According to a study, being exposed to a 360-degree video of nature can provide emotional wellbeing benefits for people who cannot access the outdoors. So let's check out some ideas of free virtual trips you can take right now!
Take a tour in Central Park, New York
As one of the world's biggest attractions, Central Park is a part of natural beauty located in the very heart of Manhattan. With this tour offered by youvisit. com, you'll be able to see the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, the Belvedere Castle and "walk" through the park's scenic meadows. If you're in the mood for greenery, this tour will definitely suit you.
Explore the wonders of Japan
Take a tour across this beautiful country with a 360-degree VR movie from the Japan National Tourism Organization: you'll be able to explore tradition, modernity and nature all at once, and enjoy the mixture of fascinating cultural sites and the most appealing natural spots.
Enjoy the breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon, Arizona
Are you up to witnessing one of the most magnificent views in the world? No wonder the Grand Canyon in Arizona is considered one of the world's treasures. The virtual tour, provided by the National Park Service U.S. lets you discover ancient places within the canyon and explore archaeological excavations (考古挖掘) in an interactive way.
Climb Everest for an unforgettable adventure
Experience what it feels like to climb the world's tallest mountain with Everest VR: Journey to the top of the world, a docu series especially made for Virtual Reality headsets. Have you ever imagined experiencing an Himalayan avalanche or a rock-climbing fall? Or just admiring the sunset from the top of the mountain's unique perspective? This journey will take you to places you never thought possible.
Pinocchio may be just a children's fairy tale, but Spanish scientists at the University of Granada recently investigated the so-called "Pinocchio effect" and found that our noses don't grow when we tell a lie, but actually shrink a bit.
Dr. Emilio Gómez Milán and his team developed a lie detector (测谎仪) test that usedthermography (热成像仪) to tell if people were lying, and found that whenever participants in their research were being untruthful, the temperature of the tips of their noses dropped up to 1.2℃ while the temperature of their forehead increased up to 1.5℃. Scientists also found that drop in temperature at nose level actually caused it to slightly shrink, although the difference is unnoticed by the human eye.
"One has to think in order to lie, which increases the temperature of the forehead," Dr. Gómez Milán explained the findings. "At the same time, we feel anxious, which lowers the temperature of the nose."
For this study, researchers asked a number of 60 students to perform various tasks while being scanned by thermal imaging technology, including making a 3 to 4 minutes call to their parents, a partner or a friend and telling a significant lie. Participants had to make up the lie by themselves during the call, and the thermal cameras picked up this "reverse Pinocchio effect" caused by the fluctuation (起伏) in temperature in the nose and forehead.
Interestingly, the thermal lie detector picked up the temperature difference in 80 percent of test subjects, which is a better rate of success than that of any modern lie detector. It's suggested that law enforcement interviewers should one day combine other lie detection technology with thermal imaging to achieve better results. The thermal lie detector has been the most reliable in the world, 10% more than others.
A study led by Plana-Ripoll, a doctor at Aarhus University in Denmark, tries to deal with a fundamental question that has bothered researchers for more than a century—what exactly causes mental illness?
In the hope of finding the answer, scientists have piled up a large amount of data over the past decade, through studies of genes and brain activity. They have found that many of the same genes underlie seemingly distinct disorders and that changes in the brain's decision-making systems could be involved in many conditions.
The researchers are also rethinking theories of how our brains go wrong. The idea that mental illness can be classified into distinct, separate categories like "anxiety" has been disproved to a large extent. Instead, recently they've found that disorders shade into each other, and there are no hard dividing lines.
The researchers are trying to understand the biology that underlies mental illness. They have a few theories. Perhaps there are several dimensions of mental illness, so depending on how a person scores on each dimension, they might be more likely to have some disorders than others. An alternative idea is that there is a single factor that makes people easier to suffer from mental illness in general. What disorder they develop is then determined by other factors. Both ideas are being taken seriously though the former one is more widely accepted by the researchers.
The details are still unclear, but most researchers agree that one thing is specific: The old system of categorizing mental disorders into neat boxes does not work. They are also hopeful that, in the long run, replacing this framework with one that is grounded in biology will lead to new drugs and treatments. The researchers aim to reveal, for instance, the key genes, brain regions and neurological processes involved in psychopathology(精神病理学), and target them with treatments. Although it might take a while to get there, they are long-term optimistic if the field really does its work.
It is not easy to excite New Yorkers or keep them going easy on things around. This is one reason why actors and other famous people move to the city. They can live quieter lives and escape the paparazzi photographers who would follow them in Hollywood.
But New York has a new media star. And this star is not living so quietly. The star is a colorful Mandarin duck. The bird first appeared this month in a small body of water in Manhattan's Central Park. Large crowds have gathered to see the duck. Reporters have been following its every move. The media attention on the duck has earned the name "quackarazzi" – a word combination of paparazzi and the sound a duck makes!
The duck has chosen to live in a costly part of New York -- just off Fifth Avenue, near the historic Plaza Hotel. There, hundreds of people turn up every day, hoping to see the bird show off its extremely colorful feathers. Many people like the duck because its colors are like "sunsets," says New Yorker Joe Amato. He comes to the park nearly every day with his camera equipment. Bird lovers have been keeping record of the bird's daily life through social media postings and videos. People have noted how effortlessly the duck moves through the water.
