Here are some of the prettiest small towns across Europe.
Giethoorn, Netherlands
They call it the Dutch answer to Venice, but Giethoorn lacks one crucial thing that the Italian city has; overtourism. As in Venice, life goes around the water. There are no cars in the center so the only way to get around is on foot or on the water. Hungry? Stop at the Michelin-starred restaurant Hollands Venetië.
Guimãries, Portugal
Guimãries is crucial to Portugal's history—It was named the country's first capital in the 12th century. Its Middle Age core remains largely undamaged, full of grand old palaces and a broken castle, standing on top of a cliff. Like everywhere in Portugal, local bakeries make a taste pie, but here you should try the local speciality: tortas de Guimãries, a pastry filled with squash and ground almonds.
Clovelly, UK
Donkeys used to be the only way to get up and down the steep streets of Clovelly, a pretty fishing village in Devon, southwest England. Today, they still haven't managed to bring cars in. It sits at the bottom of a 400-foot cliff. Instead, goods are transported by man-powered sledges (雪橇).
Kenmare, Ireland
On the southwestern tip of Ireland, the land melts into the ocean in County Kerry. Kenmare swings on the bay of the same name. This is in the middle of some of Ireland's best loved ares. It's on the Wild Atlantic Way, between the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara. Kenmare is known for its food, and for its views—with grand mountains behind the clear bay.
Darcie Hayward will have her five-year-old Alaskan Malamute, Sora, put paws on the pavement every day of the next month to raise funds for Guide Dogs Australia's PAWGUST campaign.
The initiative, which encourages Australians to walk their dogs for 30 minutes a day for 30 days, is a cause close to the 29-year-old's heart, Her younger blind brother Lachie, 27, was recently matched with a guide dog of his own, black Labrador Eddie in May after 18 months of tests and compatibility (相容) training.
"Since Eddie arrived, Lachie has been able to walk around without his cane (手杖), feeling like he is just walking his dog," said Darcie, who lives in Langwarrin, Victoria. "They are best friends." Seeing the difference a guide dog made to her brother, Darcie was overjoyed to be raising funds, so other Australians could one day have their own companion dogs, like Lachie.
"Many people see a guide dog and go, not realizing how much it takes to raise a guide dog puppy so I want to raise some awareness," said Darcie. "It's amazing to see how Lachie's life has improved, but there are many people without that companionship. It's really nice to be able to contribute in any way I can. I shared the experience on our local community web page, mentioning we are raising money for guide dogs. Surprisingly, a couple of strangers donated."
It seems that Eddie has already been a popular pup with the locals. "There are so many kids who have been asking to pat Eddie that Lachie has to reject them," Darcie added with a smile. Excited to be making a positive impact by walking her own dog, Darcie is eager to encourage more people to fetch their leashes (牵狗用的皮带) and tie up their trainers to take action.
James Rilling of Emory University in Atlanta published the study in The Royal Society in November, 2021. His team surveyed 50 grandmothers each with one biological grandchild between 3 and 12 years old and one of their own child. They also measured the brain function as the participants viewed pictures of their grandchild and the same-sex parent of the grandchild. Researchers found that grandmothers viewing their grandchild's pictures activated parts of the brain that involved emotional empathy (共鸣) and movement.
In contrast, the study also found that when grandmothers viewed images of their adult child, they showed stronger activation in an area of the brain associated with cognitive (认知的) empathy. That indicates they may be trying to cognitively understand what their adult child is thinking or feeling and why, but not as much from the emotional side. Compared, with results from an earlier study by the Rilling lab of fathers viewing photos of their children, results showed that grandmothers activated more parts of the brain that involved emotional empathy and motivation.
"That suggests that grandmothers tend, to feel what their grandchildren are feeling when they interact with them," Rilling said. "If their grandchild is smiling, they're feeling the child's joy. And if their grandchild is crying, they're feeling the child's pain and sorrow." In many societies, grandmothers are important caregivers, and their investment is often, associated with improving their grandchildren's well-being.
It's part of the reason why the US celebrates Grandparents'Day each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day in September. The announcement was signed in 1978. "Because grandparents are usually free to love, guide and befriend the young without having to take the daily responsibility for them, they can reach out past pride and fear of failure, and close the space between generations," the announcement read.
"All of our senses convert (转换) physical energy in the surrounding world into electrical responses, which are the common currency that the nervous system uses," said James Hudspeth from Rockefeller University.
Hudspeth said, "Our ears have to convert mechanical vibrations (震动) in the air into electrical responses. And the way this is done is that there are so-called hair cells. These cells have little microscopic bristles (刚毛), about a hundred of them, and on the top of each cell, these bristles vibrate back and forth in response to sound. That sets up an electrical signal that goes down a nerve fiber and into the brain."
Hudspeth continued, "The real question is what happens with these hair cells as they degenerate. We lose them owing to loud sounds and certain drugs, and we lose them with aging. What can be done to repair them so that we can restore hearing?"
Another expert, Robert Fettiplace said, "Well, I mean there are two aspects to this, one of which is that you could try and regrow them. Almost all hearing loss is due to death of the hair cells or lack of formation of them in the first place. The cells are all different."
Hudspeth said, "The problems that Robert has mentioned go for mammals, including ourselves. The situation is different with other four-legged animals. But, in reptiles, including birds, this regeneration is going on all the time, like in fish. In fact, you can take a chicken to a concert, blasting its ears. They will nicely regenerate, and even with frequency-specific hair cells, they will reconnect, and the animal will be able to hear normally again."
