3 . Researchers found that sleep deprivation（剥夺）has something with overeating. They studied 17 healthy men and women for 11 days and nights in a lab, where researchers recorded their every movement and recorded everything they ate. That way, researchers could make calculations of how much energy the participants were taking in and how much they were burning off through activities.

After a three-day baseline period, one group was freely assigned to sleep and wake whenever they wanted for eight days, while another was woken up after only two-thirds of their usual sleep time—that amounted to about 80 minutes less sleep per night on average. The group that experienced such restricted sleep tended to eat more the following day, adding 549 extra calories to their usual diet, while those who slept as much as they wanted ate about the same on each of the eight experiment days as they did during the three-day baseline period.

The poorly sleeping group was likely to gain weight over the long term, if their sleep was continually restricted, since they didn't burn any more calories than their better sleeping counterparts. That may help explain why previous studies have found that shift workers who work at night and sleep during the day tend to gain more weight than day workers: their disturbed sleep pattern may enhance them to eat more while they don't expend any more energy to work off the added calories.

Therefore, it's important for people to remember that the relationship between sleep, eating and weight is a complex one. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep each night may play an important role in regulating how much we eat and how many calories we burn, and it may also help determine when we eat. Eating when we should be sleeping may increase the risk of weight gain, as the body is more likely to turn nighttime calories into fat rather than burning them off.

4 . Masks that helped save lives are proving a deadly danger for wildlife, with birds and sea creatures trapped in the shocking number of thrown-away facial coverings. Single-use masks have been found around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide. Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose. “Face masks aren't going away any time soon—but when we throw them away, these items can harm the environment and the animals,” Ashley Fruno of animal rights group PETA said.

In Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA after its legs became tangled in the straps of a mask for up to a week. The animal welfare charity took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.

The biggest impact may be in the water. More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world's oceans last year, accounting for around 6,200 extra tonnes of ocean plastic pollution, according to environmental group Oceans Asia.

Conservationists in Brazil found one mask inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach, while a dead pufferfish was discovered caught inside another off the coast of Miami. French campaigners found a dead crab trapped in a mask near the Mediterranean. Masks and gloves are “particularly problematic” for sea creatures, says George Leonard, chief scientist from NGO Ocean Conservancy. “When those plastics break down in the environment, they then enter the food chain and impact entire ecosystems.” he added.

There has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic has worn on, but many are still using the lighter single-use varieties. Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and cut the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped. Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.

5 . New York Walking Tour

♦Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Walking Tour

Start this exciting guided 4-hour tour by getting early Reserve Line Access boarding on the ferry to Liberty Island. Once there, go inside the base of the statue and head to the observation decks for an awesome view of New York City and its surroundings. Then come back on the ferry to Ellis Island to learn about the history of immigration to America that took place here between 1892 and 1954.

♦Central Park Walking Tour

Walk through Central Park’s most picturesque highlights on a 2-hour tour with a professional photographer. Remember your New York City adventure with unforgettable images of you with family or friends as you circle the towers at Belvedere Castle, walk through paths with flowers in the Conservatory Garden, or feed the swans by the Loeb Boathouse.

♦New York City Architecture Walking Tour

Learn about the history of the buildings that define the New York City skyline on a 3-hour walking architecture tour. Walk down the famous 42nd Street corridor with a longtime New York resident and architectural expert, stopping along the way to learn about Midtown Manhattan’s most iconic structures like the Chrysler Building, Ford Foundation, Grand Central Station and the New York Public Library.

♦Greenwich Village Walking Tour

Greenwich Village is one of New York City’s most beautiful and famous neighborhoods. Take a guided 3-hour walking tour of this legendary Lower Manhattan space. Hear about the famous artists who once lived here, from Edgar Allan Poe to Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and countless others. Walk the winding streets and visit popular Washington Square Park, reliving more than 200 years of history.

6 . Confused by food nutrition labels? You’re not alone. Now, researchers have suggested an alternative: labelling the amount and type of exercise needed to burn off the calories.

Current food and drink labels display nutritional information such as the amount of calories and fat. However, researchers led by Prof. Amanda Daley at Loughborough University say that these labels are having a limited effect on changing buying habits. Instead, they propose a labelling system called ‘physical activity calorie equivalent or expenditure’ (PACE) (体育活动热量当量), which shows how many minutes or miles of physical activity are needed to burn off the calories. For example, a small bar of milk chocolate contains 230 calories, which would take about 42 minutes of walking, or 22 minutes of running, to burn off.

They pooled the data from 14 previous studies which compared the impact of PACE labelling with that of other types of food labelling, or with no food labelling at all. They calculated that PACE labelling could cut a person’s daily calorie intake by up to 200 calories. “Public health agencies may want to consider the possibility of including policies to promote PACE food labelling as a strategy that contributes to the prevention and treatment of obesity (肥胖) and related diseases,” said the researchers.

