【推荐1】One way that scientists (科学家) learn about man is by studying animals．In this lab, the scientists are studying the relationship between diet and health．

They are studying the relationship between the amount (数量) of food the mice eat and their health．The mice are in three groups．All three groups are receiving the same healthy food．The first group is eating one cup of food each day, the second group is eating two cups, and the third group is eating three cups．

After three years, the healthiest group is the one that is only eating one cup of food each day．The mice in this group are a little thinner. But they are more active．Most of the day, they are running, playing with one another．Also, they are living longer．Mice usually live for two years．Most of the mice in this group are still alive after three years．

The second group of mice is healthy, too．They are active, but not as active as the thinner mice．They are only living about two years．

The last group of mice is receiving more food than the other two groups．Most of the day, these mice are eating or sleeping．They are not very active．These mice are living longer than the scientists thought－about a year and a half．But they are not healthy．They are sick more often than the other two groups．

【推荐2】Has anyone ever told you that eating carrots will help you see in the dark? This is just one of many incorrect beliefs you may have heard. Below, we have picked out scientific explanations for three mistakes that people make about their eyes. Let’s take a look.

Can eating carrots improve your eyesight?

Carrots are rich in vitamin A, which helps the eyes to turn light into information for your brain. This allows people to see in darker places. However, eating more carrots won’t help you see better. A certain minimum amount will help, but a large number of carrots will not give you superhuman vision.

If your parents have bad eyesight, will you have bad eyesight, too?

Myopia (近视) can be passed from parents to children. A study by the American Optometric Association found that if both parents are myopic, there’s a 33 to 60 percent chance that their child will be. For children who have one parent with myopia, the chance is 23 to 40 percent, and it’s down to 6 to 15 percent for kids with non-myopic parents. So if your eyesight is bad, your children might still have good vision.

Do color blind people see the world in black and white?

Color blindness doesn’t usually mean that people see the world like an old movie. They usually can’t tell certain colors apart, especially green and red. Another commonly confused pair of colors is yellow and blue. Our eyes have cone cells (视锥细胞) that sense different wavelengths (波长) of light. If these cells don’t work properly, color blindness occurs. There are different levels of color blindness. Some people are only color blind in low light. However, in the most serious form of color blindness, everything is shades of gray.

【推荐3】You may think that having less water is related to having less rain, but it is now a problem in southern China, an area in which it rains often.

In December 2021, the government said that Shenzhen was facing its most serious water shortage (短缺) ever. Other cities in the southern part of China, like Chengdu and Guangzhou, are also becoming “thirsty” despite having more rain and being close to more rivers and lakes, The Paper reported. So why are they still short on water?

In these big cities, populations are growing fast. As a result, people and factories need more water. Climate (气候) change is making the water problem worse. Most cities in Guangdong province depend on the Dongjiang River as their main source of water. In 2021, the river was reported to be drying up. Water pollution also makes it harder to get clean drinking water. Factories and farms don’t use water well. Some cities have enough rain but don’t have big lakes or reservoirs (水库) to store water, so the water goes out into the sea.

But there is a hidden water resource right under our feet. That’s “groundwater (地下水)”. We can’t see it. However, it plays an important role in our lives. About 98 percent of Earth’s fresh water is groundwater. It is 60 times as plentiful (丰富的) as the fresh water in lakes and rivers. But in many places, people overuse and pollute groundwater. We should pay more attention to this hidden water resource (资源).

【推荐1】After watching the movie HI, MOM, Qiu Jinwei drove to Xiangyang on February 12. He and his family took photos at the factory where the movie was made. All the buildings are in the way of 1980s in China. There are red brick houses, old stores, dining hall, public shower and basketball court. Qiu grew up in a factory like it. To him, everything here looked so familiar (熟悉的). Like Qiu, thousands of visitors came here after watching HI, MOM.

