The values of artistic works, according to cultural relativism（相对主义）, are simply reflections of local social and economic conditions. Such a view, however, fails to explain the ability of some works of art to excite the human mind across cultures and through centuries.

    History has witnessed the endless productions of Shakespearean plays in every major language of the world. It is never rare to find that Mozart packs Japanese concert halls, as Japanese painter Hiroshige does Paris galleries. Unique works of this kinds are different from today's popular art, even if they began as works of popular art. They have set themselves apart in their timeless appeal and will probably be enjoyed for centuries into the future.

    In a 1757 essay, the philosopher David Hume argued that because “the general principles of taste are uniform（不变的）in human nature,” the value of some works of art might be essentially permanent. He observed that Homer was still admired after two thousand years. Works of this type, he believed, spoke to deep and unvarying features of human nature and could continue to exist over centuries.

    Now researchers are applying scientific methods to the study of the universality of art. For example, evolutionary psychology is being used by literary scholars to explain the long-lasting themes and plot devices in fiction. The structures of musical pieces are now open to experimental analysis as never before. Research findings seem to indicate that the creation by a great artist is as permanent an achievement as the discovery by a great scientist.

    Blue Note Jazz Festival 2018

    Jul 1-30, 2018

    Location:

    Several locations in New York

    The Blue Note Jazz Festival in New York City is the city's most popular jazz festival and focuses on bringing big-name artists to small crowds and up-and-coming acts to the public. The event takes over 15 places across the city and includes 150 world-class performers. Past artists include Questlove, Michael Bolton and Aretha Franklin.

    Grant Park Music Festival 2018

    Jun 14-Aug 19, 2018

    Location:

    Jay Pritzker Pavilion, South Shore Cultural Center, & Harris Theater for Music and Dance | 201 East Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois

    Listening to classical music is said to improve your intelligence. Whether that's true or not, the Grant Park Music Festival will provide you with free, classical music, and you'd be smart to attend. The music at these concerts will leave you begging for more. It's free to attend, so come and enjoy some great music with your family and friends.

    Lake Park Friends Wonderful Wednesdays 2018

    Jun 21 – Jun 26, 2018

    Location:

    Lake Park | Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    Energy is way too contained(被抑制的)in an indoor music venue(场所). Let that energy go where it wants through a series of outdoor concerts with Lake Park Friends Wonderful Wednesdays. Wednesday is no longer the most boring day of the week. This time, there's something fun to do. A list of live music acts has made the middle of the week something too look forward to.

    YouthCUE Festival of Youth Choirs(合唱队)2018

    Aug 10- Aug 22 2018

    Location:

    Washing to National Cathedral | 3101 Wisconsin Ave NW Washing ton, DC

    YouthCUE Festival of Youth Choirs in Washington gives students the rare opportunity to perform in the Washington National Cathedral, a famous historic place. The festival is a showcase of student choirs from all over the country, accompanied(伴奏)by musicians from the local professional orchestra(管弦乐队).

    When we were very small, we realized that having friends was important. Some of us even had imaginary(想象中的)friends. The need for friends continued as we grew into our teens. Friends played a big part in forming our personalities(性格). As adults, it is still important for us to have friends.

    True friends are people who like us though we made mistakes and who listen to us and tell us the truth. Friends support our decisions and tell us when we're foolish. They laugh with us and share our sadness. They are our partners and share interests with us. They stimulate us when we are feeling down. They are people we aren't afraid of telling our secret wishes to or what is really on our minds.

    Friends are our supporters. When you can depend on friends, you feel safe and warm. Friends offer acceptance and emotional(情感的)support. At times, they also help with our everyday lives, cooking a meal, doing chores, or giving us a lift when we need one. Friends also are there to offer advice, an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on.

    Friends also help us reduce stress. Not only do they listen to us when we feel stressed, but they also discuss what is stressing us. Sharing interests and doing activities with friends help us forget about problems at work or at home. For a short time, we can lose ourselves in a pleasant activity and perhaps laugh and breathe more easily.

    You may have heard that humans only use ten percent of their brain, and that if you could unlock the rest of your brainpower, you could do so much more. You could become a super genius, or acquire psychic powers like mind reading.

