1 . My 12-year-old daughter, Lauren, came home from school yesterday, proudly waving her grade book to me. She had been awarded A-1 in most subjects such as mathematics, language arts and science—a great achievement! Then she sadly pointed out that her perfect score was damaged by a B-1 in French and a C-1 in Physical Education.

I asked her what the scores meant. She said that the letter showed the achievement(成绩) and the number showed the effort. That moment I realized that the grades were misleading. I reached out my hands and gave her a big hug and told her in my mind she had a perfect score. It didn’t matter that her grade in French was a “B”—the “l” showed that she had tried her best. That is something to make any parent proud.

Everybody is different. Everybody has different potential(潜能). Not all of us will become linguists(语言学家) or sports stars. But without 100％effort no potential can be achieved. If I see a salesperson fail at sales, the first thing I want to examine is the effort being put in. If there is a problem with effort, the salesperson has no future. But if I see a salesperson isn’t successful with l00％effort, he or she is worth my effort in helping. Maybe a bit of training or some advice from a more successful person will help. I know that 100％effort, focus in the right direction, will always bring a result whether that is an “A” or a “C”. As long as you make 100％effort, you are great.

2 . A new study found evidence that dogs developed in physical ways to present “puppy dog eyes” as a way to help connect with humans.

The study compared the facial muscles(肌肉) of dogs and wolves, which share ancestral history. Dogs broke off from wolves after being domesticated (驯化) about 33, 000 years ago. During that time dogs changed physically and behaviorally to adapt to life with humans.

The researchers examined the heads of six dogs and two wolves for comparison. They found the facial structures of both animals were mostly very similar. But one major difference was found above the eyes. The dogs were found to have two well-formed muscles around the eye that were not present in the wolves. These small muscles permit dogs to raise their inner eyebrows, the study found.

Juliane Kaminski, a comparative psychologist from the research suggests this eyebrow-rising movement causes “a warm” feelings in humans because it makes the dogs’ eyes appear larger. This expression also makes the dog look more like a human baby. The eye movement is similar to that which humans make when they are sad.

“The evidence is very obvious that dogs developed a muscle to raise the inner eyebrows after they were domesticated from wolves, ” Kaminski said.

In a separate part of the study, the researchers observed how 27 dogs and nine wolves interacted with a human. “We also studied dogs’ and wolves’ behavior. And when exposed to a human for two minutes, dogs raised their inner eyebrows more and higher than wolves,” Kaminski said.

The researchers suggest that the eye movements developed over time as a way for dogs to get humans to do things for them, such as giving them food, care or attention.

The only dog species in the study that did not have the muscles was the Siberian husky, which is an ancient kind of dog. The husky could be the best living example of what the link between dogs, and wolves looked like.

3 . Sleeping is important, but we all know that, right? Many people have experienced strange sleeping patterns, unusual dreams and a feeling of restlessness and sleepiness during the coronavirus lockdown, despite a good night’s sleep. So what sort of things can help you to improve your sleep?

Wrong Habits

Many myths related to sleep can be quite damaging for our health. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher famously claimed that she only hit the sack for five hours a night. But according to experts this is harmful to health.

Likewise, falling asleep in front of the TV is another thing to avoid. The bright lights can prevent you from entering deep sleep.

Wrong Ways to Help Go to Sleep

From a young age we’re told to count sheep to help us to nod off, with some choosing to stay in bed to battle with insomnia (失眠). However, some experts advise getting up and doing something mindless, like folding socks, to help us get in the mood to catch forty winks.

Psychologist Seth J. Gillihan PhD. recommends walking to help in the battle against insomnia. He talks about a sleep study published in the journal Sleep Health which suggests that those who walk slightly more will experience better quality and length of sleep. Watching what you eat or drink can also improve the amount of REM, or rapid eye movement you experience.

Snoring (打鼾)Can be Dangerous

If you’re a snorer, you might also want to take note. While most breathing noisily is harmless, it could be a sign of sleep apnoea, with people suffering from the condition more likely to have strokes or heart attacks, irregular heartbeats or high blood pressure.

A Short Sleep during the Day May Refresh You

Finally, decent nap, or even- power nap, can help you to be more alert, calm and focused. So while there are some good tips like exercising or folding socks to help us get a good night’s sleep, sometimes a good afternoon’s sleep can help us deal with the day ahead.

4 . We all know that friends are special people who we share our lives with, and who share their lives with us in return. But seeking friends and keeping the friendship going are never easy.

According to research recently published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, the key is to use “we-talk”.

Led by University of California psychologist Megan Robbins and her colleague, the researchers reviewed and analyzed 30 different studies involving over 5,000 participants. This largest-ever analysis “we-talk” suggested that the frequent use of “we” and “us” is linked to happier and healthier relationships.

The word “we” moves people from an individual position into a partnership, which makes us more interdependent. “The pronouns offer an insight into whether people see themselves as individuals or as part of a whole… Word use is a window into what people are thinking and feeling without asking them,” Robbins told Science Daily.

