1 . Left-handed people can find it inconvenient to do certain things, writing in a notebook for example.     1     Research found that they were over-represented (任职人数过多的) among fighters in combat sports. Left-handed fighters also had higher chances to win. This confirms the fighter theory.

    2     The explanation is that the two brain spheres of left-handers are more strongly connected, strengthening memorial ability.

Being left-handed might be a factor in mathematical ability. An Italian study found that for simple arithmetic there was little difference between right- and left-handed performance.     3     No one understands the reason for this.

    4     In one study, researchers showed the participants columns of abstract illustrations and asked them which ones they would prefer. Left-handed people were more likely to prefer the images on the left. Right-handed people preferred the ones on the right. Both groups disliked stuff on their opposite side.

Left-handers are also over-represented in professional, interactive sports. Researchers have looked at the influence of being left-handed on performance and interactive sports.     5     So if you have a left-handed child, you should encourage them to play table tennis, baseball and tennis. Being left-handed maximizes their chances of success in these sports.

A few years ago, I stood underneath a red overhanging cliff near my hometown. The day was amazing.     1     deer chewed on the brown grasses, an eagle rode the wind. I was tied in, ready to climb. I was attempting     2     (do) a route first try, “onsight,” which means I didn’t know     3     I was climbing into.

Just as I was about to climb, nerves in my body, which I hadn’t felt yet,     4     (say) hello. That’s not good for any athlete. Desperate, I painted a coat of     5     (confident) on my inner walls of doubt. “You can do this, and success is certain.” I firmly told myself.

It didn’t work. I fell near the top.     6     (defeat), I lowered to the ground and realized powerfully that the desire to climb the route had kept me from doing it. In a flash, I told myself that on my next attempt, success or failure was not important. “Make one move at     7     time. That’s all.” I gave myself a pass from whatever would happen. It worked.

While     8     (stand) on the top, I was deep in thought. At some point, I framed this experience for myself in terms of simple arithmetic: When I added determination, courage, and desire, I failed. When I took away the desire for success, I improved. I enjoyed it more as well, which,     9     an athlete of 30 years, I didn’t think was possible. I     10     (eventual) discovered the power of subtraction (减法).

7 . A recent study suggests that for young soccer players, participating in repetitive technical training activities involving heading during practice may result in more total head impacts, but playing in actual soccer games may cause greater magnitude (程度) head impacts.

“Headers are a fundamental component to the sport of soccer. Therefore, it is important to understand differences in header frequency and magnitude between practice and game settings,” said study author Jillian Urban, PhD, from Wake Forest School of Medicine. “Practices are easier to change than games. Therefore, understanding how we can restructure practice to reduce head impact exposure while teaching fundamental skills is critical to improving head impact safety in the sport.”

The study followed eight soccer players who were aged 14 and 15 for two seasons. Players wore a sensor (传感器) during all practices and games. Researchers recorded all activities on the field with a camera, and identified each time head contact was made.

Head impact exposure was evaluated in terms of peak head motion and impacts, or impact rate per player per hour. Researchers then compared impact rates across different activity types.

Researchers amazingly found that technical drills like heading the ball and practicing ball-control, were associated with an average impact rate of 13.7 head impacts per player per hour. Team interaction activities such as small-sided games in practice were related to an average impact rate of 0.5 head impacts per player per hour, which was slightly lower than the 1.3 head impacts observed during actual games.

The study also revealed that games were associated with the highest numbers of average rotational (旋转) head motion, which signified the greatest magnitude head impacts. However, technical training recorded the lowest numbers.

“If the goal is to reduce the number of head impacts a young soccer player may get on the field, our findings suggest the best way may be to rearrange technical training practices,” said Urban. “However, if the goal is to reduce the likelihood of players sustaining head impacts of greater magnitude, then the best bet may be to look at factors related to high-magnitude head impacts that can occur during games.” A limitation of the study is the small number of players involved.

8 . When we’re really young, our parents are the celebrities of our lives. So, how about imagining them as the star of many famous films? It’s not far-fetched. Matt Bonito has done just that with his series of images that feature his father, Dom Bonito. Matt photoshopped Dom into iconic movie scenes and famous works of art and photographs.

