One day when I was 12, my mother gave me an order: I was to walk to the public library, and borrow at least one book for the summer. This was one more weapon for her to defeat my strange problem—inability to read.

    In the library, I found my way into the “Children's Room.” I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf at random. The cover of a book caught my eye. It presented a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my secret sharer, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle.

    There on the book's cover was a beagle which looked identical(相同的) to my dog. I ran my fingers over the picture of the dog on the cover. My eyes ran across the title, Amos, the Beagle with a Plan. Unknowingly, I had read the title. Without opening the book, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.

    Under the shade of a bush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very slowly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated from his family and who finally found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book. At the end of the story, my mind continued the final scene of reunion, on and on, until my own lost dog and I were, in my mind, running together.

    My mother's call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book, and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.

    I never told my mother about my “miraculous(奇迹般的) ” experience that summer, but she saw a slow but ramarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in the literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.

    Have you ever found yourself in his situation: You hear a song you used to sing when you were a child-a bit of nostalgia(怀旧) or “blast from the past,” as we say. But it is not a distant childhood memory. The words come back to you as clearly as when you sang them all those years ago.

    Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied the relationship between music and remembering a foreign language. They found that remembering words in a song was the best way to remember even one of the most difficult languages.

    Here is what they did. Researchers took 60 adults and randomly divided them into three groups of 20. Then they gave the groups three different types of “listen-and-repeat” learning conditions. Researchers had one group simply speak the words. They had the second group speak the words to a rhythm, or beat. And they asked the third group to sing the words.

    All three groups studied words from the Hungarian language for 15 minutes. Then they took part in a series of language tests to see what they remembered.

    Why Hungarian, you ask? Researchers said they chose Hungarian because not many people know the language. It does not share any roots with Germanic or Romance languages, such as Italian or Spanish. After the tests were over, the singers came out on top. The people who learned these new Hungarian words by singing them showed a higher overall performance. They did the best in four out of five of the tests. They also performed two times better than those who simply learned the words by speaking them.

    Dr. Katie Overy says singing could lead to new ways to learn a foreign language. The brain likes to remember things when they are contained in a catchy 3, or memorable 4, tune 5.

    Dr. Ludke said the findings could help those who struggle to learn foreign languages. On the University of Edinburgh's website Dr. Ludke writes, “This study provides the first experimental evidence that a listen-and-repeat singing method can support foreign language learning, and opens the door for future research in this area.”

    Look at the map of Spain and point at the center. You've located the country's capital and one of Europe's most beautiful cities: Madrid. This popular destination is considered a city of contrasts with its abundant historic sites, resting in the shadows of modern skyscrapers.

    History

    This city of over 3 million people is proud of Western Europe's largest royal palace, and some consider it to be Madrid's most beautiful building.

    Inside the Royal Palace 2,800 rooms are decorated in glory with museum-quality furniture and artworks. Tourists can tour 50 of these large and splendid rooms.

    Art

    The Internationally respected Prado Museum is the largest and most impressive art gallery in Spain. Opened in 1819, it is filled with works of art that feature the world's most comprehensive collection of Spanish paintings.

    Shopping

    Madrid has some of Europe's best shopping, and potential buyers love to look through the stores looking for bargains. But for 500 years, shoppers have gathered to an extremely large outdoor flea market known as the Rastro where they find everything from antiques to CDs.

    Entertainment

    No trip to Madrid is complete without seeing a performance of Spain's famous art form, flamenco. Every day, flamenco performers sing, dance or play the guitar in small cafes and grand theaters alike.

    Food

    Madrid has a wide variety of restaurants, but because the Spanish typically eat late at about 9 or 10 p.m., it's difficult to find good dinner food earlier. If you get hungry before then, the best solution is to try a tapas bar where light snacks are served. Be sure to try the jamon, a kind of dry-cured ham: Spain is famous for it.

    The organizing committee of the China International Import Expo has organized 45 city tour routes to help participating merchants gain a better understanding of the city and its industrial strengths. Below are 16 of the routes, with each located within a different district. These routes will showcase the architecture, history, culture, economy, technology and ecological protection efforts within each area.

    Waigaoqiao "6+365" Exhibition Trading Platform

    The "6+365" One-Stop Trading Services Platform aims to promote the operations of the CIIE. Professional services are available at this venue all year round. Among the buildings that can be toured is the International Automobile Exhibition Trading Center.

    The Bund（外滩）

    Apart from its classic architecture and waterfront views, the Bund, one of the most well-known attractions in Shanghai, is home to many major financial organizations.

