People aren't walking any more—if they can figure out a way to avoid it.

    I felt superior(不为……所动) about this matter until the other day I took my car to mail a small parcel. The journey is a matter of 281 steps. But I used the car. And I wasn't in any hurry, either. I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness: motorosis.

    It is an illness to which I had thought myself immune(免疫的), for I was brought up in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs. At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day's walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as sign of strength and skill. It did not occur to us that walking was a hardship. And the effect was lasting. When I was 45 years old I raced -–and beat-—a teenage football player the 168 steps up the Stature of Liberty.

Such enterprises today are regarded by many middle-aged persons as bad for the heart. But a well-known British physician, Sir Adolphe Abrahams, pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper exercise. A person who avoids exercise is more likely to have illnesses than one who exercises regularly. And walking is an ideal form of exercise— the most familiar and natural of all.

    It was Henry Thoreau who showed mankind the richness of going on foot. The man walking can learn the trees, flower, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world. He cannot learn in a car.

    The car is a convenient means of transport, but we have made it our way of life. Many people don't dare to approach nature any more; to them the world they were born to enjoy is all threat. To them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete road. And much of their thinking takes place while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

    I say that the green of forests is the mind's best light. And none but the man on foot can evaluate what is basic and everlasting.

Events listed here are open to everyone. Whether you want to listen to a lecture, learn a new skill, take in a concert or an exhibition, see a play staged by Oxford University students or attend one of our sporting events, there's always something going on.

    Events are subject to change; please contact the organizer for full details.

    Qu Leilei: A Chinese Artist in Britain

    30 November 2017 to 15 April 2018

Contemporary Chinese artist Qu Leilei (born in 1951), now based in London, was a founding member of the creative ‘Stars Group' in the late 1970s, and immigrated to England in 1985. This exhibition shows his progression from calligraphic (书法的) art to an exploration of a new vocabulary of ink language mixing lively brushwork with western technique.

    The Brexit (脱欧) sword hanging over our universities

    29 November 2017

    Lord Bilimoria CBE，the Founder and Chairman of Cobra Beer and President of the University of Birmingham, will talk about Brexit, its influence on our universities, their academics and students as well as the future of international students in the UK.

    Oxford Botanic Garden Christmas Fair

    2-3 December 2017

    Escape the crowds and step inside a wonderland of hand-picked gifts, tasty food and family entertainment. Look through for extra-special Christmas presents at over 30 stands in the heated large tent. Pause for a glass of sweet hot wine and some delicious food, then follow the Alice in Wonderland path around the walled garden before stopping for tea with the Mad Hatter.

    The Art of Partying: A Feast for the Eyes!

    13 December 2017

    From Greek designs and Biblical weddings to Renaissance works and the celebratory styles of the twentieth-century painters, this lecture will examine the popular description of parties in the history of Western Art at the Ashmolean Museum.

    Emoji might not be your first choice of communication in a disaster, but researchers feel they could make a difference during emergencies, where every second counts. Now, the Emoji-quake campaign is lobbying for an earthquake emoji to be added to the Unicode set — the standard group of icons available on digital devices worldwide. The campaign aims to find an earthquake-appropriate design to be submitted to Unicode.

    "Approximately up to one third of the world's population are exposed to earthquakes," explains University of Southampton seismologist (地震学家) Dr. Stephen Hicks, a founder of the campaign. "So we really want to be able to communicate to all of those regions, all of those different languages, and an emoji is an amazing way of doing that."

    Unlike many other weather and climate related events, where longer warning times or visible signs are available, earthquakes move incredibly quickly and are difficult  to measure while they are still occurring. Populations in areas like Japan and Mexico are dependent on earthquake early warning technology, which issues an alert on digital devices and broadcast media. "You may have seconds to get under a table or to protect yourself," explains Dr. Hicks. "That can be life saving in many cases. Naturally you don't want too much wording in the warning message."

    Pictographs (象形文字) and other visuals like emoji have a track record of being faster and easier to understand than written information. Dr. Sara McBride, a communications specialist, who is also part of the campaign, told BBC News, "Emoji can cross the boundaries of written languages, helping communicate valuable information to people who may struggle to read a certain language."

    The potential usefulness of emoji in emergencies could extend well beyond earthquakes. A team of designers also came up with emerji—an entire set of emoji dedicated to climate and environmental events.

    Mr. Peter Johnson, aged twenty- three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water. Mr. Johnson took the only escape route—through the boot (行李箱).

    Mr. Johnson's car had finished up in a ditch (沟渠) at Romney Marsin, Kent, after skidding on ice and hitting a bank. "Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly," Mr. Johnson said. "I couldn't force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in."

    Mr. Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot. Then he began his struggle to escape.

    Later he said, "It was really a half penny that saved my life. It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew the back seat to get into the boot. I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came."

    It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot. Then Mr. Johnson found a wrench (扳手) and began to work on the boot lock. Fifteen minutes passed by. "It was the only chance I had. Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in. I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled clear as the car filled up."

    His hands and arms cut and bruised，Mr. Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer's wife, Mrs. Lucy Bates. Trembling in a blanket, he said, "That thirty minutes seemed like hours." Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night. The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch.

    I went up to Peet's Coffee the other morning and there was a young man, Mike, probably my age. With him he had all his physical belongings on a small roll cart. I first thought, how nice to have so few possessions. That was followed with the thought of how ironic (讽刺的) it is that we live in one of the financially wealthiest areas of the U.S., if not the world, yet we can't, or don't, take care of the basic needs of human beings. Yes, we are financially wealthy, but we lack in wealth of compassion (同情), kindness, and understanding. I tear up as I ponder the inequality and injustice that exists.

    Anyway, I invited Mike in for a bite to eat and he eagerly accepted. He talked about looking up a friend for a place to stay that night. On Christmas Eve as many eagerly and greedily stuff their bellies with food in nice, warm homes and then open presents, Mike just wanted a place to spend the evening.

    Then I was really blown away. As he waited for his sandwich, Mike began cleaning up the condiment (佐料) area. He took some paper and wiped up the spills of others and rearranged the milks and other condiments, making everything neat and orderly. Here is a person with very little and he's serving others in a way that's just natural to him.

    I spoke with Mike about this afterward, thanking him. He said he always did that sort of thing—straightening up. To him, it was just common politeness. I just asked him for a hug and we parted to go our separate ways. There is a lot for us...me... to learn in the most unlikely place.

    A ten-year-old boy from Howell, Michigan is being praised as a hero thanks to his persistence (坚持) that led to saving the life of an elderly neighbor. The event happened late in an evening when Danny DiPietro was being driven home from hockey practice by his mom.

    That's when the young boy noticed an open garage (车库) and a figure that he believed was a dog outside an apartment building near his house. Given the freezing weather, the young boy got a feeling that something was not right. But instead of dismissing it like most kids at his age, he insisted that his mother, Dawn, find out what was going on. Dawn tried to make Danny believe that no one would leave a dog out in such cold weather, but he refused to take no for an answer.

    Dawn finally gave in and decided to drive to the area with the family dog and see if there was any truth in Danny' s hunch (直觉). Sure enough, as she got closer to the apartment building she noticed a garage that was wide open and someone waving madly for help. Upon getting there, she realized that it was not a dog the young boy had seen, but Kathleen St. Onge. The 80-year-old woman had fallen down on some ice in front of her garage and had been lying there for two hours, unable to get up.

    Dawn rushed home to get her husband to help and called 911. The two then returned with some blankets to cover Ms. St. Onge, while they were waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Though still in hospital, the elderly woman is recovering well and forever grateful to Danny for following his hunch!