2 . It is a question people have been asking for ages.    1    For centuries, people have been looking for a “fountain of youth”. The idea is that if you find a magical fountain and drink from its waters, you will not become old.

Researchers in New York did not find a fountain of youth in fact, but they may have found a way to turn back the aging process. It appears that the answer may be hidden right between your eyes, in an area called the hypothalamus(丘脑下部). It is part of your brain.     2    

A professor at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, found that hypothalamus influences how fast aging takes place in the body.    3    “So when hypothalamus function   is   in   decline,   this protection against the aging development is lost. It finally leads to aging.”

Using this information, the researchers began trying to activate ( 激 活 ) the hypothalamus in mice.

They did this by putting hypothalamus stem cells from younger mice into middle-aged animals. Later, the researchers examined mice and tested for changes in behavior.    4    The results showed that the treatment slowed aging in the animals.

It is said when hypothalamus stem cells, which came from young mice was put into middle-aged mice, the mice aged slowly and they also increased the length of their lives.    5    If the mice can live longer, does that mean people could have longer lives? This needs further study.

4 . Is it time to ditch sugar?

It’s no secret that sugar can cause issues if you’re indulging (放任) in a little too much of the sweet stuff. Still, most Americans are eating too much sugar. The harmful effects it can have on your physical health are well studied.     1    .

Sugar can affect your mood

You probably turn to a doughnut (甜甜圈) or soda for an extra boost during a long day. Yet sugar may not be such a positive pick-me-up after all. Recent research indicates that sugary treats have no positive effect on mood.     2    .

One study published in 2017 found that consuming a diet high in sugar can increase the chances of mood disorders. A more recent 2019 study found that regular consumption of saturated fats (饱和脂肪) and added sugars were related to higher feelings of anxiety in adults over age 60.

    3    

It’s hard to avoid reaching for comfort foods, especially after a difficult day. But the cycle of consuming sugar to manage your emotions may only make your feelings of sadness, tiredness, or hopelessness worse. Multiple studies have found a link between diets high in sugar and depression.

    4    . These can lead to depression and may even increase the long-term risk of developing a mental health disorder in some people.

Sugar destroys your brain power

Emerging research has found that diets high in sugar can damage cognitive functioning, even in the absence of extreme weight gain or too much energy intake. A 2015 study found that consuming high levels of sugar-sweetened drinks made neurocognitive functions like decision making and memory worse.     5    . But a more recent study found that healthy volunteers in their 20s scored worse on memory tests and had poorer appetite control after just 7 days of eating a diet high in saturated fat and added sugars.

Although more studies are needed to solidify the effects on mental health of sugar consumption, it’s important to consider how diet can affect your well-being.

5 . Tunnels are passageways that are built under the ground. They can also be made under a sea or a river. Some tunnels are dug through high mountains.

For hundreds of years，tunnels have been built all over the world. People use these tunnels to travel from one place to another. Some tunnels are used as waterlanes. Coal and gemstones are also brought from under the ground through long tunnels.

In the past，people dug tunnels using picks and shovels. Rocks and soil were loaded into one-wheel barrows and then onto horses and carts. This work was very tiring.

Today，engineers do a lot of planning before they start to build a tunnel. They use computers to check the level of the water and the types of rock under the ground. When they are sure the area is safe，huge machines are used to dig out the soil.

These machines have an enormous cutting wheel at the front. The wheel slowly grinds（磨碎） through the rock and soil to make the tunnel. Soil that is not needed is carried away in large trucks. As the tunnel becomes longer，it is lined with huge pipes so the walls and roof do not callapse.

Long tunnels have powerful lights to help drivers see the road ahead. Water sprinklers（洒水装置）are fitted to help keep people safe if a fire breaks out in the tunnel.

In large cities，tunnels are built under very busy roads. ，People can drive through these tunnels. This makes it quicker to travel to different parts of the city.

Some trains have to wind slowly and carefully over steep mountain slopes. But，in places where there are tunnels，trains can travel quickly through the mountain to reach the other side.

I fell in love with a “flying Dutchman”…literally. In the summer of 2011, I moved to the Netherlands not knowing anyone except my husband, not knowing how to speak the language, and leaving behind my friends, family, and everything I knew that represented me. But as they say, “Love is blind. ”

In the beginning, I spent many months “alone in my head.” My mother-in-law didn't speak English（or Italian）. This, however, didn't stop her from trying to communicate with me. At first, sounds of vague meanings coupled with hand gestures was our way of having a conversation.

It wasn’t until I discovered she was a choral（合唱的）director for a women's group in the community that we then began communicating on a whole different level. From my early days in school, I was always part of a school choir for over a decade.

We shared a love of music! Dien（my mother-in-law’s name）taught me many beautiful Dutch songs. I sang in her choir throughout the years that followed. And then by chance, I came across a TED-Talk featuring you, Mr. Whitacre discussing your music and the virtual（虚拟合唱团）choir. Within minutes, I researched when the next project would start and to my surprise, it was Virtual Choir4“Fly To Paradise. ” I couldn't wait to tell my mother-in-law!

The next 2 weeks we spent practicing our parts and perfecting our video submissions. It was pure joy for us. Something we shared a love for, encouraging each other, spending hours together, and making a permanent bond as a mother and daughter-in-law.

Music has always been a part of my life. Its significance is greater than anything most people are aware of. Our participation in your virtual choir is one I will never forget. And it goes without saying, I am grateful for you, your music, and its ability to connect us all.

7 . In order to reduce the risk of suffering from COVID-19, people are supposed to say no to a handshake, give up high fives, refuse kisses on the cheek and absolutely avoid hugging. So people all over the world are changing their daily habits at work and at home to prevent it from spreading.