In the movie, Jia Xiaoling, a high school student, and her mother, Li Huanying were hit by a truck. Mother was badly hurt. While she was in hospital, Jia mysteriously (神秘地) travels to 1981 when her mother was in her 20s. Jia wanted to make her mom happy by buying her a television and helping her to win a big volleyball match. However, Jia felt very sorry because she couldn’t help her mom live a happy life. Mom said her big dream was her future daughter would be healthy and happy. In fact, this movie is to remember the director’s mother who died in an accident. Although the movie is kind of comedy, the stories in it are very moving. Many people couldn’t help crying while watching.

Because of the movie, many people came to the old house. They, their family or relatives ever worked there. Of course this brought a lot of money to Xiangyang.

【推荐2】There are many differences between Chinese eating habits and Western eating habits. In the West, everyone has their own plate of food. But in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares. If you are being treated by a Chinese host, there must be a lot of food prepared for you. Chinese are very proud of their culture. They will do their best to show their hospitality(好客).

And sometimes the Chinese hosts use their chopsticks to put food in your bowl or plate. This is a sign of politeness. The proper thing to do would be to eat the whatever-it-is and say how delicious it is. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can just say a polite “Thanks” and leave the food there. Don’t stick your chopsticks upright into the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when people die, family members give them a bowl of rice with a pair of chopsticks sticking upright in it. It is impolite to set the teapot down where the spout (壶嘴) is facing towards somebody. The spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table.

Don’t hit on your bowl with your chopsticks. Beggars (乞丐) hit on their bowls, so this is not polite. Also, when the food is coming too slowly in a restaurant, people will tap(轻敲) their bowls. If you are in someone’s home, it is like offending(冒犯) the cook.

【推荐3】When we think about the deserts of the world, water abundance(资源丰富)is one of the last things that come to mind. But that might change for the Taklamakan Desert (塔克拉玛干沙漠) in China.

There is a huge underground sea that has more water than all of the great lakes in total in North America. "People have never dared to imagine so much water under the sand before, "said Professor Li Yan.

A basin is, a valley (山谷）that usually collects water from the mountain drainage systems(山脉排水系统), like water that has melted and is running down from nearby, snow-covered mountains. But, if you look at the Tarim (塔里木)basin, you won't see any water.

That's partly because local people collect most of the melt water to irrigate crops. The rest either seeps into the ground or evaporates into the dry desert air.

So how did this desert have such huge water? It dates back to (追溯到)2,000 years ago when farmers in the region began irrigating the land. And the soil of the local farmlands is salty, like the sea. "As a result, agricultural development over human history has enhanced the carbon sink," they write in their report.

They estimate(估计)that as much as 10 times the amount in all of the great lakes could be down there. The scientists don't advise locals to go digging for it, though, because it's extremely salty sea water.

【推荐3】

The traditional Chinese calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. In China, the 24 solar terms were created thousands of years ago to guide agricultural (农业的) production. But solar term culture is still useful today to guide people’s lives through cultural activities.

Great Heat, the 12th solar term of year, began this year on July 22 and ended on August 6. During Great Heat, most parts of China enter the hottest season of the year. Here is something you should know about Great Heat.

Great Heat is a season of harvesting (收割). During this time, the sunshine, high temperatures, and heavy rainfall are good for the plants. But many natural disasters also happen. So, it’s important to harvest and plant in time.

Sending the Great Heat ship is a tradition in Taizhou. The ship is full of all kinds of meat. More than 50 fishermen take turns carrying the ship as they walk through the streets. The ship will finally be pulled out of the port and burned at sea. People believe that is a symbol of good harvests and health.

Great Heat is a season with most crickets (蝶蜂) in the countryside. Cricket fighting is a popular game for some people in China during this period. The custom dates back over 1,000 years ago.

People in different places enjoy different food. For example, in southern Shandong, people would like to drink mutton soup. Grass jelly is very popular in Guangdong because there is a saying “Eating grass jelly in Great Heat will make you stay young”.

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