It's true to say that technology makes our lives easier. However, increasingly scientists are saying that we need to give ourselves a break—--otherwise we put ourselves at risk(风险) of developing hundreds of health problems. Over the summer the days are longer and sunnier. Why not put this free time to good use and do something away from technology?

    You could learn a new skill. There are hundreds of possibilities: cooking, a musical instrument or a new sport. Haven't you always wanted to learn how to knit(编织)? You could use your free time to practice these new things, which might lead to an exciting opportunity in the future.

    If you just want to relax, why not head to a beach? Take along your favorite book and relax on the sand, or go for a walk along the coastline. If you don't live near a beach, you could go to your local park. Why not have a picnic, or try to explore some of the local wildlife? You could even get involved in the latest craze(狂热): adult coloring books! Coloring is a surprising thing to help you relax, and it can be a nice way to escape from the stress of modern life!

    Whatever you choose to do, try something new! You might surprise yourself and find a hidden gift within you; you might make new friends along the way. Next time you find yourself changing TV channels(频道) from one to another without a clear purpose, think about what else you could spend your time doing.

    I was at a dinner in London given in honor of one of the most celebrated English military (军事的)men of his time. I do not want to tell you his real name and titles. I will just call him Lieutenant General Lord Arthur Scoresby.

    I cannot describe my excitement when I saw this great and famous man. There he sat, the man himself, in person, all covered with medals. I could not take my eyes off him. He seemed to show the true mark of greatness. His fame had no effect on him. The hundreds of eyes watching him, the admiration of so many people, did not seem to make any difference to him.

    Next to me sat a clergyman(牧师), who was an old friend of mine. He was not always a clergyman. During the first half of his life he was a teacher in the military school at Woolwich. There was a strange look in his eye as he turned to me and said in a low voice-"privately-he is a complete fool." He meant, of course, the hero of our dinner.

    This came as a shock to me. I looked hard at my friend. I could not have been more surprised if he had said the same thing about Napoleon, or Socrates, or Solomon. But I was sure of two things about the clergyman. He always spoke the truth. And, his judgment of men was good. Therefore, I wanted to find out more about our hero as soon as I could.

    Some days later I got a chance to talk with the clergyman, and he told me more.

Do's and Don'ts in Whale (鲸) Watching

    The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has developed guidelines for whale watching in Johnstone Strait, where killer whales are found on a daily basis each summer. It is strongly recommended that vessel (船只) operators follow these guidelines for all kinds of whales.

•Approach whales from the side, not from the front or the back.

•Approach no closer than 100 metres, then stop the boat but keep the engine on.

•Keep noise levels down — no horns, whistles or racing of engines.

•Start your boat only after the whales are more than 100 metres from your vessel

•Leave the area slowly, gradually moving faster when you are more than 300 metres from the whales.

•Approach and leave slowly, avoiding sudden changes in speed or direction.

•Avoid disturbing groups of resting whales.

•Keep at low speeds and remain in the same direction if traveling side by side with whales.

•When whales are traveling close to shore, avoid crowding them near the shore or coming between the whales and the shore.

•Limit the time spent with any group of whales to less than 30 minutes at a time when within 100 to 200 metres of whales.

•If there is more than one vessel at the same observation spot, be sure to avoid any boat position that would result in surrounding the whales.

•Work together by communicating with other vessels, and make sure that all operators are aware of the whale watching guidelines.

    We arrived at the hospital to find Dad was very weak, but his smile was as sure as ever. It was another attack of pneumonia(肺炎). My husband and I stayed with him for the weekend but had to return to our jobs on Monday. Local relatives would help Dad get home from the hospital and look after him. But I longed to be able to let him know that we cared too, even when we weren't with him.

    Then I remember a family tradition when our children were small. When leaving their grandparents' home after a visit, each child would write a note to their grandparents. They hid notes in the cereal(麦片), under a hairbrush, next to the phone or even in the microwave oven. For days, their parents would smile as they discovered these signs of our love.

    So as I tidied Dad's kitchen and made up a bed for him downstairs in the living room, I wrote some notes. Some were practical, "Dad, I put the food in the fridge so it wouldn't spoil." Some expressed my love, "Dad I hope you will sleep well in your new bed." Most notes were downstairs where he would stay for several weeks until he recovered strength, but one note I hid upstairs under his pillow, "Dad, if you have found this one, you must be feeling better. We are so glad. "

    Just like his medicine strengthened him physically, these "emotional vitamins" would improve his spiritual health. Several weeks later, in one of our regular phone calls, I asked Dad how he was doing. He said, "Pretty good. I just found your note under my pillow upstairs!"

    Being physically active three times a week reduces the odds of being depressed by about 16%, according to new UCL research carried out as part of the Public Health Research Centre.

    The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, found a two-way relationship between depression and physical activity. People who increased their weekly activity were reported to have fewer depressive symptoms but those with more depressive symptoms were less active, particularly at younger ages.

    Researchers followed 11,135 people born in 1958 up until the age of 50, recording depressive symptoms and levels of physical activity at regular intervals in adulthood. They found that each additional activity period per week reduced odds of depression by 6%. In England 19% of men and 26% of women are currently classed as "inactive", and this study suggests that activity could significantly improve their mental as well as physical health.

    "Assuming the association is causal, physical activity has a protective effect against depression. If an adult between his twenties and forties who isn't physically active became active 3 times per week, he would reduce his risks of depression by about 16%," said Dr Snehal of the UCL Institute of Child Health, lead author of the study.

    Professor Mark，Director of the Public Health Research Centre, said: "Many people are already aware of the benefits of physical activity on their general health, but now we are seeing more evidence that suggests it also has a positive effect on a person's mental well-being. The latest research highlights just how important it is to ensure that people are working and living in environments that allow them to be both physically active and mentally healthy."

Socially, few things are more annoying than someone repeatedly checking their phone in the middle of your conversation with them. Soon enough, you're having unhappy thoughts, thinking of their way like, I'm boring you; you're more concerned with whoever's on that phone than me; you don't care about me. None of that is necessarily true, but this is: "If someone is engaged in a great conversation, they wouldn't care about their phones," says Leslie, a psychologist and researcher at NYU.

Do you sometimes wonder: What should I have said to a rude person like this? What if we have to talk to such maddening persons? Experts have advice about how to deal with this.

Whether you say something or not, remember that the cell-addict's annoying habits aren't about you. "It's rude, for sure, but sometimes we mistake the behavior for more than what it is," says Leslie. "It's possible that they are facing something tough and merely experiencing nervousness or anxiety," he adds. It's also possible that their partner is stuck with a flat tyre (轮胎) or their kid is sick in hospital. The point is that you don't know.

So before you become angry at the cell-addict's open rudeness, focus instead on building a better conversation than whatever's going down on Instagram. You might never be able to achieve this, given the power of today's social media, so if you're close enough to a person, Leslie advises you to directly ask them: "What's on that thing that's so interesting?" Chances are that they will apologise at once and quickly put the phone away. But if the answer is something real, talk about it. Better yet, you can avoid the situation in advance by saying something like, "I'm really interested in catching up properly, so how about we leave our phones in the car?" If they indeed have that flat tyre or sick kid, at least you won't have to assume that it's because your stories are boring.