Visit the New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden（NYBG）is an advocate for the plant world. We welcome all to learn about the importance of plants and plant science, and the joy of gardening.
UPCOMING EVENTS
•HOLIDAY TRAIN SHOW
The NYBG's Holiday Train Show—a favorite holiday tradition—has been making memories for over 30 years!See model trains pass through a wonderful display of more than 190 replicas （复制品） of New York landmarks, each re-created from natural materials.
•T. H. EVERETT：A LIFE IN PLANTS
Through T. H. Everett's extensive archive （档案） held by the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, we explore this influential man's extraordinary career, from his modest beginnings in England and early training at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to his path to the New York Botanical Garden.
ADMISSION
All visitors, including members, need tickets for entry to the Garden. Purchase at the Garden or reserve your tickets in advance online and display them on your mobile device for quicker entry.
Pricing | Public | Member |
Adult | $15 | Free |
Senior （65+） | $7 | Free |
Student （with ID） | $7 | Free |
Child （2-12） | $4 | Free |
Child under 2 | Free | Free |
OPENING TIMES
•January-July：10：00 a. m. -4：00 p. m. •August-December：10：00 a. m. -6：00 p. m.
Leg over leg, a furry brownish—black spider pulls on a single silk thread, tightening the frame of its web. It pulls and pulls and it waits. Minutes pass, sometimes hours. Then, when an unsuspecting insect flies by, the spider releases the thread, springing itself and its satellite dis—shaped web toward its prey. All of this happens in the blink of an eye.
Those eye—watering numbers led Georgia Tech chemical engineer Saad Bhamla to wonder：How are these tiny spidersachieving such fast movements？Then he started to investigate. He checked the literature and found only a few papers. The papers were decades old and only described the slingshot motion, not the speeds or G—forces the spiders experienced. So Bhamla enlisted the help of his assistant, Symone Alexander, and together they "went out hunting for spiders in the Amazon rainforest, " Alexander says.
After locating one of the spiders, which measures roughly 2 millimeters in length, the researchers would set up portable high —speed cameras with special lenses and record its motions. Then, either Alexander or Bhamla would snap their fingers (打响指) to get the spider to launch itself through the air. Only later did the pair learn that a human finger-snap closely matches the frequency of a buzzing mosquito—and that seemed to be the only frequency that set the spiders' spring off. "It's just amazing that we can snap our fingers and get this magical thing, "Bh am la says. Analyzing the footage, Alexander and Bhamla could watch exactly how the spider adjusted itself on the tension line at the front of its web. "The speed and acceleration of this spider are impressive, but so is the fact that, unlike most web-building spiders, it's actively hunting, "Bhamla says. "It's changed the function of its web, " he says. "Instead of waiting for something to bump into it, the spider is going after things. . . actually catching flying insects in midair. "
Your house may have an effect on your figure. Experts say the way you design your home could play a role in whether you pack on the pounds or keep them off. You can make your environment work for you instead of against you. Here are some ways to turn your home into part of your diet plan.
Open the curtains and turn up the lights. Dark environments are more likely to encourage overeating, for people are often less self-conscious (难为情的) when they're in poorly lit places—and so more likely to eat lots of food. If your home doesn't have enough window light, get more lamps and flood the place with brightness.
Mind the colors. Research suggests warm colors fuel our appetites. In one study, people who ate meals in a blue room consumed 33 percent less than those in a yellow or red room. Warm colors like yellow make food appear more appetizing, while cold colors make us feel less hungry. So when it's time to repaint, go blue.
Don't forget the clock—or the radio. People who eat slowly tend to consume about 70 fewer calories (卡路里) per meal than those who rush through their meals. Begin keeping track of the time, and try to make dinner last at least 30 minutes. And while you're at it, actually sit down to eat. If you need some help slowing down, turn on relaxing music. It makes you less likely to rush through a meal.
Downsize the dishes. Big serving bowls and plates can easily make us fat. We eat about 22 percent more when using a 12-inch plate instead of a 10-inch plate. When we choose a large spoon over a smaller one, total intake (摄入) jumps by 14 percent. And we'll pour about 30 percent more liquid into a short, wide glass than a tall, skinny glass.
People who frequently eat fruit are more likely to report greater positive mental health and are less likely to report symptoms of depression than those who do not, according to new research from the College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University. The team also found that people who eat savoury （咸味的） snacks such as crisps （薯片）, which are low in nutrients （营养）, are more likely to report greater levels of anxiety.
Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the study surveyed 428 adults from across the UK and looked at the relationship between their consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweet and savoury snacks, and their psychological（心理的） health. The research found that both nutrient-rich fruit and nutrient-poor savoury snacks appeared to be linked to psychological health. They also found that there was no direct association between eating vegetables and psychological health. Based on the survey, the more often people ate fruit, the lower they scored for depression and the higher for mental health, independent of the overall quantity of fruit intake. By contrast, there was no link between these everyday memory lapses（差错）and fruit and vegetables intake or sweet snacks, suggesting a unique relationship between these nutrient-poor savoury snacks, everyday mental lapses, and psychological health.
Lead author, PhD student Nicola-Jayne Tuck commented, "Very little is known about how diet may affect mental health, and while we did not directly examine causality here, our findings could suggest that frequently snacking on nutrient-poor savoury foods may increase everyday mental loss, which in turn reduces psychological health. "
"It is possible that changing what we snack on could be a really simple way to improve our mental health. It is also possible that the future limit of processed （特殊处理的） snacks at checkouts, could not only improve the country's physical health, but mental health too. "
"Overall, it's definitely worth trying to get into the habit of reaching for the fruit bowl."
