Charlie is a teacher and his wife, Maria is an artist. The night before last, just before the longest day of the year, Charlie was sitting in a deckchair enjoying the warm summer air when Maria touched his shoulder and he could tell immediately she was a little worried about something. He asked her what the matter was and she replied that there was a strange thing on the jacket that was hanging in the bedroom. They had both lived in the West Indies (西印度群岛) and had seen a lot of strange creatures in their house before. But now they were living in England and so Charlie just laughed and said he would have a look at the "thing".

    He walked to the bedroom. He saw a jacket hanging in the bedroom and went up to it to have a closer look at the "thing". The moment he touched it, the thing sprang into life. Now Charlie experiences fear like the rest of us but when this creature opened its wings, he jumped out of his skin and ran screaming from the room like a small child doing about 100 miles an hour.

    For a moment the next-door neighbours thought that Charlie was murdering his wife because of the noise they could hear. In fact, it was a bat that frightened Charlie.

    Eventually Charlie managed to trap the bat in a box and took it to the garden to let the bat fly. Maria, who had been playing the guitar while Charlie was upstairs, asked Charlie if he had found out what the thing was. "Oh, nothing to worry about", he said casually hoping that the terror could not be seen in his eyes, "it was just a bat."

    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 kind 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.

    "I really wrote it for me. It was what I found funny and what I liked". Those are the words of J K Rowling, author of the enormously popular "Harry Potter" books. The quote refers to the first in a series of novels featuring a young character who has carved out a permanent place for his creator in the world of children's literature.

    Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born in England in 1965, and wrote her first story at the age of six. She was in her mid-20s when the idea for the Harry Potter novels came to her, during a long train ride. By the end of that journey, she says, the character of Harry and the school for wizards which he attends were more or less fully formed in her mind.

    It would be several years, however, before the novel was completed. By that time, Rowling had been through a failed marriage. Living on welfare as a single parent, she wrote about Harry Potter while sitting in an Edinburgh café with her daughter asleep beside her. She could not have dreamed of the fame and success which Harry would bring her in the years to come.

    Harry Potter is not your average superhero. He is 12 years old, skinny, wears glasses, and tends to worry a lot. Yet, he has captured the imagination of children and adults the world over, and has introduced millions to the joys of reading.

    Harry's appeal stems from his role as a very ordinary boy who finds himself in extraordinary situations. Orphaned as a baby, Harry spends the next 10 years being mistreated by the awful relatives with whom he lives. On his 11th birthday, he learns that he possesses magical powers and is admitted for training at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

    The adventures of Harry and his friends at the school are superbly narrated by J. K. Rowling. She manages to lead her millions of readers deep into the world of the supernatural, while at the same time dealing with the fears and emotions of the ordinary human world. Many feel that this is the real magic of Harry Potter.

Best Tours of France 2024

If you're planning a visit to France, we've picked the best tours in France where the experience is built around the things YOU want to see and do. 

Loire Valley Bike Tours—the very best way to travel

One of the best ways to visit the castles, vineyards, pretty little villages, historic towns and beautiful gardens of the Loire Valley is on two wheels. . . Loire Brakes guided tour s are relaxing（e-bikes provided）, and you'll stay in a comfortable and cosy farmhouse and visit the very best of the Loire Valley with local guides Denise and Kevin. A superb slow travel experience for those who like to discover real France and enjoy the most delicious food and wine. loirebrakes. com

Tours for those who love the authentic（真实性）

Discover southern France—from attractive Carcassonne to the postcard-pretty blooming lovely lavender fields of Provence, as well as Normandy, Bordeaux and Dordogne. On these luxury, small group tours you'll get to experience France like a local, experience the best cuisine and wine, and discover the beauty and culture of France. www. tripusafrance. com

Tailor-made tours

Osprey Boutique Travel creates unique and authentic travel experiences. Their tailor-made tours are particularly made to each client's preferences, based on personally tested experiences and native French special knowledge. With Osprey, expect access to wonderful experiences at famous wineries and Michelin-starred restaurants, creating a lifetime journey. Find out more: ospreybt. com

Culture & cookery tours in Provence

Cooking classes with chefs in their homes where you'll cook authentic French dishes. Shop at fascinating street markets with chefs, and dine at the most delicious restaurants in beautiful towns of Provence on this fully accompanied, small-group, delicious and cultural trip of a lifetime. goutetvoyage. com

People who routinely eat a lot of red meat may be increasing their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes （糖尿病）, according to a new study. Processed red meats, like bacon and hot dogs, are linked to an even higher risk.

Researchers tracked the eating habits of more than 200,000 people engaged in long-term health studies for up to 36 years and found that those who regularly consumed a lot of red meat — more than a serving per day — had a significantly higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

"When we looked at the women and men who consumed the most red meat compared to the least, we found about a 50% increase in risk," says study author Dr. Walter Willett of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. The results were published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

It turned out that the participants in the study who consumed high amounts of red meat also had higher body weight. They consumed more calories （热量） and were less physically active compared with those who consumed the least red meat.

Given that, in the US, only about 4% of people are identified as vegetarians and only 1%vegans, it's not realistic to think that people will give up red meat altogether. So how much red meat is OK to consume? US dietary guidelines don't clearly state an amount, but a recent review of observational studies suggests it's reasonable to limit daily consumption of unprocessed red meat to 50 to 100 grams to prevent high blood pressure and heart diseases. Willett's recommendation goes even further. "A limit of one serving per week of red meat would be reasonable for people wishing to improve health and well-being," Willett says.

Given the large body of evidence that links too much red meat consumption to increased risks of heart disease and cancer, Christopher Gardner, a food scientist at Stanford University, points out that recommendations to limit the consumption of red meat, particularly processed red meat, have been made by many national and global health organizations.

A good story. That's what influences our choice to buy a book the most. Right? Some of the biggest-selling novels of all time just so happened to be attached to major publishers. Indeed, any reading lover will be familiar with the countless publishing houses that have brought brilliant works to the market. So in theory, perhaps a publisher does matter. 

Every time you read a book that you enjoy, you likely look at the publisher attached to it. That name is a signal that they will produce other content that fits with that same style. It makes a lot of sense to continue to purchase texts from a company that is telling the kinds of stories that you enjoy the most. Consumer habits are thus based on trust that a publisher will be consistent in the books they deliver and that investing time in them is more reliable than an untested source.

The strength of the author themselves can also play into that. After all, well-liked authors are often signed to a book deal with a select few publishers, strengthening the brand further. 

Of course, a publisher would be nothing without its logo, which is a major call-to-arms for all fans of the brand. The top publishers in the world instantly recognizable imagery, which catch the attention while summing up the name of a brand in an instant. That thus builds our association with a given name. The fun penguin shape of Penguin Random House is so iconic, for example, that it could not be confused with any other publishing business.

There might be a place for those indie (独立经营的) book companies, with occasional stories breaking through and forcing people to take notice. In truth that's far less common than you expect. Expert Cassandra Davis, however, provides a hopeful insight. "Indie bookshops are more likely to stock an indie publisher's books, especially if the author is local to the bookshop." She says. Therefore, supporting local bookshops is a vital way to keep the indie industry alive and change these trends.