1 . I never knew anyone who’d grown up in Jackson without being afraid of Mrs. Calloway our librarian. She ran Jackson’s Carnegie Library absolutely by herself. SILENCE in big black letters was on signs hung everywhere. If she thought you were dressed improperly, she sent you straight back home to change your clothes. I was willing;I would do anything to read.

My mother was not afraid of Mrs. Calloway. She wished me to have my own library card to check out books for myself, She took me in to introduce me. “Eudora is nine years old and has my permission to read any book she wants from the shelves, children or adults,” Mother said.

Mrs. Calloway made her own rules about books. You could not take back a book to the library on the same day you`d taken it out;it made no difference to her that you’d read every word in it and needed another to start. You could take out two books at a time and two only. So two by two, I read library books as fast as I could go, rushing them home in the basket of my bicycle. From the minute I reached our house, I started to read. I knew this was extreme happiness, knew it at the time.

My mother shared this feeling of mine. Now, I think of her as reading so much of the time while doing something else. I remember her reading a magazine while taking the part of the Wolf in a game of “Little Red Riding Hood” with my brother’s two daughters. She’d just look up at the right time, long enough to answer– in character –“The better to eat you with, my dear,” and go back to her place in the magazine article.

2 . Live with roommates? Have friends and family around you? Chances are that if you’re looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle, not everyone around you will be ready to jump on that bandwagon.

I experienced this when I started switching to a zero waste lifestyle five years ago, as I was living with my parents, and I continue to experience this with my husband, as he is not completely zero waste like me. I’ve learned a few things along the way though, which I hope you’ll find encouraging if you’re doing your best to figure out how you can make the change in a not-always-supportive household.

Zero waste was a radical lifestyle movement a few years back. I remember showing my parents a video of Bea Johnson, sharing how cool I thought it would be to buy groceries with jars, and have so little trash! A few days later, I came back with my first jars of zero waste groceries, and my dad commented on how silly it was for me to carry jars everywhere. It came off as a bit discouraging.

Yet as the months of reducing waste continued, I did what I could that was within my own reach. I had my own bedroom, so I worked on removing things I didn’t need. Since I had my own toiletries (洗漱用品), I was able to start personalising my routine to be more sustainable. I also offered to cook every so often, so I portioned out a bit of the cupboard for my own zero waste groceries. Perhaps your household won’t entirely make the switch, but you may have some control over your own personal spaces to make the changes you desire.

As you make your lifestyle changes, you may find yourself wanting to speak up for yourself if others comment on what you’re doing, which can turn itself into a whole household debate. If you have individuals who are not on board, your words probably won’t do much and can often leave you feeling more discouraged.

So here is my advice: Lead by action.

What was the attitude of the author’s father toward buying groceries with jars?

3 . Live with roommates? Have friends and family around you? Chances are that if you’re looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle, not everyone around you will be ready to jump on that bandwagon.

I experienced this when I started switching to a zero waste lifestyle five years ago, as I was living with my parents, and I continue to experience this with my husband, as he is not completely zero waste like me. I’ve learned a few things along the way though, which I hope you’ll find encouraging if you’re doing your best to figure out how you can make the change in a not-always-supportive household.

Zero waste was a radical lifestyle movement a few years back. I remember showing my parents a video of Bea Johnson, sharing how cool I thought it would be to buy groceries with jars, and have so little trash! A few days later, I came back with my first jars of zero waste groceries, and my dad commented on how silly it was for me to carry jars everywhere. It came off as a bit discouraging.

Yet as the months of reducing waste continued, I did what I could that was within my own reach. I had my own bedroom, so I worked on removing things I didn’t need. Since I had my own toiletries (洗漱用品), I was able to start personalising my routine to be more sustainable. I also offered to cook every so often, so I portioned out a bit of the cupboard for my own zero waste groceries. Perhaps your household won’t entirely make the switch, but you may have some control over your own personal spaces to make the changes you desire.

As you make your lifestyle changes, you may find yourself wanting to speak up for yourself if others comment on what you’re doing, which can turn itself into a whole household debate. If you have individuals who are not on board, your words probably won’t do much and can often leave you feeling more discouraged.

