For the Travel section, writers and editors selected special items to profile from a dozen cities.

Brussels:Chocolate

    Nearly half the chocolate consumed in the world is eaten in Europe, and Belgium—with average consumption of 14.99 pounds per person a year—certainly covers its fair share. While Brussels, the country's capital, is home to hundreds of chocolate makers, what makes a visit necessary is the rich heritage of traditional chocolate makers.

Budapest: Paprika (红辣椒)

    The job of preparing Hungarian paprika was once considered too dangerous for mothers to do. A woman who touched her children upon returning from work risked burning them, so only the elderly and unmarried were allowed the delicate task of separating the skin from the flesh. But by the early 20^th century, sweeter varieties and a machine turned paprika into a common feature of all Hungarian cuisine.

Lisbon: Tiles (瓷砖)

    Is there a bluer Country than Portugal? The blue sky and Atlantic Ocean embrace the land. The blue moods of Fado, the dark folk music, form the national soundtrack. And all across Portugal, the typically blue designs of azulejos—ceramic tiles—are spread across churches, castles, palaces, university halls, parks... The result is a beautiful land of Christian saints, Portuguese kings, historical glories, aristocrats at leisure, seascapes and so on.

Madrid: Guitars

    Walking into one of Madrid's storied guitar makers' workshops can feel like stepping into the past. Curly wood shavings, from the palest pine to ebony, fall onto the floor as artisans turn some humble wood into works of art. It's painstaking work—all done by hand—with classical guitar models and the methods of making them changing little over the last century.

    Volunteering at a nursing home is an often overlooked volunteer area and yet one of the most needed. Statistics show that only 50 percent of nursing home residents have no close relatives and 46 percent have no living children. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, the self gratification and relationships you will receive is too unusual to be replaced.

    Make a list of nursing homes you are able to volunteer at on a regular basis. When doing this, use any resources from family members, friends, or even use an online search engine to find nursing homes. When choosing your home, also keep in mind your schedule; make sure that you can be fully committed to any obligations that the nursing home may give you. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Before calling, choose your times wisely, anytime between 9am-11am and 2pm-5pm would be a good option. By avoiding meal times or later at night, you'll have a better chance for getting information and finding people who are free to talk with you.

    Ask for an application form. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}This step is also where your applicant process begins. They will hand you all necessary applicant information. Most nursing homes will conduct interviews, do background checks, and may even have you receive vaccines and take drug tests.

    Become a "volunteer in training" at the nursing home. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Because of the wide variety of possible areas, you may experience variations in your training length and the content may vary.

A. Expect to attend training if your application is approved.

B. Call or visit the top three of your chosen nursing home options.

C. Volunteering at a nursing home can be a really wonderful experience.

D. From your list, choose the top three that cater to what you are looking for.

E. You will be taken into training depending on the area you are assigned to train in.

F. The process of becoming a volunteer at a nursing home can often be a little too long.

G. The activity director or volunteer coordinator will handle all of your information from here.

    It's normal that people sometimes feel nervous. Everybody gets stressed from time to time.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Some ways of dealing with stress 一like screaming or hitting someone一don't solve (解决)，much. But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.

    Four steps for fighting stress, try taking these four steps, the next time you are stressed:

1) Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to “trusted adult, such as “parent or other relatives. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They might have had similar problems, such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet.

2) Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. Oh, dear, that's a good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

3) Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends, it's time to get down to business. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Even if you can't solve it all, you can solve a piece of it.

4) Be positive. Most stress is temporary(暂时的).Remember stress does go away, especially when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it. These steps aren't magic, but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a tough time, you'll help yourself feel better even faster.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Ask for a helping hand to get you through the tough situation.

B. Notice your friends' feelings and find a way to help them.

C. Different people feel stress in different ways

D. Ah, it feels so good when the stress is gone.

E. You need to figure out what the problem is.

F. And don't forget about your friends.

G. Then, find a way to calm down.

    We brush our teeth daily, but do you know everything you need to know about dental care and hygiene? Believe it or not, there is a lot more than most people realize. Luckily, here are several apps that can help you.