Their research also found that “we-talk” is helpful for solvi ng conflicts. “The primary point is that interdependence may bring about supportive and relationship-centered behaviors and positive perceptions of the partner—especially important in times of stress and conflict,” according to a statement released by Robbins’ lab.

US-based magazine Psychology Today used the word “union” to describe the impact on a partner upon hearing “we-talk”.

Contrary to “we-talk”. there is “I-talk”, which refers to the frequent use of first-person-singular pronouns, such as “I”, “me” and “mine”, when writing or speaking.

Earlier this year, researchers from the University of Arizona, US, analyzed set of data that came from 4.700 people in Germany and the US. They found that too much “I-talk” was an accurate linguistic marker for the likelihood that someone is feeling stressed or experiencing negative emotions.

“If you are speaking in a personal context—so you’re speaking about something that’s of relevance to you”, lead researcher Allison Tackman told The Independent. “But if you’re communicating in a context that’s more impersonal, such as describing a picture, we did not see the relationship emerge.”

As you can see from the two studies, too much “I-talk” can make you feel depressed. But “we-talk” can encourage you to become more positive and create a chain effect of healthy interdependence with others.

So next time you’re talking to a friend, try using more “we-talk”. You may find yourself feeling more positive and the effect it will have on your friend will be positive as well.

5 . It was in my first year of work as a doctor. My mouth was dry, my palms sweaty and my voice trembling. The only thing that kept me focused was the thought that things were so much worse for the family I was talking to.

A woman in her early twenties had been brought in after a road traffic accident. She had suffered multiple injuries and had been rushed up to theatre. The surgeons had been unable to save her life and she died on the table. Ashen-faced, the consultant (会诊医生) told the woman's family the news. “Tom, I think it would be nice if it came from you,” my consultant said.

I stared blankly. “What?” I asked.

“About organ donation,” he replied. I swallowed hard. Surely this would be the last thing they'd want to talk about. It felt acutely awkward and ill-timed to be considering this kind of conversation while they were being engulfed in grief. But the problem with organ donation is that every minute counts. The clock is ticking because the sooner organs can be transplanted, the better the chance they will survive in the recipient's (接受者) body.

I began to feel sick. I opened the door and sat opposite them, convinced that I was only going to make things worse for them.

“It's what she'd have wanted,” the mother said before I'd even finished. The father nodded. “She was always so generous,” her father added.

As my consultant and I left them, it occurred to me that I'd been wrong in thinking it would be an awkward conversation. Nothing could take away the pain of having lost their daughter. Yet this last, final act had comforted them and helped them feel that the spirit of their daughter lived on m this act of generosity. Strangely, it is one of the most heart-wanning conversations I have ever had.

6 . I took a job at a vet clinic almost five decades ago. As an animal lover, I accepted the position on the condition that I wouldn’t have to assist with any wounded animals. I couldn’t bear to see any creature in pain.

At the end of my first week, we were closing the office when a young man ran up to us holding severely injured Doberman pinscher puppy (杜宾幼犬) in his arms and begging us to save his life. The four-month-old puppy had been hit by a car.

The doctor and I ran back into the operating room. The only place the skin was still attached to this poor little animal’s body was around one shoulder. The vet worked tirelessly, sewing him back together again. That was the easy part. The puppy had broken multiple bones, including his spine (脊椎). If he survived the next few days, we were quite sure he would never walk again.

That day forever changed my life. I became the vet’s assistant in all things medical. One of my first jobs was to give that puppy daily physical therapy. I remember moving his tiny legs to try to keep his muscles from weakening.

Weeks went by until one day. I felt this little fighter push back ever so slightly. And eventually he could finally use his legs.

Fast-forward about a year, I walked into the clinic’s crowded waiting room and called the name of the next client. Suddenly, a huge Doberman who had been standing quietly with his owner broke loose and dashed toward me. I found myself pinned against the wall with this magnificent dog standing on his hind legs, his front paws on my shoulders, washing my face with abundant and joyful kisses!

I still tear up in amazement at the display of love and gratitude the dog had for me that day all those years ago.

8 . GALAXIES AND TIIE UNTVERSE

Galaxies are huge groups of stars, planets, gas and dust. Our sun in the MILKY WAY galaxy, which measures about 100,000 light-years across. That long thin milky bright shape across the middle of the night sky is made up of about several billion stars in our galaxy. Our galaxy is spiral（旋转的）galaxy, but there are other types.

The Milky Way is only one galaxy among a few hundred million galaxies in our universe（each with hundreds of billions of stars）.

SPIRAL GALAXY: Galaxies that have spiral arms that emerge from the center. Our solar system in located on one of the arms of the Milky Way galaxy. Our galaxy has a huge black hole at its center that billions of stars resolve around.
ELLIPTICAL GALAXY: shaped like a huge egg. The stars in these galaxies tend to be very old. Furthermore, the old stars in ellipticals tend to be yellow and reddish, which according to our understanding of stellar evolution, means they are smaller, dimmer stars.
IRREGULAR GALAXY: There are many other shapes of galaxies that aren't spiral or elliptical. They are fit into the irregular category Like the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, they have rather unusual-looking shapes.