The UK’s Royal Society for Public Health has already called for PACE labelling to replace the current system. However, not everyone is convinced. A spokesperson for the eating disorder charity Beat said: “We believe that anti-obesity campaigns that focus on weight instead of health are ineffective and that recommending more exercise is an ineffective and over-simplistic approach to a complex problem. Most urgently, public health campaigns must consider people’s mental as well as their physical health, moving from obesity-shaming to evidence-based campaigns that build confidence and support healthy eating.”

7 . Do you remember what happened on Sponge Bob Square Pants yesterday? The day before? If so, you may be in need of a TV timeout!

Kids today are watching more TV than they watched before, researchers say. Kids ages 6 to 11 in the United States watch more than three hours of TV each day. Ten years ago, children watched only about two hours and 40 minutes of TV each day.

Why the increase? Experts say more TV shows today are focused, or aimed, at kids.

Some people want to limit kids' TV time. Researchers say that children who watch TV shows for more than three hours a day do not do as well in school. However, some programs can help kids learn. One example is BrainSurge. Some people say the show teaches kids facts.

How do you know whether a TV show can make you smart? Think about what you learn from watching, says Aletha Huston. She is a TV expert. But, she warns, don't spend too much time watching. “Limit the amount you watch. Get off the couch and do something else.”

TV Guide

This pie chart shows how long kids ages 6－11 use different types of TV technology each week.

9 . Chinese sword play

Learn Chinese swordsmanship and practice Chinese sword play under the instruction of a professional in Ditan Park every Sunday afternoon.

Fee: 60 yuan(US$ 7.2)

Time/Date: 2 pm --- 3:30 pm, October 10.

Place: Meet at the south gate of Ditan Park, across the overpass north of the Lama Temple, Chaoyang District.

Tel: 8457-2772

See Lu Xun’s former residence

Visit the museum and former residence of Lu Xun, the father of Chinese modern literature, and learn about this period of Chinese history, from 1910 to the late 1930’s.

Fee: 50 yuan(US$ 6)

Time/Date: 2:30 pm --- 4:30 pm, October 16

Place: Meet in front of Lu Xun’s Museum, Fuchengmennei Dajie, Xicheng District

Tel: 6432-9341

Hike on Heifengkou Great Wall

Heifengkou Great Wall is about one and a half hours’ drive north of Beijing. The hike starts from the village at the foot of the mountain where the Great Wall meanders to the top.

Fee: 150 yuan(US$ 18) for adults, 100 yuan(US$ 12) for kids under 12.

Time/Date: 8:30 am —5:30 pm, October 16

Pick-up: Meet at 8:30 am in front of the Big Easy, at the South Gate of Chaoyang Park, returning by 5:30 pm.

Contact Lucy at lucy @ highclub. cn, or 6553-3920 for signing up.

Tai Chi class

This is a beginner’s level of Chen-style Tai Chi class, instructed by Paul Wang, who speaks excellent English and has a lot of experience teaching Westerners. He is the 12^th generation master of Chen-Style Tai Chi, Tai Chi Sword, and Shaolin Temple longquan.

Time/Date: 10 am — 11:30 am, October 12, 19

Fee: 60 yuan(US$ 7.2)

Place: In front of Jintai Gallery, inside the West Gate of Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6432-9341

Contact Gina at linshujuan@chinadaily. com. cn.

10 . Eve was having a party! She had been given a karaoke set for her birthday, so she invited all her friends round for a special competition evening. The best singer would win a prize of a huge box of her delicious cookies.

Everyone came along: Helen, Jane, and Peter, who looked a bit nervous. “Don’t worry, Peter. We’re only here to have some fun,” said Eve kindly. Jane was first up on stage (舞台). The minute she began to sing, everyone could tell she’d been practicing! Next, it was Helen’s turn. Her voice was not as strong as Jane’s, but she had a great sense of rhythm (节奏) and seemed to enjoy being on stage. All the girls took their turn singing. There were a few wrong notes, but all in all, everyone had a wonderful time.

“Come on, Peter. It’s your go now!” said the girls. But Peter shook his head. “No thanks. I’d be totally hopeless!” he said. “If you like, we can sing together. It won’t be as scary (可怕的) that way!” offered Eve. Peter gave in. He and Eve shared the microphone (话筒) and they began to sing a rock song. At first, you could hardly hear the voice of the shy boy but slowly, encouraged by his friends, he forgot his stage nervousness. Soon, Peter was holding the microphone on his own and singing his heart out! His singing was a bit off-key (走调的), but he made up for that by his performance. He danced around the stage like a real rock star!

At the end of the song, the girls all cheered. Eve stepped forward and handed him the big box of home-made cookies. “Peter, we all agree that you’ve won the prize!” she said. “OK, you may not exactly sing like an angel, but you really know how to put on a show!”