【推荐1】In a digital age, we almost never write things by hand. However, many studies have shown that writing brings lots of good.

A new brain research, led by researchers at the Norwegian University found the same result; choosing handwriting instead of using a keyboard results in better learning and memory.

“When you write your shopping list or notes by hand, you simply remember what you write better afterwards,” said Audrey Meer, the leader of the study.

The study used tools to follow and record brain wave activity. 12 young adults and 12 children took part in the study. This is the first time that children have taken part in such a study. Each person was asked to write by hand and type on a keyboard while wearing a special hat with over 250 electrodes（电极）which were used to pick up the electrical activity in their brain. Each examination took 45 minutes per person.

The results showed that the brain in both young adults and children is much more active when writing by hand than when typing on a keyboard. According to Audrey Meer, many senses are activated（激活）by pressing a pen on paper, seeing the letters written and hearing the sound made while writing. These sense experiences build connection between different parts of the brain, opening the brain up for learning.

Audrey Meer believes that the results show the importance of learning to draw and write at an early age, especially at school. “Learning to write by hand is a bit slower process, but it’s important for children to go through the tiring period of learning to write by hand,” she said.

The hand movements used to form the shapes of letters are helpful in several ways. “If you use a keyboard, you use the same movement for each letter. Writing by hand requires control of your fine motor（精细动作）skills and senses. It’s important to put the brain in a learning state as often as possible,” Audrey Meer added. For example, you might use a keyboard to write an essay, but you should take notes by hand during a class.

A．	B．
C．	D．

【推荐2】For a long time, scientists believed that only humans were left-handed or right-handed.     1     Just like people, animals prefer one side to the other.

In Ireland, scientists studied a group of cats. They gave them three tasks.     2     They found that the male cats preferred to use their left paws (爪), and the female cats preferred to use their right paws.

    3     It can include eyes, ears and even tails. In England, scientists have discovered that dogs shake their tails to the right when they see something that they like. When they see something that they don’t like, their tails go to the left.

Many people believe that polar (极地的) bears are left-handed. They say they cover their black noses with their right paws, which helps them hide in the snow when they are hunting. Then they can sneak up (偷偷走近) on a seal (海豹), their left paws will be free to catch it. Scientists, however, disagree. Some have watched polar bears for thousands of hours. They never saw the bears cover their noses during a hunt.     4     Without taking any notice of this, many websites continue to say that polar bears are left-handed.

    5     The next time you see an animal, whether it’s your pet cat or an elephant, try figuring out yourself which it prefers—left or right.

【推荐3】So, have you ever stepped back and wondered what your voice sounds like to other people? Your friends and family can probably tell who you are just by the sound of your voice. And it turns out that it says a lot about us.

• Your voice tells how social you are

    1    . Outgoing people prefer to talk loudly, quickly, and excitedly. Introverts (内向的人) prefer to speak quietly and more slowly. So, if you’re that loud person at a party, you’ll probably find that all eyes are on you. However, introverts won’t possibly be at that party at all.

• Your voice says something about your height

This may sound strange, but if people close their eyes and hear you speak, they can probably tell if you’re tall or short.     2    , while shorter people are considered to have a higher voice. This is true for both men and women.

•     3    

If you’ve noticed a lot of changes in a person’s voice—the speed at which they talk, the tone and pitch of their (语气和音调) voice, or whether their voice has become quieter-they may have Parkinson’s disease. These changes can happen in die voice because of the tremors (震颤) that a patient would be experiencing.

• Your voice can tell how successful you are

Successful people’s voices tend to be of a lower, warmer tone. Their words come out calmly without showing too many emotions, and their vocal cords (声带) won’t be tight.     4    , but not so loudly that they’re unpleasant to listen to.

【推荐2】What is time? Is it a thing to be saved or spent or wasted, like money? Or is it something we have no control over, like the weather? Is it the same all over the world? That’s an easy question. A minute is 60 seconds, an hour is 60 minutes, and so forth. Well, maybe. But in America, “Time is money.”

Because Americans believe time is a limited resource, they try to keep and manage it. People in the US often attend meetings or read books on time management. It seems that they all want to organize their time better. People try their best to press more life out of their time.

To Americans, being on time is a way of showing respect for other people’s time. Being more than 10 minutes late usually calls for an apology and an explanation. People who are running late often call ahead to let others know that they can’t be on time. Of course, the less formal(正式的), the less important it is to be exactly on time. At informal get-togethers, for example.

American lifestyles show how much people respect the time of others. When people plan an event, they often set the time days or weeks before it. Once the time is fixed, it is almost impossible to change it. If people want to come to your house for a friendly visit, people seldom call others late at night for fear they might be in bed. The time may be different, but most people think twice about calling after 10:00 pm.

