook to practice what I would do on Election Day. The instructor took us through many different scenarios where we practiced assisting different types of voters. I was pleased to see many fellow young people attend the session!

In total, I spent 37 hours helping voters vote during this election. With my mask on the entire time, I checked in voters and helped them use the ballot (投票) marking devices where they could cast their vote. I also loved meeting fellow workers who are passionate about being engaged and helping our community. Taking part in this historic election is something I will never forget.