One day when I was 12, my mother gave me an order: I was to walk to the public library, and borrow at least one book for the summer. This was one more weapon for her to defeat my strange problem — inability to read.

    In the library, I found my way into the “Children's Room.” I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf at random. The cover of a book caught my eye. It presented a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my secret sharer, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle.

    There on the book's cover was a beagle which looked identical（相同的）to my dog. I ran my fingers over the picture of the dog on the cover. My eyes ran across the title, Amos, the Beagle with a Plan. Unknowingly, I had read the title. Without opening the book, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.

Under the shade of a bush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very slowly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated from his family and who finally found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book. At the end of the story, my mind continued the final scene of reunion, on and on, until my own lost dog and I were, in my mind, running together.

    My mother's call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book, and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.

    I never told my mother about my “miraculous” (奇迹般地) experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.

    Maybe it has been the influence of the current scene: the type among urban biking. Apparently, urban biking requires entirely different bikes than suburban hiking does and therefore a Bike Design Project started where five design studios across five cities had to come up with a perfect urban bike. The winning bike will be manufactured for a limited run of 100 hikes and will be in stores next year. Industry, a Portland-based studio, came up with a very interesting bike: one that uses bluetooth and handlebars (车把手) that tell you when to stop or turn.

    Industry worked together with Ti Cycles to create a bike with a 3D printed titanium frame (钛框架). The hike is called Solid and can be connected to a smartphone APP: My Bike. This APP alarms a user when a light needs replacement and if something gets wrong with one's brakes. There is also software called Discover My City, which has a series of routes through Portland's most trendy neighborhoods, with suggestions about where to eat and shop.

    Nevertheless, the idea with cycling is that you need to focus on the road and not on your smartphone. This bike therefore uses integrated feedback on handlebars. Those handlebars tell a user when to turn, as they will buzz when a turn appears. As you are getting closer, they will buzz more frequently. And then there is the possibility to control your light via built-in sensors and change gears by pressing an electronic button.

    Although the bicycle looks highly interesting and can be seen as a piece of art for the designing world, we don't know if we would like our bike to have an automatic buzz when we are approaching a turn. On the other side, it could add some extra safety to traffic in general. Whether you like the bike or not, you have to admit the Portland-based studio brings the concept of urban biking to a whole new level.

    A good book is indeed the best friend of a person.The same goes for high—profile CEOs of world recognized companies as well.Let's have a look at the favorite books of some of the world-famous CEOs.

    Apple CEO—Tim Cook,Competing against Time by George Stalk Jr.and Thomas M.Hout

    This book is based on 10 years of valuable research done by the authors.It talks about how new concepts of managing time in new product development,production and sales provide companies with the advantages to succeed in this highly competitive world.

    Microsoft CEO(Former)—Bill Gates,The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger

    A few themes explored in the novel are rebellion（叛逆）,anxiety and confusion.It admits that young people are a little confused,but can be smart about things and see things that adults don't really see.Gates said,"I didn't actually read The Catcher in the Rye until I was 13,and ever since then I've said that's my favorite book."

    Oracle CEO—Larry Ellison,Napoleon by Vincent Cronin

    This book is considered by far the best biography ever written on Napoleon Bonaparte.Ellison said,"It's interesting to read about him for a couple of reasons: to see what an ordinary man can do with his life and to see how history can distort（歪曲）the truth entirely."

    OWE CEO—Oprah Winfrey,To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    This book talks about how a little girl observes the people around her.Winfrey said,"I read it in eighth or ninth grade,and I was trying to persuade other kids to read the book.So it makes sense to me that now I have a book club, because I have been doing that probably since I read this book."

    Feeding birds is a popular way to watch wildlife. But experts say it might put wild birds at risk.

    Feeding birds is not necessary for their survival except in extreme weather conditions. Feeders(喂食器)can definitely help birds get through that kind of weather. But most birds eat insects and show little interest in bird feeders. For those birds, we can grow native plants in a natural environment. Birds which are fond of eating seeds will be more likely to come to feeders if there is some cover nearby. This lets them feed and then fly to protective areas, such as in trees.

    The most common mistake people make with their bird feeders is that they put feeders in places where birds are easily frightened by passers-by, risk being hurt by cats, or risk flying into windows.

    So set up a bird feeder at least one meter away from a window. That way, if a bird gets frightened, it won't get killed when it hits the glass. Owners of cats should keep them inside home so they can't hurt the birds.

    Some birds are more aggressive at feeders. They eat a lot and do not leave much food for other birds. A solution is to put the food in more than one place by using different kinds of seeds or fruits. This can also increase the number and diversity of birds in your neighborhood. But don't feed wild birds anything salty, like potato chips, or food that could choke them, like bread.

    Pay attention to food quality and freshness. Unprotected food left too long in feeders will turn moldy(发霉), which can kill wildlife.

    Another word of advice: Always provide a supply of clean water for birds, but use care when looking for the right birdbath. If the birdbaths are too deep for birds, putting a few large stones in the water can give the birds a place to sit.

    Do you suppose Darwin, one of the greatest scientists of all time, really did foolish experiments? Or did he do experiments that were so simple and basic that other people just thought they were foolish?

    Sometimes, people think they already know the answer to a question or the solution to a problem. Sometimes, they really do know an answer or a solution, but without thinking they are important.

    Charles Darwin didn't settle for(满足于) just thinking he knew something. And, he believed all things could be important however simple they seemed to be.

    Suppose you drop sheets of paper that are of exactly the same size and shape. If you drop them at the same time in the same place, they will fall in the same way. Now make one of the sheets of paper into a tight little ball and let it drop along with the other sheets. What happens? You have done an experiment that is so simple that you might think it couldn't be worth anything.

    But this simple experiment is important. It explains part of our present-day understandings of physics, ideas that were worked out long ago by Galileo and Newton. And these understandings set aside some of ancient Greek physics.

    Scientists sometimes stop to look at very simple things and to think very hard about them. Even the simplest idea, which we might think is foolish, can shake the foundations of science.

There's no doubt that Dolly Parton knows how to light up a stage; however, she's also spent a number of decades trying to bring a spark to children's education.

Through programs such as the Buddy Program and the Imagination Library, the American singer is sharing her passion for giving kids a better chance in life across the states and further in the UK, Australia, Canada and Ireland.

Among other charity efforts, Parton was inspired to introduce the Buddy Program after seeing the alarming dropout rate in her hometown of Sevierville, Tennessee, in 1990. That year 34% of schoolkids dropped out of high school—a decision they reached around fifth or sixth grade. The figures were so shocking that Parton decided to inspire kids with her new program. So, in the same year, she invited the fifth and sixth graders to her amusement park, Dollywood. She gathered the pupils and asked them to pair up with a friend as part of a motivating buddy system. If both children went on to graduate, she said she would offer them both a $500 check as a reward. That year the percentage of kids abandoning their education dropped to an unbelievable 6%, and continues to be around that rate today.

It was after the success of the Buddy Program that Parton wanted to address the issue of early education even further. To help give kids from disadvantaged backgrounds a better chance at school, the singer started her Imagination Library in 1995. Over the following 25 years the program has seen babies and toddlers enjoy new books every month thanks to her generosity.

And the singer shows no sign of stopping. In 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University to try and help research in the fight against COVID-19.