Even Americans would agree that no one can master time. Time, like money, slips all too easily through our fingers. And time is very hard to predict. However, time is one of life’s most valuable gifts.

【推荐3】As we all know, the 19th Asian Games closed on Oct 8. Over the 16-day Games, around 12,000 athletes from 45 countries and areas shared unforgettable times in Hangzhou. It is the third time that China has hosted an Asian event, following Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.

The Hangzhou Asian Games had 40 sports, 61 disciplines and 481 events. At the top of the medal record, China got 201 golds, 111 silvers and 71 bronzes. In the closing ceremony, the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium turned into a great garden with flowers made with AR visual (视觉) effects. The digital torchbearer (火炬手) was last seen in the opening ceremony, where it lit the cauldron (主火炬). And now it also returned to say goodbye. OCA acting president Raja Randhir Singh said that Hangzhou was “the perfect host that the OCA will never forget”. 

“We have achieved the most successful Asian Games in history,” said Chen Weiqiang from the organizing committee. Chen said the Hangzhou Asian Games brought together Hangzhou’s history, innovation (创新) and life. It is an important chance for the city to “take off”.

【推荐1】All plants and animals are connected and depend upon one another. These connections create a web of different types of life that are able to protect themselves from damage.

However, population growth and climate change are leading to less biodiversity(生态多样性) and putting humans in danger.

So what can we do to help protect biodiversity and our environment?

*Be an informed consumer(有见识的用户)

Avoid buying from companies that do damage to the environment. Remember, companies will sell what people want to buy, so tell companies that you want products that do not hurt our planet.

*Follow the “Three Rs”

The less garbage you throw away, the less likely it is that natural habitats(栖息地) will be used for landfills(垃圾填埋). Try to follow the “Three Rs” to produce as little waste as possible.

Reduce: Don’t buy products you don’t need. When you do buy things, try to make choices that lead to a smaller amount of garbage. For example, buy things with a little bit of packaging or none at all.

Reuse: Throw fewer goods away by using things more than once. One easy example is taking a reusable bag to the grocery store.

Recycle: When you do have to throw something away, recycle it so it can be made into something useful again.

*________

Fossil fuels(化石燃料) are bad for the environment. The climate change they cause also leads to habitat loss for endangered animals. So reducing carbon emissions(碳排放) is one effective way to protect biodiversity. You could start by using less energy: Walk or ride your bike instead of driving, and think about green energy like solar power.

【推荐2】Online classes

Taking online classes is becoming increasingly popular, but students have different opinions about it.

【推荐3】According to a new survey, students’ safety has become a big problem. Nearly 50% of the students say they are worried about robbery on the way to and from school. Now in big cities in China, some schools have taught an unusual lesson: self-protection.     1    . And they can learn how to save lives and knowhow to stop danger before it really happens.

Chen Haoyu, a teacher in a middle school, gives young students advice on how to deal with danger.

If you are robbed

Keep calm. If you cannot cry for help or run away, give the robber your money.     2    .

If you are in a traffic accident

    3    . If it is a bicycle, try to call your parents before you let the rider go.This is because you don’t know how seriously you are hurt.

If it is raining hard and there is lightning

Don’t stay in high places and stay away from trees.

    4    

Get away as fast as you can. Put wet things on your body and try to find an exit(出口). Do not take the lift.

Remember that danger is never as far away as you think. Take care of yourself at all times!

【推荐2】Many Chinese know Zhong Nanshan as the hero who beat SARS in 2003. People share his pictures and words online, saying they believe every word Zhong says. He has given Chinese people confidence in winning this fight.

A great doctor

Zhong grew up in a family of doctors. His goal has always been to save as many lives as possible. In 2003, when SARS hit China, he volunteered to treat patients. After months of hard work, his treatment plan for SARS was used by China and then the whole world. It saved thousands of lives. As Zhong once said, “The hospitals are our battlefield (战场). When we’re needed, we should charge forward.”

Back to the front line

17 years later, the 84-year old Zhong is once again leading an expert team to deal with the COVID-19. Although this new virus is more dangerous to old people, Zhong worries little about his own safety.

On Jan. 18, he took a high speed train from Guangzhou to Wuhan. Two days later, he became the first expert to tell the public that the virus could go from person to person. On Jan 29, he and his team spent over four hours online checking five patients. The next day, he chose a treatment plan. Under his lead, his team developed a rapid test kit (试剂盒) for the disease that can show results within 15 minutes.

As People’s Daily wrote, “Zhong Nanshan shows his professionalism (专业性) as a doctor, courage as a soldier, and sense of duty as the backbone (脊梁) of our nation.”