So here is my advice: Lead by action.

What can we infer about the author?

5 . Going to school can be a demanding obstacle for many, but some people are well prepared for the challenge. For Dylan Kuehl, being a student has been a challenging joy. The 38-year-old has had a passion for studying, and believes that the more he learns, the more he learns to see the world differently. This open-minded approach and enthusiastic mindset are all the most inspiring as Kuehl has Down syndrome (唐氏综合征).

He knows the struggle of breaking new ground from a lifetime of experience of being different. He has sustained his ability to shine as a unique individual by graduating from The Evergreen State College in Washington State. Kuehl is the first person with Down syndrome in the college’s 51-year history to earn a four-year degree. Not only that, but this also makes him the first person with Down syndrome in Washington state to achieve this remarkable milestone.

Kuehl’s passion for creativity led him to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree. He enjoyed classes in painting and dance as part of his curriculum, but his primary focus was writing. Out of 900 graduates, he was one of three to be selected to give an address at the graduation ceremony.

“Celebrate your abilities,” Kuehl tells his fellow students in his speech. “Live your life with ambition and pride.” We can all take a leaf out of this inspiring man’s book which is about enthusiasm, positivity, determination and a whole lot of motivating hard work.

Aside from graduating college, Kuehl is also an entrepreneur (企业家). He started his own visual and performing arts company called DK Arts in 2005, where he sells his own artwork and glass jewelry. He plays the drums in a band called Living the Dream, advocating for inclusion through his music.

6 . A new research has found that comedy doesn’t just make us feel good — it actually has the power to improve health. A recent study was conducted to test whether or not “laughter therapy (疗法)”could help people who have heart disease.

The study involved 26 adults, with an average age of 64. They all had coronary artery (冠状动脉) disease, which happens when the supply of blood to the heart is held up by plaque (斑块)   that grows in the coronary arteries, the big tubes that send blood to the heart. Over three months, 13 of the adults were asked to watch two-hour-long comedy shows every week. The other 13 were asked to watch two documentary films on serious topics like politics and the Amazon rainforest. Then, the participants were examined by doctors.

The first group that watched comedy showed a big improvement in the amount of oxygen which we breathe in to survive and that the heart could pump around the body. Their arteries also got better at expanding, which meant that more blood could flow through them. There was less plaque in the arteries afterward too, cutting the person’s risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

The study was led by Marco Saffi, a professor at a hospital, who said laughter helps the heart because it releases chemicals in the body called endorphins. They reduce inflammation, which can lead to heart disease, and help the heart relax.

Having a good laugh also reduces levels of stress hormones (荷尔蒙). Stress hormones are the body’s natural alarm system, which kicks in if a person is in a tense situation. They’re great for helping people cope with danger, but they can put a strain on the heart if they stay in a person’s system for too long.

Saffi thinks the results show “laughter therapy” could be used to treat patients at the risk of heart problems. He said, “It does not have to be TV programs — people with heart disease could be invited to comedy evenings or encouraged to enjoy fun evenings with friends and family.”

7 . Popular Libraries in the World

The idea of a public library — where anyone in the community is trusted to borrow books, often for long stretches of time, for free — is fairly magical. Some of the libraries in the world are pretty popular now.

The British Library, London, the UK

The British Library is comparable to the Library of Congress in terms of the size of their holdings, many of which are unique. According to its annual report, the British Library welcomes millions of visitors every year, but the figure in 2016-2017 represents a small but disappointing reduction in the overall visitor numbers.

The State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

According to its annual report, the State Library of Victoria’s visitors broke the 2 million in 2016-2017 visit record for the first time in its history, making it the busiest library in Australia. It also recorded many online visits, accessed collection items and uses of digitized collection items.

The New York Public Library, New York, the USA

The New York Public Library reports that it has hosted millions of visitors and circulated large numbers of items over their locations. According to a press, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building — the main branch of the library — yearly receives the greatest number of visitors.

The National Library of China, Beijing, China

Established as the Imperial Library of Peking in 1909, the National Library of China is now the largest library in Asia, with holdings of over 30 million items. The library’s annual report puts its total visitors across multiple locations at several million every year.