World Book Day falls on April 23 every year．It was set up by the United Nations Educational,Scientific, and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) in 1995 to encourage people, especially teenagers, to discover the pleasure of reading．It is also the day to honor great writers，for example，William Shakespeare，born or dead on that day．

    Many countries celebrate World Book Day．Take UK as an example．On that day，millions of school children can buy books of special price，a much lower price than usual，in any bookstore．It has been done every year since 1998．World Book Day is also celebrated in China. Our Former Premier Wen Jiabao, a bookworm, who does lots of reading every day, has called on people to do more reading. He suggested that young people should spend more time reading．"Books cannot change the world, but people can change the world by changing themselves through reading,” he said．

    Why do people like reading? One big advantage is that reading helps us become more knowledgeable and more intelligent. Also, reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology. Besides, reading gives us information about other cultures and places of the world. When we read, we may find many things that are unfamiliar to us. We would have to use our brain to think about them or do more reading to find out the answers. The more we read, the more we know. What's more, reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English．

    "Reading makes a full man" (Bacon，1597). Books，magazines，newspapers and other kinds of materials can help us to know more about the outside world and perfect us. So it is necessary for us to spend time on reading every day．

Join the discussion…

    LakeLander·2 hours ago

    Today, a man talked very loud on his phone on a train between Malvern and Reading, making many passengers upset. I wonder how he would react if I were to read my newspaperoutloudonthetrain, Ihave never had the courage to do it, though.

    Pak50          ···     ·57 minutes ago

    Why not give it a try? Perhaps you should take lessons on a musical instrument. The late musician Dennis Brian is said to have asked a fellow train passenger to turn off his radio. When his request was refused, he took out his French horn(号) and started to practice.

    Angie O'Edema·42 minutes ago

    I don't see how musical instruments can help improve manners in public. Don't do to others what you wouldn't like to be done to yourself. Once, a passenger next to me talked out loud on his mobile phone. I left my seat quietly, giving him some privacy to finish his conversation. He realized this and apologised to me. When his phone rang again later, he left his seat to answer it. You see, a bit of respect and cooperation can do the job better.

    Taodas                          ·29 minutes ago

    I did read my newspaper out loud on a train, and it turned out well. The guy took it in good part, and we chatted happily all the way to Edinburgh.

    Sophie 76                                     ·13minutes ago

    I have not tried reading my newspaper out loud on a train, but ,several years ago, I read some chapters from Harry Porter to my bored and noisy children. Several passengers seemed to appreciate what I did.

    Residents in the poorest counties in the U.S. face a life expectancy up to decade shorter than their counterparts in the wealthiest areas, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

    Researchers from East Tennessee State University wanted to better understand how socioeconomic status was associated with heath outcomes. To find out they divided the country's 3,141 counties into 50 new 'states' (with 2 percent of the counties in each) based on household income as opposed to geographic proximity (接近).

    The researchers broke down the data by county since they found state-level data may hide some 'impact of socioeconomic differences on both the best-off and worst-off counties.' They then examined health data from the wealthiest and poorest 'states' (top and bottom 2 percent) to see how residents differed on factors like smoking, clinical care and excessive drinking. Researchers found that there was nearly a 10-year gap in the life expectancy of men with an average of 79.3 years in the wealthy counties compared to 69.8 years in the poorest. For women, the difference was slightly less - 83 years in the wealthiest counties and 76 years in the poorest.

    The study authors caution that while they found a connection between socioeconomic status and health outcomes, they did not analyze cause and effect. But they suggest that the data shows how policy makers should not just focus on state-wide initiatives (主动性) but more targeted efforts to help those most at risk. “With limited resources, methods of pinpointing the poorest counties can assist in the allocation of resources and programs to those communities that are in the greatest need,'' the study authors wrote.

    It is irrefutable: Parents, who talk to, read and engage with their very young children as often as possible, help them build literacy (读写能力) skills at an early age.

    Also certain: Parents of very young children usually have to do a lot of laundry. And low-income families tend to bring their kids with them to public laundromats (洗衣房).

    Those truths appear once a week at select neighborhood laundromats in Chicago. That's when librarians lay down colorful mats and oversized board books beside the industrial washing machines.

    Inside one of about 14 laundromats in the city's low-income neighborhoods, the librarians gather all available children for Laundromats Story Time (LST), a Chicago Public Library (CPL) program.

    With the noise of the washers and dryers, anywhere between a handful to more than a dozen children hear stories, sing songs and play games designed to help their brains develop. The event also aims to instruct parents on how to repeat the experience for their kids, working to raise poor literacy rates in underserved communities.

    "We read books, we sing songs, we do plays," says Becca Ruidl, the CPL's STEAM Team early learning manager, who runs the LST program. "We kind of keep it going so parents can walk in adn join in at any time. But a big part of what we do is model literacy skills for parents so they can do it at home with their kids."

    While a laundromat seems an unlikely place to engage with children, "we really wanted to meet people in the community where they're. "Ruidl says.

    And it clearly meets a need: Library officials say the program is in increasing demand, while Ruidl says families have adjusted their household's laundry day to suit the librarians' laundromat visits. At the same time, LST's co-sponsors—including a laundry industry trade group and Libraries Without Borders, an organization fighting poverty through literacy—have worked with the CPL to draft an instruction handbook to help expand the concept to other U.S. cities.

    Thirteen-year-old Kaylee has a lot of friends—532, actually, if you count up both her Instagram followers and Facebook friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

    But is it possible that Kaylee's online friendships could be making her lonely? That's what some experts believe Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

    Could this be true? During your parents' childhoods, connecting with friends usually means spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not Words With Friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

    Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of his time is spent on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

    In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friend ships stronger, “There's definitely positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie, co-author of the App Generation.

    Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual worlds, we will have little time for our real world friendships.” says Rosen, a professor at California State University.

    Rosen also worries that today s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you didn't need someone to like your picture or share your tweet. You needed someone who would keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

    Standing desks have become common across Silicon Valley, offering health benefits to those willing to work on their feet. However, due to their high price, they have failed to catch on until now. Recently, Ikea has brought out Bekant convertible(可变换的) standing desk that can become a normal desk at the touch of a button. The $500 adjustable desk can transform from a standard desk to a standing one, and Ikea hopes it could make the standing desk mainstream.

    Experts say that changing from a seated to a standing desk can improve productivity. Similar desks have become a common sight at tech firms such as Google, where some employees have even installed treadmill (跑步机) and bicycle desks.

    The desk is not the first "convertible" on the market. As early as 2013, Stir Kinect brought out an adjustable desk. The $3,890 Stir Kinect desk has a motor to raise and lower itself, changing it into a standing desk or a traditional desk. The desk can even be programmed to move up and down slightly, making it appear to take a gentle breath to remind the user to change their positions. To move between sitting and standing positions, owners simply double tap on the screen. The desk can learn the user's preferences over time and suggest the best seating position.

    The Stir Kinect desk was created by a team of ex-Apple and Disney engineers. It has a built-in touch screen to control and track movement, and can tell users exactly how many calories they burn by standing during their working day. It also has devices containing power points and USB ports for charging phones, to keep cables hidden.

    "Ikea's height-adjustable desk is great for opening up the lower end of the market, " said JP Labrosse, founder and CEO of Stir.