This week, New York's newest celebrity seemed to enjoy its fame, showing off its wings while members of the "quackarazzi" pushed each other to get a closer look. Leesa Beckmann traveled over two hours from her home in New Jersey to see the duck. She says her 90-year-old mother has been talking all about the duck since its first appearance.
"I've got to see this...duck," Beckmann told her mother. She plans to take pictures and give them to her mother.
Bird expert Paul Sweet heads a large collection of bird species at the New York-based American Museum of Natural History. He says there is nothing special about a Mandarin duck in Central Park. Central Park Zoo has its own Mandarin duck, he says. These ducks are often imported to the United States from Asia for use on private property.
"A lot of non-birders tend to see (colorful) birds as more beautiful," Sweet said, "But to me, it's no more beautiful than, say, a sparrow."
Criticism is harmful to healthy relationships. First, work on changing your own behavior. Then, find effective ways to communicate if someone bothers you.
Changing Your Behavior
● Think before you speak. Sometimes, it's best to let small indiscretions (轻率的行为) go. Try taking a few deep breaths and leaving the room instead of criticizing.
● Separate the individual from their actions. If you work on separating the person from the action, you may naturally want to criticize less. As you realize you cannot judge a person's character based on a single choice or decision, you will be unable to call someone out for being rude or disrespectful.
● Focus on positives. Oftentimes, being critical results from how you're choosing to see a situation. Everyone has shortcomings. However, the vast majority of people have good qualities that outweigh bad ones.
Communicating More Effectively
● Some people have issues that may need addressing. However, feedback is very different from criticism. When addressing an issue, focus on suggestions you can make to help another person improve, which is more effective than criticizing.
● Ask for what you want directly. Inefficient communication often results in heavy criticism. Make sure to ask for what you want in a direct, respectful manner. This will eliminate (消除) the need for criticism.
● Consider the other party's perspective. If you criticize others too often, you may be shutting out the other person's point of view. Try to step in another person's shoes before criticizing and you may get some new and special ideas.
A. Give feedback rather than criticism.
B. However, there are ways to avoid criticism.
C. Try to focus on a person's positive qualities over their negative ones.
D. If you find yourself making assumptions about a person's character, stop yourself.
E. If you're not telling someone what you want, that person cannot be expected to know.
F. Criticism should, ideally, be working towards an effective solution to a negative situation.
G. When you want to dish out criticism, pause and consider whether you really need to say anything.
Scientific studies show that laughter produces chemicals to make people feel better, which1clown doctors can be helpful.
I chose this 2 because of my experience of going to hospital when I was a kid. Although the doctors and nurses did a great job, hospitals weren't really designed for 3. I stayed there feeling 4 and a little bored.
After years' 5 training, I work as part of a program known as "hospital clowning". Being a clown doctor means I can help people by 6 them.
One day, 7 my curly rainbow wig and big red nose, I walked into the waiting area, where there was a familiar atmosphere of 8 and tension. At that time I spotted a small girl crying in pain, with her ankle was twice its 9 size. Her 10 parents, sitting 11 on plastic chairs, were trying their best to 12 the nervous and crying girl.
While the doctor concentrated on 13 her ankle, I got her 14by doing a magic trick. Although she was clearly still in some pain, her scared and anxious look had been 15—first by a small smile and then by loud laughter as I 16 produced her sock from out of my pocket. Seeing their daughter so much happier 17 made her parents more relaxed. My magic medicine did indeed seem to18.
Even today, I still 19 a big smile as I remember all the fun and laughter of the day. After all, it is true that20 is the best medicine.
Few people I know seem to have much desire or time to cook. Making Chinese(dish) is seen as especially troublesome. Many westerners come to China cook much less than in their own countries once they realize how cheap can be to eat out. I still remember(visit) a friend who'd lived here for five years and I(shock) when I learnt she hadn't cooked once in all that time.
While regularly eating out seems to(become) common for many young people in recent years, it's not without a cost. The obvious one is money; eating out once or twice a week may be(afford) but doing this most days adds up. There could be an even(high) cost on your health. Researchers have found that there is a direct link between the increase in food eaten outside the home and the rise in (weigh) problems.
If you are not going to suffer this problem, then I suggest that the next time you go to your mum's home dinner, get a few cooking tips from her. Cooking food can be fun. You might also begin to notice the effects not only on your health but in your pocket.
How is it going? Hearing that you have troubles making small talk with strangers in China, I'd like to offer you my advice following by many people.
Firstly, it is normal to feel a bit nervous when approaching to strangers. Everyone gets little shy first; after all, you don't know how they are like. The only way was to get over being shy and reach out to us. Secondly, Chinese people, especially young people, are general friendly, kind and enthusiastic. You can talk about almost everything range from sports, stars, movies to music. Thirdly, they are some sensitive topics such as age, weight and income, which should be avoided.
1）说明推荐的理由；
2）提出学习这门课程的建议。
注意：1）词数100左右；2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯;
3）开头语和结束语已给出，但不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
