【推荐1】My first career had been related to audiology (听力学)---one that allowed me to work part time while tending my growing family. But when my children grew up and left home, I found myself longing to be outside, not in a soundproof room in the hospital.

So I began attending classes at the local university, hoping that might lead me to a new career.     1     “What gave you pleasure as a child?” the counselor (顾问) asked. I thought for a while before responding, “Playing outside in the woods.” Our discussion eventually led to a second master’s degree, this one in zoology, and the job as a naturalist at a state park. I was 44 years old.     2    

But as I climbed the career ladder, my time in the field disappeared. I was chained to a computer screen. In the back of my mind, the career counselor’s question sounded again. “    3    ”

Shortly thereafter, an opportunity presented itself: a 4-month field research project at a university in the Netherlands. I found that field research allowed me to play in the woods again, but with a new purpose.

At the end of the project, I was invited to participate in the “sandwich” Ph.D. program, in which students do research in their home country while receiving support and instruction in the Netherlands. I was 60 years old. I didn’t think that earning a Ph. D. would further my career.     4    

Still, my colleagues raised their eyebrows. “    5    “ they asked, “It is all about the journey,” I responded.

【推荐3】Recently, a Scottish grocery store employed a robot. The robot, named Fabio, was part of an experiment conducted by the Heriot-Watt University, which explores the combination of men and machines. Elena Margiotta, co-owner of the Margiotta supermarket chain, says, “We thought a robot was a great addition that could show the customers that we are always wanting to do something new and exciting.”

Fabio's job was to make customers feel welcome and assist them in locating grocery items if asked. Things seemed to start off well. The almost 4-foot-tall humanoid robot greeted customers, talked intelligently about the weather, and even gave hugs and high-fives. However, Later, its friendliness appeared to wane when a shopper needed help but received a vague or unclear answer. Therefore, store visitors began to seek out human employees for help.

Believing it might be better at a job that required more socializing (交往), the shop appointed Fabio to hand out sausage samples (样品) . Unfortunately, things did not go well. While a human employee managed to attract 12 customers to try the food in 15 minutes, the robot attracted just two.

Since Fabio was not trained for any other job, the grocery store management decided to “fire” the robot a week after it had first reported for duty. The director of the Interaction Lab at Heriot- Watt says, “When we had to put it back in the box, one of employees started crying because they had become emotionally attached to it. It was good in a way because we had thought they would feel threatened by it as it was competing for their job.” As he later discovered, the tears were not out of fondness for Fabio, but it was because the robot freed the human employees from the dull task of responding to customers’ questions.

Although Fabio appears to be different within its family, thousands of other quite similar Pepper humanoid robots which were employed at various Japanese stores and some stores in America seem to be extremely popular with customers.

【推荐1】Tim Richter and his wife，Linda，had taught for over 30 years near Buffalo，New York-he in computers,she in special education．“Teaching means everything to us，”Tim would say．In April 1998,he learned he would need a heart operation．It was the kind of news that leads to some serious thinking about life’s purpose．

Not long after the surgery，Tim saw a brochure describing Imagination Library,a program started by Dolly Parton’s foundation（基金会）that mailed a book every month to children from birth to age five in the singer’s home town of Sevier，Tennessee．“I thought，maybe Linda and I could do something like this when we retire，”Tim recalls．He placed the brochure on his desk，“as a reminder．”

Five years later，now retired and with that brochure still on the desk，Tim clicked on imaginationlibrary．com．The program had been opened up to partners who could take advantage of book and postage discounts．

The quality of the books was of great concern to the Richters．Rather than sign up online，they went to Dollywood for a look-see．“We didn’t want to give the children rubbish，”says Linda．The books-reviewed each year by teachers，literacy specialists，and Dollywood board members-included classics such as Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day and newer books like Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama series．

Satisfied，the couple set up the Richter Family Foundation and got to work．Since 2004，they have shipped more than 12，200 books to preschoolers in their area．Megan Williams，a mother of four，is more than appreciative：“This program introduces us to books I’ve never heard of．”

The Richters spend about﹩400 a month sending books to 200 children．“Some people sit there and wait to die，”says Tim．“Others get as busy as they can in the time they have left．”

【推荐3】During his school's “College Colours Day”, a fourth-grade boy in Florida, who dreams to become a student of the University of Tennessee, wanted to wear a shirt of the university, but he didn't have one. His teacher, Laura Snyder, suggested that he should wear an orange shirt to show his spirit.

When the day finally arrived, the boy was so excited to show his shirt-an orange one with a piece of paper attached to it, on which was his homemade design of the UT logo.

But by lunch time, the spirited fan was in tears. Some girls bullied (霸凌) him and made fun of his design that he had pinned to his shirt. Back to Snyder 's room, he put his head on desk and was crying, devastated.

In hopes of raising the boy's spirits, Snyder planned on buying him an official University of Tennessee T-shirt, and asked friends online if they had contacts with the university who could “make it a little extra special for him.”

