【推荐2】Paris is the city of dreams; the city of love. If you are thinking of heading to Paris for a study period, then perhaps a little reality check is in order. But my experience was a romantic one.

I paved my path to Paris through an exchange program. On arrival in Paris, I was constantly reminded of the official processes I was required to complete — forms to be filled in, meetings to attend, the list seemed endless. Perhaps it was due to my well organizational habit, but somehow this endless list of to-do‟s was completed in little more than a week.

Then the real work began. Once classes were underway, I found myself volunteering to do oral presentations and assignments first, rather than last. This method turned out to be very helpful.

Once I had finished class for the week, I had an ever-increasing list of museums to visit, neighborhoods to explore, cafés to sit in, and parks to run around. Read as many books about Paris as you can. Talk to as many locals and other foreigners living there as you can. The one thing that reading a book or talking to someone cannot do is to provide you with the experience of wandering Paris on foot. I discovered some of my favorite places in Paris by wandering. The people watching, the sounds of the city, the colors as the seasons change, they all add to the   ecstasy that is experiencing Paris as an exchange student.

After spending five months wandering through the charming neighborhoods, I fell in love with the atmosphere that came out from every open door, and with every spoken word. There is something comforting about walking to the market each Sunday to be faced with the beautiful display of fruits, vegetables and dairy products. There is warmth in saying bonjour to the man across the hall.

On my last day in Paris, I confidently said, “Bonjour Monsieur,” as I passed the little store down the street. I guess no matter how hard I tried I was always going to be an outsider, a tourist. The best part about going on exchange in Paris is falling in love with the city in your own unique way. Everyone‟s experience of Paris is different. I know mine is unique and special to me, my own little pieces of Paris.

【推荐3】High school is a magical time when students can learn and grow.     1     Many students are feeling more pressure than ever before when it comes to performing well at school. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to make sure your high school experience is enjoyable and successful.

As a high school student, one of the most important ways to prepare yourself for a successful future is to find your passions by doing explorations. Thus, you can discover the areas of study that you’re passionate about.     2    

    3     High school should also be a time when you enjoy the process (过程) of learning. The more fun you have in high school, the more fun you will learn to have throughout your life. If you can enjoy school now, imagine how much more satisfying your college experience will be later.

Discovering how to use your time wisely will certainly help you enjoy high school more. Learning how to manage your time in high school will make the transition to college and your professional life much easier. Best of all, the better you become at time management, the more time you will hopefully create to have some fun with friends, as well as enjoying extracurricular (课外的) activities.

Engaging (参加) with your surrounding community not only adds to your resume, but also creates happier students. Moreover, by doing that, you will have more opportunities to explore your interests, thus providing you with a better idea of which area(s) you might take up in the future. You might even find that you get more interested in your classes.     5    

【推荐1】While a healthy diet has always been considered necessary for overall wellness, historically, many hospitals have overlooked its powerful potential for healing. In some areas, that’s beginning to change. In Pennsylvania four years ago, St. Luke’s Hospital partnered with Rodale Institute to start an organic produce farm at the hospital’s campus in Easton. Since its first season, the St. Luke’s farm has expanded to grow 100 fruits and vegetables on 11-12 acres.

Today, St. Luke’s sends all new mothers’ home with a basket of organic produce. New moms aren’t the only ones benefiting from the farm’s bounty, which is also served to patients, cooked up in cafeterias operated by the hospital’s six-campus network, and sold at nearby farmers markets.

Hospital farms are part of a broader movement to make organic, locally produced food accessible to the general population. Some hospitals are making it a paramount principle to source food from nearby farms, while others are turning unused land on their grounds into community gardens. By making organic produce easily accessible to the patients and visitors alike, these hospitals hope to inspire lifelong changes for better health. Even though most hospital farms aren’t growing enough to completely supply their staff and patient food needs, providing even a small amount of fresh produce makes an educational statement about how healthy (and delicious) a plant-rich diet can be.

While the farm-to-hospital movement continues to develop, it’s encountering some challenges along the way. For one, health workers don’t necessarily know how to grow food. This means that most hospitals need to hire a full-time farmer and other farm labor to manage the property, which can be expensive. It takes between 3 and 5 years for most hospital farms to break even, and much less save money on food costs. Nonetheless, participating hospitals believe that the benefits are worthwhile. In the near future, perhaps, you might soon experience a farm-fresh meal at a hospital near you.

【推荐2】Researchers in Singapore found that eating mushrooms over twice per week could help prevent memory and language problems later in life.

According to the study, published in The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, there is a unique antioxidant (抗氧化物质) present in mushrooms that helps protect certain brain functions.

Researchers observed 663 Chinese adults aged over 60 whose diets and lifestyles were tracked from 2011 to 2017. In the study, the participants were asked how often they ate six different types of mushrooms: oyster, shiitake, white button, dried, golden and tinned. The findings showed that eating more than two shares of mushrooms per week somehow lowered the chances of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by 50% against those who ate fewer than one share.

MCI is a condition that can make people forgetful, affect their memory and cause problems with language, attention and finding the exact position of objects in space. Changes in behavior can be not very noticeable and not serious enough to be known as dementia (痴呆).

Participants who ate more mushrooms were found to perform better in thinking and processing exams and also exhibited a faster processing speed. The advantage was reportedly more apparent in those who ate more than two shares a week or more than 300 grams.

The scientists pointed out, however, that they have yet to put up a direct link between the fungi(蘑菇) and brain function.

The researchers also acknowledged that since this study mainly relied on self-reported information on mushroom intake and other dietary factors, further studies may be required. Still, the lead study author Lei Feng is encouraged by their findings. ''This relevance is surprising and encouraging, '' Lei said.

Mushrooms are one of the richest dietary sources of ergothioneine (麦角硫茵氨基酸) — a substance which we humans can’t make on our own.

【推荐3】Food is life; it gives us the nourishment (营养) we need to stay alive and be healthy. Usually, we eat because we are hungry or heed energy. Brian Wansink, a professor at the University of Illinois, says we also eat certain foods because they make us feel good, and remind us of happy memories.     1    . For some people, ice cream is a comfort food. For others, a bowl of noodles makes them feel good.

    2     A Professor Wansink believes that we connect food with important times, feelings, and people in our lives. “When I was a child, my mother made a delicious soup; I loved it.     3     And it helps me feel better,” says one of Wansink’s coworkers.

Do men and women choose different comfort foods? Wansink’s research at the University of Illinois says “yes”. In his study, the favorite comfort for both men and women was ice cream. After this, men usually preferred hot, delicious foods like soup or noodles.     4     Men and women like to eat comfort foods when they are happy, but women eat these foods more when they are sad or worried.

    5     About 40 percent of the comfort foods in Wansink’s study were healthy dishes or soups and vegetables. It shows, says Wansink, that a comfort food can taste good and be good for you.