● Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxe
Type: Fantasy
When Ophelia moves to a strange city where it never stops snowing, she discovers a boy locked away for 75 years in a museum. She must help the boy before the Snow Queen freezes the world. Along the way, Ophelia learns how to believe in things she cannot see.
Targeted readers: People who like fairy tales would enjoy this book.
● A Hundred Horses by Sarah Lean
Type: Mystery
During her visits to her aunt and cousins, the wooden horse Nell is stolen by a girl named Angel. As Nell finds out Angels true identity, a bond grows between them and a group of 99 horses. Word has it that the 100th horse is magical. But where is it? Nell doesn't know, but Angel might know.
Targeted readers: Kids who like animals and nature will be sure to find this book exciting.
● How to Catch a Boggle by Catherine Junk's
Type: Fantasy
Birdie is an orphan who is good at trapping monsters with her singing voice. She is the only goblin hunter (猎人) in the forest. When kids go missing, it's up to her to figure out why.
Targeted readers: Anyone who is looking for monsters will take great pleasure in this book.
● I Even Funnier: A Middle School Story by James Patterson and Chris Greenstein
Type: Fiction
After a car accident Jamie loses his family, so he moves in with his aunt, uncle and his cousin Stevie, whose basic aim is to trick Jamie. But Jamie keeps having a positive attitude and running after his goals. He has been recently honored the Funniest Kid Comic of New York State.
Targeted readers: This book would be great for anyone who is fond of humorous books.
I still remember my friends giving me the advice: Get a hobby. I was stressed and, of course, also on my phone too much. I was writing about food for work, so cooking didn't really count as a hobby anymore, nor did reading, nor socializing, especially since all of my friends worked in my industry. I needed something in my life that existed apart from all that.
Cooking had once been the thing I did to relax when I got home from work, the thing I was curious about. The kitchen had once been a release, but now it was part of my professional life. It needed a replacement. A few months later, I dutifully signed up for a ceramics(制陶艺术) class at a studio near my apartment.
Powerlessness, for an amateur, can be its own draw. At the studio, I started as a lazy learner, but after a few months I became crazy, signing up for more classes when my session ended. I had something to be curious about, and my goals were unrelated to outer forces: a boss, a job, a market, a reader. Unlike with writing, my progress was quantifiable: Now I can make a vase this tall. Now my handles are beautiful. Now I have made two things that more or less look like a pair.
Finally finding a hobby that was just for my own enjoyment was enjoyable. I enjoyed having something to do that didn't involve a screen and therefore felt far from the style of work to which I was most accustomed —hands covered in clay cannot swipe(滑屏) very well.
Making time for this also means carving out time, for creation and inspiration, and also for the rest that is required for me to reflect on my life. This is something I desire more than a new hobby. This is peace.
To nap or not to nap? Whether napping will work for you depends on a range of factors, such as lifestyle, sleep cycle length, culture, and, most importantly, the length of your snooze. If you like to nap, you are not alone. Napping is part of the culture in many countries: around 51 percent of people worldwide habitually enjoy 40 winks in the daytime.
When it comes to napping. one size definitely doesn't fit all. If you are sleep deprived, a nap can be helpful or even essential for making it through the day. However, for those with other sleep issues, a nap may make it harder to fall asleep at night. For most of us, the timing and length of our nap will largely determine how beneficial it is to our sleep routine.
Between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., most people experience an increase in sleepiness, triggered by a slight drop in core body temperature. A nap of 30 minutes or less around this time allows you to benefit from a burst of Stage I and 2 sleep, which is good for mental and physical alertness.
Napping for 30 minutes or less can reduce stress and lower the risk of cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and strokes. One study showed that napping three times a week for 30 minutes led to a 37 percent decreased risk of dying from heart disease.
A brief nap can be beneficial for those with excessive daytime sleepiness, including people suffering from sleep apnea(呼吸暂停) or narcolepsy, shift workers, and people with jet lag. Studies show that short naps can help improve or reset a disrupted circadian rhythm (昼夜节律).
Naps can interfere with insomnia(失眠) treatment, which involves restricting daytime sleep to increase the likelihood of sleeping solidly at night.
Be cautious about naps of more than 30 minutes. Waking from the deep-sleep stages results in sleep inertia, a super-dizzy state where brainwaves are slow and it takes longer to adjust to the awake state.
A recent study has found that napping for more than 60 minutes a day increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 50 percent.
Young children are significantly more likely than adults to have their opinions influenced by robots according to a new research. The study, conducted-at the-University of Plymouth, compared how adults and children respond to an identical (相同的) task when in the presence of both their peers (同龄人) and robots.
It showed that while adults regularly have their opinions influenced by peers, something also demonstrated in previous studies, they are largely able to resist being persuaded by robots. However, children aged between seven and nine were more likely to give the same responses as the robots, even if they were obviously incorrect.
The study asks people to look at a screen showing four lines and say which two match in length. When alone, people almost never make a mistake but when doing the experiment with others, they tend to follow what others are saying.
When children were alone in the room in this research, they scored 87%on the test, but when the robots join in their score drops to 75%. And of the wrong answers, 74% matched those of the robot.
Professor Belpaeme said, "People often follow the opinions of others and we've known for a long time that it is hard to resist taking over views and opinions of people around-us. But as robots will soon be found in the home and the workplace, we were wondering if people would follow robots. What our results show is that adults do not follow what the robots are saying. But when we did the experiment with children, they did. It shows children can perhaps have more of an affinity (亲和力)with robots than adults, which does pose the question: What if robots were to suggest, for example, what products to buy or what to think?"
