Get a Better Night's Sleep

    You're trying to get a good night's sleep, but why do you still find yourself staring at the ceiling? It's time to listen to what some unexpected experts have to say.

Get the Basic Equipment Right.

    There's really good study on the basic equipment for sleep. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Firstly, most people prefer a mattress （床垫）that is not too hard and not too soft. Secondly, if your mattress is eight to ten years old, you should get a new one. Seventy-two percent of people said they slept better on their new mattress than they did on their old one.

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    Watching TV at night may seem relaxing. However, it beams light into your eyes, which is a “warning” signal for the brain.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Besides, the cooler white and blue light from a computer screen encourages brain activity and makes your brain difficult to calm down. Download the software at stereopsis.com /flux. It gradually makes your screen less bright at sunset, turning its colors a warmer red one.

Keep you Cool.

    One of the best signals from the body to go to sleep is a decrease in body temperature. I suggest sleeping in a very cool environment, about 19℃. A hot bath will increase your skin temperature, which finally decreases your main body temperature. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Make Sleeping Pets Lie.

    Sometimes your dogs might need the noise of machines. Many dogs are sensitive to noises outside, like other dogs barking or neighbors coming home late. A noisy machine will drown out the noises that are keeping your pet up, which keep your pet from waking you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you keep them awake during the day, they're more likely to sleep at night.

 A. Read a book before bed instead.

 B. Take a bath a half-hour or so before bedtime.

 C. You also learn dogs sleep when they're bored.

 D. The dog is very loyal to his master.

 E. It proved two theories.

 F. You don't need a really beautiful mattress.

 G. Switch off the Box.

    “One thing I enjoy about my job is that I can work on something that is actually active,” says Game McGimsey, an American volcanologist(火山学家). Part of his job includes keeping an eye on Alaska's many active volcanoes and giving people a heads-up when a volcano might erupt(喷发).

    Like most jobs in the science, volcanology requires a lot of education. McGimsey received an undergraduate degree in geology at the University of North Carolina, then landed an internship(实习期) with a geologist at the USGS(美国地质勘探局) whose work field was about volcanoes. After earning a graduate degree at the University of Colorado, McGimsey accepted a job with the USGS and has been with the Alaska Volcano Observatory for 25 years.

    Volcanoes can influence the world in ways we might not think about. For example, on Dec.15 1989, a 747 jetliner (a large airplane) flew through a thick ash cloud produced by Mount Redoubt, an Alaskan volcano that hadn't erupted in 25 years. The ash caused all four engines to die, and the plane's electronics went dead.

    “The plane was within several thousand feet of flying into the mountains below when the pilots got a couple of engines restarted and landed safely in Anchorage,” McGimsey says. It cost nearly $80 million to repair the damage to the plane.

    Such situations show just how dangerous volcanoes can be. However, volcanologists know the risks and are prepared to protect themselves.

    McGimsey admits, “There is certainly a higher danger level in volcanology than some other jobs. We understand how serious the danger is, and we don't like taking unnecessary chances. We avoid getting too close to an erupting volcano, because it is not worth injury or death simply to get a rock or a photograph.”

    There's no doubt that man is the smartest. But do you know what other animals are smart, too?

    Dolphins

    Dolphins are very smart. Most of the “tricks” they're taught to do are actually behavior they would engage in on their own. They love to play, race and generally enjoy their life to the fullest. They speak a language we have yet to completely understand and like all civilized creatures, dolphins' mothers always provide their young children with guidance and possibly, love.

    Great apes

    The great ape family primarily consists of gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans. Their brain chemistry is so similar to humans' that NASA once used chimpanzees in place of astronauts during many dangerous missions. Gorillas have been taught sign language and orangutans exist in complex familial relationships.

    Elephants

    Everyone has heard the phrase “an elephant never forgets”. Elephants establish long-term friendships, recognizing and remembering their friends years later. If an elephant comes upon a fallen friend, it has even been known to feel sad.

    Parrots

    As proved by this list, parrots are very smart. They are also the only animals listed that can actually hold a conversation. Some parrots know hundreds of words by imitating humans. The birds are also capable of remembering words and using them intelligently in response to situations.

    Both humans and animals have enemies. It is easy for us to know the difference between our friends and our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who pose a threat(威胁) and those who do not. In Kenya, researchers find that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men spear(刺)animals and thus pose a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants.

    In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants noticed the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they noticed the smells of either clothing worn by Kamba men or clothing that had not been worn at all.

    Clothing color also plays a role. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted aggressively(攻击地) toward the red clothing.

    The researchers believe that the elephants' emotional(情绪的) reactions are due to their different senses of the smells and the sights. Smelling a potential danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive.

    Mother's Day is a time of memory and celebration for Mom. The earliest Mother's Day celebrations date back to ancient Greece in honour of Rhea, the Mother of Gods. During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called “mothering Sunday”. Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent(四旬斋)，“mothering Sunday” honoured the mothers England.

    During the time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy.AS most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday, the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along.

As Christianity(基督教) spread throughout Europe, the celebration changed to honour the “Mother Church”—the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival combined with mothering Sunday celebration. People began honouring their mothers as well as the church.

    In the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe as a day devoted to peace. Then in 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign(运动) to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd day Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.

    Ms Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessmen, and politicians demanding to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement that Mother's Day was a national holiday and it was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

    While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother's Day on the 2nd Sunday of May.

    Of all the things that will make life entirely happy, the greatest is the possession of friendship. One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.

    On the first Sunday in August, it's time to recognize your friends and their contribution to your life. The first Sunday in August was fixed as National Friendship Day by the U.S. Congress in 1935, and remains a tradition observed in many countries and cultures. In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world's Ambassador of Friendship.

    Apparently, there are several friendship holidays, all of which fall on fixed dates.

    National Friendship Day is on the first Sunday in August

    Women's Friendship Day is on the third Sunday in September

    International Friendship Month is February

    Old Friends, New Friends Week is the third week of May

    People show their appreciation for friendship in various ways. Some expressions may be practical ones, such as flowers, particularly the pink friendship roses, cookies, chocolates, souvenirs from their vacations, a tape of favorite songs, farewell dinners, and welcome balloons.

    Recipe for Friendship  2 cups of patience, 1 heart full of love, 2 handfuls of generosity, 2 cups of loyalty, 1 cup of understanding, A dash of laughter. Mix them all well. Spray generously over a lifetime and serve everyone you meet.

    Friendship helps to bring peace and positivity to the globe, another great reason to celebrate! Although our friends certainly deserve thanks on more than just one day of the year, what better day to honor them than Friendship Day!