1 . Chocolate is good for your heart, skin and brain. Usually, people think that chocolate is bad for their health. They describe chocolate as “something to die for” or say “death by chocolate”. Now they should bite their tongues! Evidence (证据) is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways:

A happier heart

Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa — the main ingredient (成分) in chocolate and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart.

Better blood pressure

Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3.5 ounces (盎司) of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop quickly.

Muscle magic

Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout (锻炼). In a small study at Indiana University, people who drank chocolate milk between workouts did better on a tiredness test than those who had some sports drinks.

Better for your skin

German researchers found that chocolate helped protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.

3 . When I was about 10 years old, I was walking down the street with my mother. She ______ to speak to Mr. Lee. I knew I could see Mr. Lee anytime around the neighborhood, so I didn’t greet him. Later, my mother ______ me by the arm and said something that has impressed me deeply. She said, “You let that be the last time you ever walk by somebody and not open up your mouth to speak, because ______ a dog will move its tail gently when it passes you on the ______.”

That ______ touching my heart deeply, it’s been a guidepost for me and the foundation of who I am. I’s not just something I believe in; it’s become a way of life. I believe that every person ______ to feel someone realize their presence, whether he is ______ or nobody.

At work, I always used to say hello to the ______ of the company and ask him how our business was doing. But I was also speaking to the people in the cafe and the people who cleaned the buildings, and asked how their children were doing. One day, I asked the founder how ______ he thought I could go in his company. He said, “If you want to, you can get all the ______ to this seat.”

Now I’ve become vice president, but my mother’s advice is still in my heart. I have benefited a lot from opening my mouth and saying, “Hello.”

4 . My first visit to Angkor Wat (吴哥窟) was in 1980. The country had been at war for many years and the temple was deserted and falling to pieces. Plants were growing out of the roofs, and trees were growing in the yards.

Today, the temple is the scene of a busy repair program. A team of 15 Indian experts are organizing a workforce of 400 Cambodians, most of them women, who are cleaning, repairing and rebuilding parts of this temple.

As I walked through the yards, I noticed the Cambodian women devote hours to cleaning carefully a tiny area of stone. Boards are laid down to protect the precious painted stones while the repair work is going on. There are very few machines and little heavy equipment. Workers carry building materials in buckets at the end of long poles. Piles of stones lie in a corner of the yard, waiting to be replaced.

The work of cleaning the stones is watched over by three Indian chemists. It is a very slow task. First they clean the stones with brushes using buckets of a weak chemical. Then gaps between the stones are filled in. Finally another material is painted onto the stones which will protect them from water forever.

Work starts every day at 7 am and goes on until late afternoon six days a week, with a break at midday.

Evening is the best time to visit the temple, after the tour groups have left. As the sun sinks lower, shadows spread across the yard. After sunset, the sky turns pink. The grey stone towers take on a golden color before turning pink. Nowhere else in the world can there be such a quiet, beautiful place.

One pleasant New-year morning, Edward rose, and washed and dressed himself in a hurry. He wanted to be first to wish a happy New Year to his family. He turned up at every door of the house, and shouted the words of “Happy New Year” in an excited voice. After a quick breakfast, he hopped along the street like a happy bird, greeted and repeated the words to those he met.

When he came back, his father gave him 50 dollars, saying he could buy whatever he had been wishing for. His face lighted up as he took them. He had wished for a long time to buy some interesting books that he had seen at the bookstore. He thanked his father and danced out of the house again with a light heart, wanting to buy those books.

As he ran down the street, he noticed a poor German family, the father, mother, and three children trembling with cold. “I wish you a happy New Year,” said Edward, as he was happily passing on. The man took a look at the happy boy and shook his head sadly.

Edward stopped and said, “It seems that you do not belong to this country” The man again shook his head, a confused expression appeared over his face, for he could not understand or speak English.

But the poor man pointed to his mouth, and to the children with hungry looks, as if to say, “These little ones have had nothing to eat for a long time.”

Edward quickly understood that these poor people were in difficult situation.

