News From The World of Medicine
SHORT ON SLEEP? DON'T FORGET TO DRINK WATER
In a Pennsylvania State University study involving more than 20,000 participants, people who said they got only six hours of sleep regularly ran a greater risk of dehydration (脱水) than who got eight hours. The reason might lie with a hormone (荷尔蒙) called vasopressin, helps control the body's fluid levels. It's let out in larger quantities later in the sleep cycle, people getting less shut-eye might not have the best amount of it. If you know you're short on slumber, (make) a point of drinking water.
TEN-MINUTE CANCER TEST
Australian researchers have developed a test can discover cancer cells in ten minutes with 90 percent accuracy. Healthy DNA and cancer DNA, it turns out, stick to metal surfaces differently. When cancer DNA (add) to water mixed with gold nanoparticles (纳米颗粒), the water remains its rosy color, when healthy DNA is added, the water turns blue. the test is cheap and simple, it could be used at your primary care physician's office, with follow-up if necessary.
EXERCISE PREVENTS FALLS
Each year, at least a third of people the age of 65 fall downwards. Research found that there's one factor related to notably reduced risk: exercise. People who took part in Tai Chi fell 19 percent (often), while those who did balance and functional exercises, such as step-ups, chair rises, or standing on one leg, fell 24 percent less often. Most useful of all was (combine) different types of exercise, including lifting weights and balance exercises.
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The Floating School
Life on the islands can feel a bit isolated due to a lack of electricity and internet connectivity.
Although some of the islands have primary schools, most young people must travel to the larger islands or to the mainland to attend high school. Schools on the islands follow the curriculum (课程). They don't teach subjects such as maritime skills, swimming or local fishing traditions, and so the curriculum isn't always with students' everyday life.
So, we the Floating School after winning funding through a US State Department grant competition called Seeds for the Future. Before we started the school, we spoke with young people, community leaders and teachers on the islands to find out the topics young people are most interested in. We also learned about the various of students and young people who don't go to school. Thus, we our own non-formal educational programme that fits with the context of life on the islands. For example, those working in fishing have responsibility the marine life, so we teach environmental protection and discourage destructive fishing practices.
The Floating School is a wooden boat that can up to twenty people and it goes to the students, not the other way around -- we use it to transport educational materials, tools, and teachers to young people living on the islands. Our teachers are local young — so far we have had journalists, photographers, computer engineers and musicians — and students who want to their skills.
At first, many of the young people thought the Floating School would be the same as their schools on the islands. They had thought of the teachers to be . But our students learn through art, media and literature. They don't have to wear uniforms or shoes, and the teachers treat the students as equals, without judging them. This means our students can be themselves.
School Counselors (辅导员) Matter
Overwhelmed (压垮) by homework? Worried about a friend? Feel like you don't fit in? Sometimes it's impossible to 1 tough times alone. Problems can build up and you may suffer from insomnia (失眠), have difficulty concentrating, or even become depressed. It's time for you to talk to someone. Your school counselor can be a great place to start.
A high school counselor who is a licensed professional offers a variety of 2 to high school students. He or she often provides advice and resources to students regarding their future college and 3 plans. A counselor may also help students who are 4 behavioral problems, family issues and stress. He or she often acts as a grief counselor to students in the event of an accident or other 5 situations. The job is quite demanding. 6, high school counselors are often very knowledgeable about developmental and family psychology, and skilled at providing direct therapy for troubled individuals.
Counselors meet with students individually or in small groups. Group meetings can really help people who are dealing with 7 issues. Not only do you get great ideas in a group setting, but it can also help to know that other students are experiencing the same thing and that they understand. How 8 you meet with your counselor depends on the issue. Some concerns are dealt with in a one-time meeting. Others require regular meetings for a while.
School counselors are all about helping to make your school experience the best it can be. The role of the school counselor today is very 9 what it was like in the past. Instead of just focusing on schoolwork and careers, today's counselors are there for students in a broader way. They help students address almost any problem that might get in the way of learning, guide students to productive futures, and try to create a 10 environment for everyone at school.