In France, handshaking is regarded as daily greeting habits. And kissing on the cheek is often seen even between people who have only just met. Philippe Lichtfus, a lifestyle expert notes that handshaking is a relatively recent development in human history that began in the Middle Ages. Now, he says simply looking into a person’s eyes can serve as a greeting.

The Brazilian health ministry has recommended that citizens should not share the metal straws traditionally used to consume the caffeine-rich drink chimarrão. And a kiss—even if it is not on the mouth—is totally advised against.

One of Spain’s most treasured traditions is also affected by the outbreak—the kissing of sculptures of Virgin Mary in the week leading up to Easter. During the holy week, the faithful believers queue up to kiss the hands or feet of sculptures of Mary and the saints, seeking their protection.

Germany’s interior minister (内政部长) Horst Seehofer rebuffed Chancellor（总理）Angela Merkel’s attempt to shake hands with him, smiling and keeping both his hands to himself. They both laughed and Merkel threw her hand up in the air before taking a seat.

In Iran, a video has gone viral (走红) showing three friends meeting, hands in their pockets, two of whom are wearing masks, tapping their feet against each other as a greeting. A similar video in Lebanon shows singer Ragheb Alama and comedian Michel Abou Sleiman tapping their feet against each other while making kissing noises with their mouths.

The UAE (阿拉伯联合酋长国) is advising citizens to stop the traditional “nose to nose” greeting. The UAE also said that people shouldn’t shake hands anymore or kiss. Greet each other “by waving only”.

8 . “Nearly every day the Irish have a song and play music,” says Will Fanning on his chair outside his home in Mingo, West Virginia. “Every weekend we write and play music at the house.” Fanning is a musician and hotel owner born in Ireland. But now he lives deep in the Appalachian Mountains, a 2,400-kilometer-long system of mountains along the eastern part of the United States. Like Fanning, many in the area continue the traditions from their families’ immigrant history including a kind of music called old-time.

Old-time music comes from the Appalachian Mountains. In the 18th century, many Europeans from Ireland, Scotland and Germany arrived in the area to begin new lives. The US was their new home, but these Appalachian communities continued the European music and dance traditions they loved. Over time, the music mixed with that of African slaves and became its own. It is called old-time music.

According to the professional musician John Lilly from West Virginia, the earliest purpose of the music was for dancing. Life in the mountains was hard. Music and dancing offered Appalachians a much needed break from the labors of the day. And it had another sense for Appalachians. In small Appalachian towns in the past, there were always very old musicians in the neighborhood. Young people would study the music from them, which acted as a bridge between the old and the young. Usually, old-time music was learned by ear. There were no written notes, so one had to learn it all by listening to it and trying to reproduce the sound.

Old-time songs are records of history. Some are based on the Christian religion and some are American Civil War songs. And, many are about the life and land that surround the songwriter. These days, old-time music is not often heard over the radio. But it still lives on strongly in the communities where it came from.

9 . You may have experienced the annoyance of being fined because of parking illegally or finding your car towed away(拖走)after leaving it parked somewhere for a couple of minutes. But now a high-tech car sticker that's designed to be stuck to a car's windscreen could help motorists avoid such a situation.

The TowStop sticker sends a text message to a driver when touched by a traffic policeman, to allow motorists to send a reply and give them time to move their cars immediately. Frankfurt-based IT consultant, Daniel Kalliontzis, came up with the idea and is raising money to put his ￡43 sticker into production.

Car owners can put the sticker inside their car's windscreen, having set it up with key information, such as their phone number. The slim design will include a sensor(传感器)that, when touched by a traffic policeman, will send a text message warming a driver of a possible fine. The driver could then type a reply for the policeman using a smart phone, which will appear on the sticker's screen.

The smart sticker system will rely on the good will of traffic policemen and in a way, a German law. The law states: an officer has to choose the most efficient and inexpensive way for the car owner to remove the vehicle. It could be cheaper for the government to call the driver than to tow his car.

Mail Online asked the Department of Transport whether the sticker could be used in the UK in a similar way. A spokesman said," In England there is no legal duty to warn the motorist before issuing the ticket. However, a policeman does have the freedom not to issue a ticket if he doesn't think the situation is that bad or he just wants to issue a warning.”

So far, Mr. Kalliontzis has raised just over￡2,362 of his￡39,381goal. If he manages to raise the money，the stickers will be shipped in June 2015. But it appears that car owners using the smart system could get some unnecessary warning messages, because anyone could touch the smart sticker.

10 . Travel Safe

You’ve always wanted to go to Alishan. The Alishan Scenic Area has so many marvelous places to explore. Now you’re finally going to take that trip!    1    

If you choose to work with a travel agency, choose a qualified one. Note what is included in the trip and what is not. If you are not sure, ask questions. Make sure everything is clear before you agree to the trip and pay your money. When you purchase your trip, also buy travel insurance.    2    

If you are arranging your own accommodation, book a safe and legal hotel. For your own safety, choose one that meets the standards of department for tourism administration. After you arrive in the Alishan area and check into your hotel, look around. Locate the emergency exits.     3       Check your hotel room, too. Make     sure the doors and windows close and lock.

There are many delicious restaurants around Alishan. Enjoy your food, but protect yourself from food poisoning.    4     Eat well-cooked, hot food.

    5     You   don’t want to set them down someplace and forget them. On your trip, you’ll likely see   things you want to buy. Shop wisely. Compare prices and bargain if you can. Do not buy any imitation goods or illegal wildlife products.