The post immediately went viral and Snyder was contacted by the University of Tennessee informing her that they wanted to send the boy a care package of swag and apparel(服装) in support of him.

The story, however, didn't end here. The University of Tennessee said it was turning his “U.T.” design into an official T-shirt and had pre-sold more than 50,000 shirts online. The university won't profit from the shirts: It is donating the money to a charity dedicated to (致力于) getting rid of bullying of all forms.

“When I told him that his design was being made into a real shirt and people wanted to wear it, his jaw dropped," said Snyder. “He had a big smile on his face, walked taller, and I could tell his confidence grew!”

In recognition of the fourth-grader's spirit, the university has also extended an offer of honorary admission for him to join the Class of 2032. In addition, he has been awarded a four-year scholarship if he decides to attend UT in 2028 and meets admission requirements.

【推荐1】Ready to give up long showers, water parks, and unlimited water gushing out of your taps? A new study says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people are faced with water shortage now. The oceans are full, of course. But the liquid—fresh, clean water for drinking and watering crops is in short supply in many parts of the world. Rivers are running low, lakes are shrinking, streams have stopped flowing, and groundwater is being pumped dry. However, the demand for water keeps increasing. So there comes unavoidably the water crisis!

What is causing the crisis? Experts say it is a complex combination of climate change and rapid population growth. On the one hand, global climate change threatens to reduce water supplies due to decreased rainfall. On the other hand, population growth is driving explosive demand for water, prompting rivers in thirsty countries to be tapped for nearly every drop and driving governments to pump out so-called fossil water.

Lack of water may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters are not safe. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. And lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.

One partial answer to the world water shortage, at least for countries near the sea, is to build more desalination plants that change seawater into fresh water. Another suggested solution is for water-rich countries, such as Canada, to sell water to countries which are poor in water.

【推荐2】For most thinkers since the Greek philosophers, it was self-evident that there is something called human nature, something that constitutes the essence of man. There were various views about what constitutes it, but there was agreement that such an essence exists—that is to say, that there is something by virtue of which man is man. Thus man was defined as a rational(理性的) being, as a social animal, an animal that can make tools, or a symbol-making animal.

More recently, this traditional view has begun to be questioned. One reason for this change was the increasing emphasis given to the historical approach to man. An examination of the history of humanity suggested that man in our time is so different from man in previous times that it seemed unrealistic to assume that men in every age have had in common something that can be called “human nature.” The historical approach was strengthened, particularly in the United States, by studies in the field of cultural anthropology (人类学). The study of primitive peoples has discovered such a diversity of customs, values, feelings, and thoughts that many anthropologists arrived at the concept that man is born as a blank sheet of paper on which each culture writes its text. Another factor contributing to the tendency to deny the assumption of a fixed human nature was that the concept has so often been abused as a shield(盾牌) behind which the most inhuman acts are committed. In the name of human nature, for example, Aristotle and most thinkers up to the eighteenth century defended slavery. Or in order to prove the rationality and necessity of the capitalist form of society, scholars have tried to make a case for acquisitiveness, competitiveness, and selfishness as natural human characters. Popularly, one refers cynically（愤世嫉俗地） to “human nature” in accepting the inevitability of such undesirable human behavior as greed, murder, cheating and lying.

Another reason for disbelief about the concept of human nature probably lies in the influence of evolutionary thinking. Once man came to be seen as developing in the process of evolution, the idea of a substance which is contained in his essence seemed untenable. Yet I believe it is precisely from an evolutionary standpoint that we can expect new insight into the problem of the nature of man.

【推荐3】With the 2019 Spring Festival around the corner, more and more Chinese people are planning to spend their Pig Year Spring Festival holidays abroad.   Malaysia, a beautiful Southeast Asian country on the maritime silk road, has become the favorite tour destination for Chinese people. Here are four places well worth visiting.

Kuala Lumpur

The capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, is a common favorite. Unlike most of the cities in the world, it is more than where the visitor lands and then goes off to other places, because Kuala Lumpur itself offers two must-see attractions: One is Menara KL Tower and Petronas Tower, the second highest twin towers in Asia, on the top of which tourists can enjoy beautiful skyline and outlook of the whole city. The other is the Perdana Lake Gardens. During the Pig Year Spring Festival, the celebrations such as lion dance, dragon dance, lantern riddles, acrobatics will be held. All above free and open 24 hours.

Selangor

Selangor defines the most developed and populated states of Malaysia, closely following the urban extending area of Kuala Lumpur. It has the National Zoo of Malaysia and a first-class motor race tracks. It is a hot shopping zone, and the country's gambling capital, Gentling Highlands. Besides, there are the Batu Caves with Hindu religion. Along the fiver in Kuala Selangor, one can see the wonderful crowds of fireflies flying in the night sky like bright stars.

Admission: 15yuan for per tourist.