According to Matt, his dad is integral (必要的) to scenes in many films. He’s featured alongside Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, and he replaces the character of Rose in Titanic. Dom is also the main character in numerous paintings. He has taken the place of the screaming person in artist Edvard Munch’s The Scream and is just one of the guys playing poker in Cassius Marcellus Coolidge’s Dogs Playing Poker.

In each image, Matt adjusts the look of his father so that he is seamlessly (无瑕疵地) part of any scene he’s in. But there are some things that always remain the same. His dad never changes out of his sweater vest and newsboy-style cap, adding a bit of humor to each image by looking out of place. “It was only ever intended for my friends and family, but it got so popular that we’ve now got dedicated pages for it right across social media,” Matt said.

Matt’s favorite part of his ongoing project is that it allows him to spend more time with his dad. “We can spend hours sitting around the dinner table laughing while we come up with ideas, and it’s never a bad thing to have an excuse to hang out with him,” he shares. “I also just love the creativity of it all. Not everything we try works, but I just love the absurdity of dropping an old man in a ridiculous outfit into—quite often—very serious scenes.”

9 . VivoCity—Gallery for Lifestyle

As one of the largest iconic retail and lifestyle destinations that offers an exciting mix of ever evolving, refreshing, and new-to-market brands and concepts, VivoCity has been voted as the best shopping mall in Singapore in the Expat Living Readers’ Choice Awards 2023. It features wide, open spaces for waterfront entertainment and relaxation, and whenever you need a short break, there is Sky Park with rooftop water feature from where you can enjoy views of Sentosa and catch a breath or two.

Timings: Open from 10 a.m.—10 p.m. daily.

Haji Lane—Boutiques Street

For an extraordinary experience of the city’s greatest boutique shopping down one of the narrowest streets in Singapore, Haji Lane, is the perfect place to be. This narrow alley is lined with cafés, yoga studios, old-school Egyptian restaurants and boutiques by up-and-coming designers. Although this is not high-street luxury, you can definitely find some good-quality gifts here.

Timings: Most of the stores in Haji Lane open around 12 noon and close by 9 pm.

Clarke Quay—Shopping for Fashionistas

Apart from the fancy waterfront restaurants, there are also a great range of fashion boutiques, independent arts and crafts shops along this breathtaking riverside place. Being home to high-end brands from across the world, Clarke Quay is one of the most frequented tourist spots in the city.

Timings: Open from 10 am—12 midnight.

IMM—Home and Clothing

Owned by CapitaLand Mall Trust, The International Merchandising Mart Mall, also known as IMM Mall, is an outlet centre in Jurong East, Singapore. You can enjoy fashion shows while shopping. IMM is now Singapore’s largest outlet mall with 100 outlet stores amongst more than 220 stores, offering 80% discount of local brands all year round, such as 6ixty8ight and Charles & Keith. Aside from the local branded stores, this is one-stop mall specializing in interior furniture, including home renewal essentials, furnishings and fittings.

Timings: Open from 10 am to 10 pm.

In recent years, food has apparently become a new hot spot for Chinese cities to attract tourists. Following Zibo and Harbin, Tianshui,     1     ancient city in Northwest China's Gansu Province, became the     2     (hot) tourists destination of 2024 because of malatang, a local street dish.

Malatang,     3     (literal) meaning “numbing, spicy, and hot” in Chinese, is a common street food that can be found all over China, but its tastes differ depending     4     the region. In Tianshui, malatang features a mix of fresh vegetables and meat     5     (boil) in a hot, spicy chicken soup.

Tianshui went viral when a student     6     (post) a seven-second video in February on her social media. In the video, she suggested     7     (make) Gansu malatang a national dish. The video,     8     quickly received millions of likes online, attracted food lovers to the city     9     (experience) this local dish firsthand. Malatang also helps draw more visits to key     10     (attraction) in Tianshui, such as Maijishan Grottoes and Fuxi Temple.