1 . In San Francisco, a large group of sea lions move themselves out of the bay waters and hang out on PIER 39, which is a popular tourist destination. According to dock (码头)officials, this is the most sea lions seen in the region in 15 years.

“Over 1,000 sea lions have been counted this week,” PIER 39 harbormaster Sheila Chandor told many different media. “The surge in sea lions is usually a good sign of their strong population and healthy living environment,” said Adam Ratner, Director of Conservation Engagement at the Marine Mammal(海洋哺乳动物) Center in Sausalito, California.

“California sea lions are sentinels(哨兵) of the ocean,” Ratner said. Their population to some extent reflects the health of the ocean. Therefore, seeing a large number of California sea lions is clearly a good thing.

For nearly 35 years, the slippery(滑的) residents have been a star attraction for tourists. That autumn in 1989, PIER 39 had just been repaired, but the ships had not yet been moved back. At that moment, the sea lions unexpected arrival not only attracted fans but also created enemies. According to a website, some dock residents and workers were scared away by the strong and very unpleasant smell and noise of their new neighbors, while others saw these animals as a bright spot after the destructive Loma Prieta earthquake.

The officials sought help from the Marine Mammal Center to find a way to deal with sea lions. Ratner said that the final decision is to let the sea lions stay and coexist with humans. “The fact proves that this is really a good thing,” he said. “This is just a proof of how we can truly work together and think about how we can share our coasts with marine mammals and other wildlife in a way that benefits all the parties involved.”

2 . In 2019, after retiring from her career as a social worker, Ane Freed - Kernis decided to build a home workshop and devote all of her free time to stone carving. “I might be covered head to to e in dust but I’m happy — it was something I needed more of in my life when I hit 60,” she says.

This appeal has its origins in Freed - Kernis’ childhood. Growing up on her father’s farm in Denmark, she used to wander through the fields with her eyes fixed on the ground, looking for stones to add to her collection. “I’ve always been drawn to the shapes and textures(质地) of stones,” she says.

After moving to England in 1977 and training as a social worker, Freed - Kernis soon became occupied with her busy career and the demands of raising her son. Stones were the last thing on her mind, until her father died in 2005. “He took a stone carving course in his retirement, and I always thought stone seemed so fun but never had the time to look into it myself,” she says. “After he died, I became determined to learn in his honour.”

Signing up for a week-long stone carving course at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Freed - Kernis began to learn how to turn a block of rock into well-designed shapes. “It was really scary at the start because you would spend hours just hammering(锤打).”

Now 65, Freed - Kernis has a thriving small business built largely through word of mouth. She creates 12 to 15 pieces a year that can take anywhere from a few days to three weeks to complete, while her prices range from £ 200 to £ 3,000. “I’m making smaller ones,” she says. “I don’t have to depend on the money much, so I want to keep prices in the range that people can afford, mainly just covering costs and labour(劳动力).”

3 . How many times have you heard that reducing stress is important for good health? But stress isn’t always the enemy. In fact, research suggests some is actually good for you, with possible benefits ranging from better brain function to healthier aging.

Firstly, it’s ubiquitous: Research suggests people feel at least some stress on 90% of their days. When stress worsens for a long time and can’t be solved, it can cause mental and physical health problems, even raising your risk for conditions like heart disease. But in most cases, a stress response (反应) is important. It can help you get through a hard time or even escape physical danger. And, when stress is managed well, it can lead to better health and happiness in the future.

Stress can be damaging — but proper amount of stress can be helpful, according to Assaf Oshri, a professor at the University of Georgia. Oshri says, “Resilience (适应力) comes from your interactions (相互作用) with the environment. If people don’t experience any stress, they may not build up resilience. If they experience too much, their happiness may suffer. But there seems to be a balance between the two, where stress improves mental health and helps people recover from difficult situations.”

When people face pressure, some approaches can also be taken to deal with it. Playing sports can help to find a balance in the face of stress, according to some experts. Turning to loved ones during tough times is important too. And if you can, remind yourself that stress is a difficult but necessary part of life.

“You can’t choose exactly what happens to you, but you can choose your response in the moment,” Jonathan Rush, a professor at the University of Victoria in Canada, says. “Having the idea that you can overcome things, you can grow from things; whatever happens, you will have a path forward — that’s what matters most.”

4 . Intentionally or unintentionally, we unfairly consider other people as problematic when what is really getting us all angry are our own senses of insecurity (局促不安). Those senses set off unpleasant emotions when we are with them. As a result, we then judge those people as difficult or problematic.     1     It is not that hard actually.

