Two recent studies have found that punishment is not the best way to influence behavior.

    One showed that adults are much more cooperative if they work in a system based on rewards. Researchers at Harvard University in the United States and the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden did the study.

    They had about two hundred college students play a version of the game known as the Prisoner's Dilemma. The game is based on the tension between the interests of an individual and a group. The students played in groups of four. Each player could win points for the group, so they would all gain equally. But each player could also reward or punish each of the other three players. Harvard researcher David Rand says the most successful behavior proved to be cooperation. The groups that rewarded the most earned about twice as much in the game as the groups that rewarded the least. And the more a group punished itself, the lower its earnings. The study appeared last month in the journal Science.

    The other study involved children. It was presented last month in California at a conference on violence and abuse（虐待）. Researchers used intelligence tests given to two groups. More than eight hundred children were aged two to four the first time they were tested. More than seven hundred children were aged five to nine. The two groups were retested four years later, and the study compared the results with the first test. Both groups contained children whose parents used physical punishment and children whose parents did not.

    The study says the IQs of the younger children who were not spanked were five points higher than those who were. In the older group, the difference was almost three points. The more they are spanked, the slower their mental development.

    Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled-to $1.01 per pack-smokers have jammed telephone "quit lines" across the country seeking to kick the habit.

    This is not a surprise to public health advocates. They've studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.

    The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.

    In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. In Charleston, S.C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation, the price was $4.78.

    The influence is obvious.

    In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys-13.8%, far below the national average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky. Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.

    Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans "who choose to smoke".

    That's true. But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place. As for today's adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.

    For decades, research has shown that children's book not only provide great pleasure to readers , but they can also play an important role in children's academic（学业上的）and social success. In 1974, researchers reported that sixth-grade children who had been read to form an early age developed into better readers and valued reading more than did sixth graders who had not been to, and they expected to continue reading throughout their lives. Others have determined that the more time children spend reading literature（文学作品）, the better their reading and writing abilities become. Significant increases have been found in young children's comprehension and vocabulary skills, their understanding of sentence structure and story structure as a result of their being read to form an early age, either at home or in school. Children who have access to literature and stories in their homes have been found to learn to read more quickly, and have better attitudes toward reading. Teachers who provide time for continuous silent reading, who share books and discuss book authors with children during the school day, positively those children's reading outside school. And the National Assessment of Educational Progress that children who frequently read for enjoyment out of school are better readers.

    Because children's literature is so valuable to children, it should also be valuable to their teacher. And so it's unfortunate that something that can play such an important role in children's lives is often moved into a less than important role teacher education.

    This article discusses three important issues about the position of children's literature in teacher﹣preparation programs. They are：⑴Respect for children's literature content in teacher education. ⑵The value of children's literature as a powerful educational tool. ⑶Children's literature as an important literary form.

    Some insects, such as butterflies and ladybugs, are quite beautiful. But, did you know that many bugs are also edible and are filled with protein?

    Aletheia Price knows this—and a lot more—about bugs. She also thinks you should try eating some. If you visit the website www.eatbug.com, you will find all kinds of information about edible insects. Most of it was written by Aletheia Price when she was fifteen years old. Aletheia started eating bugs at the age of thirteen. Before long, she found that she really enjoyed some of them. She also became interested in finding out more about which kinds of bugs could be eaten and how to cook them.

    According to Aletheia, there are at least 1,462 kinds of edible insects. (Doesn't that make you wonder who tried all of them and decided they were edible?) Some of her favorite dishes include mealworm chocolate chip cookies, ant tacos(玉米卷), and chocolate-covered crickets(蟋蟀). On her website she has recipes for insect entrees(开胃菜) and some helpful tips. For example, when preparing crickets, it is best to remove their legs before cooking, for the legs tend to get stuck in your teeth. She also offers information for anyone who wants to raise bugs for food.

    Aletheia realizes that eating bugs is not for everyone. But, if you think about it, you have to admit that eating bugs might be a good idea. There are billions and billions of bugs in this world. If we could get used to eating them, we would have plenty of food for everyone.

    Many years ago, when we were a young couple with two small children, aged 2 and 4, we were practically impecunious. My in-laws lived from hand to mouth, so we didn't expect any help from them. My parents lived a great distance away, and I was too ashamed to let them know about our situation.

    My husband was trying to earn a living with an old pick-up truck, carrying groceries for local shopkeepers, but it was constantly breaking down. It took almost all the money we had to have it fixed. The truck was also the only means of transportation for us.

    We lived in the countryside, and we always used the back door because the driveway led to it. One winter evening, I stepped outside to take a bag of trash to the barrel and almost tripped over something. It was nearly dark, and I had to bend down to see what it was. I could hardly believe my eyes. There sat a large basket loaded with food.

    It was heavy, so I called my husband to carry it into the house. Once inside, we discovered two loaves of bread, some butter, several cans of vegetables, a can of orange sauce, and a large turkey. There was so much that I can't remember it all, but it was everything we needed to fix a wonderful dinner—everything except potatoes.

    A little while later I remembered that I hadn't taken the trash to the barrel. By now it was dark, so I had to turn on the yard light —and that's when I spotted a small bag of potatoes sitting on the porch.

    That dinner was the best I can remember.

    We weren't able to thank our donators, though, because we never found out who had been so generous in helping a struggling young family. Whoever it was, we are forever grateful.

    Norwegian playwright and author Jon Fosse has just been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable". 

    The Swedish Academy credits Fosse as "one of the most widely performed playwrights in the world", although the 64-year-old originally made his name as a novelist, beginning with Red, Black in 1983. He has since written many works of prose and poetry. "His literary works, spanning a variety of genres (体裁) , comprises about 40 plays and a wealth of novels, poetry collections, essays, children's books and translations, " said Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel Committee for Literature. 

    Jon Fosse draws inspiration from his rural living environment and personal struggles, which have deeply influenced his distinctive writing style. Growing up in a small coastal village, Fosse was immersed in the beauty of nature and the vastness of the sea, which filled him with a sense of solitude and introspection (内省) that is reflected in his works. Fosse's writing discussed themes of loneliness, longing, and the search for meaning in life. Additionally, his battles with depression have enabled him to explore the depths of human emotions and existential despair. 

    "He touches you so deeply when you read his works," said Anders Olsson. "What is special about him is the closeness in his writing. It touches your deepest feelings —anxieties, insecurities, questions of life and death —which are things that every human being actually faces from the very beginning. In that sense I think he reaches very far and there is a sort of a universal impact of everything that he writes —it has appeal to this basic humanity."

    Fosse is the first-ever laureate writing in Nynorsk, one of the two official languages of Norwegian, but only used by just 10% of the population. As the Guardian writes, "Many Nynorsk speakers see Fosse ‘as a kind of national hero ‘for his championing of the language." Fosse's recognition on a global stage promotes the visibility and importance of Nynorsk as a written standard. It will attract more attention to Nynorsk literature, inspire and encourage Nynorsk speakers to continue preserving and promoting their linguistic heritage.