Born in the 1950s, shopping malls were once the symbol of the U.S. consumer culture, but many are now dying out.
Dying shopping malls can be found across the United States, often in middle-class suburbs. Economic decline in certain areas together with an upward trend towards online shopping and new forms of urban shopping centers have pushed the once seemingly unbeatable shopping malls into decline. It is estimated that 15 to 50 percent of shopping malls may close in the coming decades.
American shopping culture follows its housing culture. Numerous shopping malls were therefore born after the Second World War, as Americans with cars and fat wallets moved to the suburbs. U.S. shopping malls were built at a rapid pace as shoppers fled cities, peaking in the mid-1990s when they were being built at a rate of 140 a year. Thus, too many shopping malls are left though construction has gradually decreased since then.
Currently, there are around 1,500 shopping malls across the U.S. Most share a handful of similar feature. They usually contain two or three stories of stores separated by walkways. Food courts serve pizza and other fast food. Parking lots are big enough to easily misplace a car.
Shopping malls in Europe might contain grocery stores or childcare centers, while those in Japan are often built around mass transit (交通枢纽). But the suburban American shopping malls are hard to get to and mainly sell clothes and gifts.
As many shopping malls became redundant (过剩的), leaders in many U.S. towns who once fought for malls now struggle with how to transform them to new uses. Highland Mall in Texas is being transformed into a community college campus, and Lakeland Mall in Florida now houses a megachurch (大型教会). Others have been redeveloped to include housing, offices and even green space. However, it is hard to imagine every shopping mall meeting the demands for such transformations.
Music. We hear it everywhere, every day. Getting into a lift, going around a supermarket or simply relaxing at home, music is our constant companion. And music can have a significant effect on the way we think and feel, so it's worth paying attention to what we're listening to.
Music can have a powerful effect on our moods, in terms of both reducing and increasing stress. Listening to calm gentle music in bed can help us drop off to sleep. Some airlines play smoothing music on board planes at take-off and landing, to calm nervous travelers. Athletes often listen to fast loud music to help them prepare for games. The American swimmer Michael Phelps is known to listen to rap music before important races to help pump him up.
The mood-altering effect of music can be especially acute for the people who actually play the music. Musicians who do not have high self-esteem (自尊心) can suddenly overflow with confidence once they go on stage. It's as though the music gives them a different personality.
And it's not only those who feel ill at ease with themselves who can benefit. Scientists have conducted research into the effect of music on students studying for exams. They found that listening to calm music with a regular beat can actually help students recall facts and improve their performance in exams. Classical music, preferably something by Mozart, seems to have the most beneficial effect. A word of caution, however: it's best not to over-rely on this method, as you won't be able to listen to music in an exam.
For most of us though, music is one of life's great pleasures. And it's a pleasure that endures. Researchers have found that we don't often grow out of the music that we love as teenagers, because our musical tastes are such a huge part of our identity, personality and outlook on life. So don't delete those songs you downloaded when you were fifteen - you'll probably still love them when you're fifty.
Are You Treated Too Nicely?
A new study found that when trying to build high self-esteem in children, parents may unconsciously be creating little narcissists (自恋狂).
Parents who are always praising their children may be trying to develop high self-esteem. In fact, too much special treatment can lead to narcissistic behavior.
" That may not be good for them or for society." Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and professor of communication and psychology at the Ohio State University, said in a press release. "People with high self-esteem think they're as good as others, whereas narcissists think they're better than others."
This study, as well as previous studies about parent-child relationships Bushman has worked on, caused him to alter his own parenting style. When he began his research, he thought that children should be treated like they are special by their parents. He said that interventions (干预) can help parents learn how to better support their children.
"Parent training interventions can, for example, teach parents to express affection and appreciation toward children without telling children that they are superior to others," Bushman said. "Future studies should test whether this can work."
A. Now he is careful not to follow that model.
B. Children whose parents tell them they are special are more likely to become narcissists.
C. But actually, they have realized that they are running their children.
D. Children believe it when their parents tell them that they are more special than others.
E. And he carefully carries out the principle.
F. However, the study showed that loving and emotionally warm parents are more likely to have confident kids.