Hudspeth added, "I agree that there is an enormous challenge, and this is certainly something that won't happen overnight in ourselves. But I don't think it's a hopeless task and I think basically what many people are trying to do is decode (解码) the signals sent as these hair cells develop, and by doing so to recognize the signaling pathways that might be reactivated the original development and restore hair cells by that means."
Is Doodling (涂鸦) Good for You?
Doodling is drawing lines, shapes, etc, especially when you are bored or thinking about something else. Some people believe that drawing random patterns and designs during meetings and lectures shows you aren't listening or paying attention. They show that doodling may be beneficial.
It used to be seen as a product of absent-mindedness. However, a modern article on the Harvard University website has discussed the idea that random drawings may assist you in keeping memory and focus.
The article mentioned above highlights that 26 of 44 American presidents were known to doodle, with Ronald Reagan famous for drawing cowboys. A 2009 study conducted by psychologist Jackie Andrade asked 40 people to listen to a "dull and odd" voice message. Those people who did were able to recall 29% more of the information contained in the message.
Some experts believe that embracing your creative and artistic sides during meetings may keep your mind active. Jesse Prinz, a famous professor of philosophy, actively encourages his students to doodle. He believes that doodling is the "sweet spot of attention". And it may not just be good for your concentration. An artist known as Mi Doodle has made a career out of his doodles.
So random drawing to aid concentration may be becoming more of a thing. So next time you see staff members casually drawing pictures during a meeting, it may be a sign that they are listening more than you think.
A. Doodling is universal from the past to the present.
B. It is rare to see a college student doodling at present.
C. However, there are studies which claim the opposite.
D. The young weaken their concentration by random drawing.
E. Employees begin to be taught how to doodle in the workplace.
F. Half of the group were asked to doodle and shade in a picture.
G. He sells his artworks online and also decorates people's houses.
Jacob McFarland loves making and bringing his parents coffee. And now the 21-year-old, who has autism (孤独症), bas his own cafe.
Making coffee for his dad is a passion. It makes him feel very 1. Jacob is his father's biggest 2, and he loves coffee. So, Jacob loves everything his father loves. Jacob was 3 himself in all types of research about the proper beans to use, the best water, the water temperature and the 4 of the whole thing.
His parents 5 a record store in town, and they had to 6 close it sometimes because it was not an 7 business. Jacob, who was 19 at the time and had graduated from high school, was still in continuing education courses, but those 8 too. So, the family decided to do a coffee cart (推车) outside of their store.
The coffee cart was a way to keep 9 coming out-even though they couldn't shop for 10 inside the store. It had a double benefit, because Jacob got to 11 his dream of being barista (咖啡师).
Not only was the coffee business successful, it helped 12 Jacob's life. The cafe has expanded even further, by employing other young people with 13 and helping them with future employment efforts. Having a business has also helped Jacob socially. He's found the 14 side of himself. And if this were to all go away tomorrow, the 15 in Jacob in two and a half years has been worth everything.
Coral reefs are being planted in the deep seabed around Hainan Province, a famous tourist destination in China, as part of efforts (preserve) the maritime (海上的) environment and promote green development.
Coral reefs cover about 2 percent of the area of sea floor and provide habitats for about 25 percent of (creature). They play important role in stabilizing ecology of the ocean, according to experts. They work as (extreme) natural barriers to weaken the impact of waves crashing on the shore.
However, survival of coral reefs have been challenged due changes in the maritime environment. In 2019, the Hainan South China Sea Institute of Tropical Ocean initiated a program to plant (million) of coral reefs through professional breeding technology.
"It's like (plant) trees under the sea," said Chen Hong, director of the institute. "Though they grow slowly, the seedlings no (big) than fingernails may become coral reefs size can surpass several soccer fields."
In recent years, the team has planted over 200,000 coral reefs around Sanya city and Danzhou city. That quantity (break) the national record of coral reefs transplantation for amount and survival rate.
My daughter Marissa loves to dance and is quite a good dancer. She inherited her dancing ability from my wife Angela.
Angela encouraged Marissa to dance from a very early age. I recall fondly how she would swing our daughter around the living room over and over to the song "Dancing Queen". The two of them filled our living room with laughter and joy each time they danced together. Because of that, our daughter has always loved all types of dance, and she took classes in Irish dance, hip-hop, jazz and more.
I love music, and I will dance occasionally, but my dancing is awful! Every time I try to dance, two things get in the way: my feet.
A couple of years ago, Marissa was a bridesmaid in a wedding that my wife and I attended. It was a beautiful wedding on a bright spring day. At the reception, my daughter was dancing away. I was sitting at a table minding my own business when she talked me into dancing with her. That means she begged me to get off my chair and out on the dance floor.
When we got out on the floor, the DJ's music took over my body. The problem was that it missed my hips and feet. I tried my best. As I began moving to the beat, I gave myself a silent encouraging talk. I thought of that famous phrase: Dance like no one is watching. That didn't work! Everyone was watching. My brother-in-law was laughing so hard that I thought he would fall off his chair.
I tried my best to keep up with my daughter's moves. Unfortunately, I was always at least two steps behind. She was performing a move, and I was just a fool! Her "Hips Don't Lie", and my hips didn't even know what to say. If she was the dancing queen, then I would have been the court jester (小丑). I think you get the picture.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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Despite my poor dance moves, we had a good time. …… Dance gives us so many smiles. |