Penang

Penang on the west coast of Malaysia is one of the best places to visit in Malaysia. Its historic capital city, George Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is famous for its landmark homes, fort, temples and museums. Penang offers an excellent spread, including some incredible street food. Some of the best treats and tastes are available at the food joints lining the waterfront roads.

Admission for George Town: 100 yuan for per adult, children under 15 free, group tickets a 30% discount.

Tioman Island

Tioman Island is set in the east coast of Malaysia, where it is carved into different beaches, and it is unlike most of the other travel destinations of Malaysia. It is not too far away from Singapore, but is tiny in terms of development. Interestingly, the accommodation is great, though available at low costs.

【推荐1】Rather than building new homes to help satisfy housing markets, a new study says that taxing empty homes in big cities could increase housing affordability for local residents while generating income for the governments.

During the past 20 years, housing affordability has decreased significantly in the UK due to a rapid increase in prices relative to earnings. This may be due to foreign investors buying properties in cities such as London, or from British citizens in the countryside buying second homes in the city, which reduces the availability of affordable housing for local residents.

This means that local citizens who actually live in the city are forced to pay more money for housing in neighborhoods that are filled with homes that are unoccupied for more than half of the year.

In a study that was published recently, researcher Jonathan Bourne at University College London studied the relationship between the amount of properties which do not have permanent residents, and housing affordability in different parts of England and Wales. Upon researching the data, which represents about 40% of the population, the researcher was stunned to find that there were over 340,000 empty apartments across the places.

Though some cities are trying to meet housing demands by building more housing, Bourne suggests that local governments put an empty homes tax of 1% instead. “The data shows that empty homes are very concentrated in small numbers of desirable areas. In such cases simply building more homes is not going to solve the problem, as the issue is severe competition for property, not a lack of places to live. ” says Bourne.

Vancouver introduced a similar empty homes tax in 2017, which was the first of   its kind in North America. One year after it went into effect, the city reported a 15% decrease in unoccupied homes, which amounted to 163 properties being rented out to local people. Furthermore, the tax raised more than $ 38 million in city revenue(税收），all of which was spent on affordable housing programs.

【推荐2】For an old person, his brain may perform not so well as before. But a new study suggests that some parts of brain may already decline in young adulthood.

The study, which followed more than 2,000 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 60, found that certain mental functions — including measures of abstract reasoning, mental speed and puzzle-solving — started to dull as early as age 27. Meanwhile, the decline of memory generally became apparent around age 37.

On the other hand, indicators of a person’s accumulated knowledge — like performance on tests of vocabulary and general knowledge — kept improving with age, according to findings published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.

The results do not mean that young adults need to start worrying about their memories. Most people's minds function at a high level even in their later years, according to researcher Timothy Salthouse. “According to these patterns, some kinds of flexibility in the brain decline relatively early in adulthood, but throughout adulthood the knowledge pool in one’s command and the effective combination with one’s capabilities may be on the increase without the attack of diseases.” Salthouse said in a news conference.

The study included healthy, educated adults who took standard tests of memory, reasoning and perception at first and at some point over the next seven years.

The tests are designed to detect subtle (细微的) changes in mental function, and involve solving puzzles, recalling words and details from stories, and identifying patterns in collections of letters and symbols.

In general, Salthouse and his colleagues found that certain aspects of cognition (认知能力) generally started to decline in the late 20s to 30s.The findings explain normal age-related changes in mental function, which could aid in understanding the process of dementia (痴呆), according to the researchers. “By following individuals over time,” Salthouse said, “we gain insight in cognition changes, and may possibly discover ways to slow the rate of decline.”

The researchers are currently analyzing the study participants’ health and lifestyle to see which factors might influence age-related cognitive changes.

【推荐3】He may not have an,“S” across his chest but this dog is most certainly a hero.

Harley, who was rescued from a puppy mill(幼犬繁殖工厂) four years ago. was named the American Humane Association’s 2015 American Hero Dog Karley, who is missing an eye and suffers from other medical issues from his time at the mill, is now a “spokes dog” against puppy mills He serves as the lovely furry face of the “Harley to the Rescue” campaign, which raises funds for the National Dog Mill Rescue, according to a press print .

The pup was rescued back in 2011 and adopted by Rudi and her husband, Dan it was just four years ago that he was pulled from the cage in the puppy mill and left to die,“Harley’s owner, Rudi, said during the awards show at the Beverly Hilton Motel in Los Angeles this past weekend, according to Today com ,“We never would have ever thought he would live so long and make such a difference tor so many puppies.”

The dog was one of eight finalists up for the American Hero Dog and was chosen as the winner through public votes. The finalists all won $1,500 to be donated to one of American Humane Association’s charity partners, with Harley receiving another $5.000 to go toward his charity partner, New Leash on Life.

According to the print, Harley spent 10 years at the puppy mill, and suffered rough treatment there, which led to his many medical issues. He lost his eye as a result of his cage being power washed with him inside.

The dog isn’t just the face of his campaign, he also goes on rescue tasks and makes public appearances at events and schools to raise awareness for puppy mills.