●Brush DJ

    You should brush your teeth for full two minutes as recommended by dentists, but that time can be difficult to judge. Many recommend you listen to music, because many songs are just around two minutes in length. Brush DJ has loads of great tunes that will get you into the two­minute habit. There are both songs to listen to, and videos to watch, and you'll find a variety of awesome tunes.

●Orasphere

    It's recommended that Orasphere videos be used by dentists for their patients, so they can learn about procedures. Those who do use these videos say that the software can greatly decrease the amount of time it takes to explain procedures to patients.

●American Dental Association(ADA)

    Everything you ever wanted to know about your teeth, and then some, can be found on the American Dental Association(ADA) website. You'll find loads of great articles that have the latest news about dentistry（牙科）. Those interested in dental careers will find plenty of information to head them in the right direction, and there's even a section devoted to public dental programs, including Give Kids a Smile and Fluoride in Water.

●DDS GP

    Here is more presentation software that explains all types of dental procedures. This is helpful for dentists to have, because they can better explain procedures to their patients.

●Dentistry IQ

    You can find information for dentists, hygienists, assistants, office managers, and more at Dentistry IQ. You can also get information about new products, clinical practices, and much more. In addition, you can learn about career opportunities, the most recent practices, and a whole lot more.

    One half of the brain remains on high alert during the first night of sleep in a new space.

    Over the course of three experiments on 35 young, healthy volunteers, researchers measured brain activity during two nights of sleep. They found that part of the left side of the brain remained more active than the right side only on the first night, specifically during a deep sleep stage.

    “When you sleep in a new place for the first time, a part of one side of the brain seems to stay awake, so you could wake up faster if necessary,” said senior study author Yuka Sasaki of Brown University.

    While this may be bad news for business travelers who regularly make brief overnight trips, it may not be as troublesome for people who go away for longer periods of time, Sasaki added by email.

    To see how being in a strange place affects sleep, Sasaki and colleagues performed a series of lab tests on their subjects.

    When they stimulated（刺激） the left side of the brain with sounds in the right ear during deep sleep on the first night, that led to greater possibility of waking and faster action upon waking, than if sounds were played in the left ear to affect the right side of the brain. On the second night, there wasn't any difference in reactions to tests between the left and right sides of the brain, even during deep sleep. This suggests that there is a first-night-only effect specifically in one side of the brain during deep sleep, the authors conclude.

    One limitation of the new study is its focus on healthy volunteers, which means the results may not apply to people with sleep disorders, the authors note.

    While it's possible that the findings may explain poor sleep among frequent travelers, the study wasn't designed to test whether these “first night effects” continue to happen to people every time they hit the road, said Patrick Finan, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

    As you know, there are many fantastic parks in New York City.

    Central Park

    One of the most famous parks in the world, Central Park is a man-made wonder. Not only is it the first public park built in America, but it is also one of the most frequently visited parks, with over 25 million guests per year. Set in the middle of busy Manhattan, its grounds serve as a safe harbor, not only for athletes, and musicians but also for lots of migratory birds each year. One can spend an entire peaceful day wandering its grounds, gazing upon nearly 50 fountains, monuments, and sculptures or admiring its 36 bridges.

    Hudson River Park

    Hudson River Park is a waterside park on the Hudson River that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City district of Manhattan. Bicycle and pedestrian paths, including the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, span the park north to south, opening up the waterfront for the public to relax. The park includes tennis and soccer fields, children's playground, dog run, and many other features.

    Washington Square Park

    Washington Square Park, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, is a very popular and often crowded place. People from all backgrounds gather to this large square dotted with trees.

    Central Park Zoo

    The Central Park Zoo is a small 6. 5-acre zoo located on Central Park in New York City. The zoo began in the 1860s, making it the first official zoo to open in New York. The zoo was improved in 1934, with the addition of many new buildings ranged in a quadrangle around the sea lion pool. Finally, the zoo was repaired in the mid-1980s and reopened in 1988, replacing the old-fashioned cages with naturalistic environments.