【推荐2】Pam is busy every day. She has two jobs and works six days a week. And she is a mother of two children. She drinks a lot of coffee. It helps her stay awake.

After work, Pam cooks dinner for herself and her children. Then she asks her children to go to sleep. She goes to bed too, but cannot get to sleep. She turns again and again, and only gets about four hours of sleep each night.

In the morning Pam is tired, so she isn't friendly to her kids. She often thinks, "I need more sleep. I want to feel good and be a kind mom. Pam asks for help on the Internet. She finds a good website with these sleep tips: Do not drink coffee; take a walk; read a book; take deep breaths (深呼吸). Pam plans to try them this week.

【推荐3】Two years ago, my family moved to a new city and I had to study in a new school. As I had few friends there, I felt lonely. Then I met Tony. The first time I saw him, he was standing in the center of a group of students telling jokes. The children around laughed from time to time. Tony knew about my problem. He asked me to play basketball with his friends and helped me with my studies. We soon became good friends.

About a year ago, however, Tony’s father was killed in an accident. As a result, his family had to move to a small house. Tony changed into a different person. He became silent and he even lost his interest in studies. Several times, I invited him to go out and play basketball with me, but he refused. I wanted to help him, but didn’t know what to do.

Then something strange happened in my class. Two classmates lost the money in their schoolbags.

Last Friday, just before the P.E. lesson, I went back to the classroom to get my running shoes I would use. The door was half open. I went in. To my astonishment, I saw Tony was searching one of my classmates’ schoolbags. I was shocked...

【推荐2】Scientists around the world are racing to create and test vaccines（疫苗）to help protect people against the COVID-19. They are making progress, and some vaccines have been ready.

There are many different ways to make vaccines. At least 115 different vaccines for the COVID-19 are being developed around the world right now. Many of them may not work or may have side effects that can be dangerous. That is why testing is very important.

Before a vaccine is ever tested on humans, it’s first tested on animals to make sure it seems safe. Testing the vaccine on humans is done in several different periods. In Period 1, a small group of people are given small amounts of the vaccine to see if it has any bad effects. Period 2 still tests the vaccine’s safety, but it’s mainly a test to see if the vaccine seems to work. If Period 2 goes well, the vaccine can begin Period 3. During Period 3, the vaccine is tried on a much larger group of people to see how well it works.

Because of the serious and worldwide influence of the COVID-19, there is huge pressure to develop a working vaccine quickly. It usually takes seven or more years to develop a safe vaccine that works well. However, Chinese scientists spent only about half a year to create working vaccines. And many people have got the vaccine so far.

【推荐3】The epidemic (疫情) has changed our lives in different ways—the way we study, work, or even how we greet each other. Now people around the world are coming up with new greetings to stay safe.

Wink (眨眼) at others

Italians often hug or kiss each other when greeting. Recently, an Italian woman has made a video to help everyone fight the disease. According to her, if you want to say hello to others, do not hug or kiss. Instead, you can wink at them with one eye. It’s a cute way of greeting.

Pat (轻拍) on the back

It’s a very normal thing to shake hands. But if you do this during the epidemic, the virus (病毒) can jump from one person to another. A health official in Australia said a pat on the back might be better. But it might not be a proper greeting for everyone. For example, it’s a bit impolite if you do this to your teacher.

Tap feet (跺脚) together

There is a new way to greet others that is now popular in Iran (伊朗), according to a popular video. In the video, three Iranian men meet and tap their feet together. They wear masks and put their hands in their pockets. It looks like they are playing a fun game. If we cannot shake hands, why not try to “shake” feet?

【推荐3】I had been in a bad mood since my new neighbor moved in. I often wrote articles on the computer as a holiday. But no sooner had I become inspired to write than I could hear a girl singing next door.     1     So it is really a noise pollution for me. Sometimes when I was about to write, she started singing. Such a thing happened over and over.     2    

One day, soon after I sat down in front of the computer, I heard the girl singing once again. I felt it was too noisy, so I had my husband go to next door and complain about the noise.

Ten minutes later, my husband came back with a sad look, saying, “That girl is only 17, but she has bone cancer (癌症). Her mother said that the more painful it is, the louder her daughter sings.” I knew the singing helped reduce her pains.

I said to my husband, “Please tell her mother that the girl can sing as she likes.     3    ”

From that day on, I no longer thought the girl did anything wrong and even got used to her singing. I felt as if it were like the smell of sunbeams and watching the flowers and plants.

I returned home in late summer or early autumn. Sitting at home, I couldn’t help feeling something wanting. Suddenly I understood that I could no longer hear the next-door girl sing.

Many years later, the girl’s singing still rose in my mind. I think now the voice is everlasting for me.