Think about vitamin D when you're catching up on summer rays. It's sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” because it's produced in your skin in response to sunlight. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble (脂溶性的) vitamin in a family of compounds that includes vitamins D-1, D-2, and D-3. It can affect as many as 2,000 genes in the body.

    Vitamin D has several important functions. Perhaps the most vital are regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorous（磷）, and promoting normal immune system function. Getting enough vitamin D is important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improving resistance against certain diseases.

    In addition to its primary benefits, research suggests that vitamin D may also play a role in: reducing your risk of multiple sclerosis（多发性硬化）, according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association decreasing your chance of developing heart disease, according to 2008 findings published in Circulation helping to reduce your possibility of developing the flu, according to 2010 research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition regulating mood and warding off depression losing weight or preventing heart disease.

    How do you get it? Your body produces vitamin D naturally when it is directly exposed to sunlight. A little can go a long way. All you need is 10 minutes a day of midday, pre-sunscreen sun exposure,especially if you have fair skin. Besides getting vitamin D through sunlight, you can also get it through certain foods and supplements to ensure adequate levels of the vitamin in your blood.

    Phil White has just returned from an 18,000 ­mile, around­ the ­world bicycle trip. White had two reasons for making this epic journey. First of all, he wanted to use the trip to raise money for charity, which he did. He raised ￡70,000 for the British charity, Oxfam. White's second reason for making the trip was to break the world record and become the fastest person to cycle around the world. He is still waiting to find out if he has broken the record or not.

    White set off from Trafalgar Square, in London, on 19th June 2004 and was back 299 days later. He spent more than 1,300 hours in the saddle (车座) and destroyed four sets of tyres and three bike chains. He had the adventure of his life crossing Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Americas. Amazingly, he did all of this with absolutely no support team. No jeep carrying food, water and medicine. No doctor. Nothing! Just a bike and a very, very long road.

    The journey was lonely and desperate at times. He also had to fight his way across deserts, through jungles and over mountains. He cycled through heavy rains and temperatures of up to 45 degrees, all to help people in need. There were other dangers along the road. In Iran, he was chased by armed robbers and was lucky to escape with his life and the little money he had. The worst thing that happened to him was having to cycle into a headwind on a road that crosses the south of Australia. For 1,000 kilometres he battled against the wind that was constantly pushing him. This part of the trip was slow, hard work and depressing, but he made it in the end. Now Mr. White is back and intends to write a book about his adventures.

    Whatever life threw at us each year, our family had one tradition at Christmas: our dog Pepper opened our presents for us.

    Last year, everyone made it home for a Christmas get-together. However, it couldn't feel perfect because Pepper's health was becoming worse. Her life had already been longer than we expected-she was fourteen-and yet her mind was still sharp. Her love for life made us feel better. But her body could not keep up with her mind.

    Probably it was Pepper's last Christmas, so we decided to make sure she would enjoy it. On Christmas Eve, we each prepared presents for her.

    Soon, Pepper selected her first Christmas gift. She turned the present, just as she was a young dog once more. She pulled the paper off the dog treat before she chewed (咀嚼) it slowly. Our family was so happy.

    Pepper saw the remaining three presents, and then turned to Mom as if asking, “May I open another?”

    “Go ahead, girl!” Mom encouraged.

    For the next few minutes, Pepper opened each of her Christmas presents. While she did, she reminded us of the joy of being together. Our family felt as a whole-not because we were in the same room or city, but because our love brought us together.

    Pepper passed away after Christmas. Her peaceful passing made us tearful. Her passing was also a celebration of life, because she gave my family so much love and laughter.

    I still treasure Pepper's final Christmas gift. She taught me that no matter where we each spend the holidays, the smallest act of sincere giving can unite our family through our love. For me, that knowledge is the longest-lasting gift of all.

    You may not have heard of it before, but solid rain (固体雨)has been helping Mexican farmers fight droughts(干旱) for over ten years. The magic solid rain looks like sugar and it can take in water up to 500 times as its own size and keep it in the ground for up to a year.

