【推荐1】Bradley McConachie, a 33-year-old Australian is actually a student in international relations completing his PhD through Griffith University. He came to Beijing for a cooperative research at Beijing University two years ago. Such an academic life was colorful with a chance offered by the cultural exchanges project, “I’m in China”.

Bradley was lucky to win the most “likes” for his photo story about his life in China and became one of 20 winners to visit locations by the project this summer. All the winners’ experiences were filmed to produce a reality show, My Chinese Working Day, which will be broadcast by mid-September.

Bradley was chosen to work as a recreational manager for a Chinese wedding. The film crew took them to many “amazing sites” and the staff at the resort taught them a lot about how to incorporate modern Chinese features while still keeping traditional customs.

“I would have to say two things stick out as the most memorable: the helicopter ride and talking with the staff at the hotel about how they organize weddings here in China,” he said. That was Bradley’s first time to be in a helicopter, and he was too absorbed with the “stunning” view of the coastline.

“I think it is so important to show other Australians the different landscapes China has to offer. I think so many Australians, when they think about China, imagine the historical sites of Beijing and the exciting things to see in Shanghai but have no idea about other beautiful places, like Sanya or the many other places people have been taken to in this TV series. It was nice to experience these little touches. I was happy to be a part of that experience!” Bradley said.

【推荐2】It seems that the great desire among the young is to be popular. The desire to be popular can force you into looking and acting like everyone else. You can lose yourself in a sea of identical hairstyles and thinking styles.

I was forced to think about popularity not too long ago in a talk I had with my daughter. Margy had to change schools when my busy work schedule made it necessary for me to move houses. I suppose that，for a girl in her teens，entering a new school is like spending a season alone in the tropical jungles. At least that's how Margy found it at first. However，as the school year drew to a close，one student after another came to her.I told Margy that I would have been more concerned if she had been an instant social success in her new school. Nobody can please everyone. If you try to do so，you will find values as lasting as soap bubbles blown into the air.

Some teenagers claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But somehow they all end up listening to the same record. Their reason for thinking or acting in a certain way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon into a larger cocoon.

I know that it has become harder for a young person to stand up against the popularity wave. Our way of life makes a young nonconformist stand out like a Martian. These days there's a great barrier for the young person who wants to find his or her own path. But the barrier is worth climbing over. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. Well，go to it. Be yourself .Popularity will come with the people who respect you for who you are. That's the only kind of popularity that really counts.

【推荐3】To hug or not to hug? That’s the question right now.     1     Depending on where you live, many of us are vaccinated (打疫苗). But it’s hard to know for sure before you hug whether or not the person you’re leaning into has got vaccinated. Meanwhile, many of us are longing for the warmth of a hug after long stretches of social isolation. Humans biologically need touch, and a good long hug is one of the best ways to get it.

Degge White, a professor at Northern Illinois University, says that our need for a hug goes all the way back to the survival of our species. When we’re born, we can’t care for ourselves and we need to be comfortable with being held in order to survive.     2     “When we hug, our brains release oxytocin, the bonding hormone (荷尔蒙), as well as serotonin and endorphins.”

    3     Because for humans, the security of our small groups and later communities was very important to survival. Close contact helped build civilization. As a result, our brains need each other—and when we miss out, it can have psychological repercussions (心理影响). “When we can’t hug, we don’t get that feeling of good hormones.”

We may not know what we’re getting from greeting our friends and family with a hug; we just enjoy it.     4     An air greeting is not enough. Research published in the journal Psychological Science has shown that hugging has a “stress buffering (缓冲)” effect that may even protect us from illness and infections.

Some people grow up in more formal households where hugging isn’t common. Others may experience abuse that makes hugging unpleasant. In both cases, when children don’t experience healthy touch, it can impact their development. Kids who didn’t grow up being held miss out on that sense of safety and protection. They may act out or isolate from those around them.     5     Some children may show too much affection, desiring any form of positive attention that they didn’t get at home.