With our lives becoming increasingly busy and stressful, it's easy to forget to check in on our mental well-being and to neglect our emotional health needs. So cultivating "self-compassion" is very important.
We're humans, not machines, and can't be completely together all the time. This helps us recognise the early warning signs that something is wrong like tearfulness and feeling overwhelmed.
We can then take action to improve our mental balance, which in turn can help us better cope with the challenges life throws at us.
Doing just one small positive thing each day can make a big difference and be enough to restore a sense of balance.Or going for a walk in the fresh air and feeling the warmth of the sun. Or walking the dog.
Changing the way we tackle negative thinking also helps a lot. One technique is to stick to the facts about a particular situation rather than listening to negative thoughts and anxieties. So we can ask questions like: Is this true?Does this thinking benefit me or hinder me? Could I see it another way?
When we struggle to get to sleep, our minds can start to fill with anxious thoughts that make it even harder to doze off. Having a cool environment, not drinking caffeine past midday or banning mobile phones from the bedroom could be the changes you need.
A. How you set up your day?
B. Why am I seeing it like that?
C. Being a big advocate for helping others.
D. Having good-quality sleep can improve mental health.
E. Here are small but important steps that can ease the burden.
F. It might be simply like dancing around the house to expel nervous energy.
G. But we can monitor our mood and emotions to know what our "normal" is and if it's in need of a boost.
Three years ago, I spotted a video of someone making resin (树脂) art. He 1 poured and mixed colors together. I couldn't 2 thinking about its beauty for nights. Less than a month later, I ordered a beginner's resin kit to 3 .
When I was a kid, my artist grandmother taught me to 4 , and I've always enjoyed getting 5 and making things with my hands. The resin art videos 6 me to relight the childhood creativity that I had lost while working in London.
But it's more 7 than it looks. Resin s a heavy liquid that when applied can't be completely controlled. It was in those tougher moments that I 8 my artist grandmother, and our valuable moments spent painting together. Resin art was a 9 for me to honor her.
After I first 10 a picture of my work on my phone, my friends began 11 me for resin art. So I had an idea to make my artworks to be sold to the public and developed a resin art website. After 12 the first ones, I quickly sold out of them. Within a year, I had made over $2,600 13 , which I donated to charity. I even had my first display in Devon. I never thought it would turn into a life-changing 14 .
As long as there are people who'd like to buy my work, I'd like to make it. I pour colors from memories of beautiful places into my art, and I hope my grandmother would be 15 that I chose a life filled with more creativity.
As the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine. Laughing is like a super drug for your health that can lift your mood, lessen pain, and protect you from the (harm) effects of stress.
Journalist, author and professor Norman Cousins was well-known supporter of laughter as a form of medicine and an outstanding figure the field of health and wellness. Diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (强直性脊柱炎) in the late 1960s, Cousins (age) about 50, had little hope of recovery; just one in 500 chances. However, Cousins (notice) that his pain decreased when he involved in laughter, according to the Newport Academy. So, he began to schedule funny movies for (he) on a regular basis. (remarkable), he lived another 25 years post-diagnosis and conducted in-depth research on the medical benefits of laughter, with the support of California University Hospital.
Since then, research has continuously confirmed the effectiveness of laughter in relieving pain improving overall well-being. It's been found that a hearty laugh can lessen physical tension, (leave) muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes. Importantly, these physical improvements have a significant positive impact on mental health, as the mind and body (connect).
In the spring sun, my aunt and I headed for her flower shop. Normally I would be delighted to help in her shop, but not recently because of Rosa. Rosa was my sister, just one month old, who was settled in my old bedroom. For ten years, the small room was full of my toys and books. But now it was transformed into her baby room, decorated like a garden with pinks and yellows. My space, my old life, was gone.
"Here we are!" We arrived at the shop, a wave of colour and sweet smell washing over me. My aunt said I could pick some flowers for Mum and Dad. I used to love this, but today I was so overcome with tiredness and envy. Why bother to bring them flowers when they were enjoying Rosa at home without me?
Silently I helped my aunt arrange flowers. "Your mum told me there hasn't been much shut eye recently for any of you." "Not much, since Rosa the alarm clock was installed (安装)." I complained with a huge yawn (哈欠).
"I remember having to creep (蹑手蹑脚地走) around like a worn-out mouse when your mum was a baby. I spent the first months hating her so much." "But you and Mum seem so close," I said, guiltily hiding away my envy of Rosa.
"Now we are. But it took me years to grow into the role of big sister. Few flowers blossom (绽放) overnight, you know." She pulled me in for aside hug, glancing up at the clock, and suggested I take a walk outside.
Behind her shop was a field dotted with spring flowers. Stepping into the field, I began to pick little flowers. It was like gathering my childhood memories. I remembered how I'd sit with Dad, making flower chains, crowning (授予) each other with the silliest titles: Queen of Junk Food and King of Mess. My smile grew wider. The shining yellow flowers reminded me of the color in Rosa's baby room. Was she awake? I wondered.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卷的相应位置作答。
Suddenly I saw two familiar figures walking towards me.
……
Rosa was wide awake in her baby basket beside the picnic blanket.