Try to understand them. You can learn a great deal if you make the effort to take a closer look at those difficult people.     2     Consider the traits (特征) you like in that person and the traits you have in common with him or her. Surprisingly, you may find that you share troublesome (令人讨厌的) traits with him or her.

Treat others as you’d like to be treated. The traits you struggle with are the traits you feel unable to manage. When someone presents a trait with which you struggle, you need to react with kindness.     3     Even with the most troublesome people in your life, kindness is the way forward.

    4     The reason why we suffer in getting along with difficult people is that we expect high standards from them. But the truth is that we are all humans, including the difficult people around us.     5     By seeing ourselves as we are and others clearly, we can conduct our interactions (互动) with greater awareness and kindness.

5 . At some point, something will have to be done about the stuffed toys (毛绒玩具). I haven’t counted them because, truthfully, I’m not prepared to know how many there are. Lately, our neighborhood’s message boards are filled with posts about parents trying to make space, to clear out the things their kids no longer need. The tone of some of these posts can best be described as “emergency”. “Help!” they sometimes begin. “I have to get this out of my house.”

“The proliferation (激增) of children’s toys is the outcome of a long, gradual cultural change,”says Gary Cross, a professor at Pennsylvania State University. To understand how we got here — drowning (淹没于) in all those stuffed toys and bricks — it helps to look as far back as the late 19th century. “Parents were no longer passing their jobs on to the children,” Cross says. “Instead, they connect across generations through the gifting process. From the early 20th century on, goods became the things that define relationships between family members, and the way of marking success as a family.”

Then, how can parents deal with the proliferation of children’s toys at home? Naeemah Ford Goldson, a professional organizer, is also a mom of two. In her own home, Goldson likes to include her kids in the work of sorting out their toys. They know that the items they don’t need anymore will be given to people who can use them, to families who might not be as fortunate as theirs. “Doing so helps them build those habits of letting go,” she says, “so then they don’t become adults who are too dependent on material things instead of experiences, or people, and the memories we make with people.”

Her idea made sense. She told her 5-year-old they should pick some to give to kids in their community who came from another country and had to leave their toys behind. She immediately took a pink bear from the pile.

6 . Trying to catch the wind may seem a pointless task, but inside the Bora Museum in the Italian city of Trieste, there is evidence that it can be done, as long as you have the right container. On the shelves, you can find an offshore wind from Barcelona in a bottle, a Bohemian downwind in another one, an angry one in a plastic water bottle and a wet one in a glass bottle.

Pride of place is taken by a year of the wind that gives the museum its name, caught in a paint-sample container: a bora from February 1954, when cold winds blew at a record speed of 171 km/h. The collection of 400 bottled winds is museum director Rico Lombardi’s lifelong project. Lombardi says, “The wind is the soul of our town. It’s our history and memories, and our art, but it’s also always new. It brings new ideas.”

From mid-July to late September, when the beach is empty, the weather is dry and the wind blows from southwest to northeast, Dutch artist Theo Jansen takes his structures driven by movement for a walk. Or, more exactly, they take themselves for a walk. With structures of lightweight yellow plastic tubes (管子), Jansen’s Strandbeests, which are also called beach animals, look like large insects. When the wind catches in their sails, their movement across the sand is a lady-like walk. Especially, during last year’s energy crisis (危机), they were walking advertisements (广告) for the wind, showing the joys of a renewable future. “Wind energy seems to me the perfect way to create energy in a more self-sufficient way,” Jasen says.

Jansen says his goal is to build beach-walkers that no longer need his control. This year, he has experimented with Strandbeests that walk as a group, seemingly holding on to each other as they walk on the sand. “They still look quite weak,” he says. “I don’t think they would survive a storm. But I will keep going. I have high hopes for the future, and I think humans need to deal with climate change positively. You have to keep walking.”

“The Secret of Your Memory” has helped me understand how my memory works. Before     1     (read) the text, I didn’t know that there are so many interesting things about our memory.

Now I understand why we remember the events in childhood     2     (good) than those that happened recently. I also learned that some people have     3     (amaze) memories. Most of us will have to make     4     effort when trying to remember things. What’s more, it is astonishing to know how a person’s memory changes     5     age. Our memory reaches its full power at the age of 25,     6     shows my memory is at its best state at the moment.

Getting to know the secrets of our memory     7     (mean) leaning not only the facts about it,     8     the ways to improve it. I think I will follow the advice     9     (provide) and try to strengthen my memory. Moreover, I must also learn to do “spaced review”,     10     (especial) during the first day after learning. I am sure these methods will help me improve my learning.