He took out his dollars, and gave them all to the man.

When Edward went home, his father asked what book he had bought.

6 . When I first heard about Summit Learning, I admitted I was not a bit happy and excited at all. I thought it would require interactions with others. But later, I was astonished when I got to experience it firsthand.

Recently, we did a poetry project, and one of the activities was a peer (同龄人) review. I would never have taken part if it was up to me, as I preferred to work independently. But when I got involved, I found in the experience, I had done something that I thought was nearly impossible it made my poetry better. My partner informed me of my mistakes and told me where I could give more detail.

One of our final products of the project was to present our poetry to the class. I’ve always loved public speaking, but I thought with Summit Learning, I would have fewer chances to speak. I was wrong. The peer activities we did with a partner gave me more belief in my ability and inspired me to do more to make my presentation the best it could possibly be.

Interactions like these are what Summit Learning is all about. This style of learning brings a positive and hard-working culture that allows us to push our boundaries and keep going. It creates a sense of community since we are all working towards a similar goal.

As an active boy, I have always been ahead and advanced, but in a normal classroom, there are restrictions on what I can do. With Summit Learning, I can go beyond expectations in projects or move ahead in learning new content when I’m ready. I have ownership of my work and pursue my goals.

Summit Learning has showed me how much people can grow and change. It has helped me see people and myself differently. It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I cannot see myself going back to a normal classroom.

8 . In 2020, Pink launched the World Regret Survey, the largest survey on the topic ever undertaken. With his research team, Pink asked more than 15, 000 people in 105 countries, “How often do you look back on your life and wish you had done things differently?” Most of them said regret was at least an occasional part of their life. About 21 percent said they felt regretful all the time. Only 1 percent said they never felt regretful.

If you are of the “no regrets” school of life, you may think that all this regret is a recipe for unhappiness. But that isn’t the case. Letting yourself be overwhelmed by regret is indeed bad for you. But going to the other extreme may be even worse. To extinguish your regrets doesn’t free you from shame or sorrow but causes you to make the same mistakes again and again. To truly get over our guilt requires that we put regret in its proper place.

Uncomfortable as it is, regret is an amazing cognitive(认知的) feature. It requires that you go back to a past scene. Imagine that you acted differently to change it, and with that new scene in mind, arrive at a different present-and then, compare that fictional present with the one you are experiencing in reality. Not all regrets are the same, of course. Pink says they come in four basic types, and an instance of regret may involve just one combination.

Many connection regrets overlap (重叠) with moral regrets, which can come about after you go against your own values. For example, you may pride yourself on being a loving person, and thus regret not living up to this image in the relationship you harmed. Moral regrets can also involve just yourself. Maybe you regret not living up to your promise to your health when you ate a whole pizza or skipped the gym.

If not analyzed(分析) and managed, any kind of regret can be harmful to your well-being. Regret is linked to depression and anxiety, and too much regret can negatively affect your immune system. But regret doesn’t have to be put aside and ignored.

9 . WHAT’S ON

Digital art class

Tap into the unlimited inspiration of the natural materials, colors and forms to be found in Museum Victoria’s diverse collection.

Whether you are a beginner, expert or somewhere in between, this creative studio class introduces digital art technologies and skills in a relaxed environment. Participants create extraordinary artworks working individually on iPads. Exploratory approaches allow participants to enjoy visual creativity, whatever their previous experience and level of skill in sketching, painting and digital design.

Digital Art Class takes place in Melbourne Museum’s Learning Lab Studio. Each month’s class is themed to explore a different aspect of Museums Victoria’s collections.

Classes have a maximum capacity of 16 participants and is suitable for teens 16+ and adults. Simply bring your creativity — all equipment is provided.

Museum entry is not included in your Digital Art Class ticket. If you would like to explore the Melbourne Museum before the class, please ensure you book a ticket.

WORKSHOP

TUESDAY 27 APRIL, 11&25 MAY,8&22 JUNE

4PM — 5.30PM

Adults and teens 16+

Adult $35

Privilege $32

Member $30