2 . Younger generations of Chinese citizens have developed new methods to relieve stress, which include raising unconventional “pets”, hugging trees, watching stress relief videos and so on.

On social media platforms, a new toy called “mango dog” recently emerged.     1     In the eyes of some netizens, the “mango dog” has special meanings. “Every time I see it, it heals me,” “It’s fluffy (毛茸茸的) and cute.”     2     For example, college students have shared online their experiences of raising stones and paper box “dogs”. These “pets” share similar characteristics—they don’t cry, make noise or get sick.

Tree hugging has also become a new stress relief for young people. “You may think you are hugging the tree, but in fact, the tree is embracing you,” this is a feeling shared by a netizen. Many netizens with such experiences have expressed that their anxiety has been reduced, and they feel a sense of communication with nature.     3    

“I came across the idea online. I tried it and felt truly relaxed,” said a young office worker. “In those brief seconds, it felt like the tree released a lot of pressure and stress from me.”     4     “I especially enjoy watching stress relief videos, like washing blankets and cutting soap. After watching them, I feel like the stress of the day is relieved and it’s easier to fall asleep.”

    5     According to public data, there are currently more than 800 companies in China with names, business scopes, products, services or trademarks containing the term “stress relief”. In 2023 alone, more than 70 new registered companies with this focus were added.

3 . The European Towns and Cities That Are Magical at Christmas

The town of Hallstatt and its beautiful landscape enjoy UNESCO protection. The old townhouses, tiny lanes and snow make this the ultimate destination forgetting into the festive mood. Hallstatt’s Christmas market is the stuff of legend. Picture a brightly lit tree and stalls selling decorations and handicrafts and you’re halfway to imagining just how special this spot is.

Valkenburg has much of the usual European Christmas charms to attract visitors. However, what makes it special is the fact that they can all be found underground. The town’s Christmas Caves have become internationally renowned, with a wide range of stalls selling festive gifts and decorations. The larger Municipality Cave is home to one of the largest indoor Christmas markets in Europe.

Wroclaw is regarded as one of Poland’s most beautiful cities, but it takes things to another level at Christmas. The city’s Christmas market is home to over 250 stalls and a superb fair. The architecture here captures the Christmas feeling too, with Gothic structures meaning everyone can tap into the special feeling that only comes round at this time of year.

Gothenburg is full of festive surprises for those willing to risk traveling north and brave the Scandinavian chill. And chief among them is the Liseberg Christmas Market. Set in an amusement park celebrating its100th anniversary in 2023, visitors can enjoy rides here and taste delicacies (佳肴) from across the country, including pickled herring, reindeer and spiced wine.

4 . Christian Bowers, now 24, has Down Syndrome (唐氏综合征) and it’s been hard for him to find good friends. His mom, Donna Herter, said his lack of friends was making him feel ________.

Herter didn’t know who to turn to. So, she posted it on Facebook. “I just basically said that I was looking for a young ________,” she said. “I told them that I’d pay them $80 for two hours to just ________ and play video games with him. All he ________ wants is just a guy friend to do guy stuff with.”

Herter said Christian attends events for people with special ________, but he “desires a friendship with somebody who is ________”.

Herter sent the post at I am and when she woke up, it had about 5,000 comments. She saw parents ________ suggestions, others volunteering to help. “My hands were ________. I was sweating,” she said.

After ________ a few local guys in Wentzville, Minnesota, Donna ________ it down to seven who now visit Christian once a week.

James Hasting was one of the men she ________. Hasting said he works with people with disabilities and it’s something he has a(n) ________ for. He said he had visited Christian three times so far and they had a wonderful time together.

“Though on the ________ we may look different, deep down we have ________ and getting along should be easy,” Hasting said. He hopes to ________ others to form friendships-because you never know how much it means to someone.

5 . Think of your most prized possession. Now, imagine you decide you must sell this item. How much is it worth to you? How much would you charge for it? And would anyone else want to buy it at that price?

Let’s consider the real-world example of a yard sale. Before your neighbors come to look at your things, you must first decide on the prices for them. For you, each item has a story, and some items may even evoke strong emotions.

Let’s say you’re selling a pair of special edition sports shoes that you took care of and really enjoyed wearing on special occasions. With these sweet memories in mind, you put a price tag of $130 on the shoes. However, a customer offers $50 for them. You think, “How could they not see how special and valuable these are?”

