【推荐2】A few years ago，my younger sister and I were the first to board our flight for Norfolk，Virginia. Just as we were about to board the plane，a mechanic came out of the aircraft and blocked the door with his arms. He turned to the flight attendant and hurriedly stated，“We got problems！”

I thought to myself，“Why did I have to be the one to hear that？Why couldn't I have been at the back of the line？I didn't need to know that！”Very soon we were back in the terminal，waiting，and then finally back on the plane. I waited for the pilot to give an explanation. Pilots take courses to ease passengers' mind，right？They know what to say to calm nerves.

Unfortunately，I didn't think this pilot took that course. Soon his voice thundered throughout the plane，"Sorry for the delay，ladies and gentlemen. We had no power on the plane. We have a generator on the ground right now，and we're going to jump---start the engines. Once we get them going，we'll get up in the air and head to Norfolk，and see what happens. ”

See what happens？We were going to get up in the air，and see what happens？Couldn't we have another plan，one that's been worked out just a little better？

At this point，all I could do was to laugh nervously. One woman started yelling，“Oh no！We're going to crash！”There were sighs of desperation and anxiety spreading throughout the cabin. Finally，we got up in the air thirty minutes later，and what happened？

Nothing--other than thrust（推力）and lift. We arrived in Norfolk，and no sooner had the wheels touched the ground than a round of applause burst out，as everyone throughout the airplane breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Although，I did sincerely like to have a plan better than “see what happens" worked out when flying--it really isn't such a bad life strategy. Success will never be guaranteed. The best thing you can do is just get up in the air，and see what happens. Sometimes adjustments would be made in the air，or shall we say，in the middle of the process.

【推荐3】It is obvious that all of our childhood memories are not accidental. When you are a child, every scent, every sound, every move, every toy, the first day of school, the first kiss, the first step. . . Everything together makes what is the personality of a man. All these are pieces of one whole entity.

I was about 6 years old. My mom's best friend left to another town and asked my mom to stay at her place with me for two days in order to look after her two sons. One was a little older than I was. and the second boy appeared to be super grown-up, for he was already fourteen. I always enjoyed staying at their place.

I remember the second day we were supposed to have the come-back party for my mom's friend at her place. I woke up. Mom went to work and reminded me to be nice and clean by the time she came back. I stayed with Tony, the older of the boys and suddenly somebody called him and though he was not permitted to leave me alone-he left. He said it would not be long. But it took him forever. I realized that I was alone. I could not come out of the house, so I opened the window. I was so desperate. So lonely. So betrayed. At that moment I pulled the curtain so strongly that I fell on the floor. And there I was standing-one little criminal-desperate to escape and knowing that I would be punished for destroying the curtain that was not even ours.

But then something changed. I stopped weeping. I looked around and realized that I was in a safe place, and that mom would come back and kiss me no matter what I had done.

This was a moment of pure happiness, not the happiness of getting a new toy or a dog, or going to the party of your best friend. It was the moment of clarity for me-the first time in my life when I realized that I was happy to have my mom and that I was safe. My eyes saw the world in different shades that moment. And by the way-I was not punished for the curtain. I fell asleep on my mom's knees.

【推荐1】“You should get a cat, ”my therapist(治疗专家)said. “A cat?” I couldn’t even look after myself. . I took a deep breath and carefully considered the idea of welcoming a feline (猫科的)friend into my life. This seemed like too easy a fix for the fact that I couldn’t leave the house without bursting into tears.

When my partner and I found Cinnamon, her adoption profile made her out as the perfect kitten. We filled out the paperwork and prepared for her arrival.

When she came home, it became increasingly obvious that Cinnamon didn’t understand “no”, “stop it” or “don’t do that”. She was the worst cat I’ve ever owned. I was beginning to doubt my therapist’s advice.

After visiting our vet, she concluded that Cinnamon just wanted our attention. She fought tooth and nail to get a bite of our meals. She’d fearlessly lick sharp knives when left unattended for a split second. Cinnamon stole my heart with her bravery and kept me busier than I’d ever expected.