    Nanjing Road Tour

    Visitors will get to tour this famous commercial street that features high-end shopping options and cultural offerings.

    West Bund Area

    The area is home to major enterprises' artificial intelligence deployments such as Microsoft, Tencent, Xiaomi and NetEase.

    Experience Shanghai Culture

    Visitors will walk along Yuyuan Road, an old street in Changning district that is said to be the most representative of Shanghainese style.

    Fintech Tour

    Here, visitors can explore cloud computing, artificial intelligence and block chain through visits to the Shanghai Science and Technology Financial Cluster Area.

    Shanghai Culture Trail

    This tour allows guests to experience Shanghai culture through visits to many former residences of celebrities.

    Innovation Valley

    Visitors will get to see the Changyang Campus which is well-known for its innovative efforts as well as similar companies and unicorn enterprises.

    Baoshan Riverside & Ecology

    Tour locations include the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal and the WusongPaotaiwan Wetland Forest Park.

    Minhang Culture

    This tour has a focus on cultural and creative industries where people can learn about traditional handicraft.

    Intelligent Connected Vehicle Tour

    Visitors will get to see the Shanghai International Automobile City in the district.

    A place for paintings

    Fengjing old town is well-known for its farmer paintings.

    Ecological Songjiang

    Visitors can admire the scenes of nature at the Sheshan Natural Forest Park.

    Forget Cyclists, Pedestrians are Real Danger

    We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers.

    ■ Yes, many cyclists behave dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists. But pedestrians are probably the worse offenders.

    People of all ages happily walk along the pavement with eyes and hands glued to the mobile phone, quite unaware of what is going on around them. They may even do the same thing while crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing or elsewhere. The rest of us have to evade (避让) them or just stand still to wait for the unavoidable collision.

    The real problem is that some pedestrians seem to be, at least for the moment, in worlds of their own that are, to them, much more important than the welfare of others.

—Michael Horan

    ■ I loved the letter from Bob Brooks about cyclists (Viewpoints, May 29). I am afraid they seem to think they own the roads.

    I was walking across Altrincharn Road one morning when a cyclist went round me and on being asked what he was doing he shouted at me.

    The government built a cycle lane on the road but it is hardly used.

    The police do nothing. What a laugh they are!

    The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets, fluorescent (发荧光的)jacket and tights at night and in the morning. They should pay some sort of tax and be fined for not wearing them.

—Carol Harvey

    ■ Cyclists jump on and off pavements (which are meant for pedestrians), ride at speed along the pavements, and think they have a special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red.

    I was almost knocked down recently by a cyclist riding on the pavement when there was a cycle lane right next to him.

    Other road users, including horse riders, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists?

    It's about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be traced and there might be an opportunity to claim.

—JML

    Write to Viewpoints of the newspaper.

A Dream Chaser in a Wheelchair

    Since the age of three, Chelsie Hill had dreamed of becoming a dancer. That ambition nearly ended in 2010 when Hill was in a car accident, which put the 17- year-old high school senior in hospital for 51 days and left her paralyzed from the waist down. For most people, that would have destroyed any hope of a dancing career. But for Hill, it was the beginning. Far from being a barrier, her wheelchair encouraged her to fight. "I want to prove to everyone including myself that I'm still normal," she said, "whatever normal means."

    Normal for her meant dancing, so Hill did it in her wheelchair alongside her nondisabled high school dance team. Half of her body was taken away from her, so she had to move it with her hands. It took much learning and patience.

    After graduation from high school, Hill wanted to expand her dance network to include women like her. She met people online who were fighting for the dream of dancing against various spinal(脊椎的)injuries, and invited them to dance with her. To reach more people in a larger city, Hill moved to Los Angeles in 2014 and formed a team of dancers with disabilities she called the Rollettes.

    Every year Hill holds a dance camp called the Rollettes Experience for wheelchair users to help them bring out their acting talent. In 2019, 173 participants from ten countries attended. For many, it was the first time they'd felt they belonged. Edna Serrano said that being part of the Rollettes team gave her the courage to get behind the wheel of a car. "I didn't know I could do so many things that my fellow teammates had taught me." she said. "I didn't know I could be sexy. It's so powerful to have my teammates in my life, because they're my teachers. I have more confidence."

    Chelsie Hill attained what many of us never will: her childhood dream. She has been chasing her dream in the wheelchair. She's a dancer. The Rollettes have helped her find something else just as fulfilling.