学进去

As people all over the world struggled with higher levels of stress, depression and anxiety this past year, many turned to their favorite comfort foods: ice cream, pizza, hamburgers. But studies in recent years suggest that the high-sugar and high-fat foods when we are stressed or depressed, as comforting as they may seem, are the least likely to be good for our mental (精神上的) health. Instead, whole foods such as vegetables, fruit, fish, eggs, nuts may be a better bet.

Historically, nutrition research has paid much attention to how the foods we eat influence our physical (身体上的) health, rather than our mental health, though. Over the years, large population studies have found that people who are asked to follow a Mediterranean diet for three months had greater reductions in symptoms of depression after three months compared to a control group. Public health professors around the world have started encouraging people to take and use lifestyle behaviors like exercise, sound sleep, a heart-healthy diet and avoiding smoking that may reduce inflammation (发炎) and have advantages for the brain. Individual clinicians (临床医师) are already including nutrition into their work with patients. Dr. Drew Ramsey, a clinical professor at the Columbia University, begins his meetings with new patients by exploring their diet. He asks what they eat, learns their favorite foods, and finds out if foods that he considers important for the connection are missing from their diets, such as plants, seafood.

Dr. Ramsey said he didn’t want people to think that the only factor involved in brain health is food. “Lots of people get their food exactly right, live very active lives, and still have many troubles with their mental health,” he said. But he also teaches people that food can be empowering. “We can’t control our genes,” he said. “But we can control how we eat, and that gives people actionable things that they can do to take care of their brain health on a daily basis.”

Growing up, I thought math class was something to be endured, not enjoyed. I disliked memorizing formulas (公式) and taking tests, all for the dull goal of getting a good grade. One of my teachers told my mother that I was “slow”. But my problem wasn’t with math itself. In fact, when a topic seemed particularly interesting, I would go to the library and read more about it.

By high school, no one told me that I could become a professional mathematician. What I wanted to do then was to play college football. My goal was to get an athletic scholarship to attend a Big Ten school.

The chances of that happening were very low. But that didn’t stop my coaches from encouraging me to believe I could reach my goal, and preparing and pushing me to work for it. They made video tapes of my performances and sent them to college coaches around the country. In the end, a Big Ten school, Penn State, did offer me a scholarship.

I wish math teachers were more like football coaches. Students are influenced by more than just the quality of a lesson plan. They also react to the passion of their teachers and the engagement of their peers and they try to achieve a sense of purpose. They get advantages from detailed and exact instructions and constant feedback (反馈).

Until I got to college, I didn’t really know what mathematics was. I still thought of it as laborious (耗时费力的) calculations. Then my professor handed me a book and suggested that I should think about a particular problem. It wasn’t easy, but it was attractive. My professor kept giving me problems, and I kept chasing them, even though I couldn’t always solve them immediately. The mathematical research I was doing had little in common with what I did in my high school classrooms. Instead, it was closer to the math and logic puzzles I did on my own as a boy. It gave me the same sense of wonder and curiosity, and it rewarded creativity. I am now a Ph.D candidate (候选人) in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Drinking Alone under the Moon

Among the flowers, from a pot of wine.

I drink without a companion of mine.

I raise my cup to invite the Moon who blends.

Her light with my Shadow and we’re three friends.

The Moon does not know how to drink her share;

In vain my Shadow follows me here and there.

Together with them for the time I stay.

And make merry before spring’s spent away.

I sing and the Moon lingers to hear my song;

My Shadows a mess while I dance along.

Sober, we three remain cheerful and gay;

Drunken, we part and each may go his way.

Our friendship will outshine all earthly love;

Next time we’ll meet beyond the stars above.

In 1921, long before the Walt Disney Company turned Pooh（维尼熊）into an international star of TV and films, Christopher Robin Milne was given a toy bear on his first birthday from his father, A.A. Milne, who bought the stuffed（填充玩具）animal from a store. The stuffed animal was named Edward Bear. Years later, Edward was named Winnie. From the time Christopher Robin Milne was a baby until he was about 8 years old, he would receive different stuffed animals.

A.A. Milne was a famous English author. As he watched his son interact with Winnie and friends, A.A. Milne thought his child’s interaction with the collection of animals would make a great bedtime story. So Milne worked with artist Ernest H. Shepard and wrote the first Winnie the Pooh poem, where Edward Bear was know as “Teddy Bear”. The writings appeared in Punch magazine and in the book they wrote together, When We Were Very Young, which was published in 1924. In a four-year period, three more books that centered on the bear and his team followed: 1926’s Winnie-the-Pooh, 1927’s Now We Are Six, and 1928’s The House at Pooh Corner.

The books and poems about Pooh brought great success to the author, and the characters became favorites with young children and their families around the world. Their popularity led Disney to get the rights to make films about the characters in 1961. Five years later, Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and the rest of the team appeared on screen for the first time in Winnie-the-Pooh and the Honey Tree. The characters later appeared in TV shows, movies, video games and short films. Pooh’s most recent appearance came last year in the popular children’s program, Doc McStuffins, where he was a special guest.

My neighbours are kind and helpful. _________ of them are volunteers. They have different skills and often help us _________ all kinds of problems.

Mrs. Fang is a doctor and she works in a hospital. Don’t _________ to ask her for help when you have a toothache. Besides, she often goes to schools and gives talks about how to take care of teeth.

Susan is a fashion designer. She knows _________ about styles and colours. In her shop near the centre of the city, you can see many fashionable dresses. If you don’t know _________ to wear to a party, she will be happy to give you some ideas.

Henry is a mechanic (机械师). His job is to fix cars. He is busy with his work, _________ he is always ready to help others. Don’t forget to call him when _________ is wrong with your car.

David is a(n) _________, and he works in an office. He uses his computer to do most of his work. He designs a lot of interesting, educational (有教育意义的) DVDs to help the students with _________ studies. Remember to call him, if you want to have fun studying.

We are __________ to live in a neighbourhood like that. People here are like a big family.