    This "ten-percent myth" has inspired many references in the cultural imagination. In the 2014 movie Lucy, for example, a woman develops godlike powers thanks to drugs that release the previously inaccessible 90 percent of her brain.

    Contrary to the ten-percent myth, however, scientists have shown that humans use their entire brain throughout each day.

    Over the years, brain scientists have shown that different parts of the brain are responsible for specific functions, whether it's recognizing colors or problem solving. Contrary to the ten-percent myth, scientists have proven that every part of the brain is integral for our daily functioning.

    Research has yet to find a brain area that is completely inactive. Even studies that measure activity at the level of single neurons(神经元) have not revealed any inactive areas of the brain.

    Many brain imaging studies that measure brain activity when a person is doing a specific task show how different parts of the brain work together. For example, while you are reading this text on your smartphone, some parts of your brain, including those responsible for vision and reading comprehension, will be more active.

    A more direct counter to the ten-percent myth lies in individuals who have suffered brain damage – like through a stroke(中风)– and what they can no longer do, or do as well, as a result of that damage. If the ten percent myth is true, then damage too many parts of our brain shouldn't affect your daily functioning. Studies have shown that damaging a very small part of the brain may have devastating consequences.

    If someone experiences damage to Broca's area(布罗卡氏区), for example, they can understand language but can't speak fluently.

    In one highly publicized case, a woman in Florida permanently lost her" capacity for thoughts, perceptions, memories, and emotions that are the very essence of being human" when a lack of oxygen destroyed half of her brain.

A 293-million-mile journey of the NASA Perseverance rover (探测器) to Mars: ended successfully on February 18, 2021, with a picture-perfect landing inside the Jezero Crater. The car-sized, six-wheeled rover, nicknamed Percy is the US space agency's biggest and most advanced explorer to date. Its primary mission is to search for signs of ancient microbial (微生物的) life on Mars.

Landing on Mars is extremely tricky. The Red Planet's gravitational pull causes approaching spacecraft to go faster to high speeds, while its thin atmosphere-just 1 percent that of Earth's-does little to help slow it down as it approaches the surface.

The scientists had to reduce Percy's 12,000 mph speed to a safe landing speed of less than five mph-in just six and a half minutes. The target entry angle also had to be a precise 12 degrees-any steeper, and the spacecraft would burn up; any flatter, and it would get lost in space. It is no wonder that the final approach is often referred to as the "seven minutes of terror. "

Upon attaining a manageable speed, Percy briefly flew over the Martian surface to seek out the perfect landing spot. Its complex map-reading system rapidly scanned the area and matched it with maps in its database to find the best location.

The NASA scientists will spend the next two months testing Percy's scientific instruments. Once ready, the rover will begin to carry out its mission.

"Perseverance is the smartest robot ever made, but confirming that microbial life once existed carries an unusually large burden of proof," said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division. "While we'll learn a lot with the great instruments we have aboard the rover, it may very well require the far more well-equipped laboratories and delicate instruments back here on Earth to tell us whether our samples (样本) carry evidence that Mars once harbored life. "

Is Fresh Air Really Good for You?

We all grew up hearing people tell us to "go out and get some fresh air". {#blank#}1{#/blank#}According to recent studies, the answer is a big YES, if the air quality in your camping area is good. 

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}If the air you're breathing is clean—which it would be if you're away from the smog of cities—then the air is filled with life-giving, energising oxygen. If you exercise out of doors, your body will learn to breathe more deeply, allowing even more oxygen to get to your muscles (肌肉) and your brain. 

Recently, people have begun studying the connection between the natural world and healing (治愈). {#blank#}3{#/blank#}In these places, patients can go to be near nature during their recovery. It turns out that just looking at green, growing things can reduce stress, lower blood pressure and put people into a better mood (情绪). Greenery is good for us. Hospital patients who see tree branches out their window are likely to recover at a faster rate than patients who see buildings or sky instead. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It gives us a great feeling of peace. 

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}While the sun's rays can age and harm our skin, they also help us make up beneficial vitamin D. To make sure you get enough vitamin D—but still protect your skin—put on sunscreen right as you head outside. It takes sunscreen about fifteen minutes to start working, and that's plenty of time for your skin to absorb a day's worth of vitamin D.