How To Improve Your Studies Scientifically
Our brain can potentially memorize 2.5 petabytes (千亿兆) of information, which is roughly equal to three million hours of YouTube videos.
*Find your style.
While listening to the history teacher, Tom draw a picture, and Jane finishes one kilo of nuts. Some study with friends, and some like siting in silence among a million books. Everybody is different.
*
Sleep and dreams are very important to processing and storing new information. A Harvard study showed that students who had a goodnight sleep remembered their study materials 35% better than those who had poor sleep.
*Hard start first.
Once you are done with the hard thing, you will feel better for the rest of the day, and probably more motivated to get other things done. In this way, you will find yourself doing things more effectively.
*Take fun seriously.
Learning motivation is like hunger. You cannot force yourself to be motivated. If you can't recall things clearly at some moment, don't worry. Take a break, and do something funny instead.
A．Take a good rest.
B．Good night sleep.
C．Physical exercise, regular relaxation in mind and good conversations apparently grow your brain.
D．In order to use your brain a little more effectively when you learn, here are some tips.
E．Do the things that are difficult first, because you have the strongest will power in the morning.
F．Some enjoy watching videos over reading books, and some are fond of listening to music while studying.
G．Modern learning science believes that positive emotions are very important for increasing your learning potential.
Once upon a time, there was a small temple in a faraway mountain. One of the monks (僧人) in that temple had an interest in1 , so he was overjoyed when selected to2 the temple. Being proud of his duty, the young monk determined to work hard at the garden and make the temple3 .
Every day, he woke up early in the morning and began his4 He would gather the dead leaves,5 the ground and plant the flowers in the garden. When he was tending the temple, his master, a wise old monk,6 what he was doing.
One day, he was informed that some7 guests would pay a visit to the temple the next day. He decided to give the temple a thorough cleaning. With great care, he went through the grass and the bush, and with the same8 , he cut the unwanted parts of the tree. When he was cleaning up the fallen9 and branches, he carefully made them into a neat pile! Now the temple looked10 , inside and outside. Not a thing was out of place.
Delighted, the young monk stood near a tree and began to11 his hard work. He then saw his master and asked, "Doesn't this look perfect?" "Yes. It is perfect, " agreed the old monk. "12 , there is one thing that you missed out. Ill set it right for you. " The old monk walked across the ground to the tree and gave the trunk a big13 Many leaves fell on the ground. "Now it looks beautiful," announced his master.
That's when the monk14 that a little imperfection is in fact very necessary. It makes the world look beautiful and more human, while a total perfection is machine-like and15 He would remember this lesson for the rest of his life.
In China, people like to joke that there is no problem a hot pot cannot solve. The fire from a hotpot can melt just about any icy disagreement and warm just about any heart. Over a hotpot, people can talk and share not just food,friendship.
The most popular kind of hotpot is the Sichuan hot pot. What makes Sichuan hot pot differentother hot pots is the use of huajiao (花椒). This spice is hard to describe. Some people say it has no taste at all, and others think it (taste) bad. It has the strange effect of mouth-numbing, making red peppers taste even(hot).
Other famous hot pots include Beijing hotpot, Northeast hotpot and Guangdong hot pot. The Beijing hotpot has lighter taste, using just plain water as its broth (高汤). The pot is also different(make) of brass (黄铜) with chimney in the middle.
The northeast hotpot usually contains pork and cabbage while the Guangdong hot pot uses a chicken or a fish broth, known for its wide range of (ingredient), including seafood.
With a hot pot, you can put in whatever ingredient you like. The same pot can serve all the people(sit) around the table. No one(leave) out, and everyone gets to eat as much or as little as they want. This shows the Chinese(culture) values of openness.
It was unusually cold that year on December 25. The snowstorm swept across my city, with biting wind piercing (划破) the silence of the empty street.
I was a nurse on duty in the emergency room. Seated behind my desk, I stared through the glass window into the dark sky. I didn't think there would be any patients, sighing about having to work on Christmas, when almost all the people were enjoying their family members' company. Just then, five people showed up in front of my desk, a pale woman and four small children. I rose to my feet immediately.
"Are you all sick?" I asked suspiciously.
"Yes." she said weakly and lowered her head.
But when it came to descriptions of their presenting problems, things got a little confusing. Two of the children had headaches, but the headaches weren't accompanied by the normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still. Two children had earaches, but only one could tell me which ear was affected. The mother complained of a cough but seemed to work to produce it.
Something was wrong, but I didn't say anything and explained that it might be a little while before a doctor saw her. She responded, "Take your time; it's warm here."
On a hunch (出于直觉), I checked the chart after the admitting clerk had finished registering the family. No address—they were homeless. And the waiting room was warm and comfortable.
I looked out at the family huddled (蜷缩) by the Christmas tree. The little one was clapping his hands and stamping his feet, with his eyes fixed on the television screen while the bigger one was pointing at the television and yelling something at her mother. The oldest one was looking at an ornament(装饰) on the Christmas tree.
注意：
1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
I returned to the nurses' station.
……
We prepared a big dinner for our Christmas guests.