In financial transactions like this, sellers often believe their own items are worth more than what buyers are willing to pay. This occurs because buyers do not have the seller’s experiences with and emotional attachment to the items. Buyers want a good deal, and they’re not willing to pay what the seller is asking for.

This negotiation process can even feel a little painful for the seller—over losing something and the buyer not valuing it as much. Economists suggest this dynamic occurs through the endowment effect (禀赋效应)—people’s tendency to value things they own more highly than they would if they did not own them. The endowment effect can take hold anytime we feel a sense of ownership over a product, and it can happen quickly.

As the saying goes, “Emotions get the best of us.” There is nothing wrong with being proud of owning things and treasuring your experiences with them. But when you consider selling a prized possession, think about whether you’re fully ready to part with it. The past is the past, though. Removing your emotional attachment to material possessions can help you make more accurate assessments of how much your items are truly worth.

6 . The motivation for his invention came to Aarrav Anil last year when he saw his uncle Arjun, who has Parkinson’s disease, struggle to eat. Some food spilled (溢出) out of his mouth, the rest splattered (溅) on his clothes. Arjun attempted to keep his dignity but the frustration forced him to give up and call his helper to feed him.

The sight of his uncle’s shaking the spoon so violently inspired Aarrav, 17, from Bengaluru, south India, to turn to robotics. He locked himself in his room with microcontrollers, sensors, motors, and a 3D printer. What emerged was a prototype (原型) of a smart spoon that is now undergoing trials at the RV College of Physiotherapy in Bengaluru.

The sensors in the battery-operated spoon detect shaking on one side and activate movement on the other, effectively cancelling out shaking to keep the spoon stable.

“I’ve been fine tuning the design based on the college’s feedback-that it needs to be waterproof so that it can be washed without damaging all the electronics inside; that it must be removable so it can be cleaned and replaced by a fork, ” Aarrav says.

For Aarrav it is the peak of a 10-year interest in mechanics that began when his mother bought him a Lego set. He has now represented India at more than 20 robotics competitions across the world.

When the blueprint for the smart spoon won first prize in the future innovators category at last year’s World Robot Olympiad in Germany, Aarrav felt encouraged to make the prototype.

More than 7 million people in India are estimated to have Parkinson’s disease, a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged and which mainly affects people over the age of 50. Symptoms (症状) include involuntary shaking and stiff muscles. As the disease progresses, eating can become more difficult, forcing people to rely on help from others.

Aarrav’s ambition is that every family that has someone with Parkinson’s will have the smart spoon. He says his uncle Arjun’s words keep echoing (回响) in his mind: “Who would have thought such a small thing could mean the difference between dignity and indignity?”

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10 . Why does the giant squid (乌贼) have eyes as large as a football? Why do more than 350 species of fish produce their own electricity? Why do dogs become more optimistic after two weeks of plentiful sniffing (嗅)?

The mysteries and miracles of animal senses are revealed in this year's winner of Royal Society Trivedi science book prize. An Immense World by Ed Yong is an exploration of the unique sensory world of other creatures, from tree hoppers to singing frogs, who sense the world in vastly different ways to humans.

Yong has interviewed many kinds of scientists during his writing but sensory biologists are his favourite. “There's a surprising number of sensory biologists who are themselves neuro-atypical—they have something like face blindness or colour blindness,” he says. “Their different than‘normal’ way of experiencing the world themselves might help them better empathize (共情) with other creatures who have those experiences. The core of this book is curiosity and empathy, understanding and valuing animals for their own benefit, and trying to put ourselves in the shoes of creatures who are very different to us.”

Yong's book carries an important message about how our lack of understanding of the sensory worlds of other animals is hugely destructive. Studies have shown that LED lights are particularly damaging to bats and insects. Flowers illuminated (照亮) by bright lights receive 62%fewer visits from insects. Meanwhile, low-frequency noise in oceans has risen 32-fold since the Second World War because of global shipping-damaging whales' ability to communicate.

Unfortunately, reducing noise and light pollution is nowhere near the political agenda. "It's understandable why it's not on the political agenda because it's not a visceral (强烈的) problem like a plastic-ridden beach or chemicals billowing from a smokestack, ”says Yong. “Light and sound don't produce the same kind of horror. Light especially feels like an entirely good thing-we want more light in our lives; light is knowledge, safety, beauty and goodness. So just raising awareness that these are problems that could be tackled is an important first step and one I hope An Immense World moves people further towards taking."