    The story of solid rain began in 1970, when American scientists developed a product used to take in water and help keep babies' bottoms dry. However, a Mexican chemical engineer saw this magic product as an opportunity to fight the drought. He developed a different kind of the product, which could be mixed with soil and slowly feed water to crops over a long period of time. His company, Solid Rain, has been quietly selling the product to Mexican farmers for over 10 years.

    Solid rain seems to be working wonders in Mexico. However, it has not come into use around the world. Well, that's mainly because a lot of people still don't know about it. The Mexican company has invested (投资) almost nothing into marketing, relying instead on word of mouth between Mexican farmers. However, recently, they have gotten requests from other dry countries like India and Australia.

    Solid rain has received the Ecology and Environment Award, but it has also received some negative views. Dr. Linda Scott says that the product is hardly new and that there is no scientific evidence that it can hold water for a year or last in the ground for ten years. Besides, solid rain can cause more harm than good in certain conditions.

    However, real-life use seems to show that solid rain is actually of great use to their farms. Frank Torres, a former green bean farmer used to rely on it even though drought wasn't such a big issue. He said that the production had increased by 50%.

    “Attention, everyone!” Miss Dalrymple looked at her class of ten-year-olds. “Today we are going to create a special card for Father's Day, which falls on this weekend.” Then she busied herself handing out the paper and art materials to her noisy pupils.

    They were a mixed punch. Some came from the rich side of the town, but the majorities were from parents who struggled to get jobs. So she had not been eager to carry out this activity.

    “Think about all the things that your dad does that make him special,” she said loudly as she approached the last table. “You can write a poem or short story thinking of the positive characteristics that make your dad special. The written part of this activity should be completed before you start to decorate your card.”

    Andrew looked at the blank page. He had never met, spoken to, or been hugged by his dad, so how could he write about him? Once when he was looking in his grandma's photo box, he had seen an old black and white photo but it was badly creased(弄皱) and difficult to recognize any clear features. She had quickly taken it from him and buried it deeply among the rest, never to be found again. After thinking for a while, he wrote:

Dear Dad,

    You are a person I do not know and would probably not recognize as I only saw an old photo of you a long time ago. I think and wonder about you often, especially when I have no one to talk to about the Saturday fixtures(体育活动). One day when I grow up I will do an Internet search to find you, but I am not sure whether I will be successful as several attempts by the Child Support Agency have not been successful. Happy Father's Day, Dad.

Love,

Andrew

    A new mom from Michigan headed for the airport Thursday, nervous about flying alone with her -month-old. When her daughter started crying even before take-off her fears for the flight — to surprise her husband, a US Army soldier at Fort Rucker Alabama — seemed acceptable.

    The couple seated next to her reacted just as Rebekka Garvison had feared, looking visibly unhappy about sitting next to a fussy(难以取悦的)baby. Ms. Garvison moved to a new seat, hoping it would help. When the baby's cries continued, the woman sitting next to her asked if she could try.

    Garvison later described in a grateful Facebook post how the woman, Nyfesha Miller, had the magic touch with her baby. "As soon as she had her, Rylee was looking out the window and stopped crying," Garvison recalled. "When we got in the air she fell right asleep and slept in her lap the whole flight until we got to our gate? Garvison told The Huffington Post she has been in touch with Ms. Miller almost daily since the flight.

    Garvison's post has been shared more than 84,000 times, and received hundreds of warm comments. "Years ago, the same kind of thing happened to me," wrote one mother. "It was a seven-hour flight and I had my ten-month-old little boy with me. A nun （修女）was sitting beside me and she walked him up and down the passage when he got fussy. It was such a relief for me and is something I will never forget."

    Not everyone has had happy experiences with baby air travelers. One airline is considering opening a "baby class" for airplanes with flight attendant nannies（保姆）, reported The Christian Science Monitor's Meredith Hamilton. For now, parents can hope to be seated beside someone like Ms. Miller on their next flight. "Nyfesha Miller, you will never understand how happy this act of kindness has made my family." wrote Garvison.