We decided to start taking her for walks. I could barely leave the house before, but my heart couldn’t say no to Cinnamon. Cinnamon showed me what bravery looked like. She didn’t stop to consider every possible outcome of a situation; she simply went for it. If there was a dog at a park, she would run toward it. She jumped without knowing where she would land. She loved adventure. I found myself mirroring her behavior after a while, jumping out of bed without a second thought. I began to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

Cinnamon unfortunately passed away after a medical accident. I’m no stranger to sadness or grief, but losing my pet so suddenly was the most confusing emotional experience I’ve had to date. She no longer wakes me up at 5 am begging for breakfast, but she’s still the reason I get up every morning.

Our time is often cut unpredictably, unmistakably short. It would be a shame to live life being anything less than brave and adventurous.

【推荐2】We are interested in the preservation of the biodiversity on Earth. What I’ve been working on is rats. Just looking at rats, you can understand continental drift and climate change. We’ve actually rediscovered rats that were thought to be extinct. Darwin was the last one to document them on the Galapagos Islands. People have gone there for hundreds of years and not seen one. In 1997, I went there with my mentor(导师) and another graduate student. Everyone thought I was crazy, why look for something that doesn’t exist? They wouldn’t even give us permits. Our plan was to stop on a beach for a day and then hike up to the top of an extinct volcano where very few people had been:We were on a picturesque, isolated beach. We set out the traps just to see what we might find. The next morning, I checked my traps! I immediately ran back to my mentor. When he looked in the mental trap—I will never forget his face--- It looked like he’d seen a ghost.

I certainly understand the argument: “ Who cares about an extinct rat?” but you have no idea what role that rat plays in that functioning ecosystem. People can appreciate beauty, so that’s why people love pandas and want to keep them around. You never hear, “What good is panda?” Ecologically, these rats are much more important to their ecosystem than those pandas--- not that I don’t love pandas but we have to look beyond the big and beautiful.

I teach conservation biology and evolution. In both you have to appeal to people asking “ Why is this important to me?” Some scientists refuse to do that. That’s my entire approach. I’ll ask “How many of you had a family member who was in a tornado, hurricane or flood?” .And almost every hand goes up. Climate change is suddenly very personal, and now they want to hear what you are saying. You are not looking for sympathy for the rats but for a greater understanding of the system.

【推荐3】Life is not so different beneath the ocean waves. Dolphins use simple tools, orcas call each other by name, sperm whales talk in local dialects. Many cetaceans（鲸目动物）live in tight-knit groups and spend a good deal of time at play.

That much scientists know. But in a new study of cetaceans－a group of animals that includes dolphins and whales—researchers created a list of intelligent behaviors observed in 90 different cetacean species, reported the Guardian. For example, the smartest cetaceans hunt in groups, share knowledge through mimicry（模仿）and even care for each other’s children. Some even consider their behavior to be human-like.

“There is the saying that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and that seems to be true for both whales and humans,” Michael Muthukrishna of the London School of Economies, co-author of the study, told the Guardian.

However, cetaceans don’t just use their brain power for survival. The study suggests that dolphins might even gossip. That’s because some species greet each other with specific whistles, just as humans greet each other by name. Sometimes, a group of dolphins whistles the “name” of a dolphin that isn’t there. Could they be speaking about their “friend” behind its back?

For the researchers, dolphin small talk is a big deal. As they found that the most social cetaceans also have the largest brains, they argue that cetacean intelligence developed to meet the demands of complex social groups. Known as the “cultural brain hypothesis（假设）,” it had only been used to explain the intelligence of humans and other primates. The new study aimed to find a common pathway（途径）for the evolution of intelligence among biologically different species.

“We don’t have to look at other planets to look for aliens, because we know that underwater there are these amazing species with so many parallels to us in their complex behaviors,” said Muthukrishna.