After the sudden loss of her 5-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, Natalia Spencer felt she needed to do something to honor the little girl. That strong wish inspired Spencer to start what she calls a “Walk of Love”, a 6,000-mile trek (长途徒步旅行）along the British coastline.

    “Elizabeth particularly loved the beach and the sea and we visited the seaside a lot. After she passed away, I went to the seaside and it was the first time I had felt some comfort,” Spencer said. “I knew this was what I had to do. It was something I could do and it would somehow make life more bearable.”

    On Valentine's Day, Spencer began walking Durdle Door in Dorset, England, the last beach she took Elizabeth to before she became ill. So far, Spencer has journeyed about 1,500 miles, walking through Dorset, Cornwall, Devon and the entire coast of Wales. Every day, except Saturday, Spencer walks 20 miles. Often locals join her; many times they share stories about losing their own children.

    Everything changed for Spencer on Nov. 22, 2015. Spencer noticed Elizabeth was ill with what she thought—was a chest infection. But the girl's health worsened rapidly. Doctors diagnosed her with a life-threatening immune condition where the immune cells damage tissue and organ. This caused Elizabeth's organs to shut down and stopped the blood supply to her arms and legs. She was moved to Bristol Children's Hospital where she spent 18 days on life support before passing away on Dec. 10.

    After Elizabeth died, Spencer struggled. She stayed with friends because it felt too hard to live in a house with the memories of Elizabeth. In January, a friend encouraged Spencer to go for a walk and the two ended up at the Gower Peninsula in Wales. That's when she realized she wanted to walk along the coast for her daughter.

    While walking provides Spencer with time to grieve (感到悲痛)，she's also using the trip to raise￡100,000(about $144,000) for the Bristol .Children's Hospital. She admired the doctors and nurses and wanted to raise money to allow another family access to treatment.

    Spencer expects to complete her walk next spring. She'd love to finish on Valentine's Day, but doesn't know if that is realistic.

      Apply for a Library Card

    Any person who lives, works or attends school in New York State is qualified to receive a New York Public Library card free of charge.

    Adult and teen users may either apply online or in person at any New York Public Library location. Applications for children aged 11 and under must be completed in person, and require the signature of a parent or guardian.

    When you apply for a card online, you will receive a 7-digit temporary barcode(条形码). This allows you to set a PIN (Personal Identification Number).

After you receive your permanent barcode, which is required to borrow materials, search library databases, or reserve a computer, you must validate your card.

    Renew or Validate Your Card

    All adult, teen and child library cards for cardholders in New York City and areas of New York State outside of New York City expire(期满) and must be renewed every three years. New library card applicants who applied for a card online must validate their card before full cardholder privileges can be extended.

    Cardholders in New York City must visit any New York Public Library location to present the required forms of identification in order to renew or validate their card.

    Cardholders from areas of New York State outside of New York City may email scans or copies of the required forms of identification to patronaccounts@nypl.org.

    Forgot Your PIN?

    If you provide the library with a valid email address, you can click on the Forgot Your PIN? Link on the login(登录) screen of either Biblicisms or the Classic Catalog. A link with instructions on changing your PIN will be sent to the email address on your account, giving you a brief period of time to update your information. You must select a 4-digit numeric PIN, with no repeating or obvious characters(e.g.1234 or 2222).

    If you have not provided us with a valid email address, you have to visit a library location with valid identification to have a staff member reset your PIN for you.

    Should you work out in the gym in the morning instead of in the evening? It all depends. Of course, there are advantages of working out(运动) in the morning.

    You will increase your energy for the rest of the day. “Morning workouts result in better energy levels throughout the day and give you more mental sharpness,” says Dr. Cedrie Byrant, Chief Science Officer of the American Council on Exercise.

    Here is another advantage. In 2017, health researchers found that exercising in the morning helps you sleep better at night. According to the study, in all cases, those who exercised at 7:00am experienced about a 10 percent drop in blood pressure that carried through the rest of the day. They also had about a 25 percent drop in blood pressure at night, slept longer and had more beneficial sleep cycles than when they exercised at other times of the day.

    However, there are disadvantages, too.

    If you are not an early riser, getting out of the bed in the morning can be very difficult. Byran says that if you're not used to exercising in the morning and force yourself to get up, you may not put as much effort into the exercise as you would later in the day. Also, if you aren't careful, you can damage your sleep schedule, which can lead to insufficient sleep.

    Besides, hitting the gym before work can cause a challenge in terms of scheduling. If you work a 9-to-5 job, getting ready for work and going to work can cut your morning workout short, Byrant notes.

    To sum up, it has both advantages and disadvantages. If it suits you better to work out in the morning, you can do so.

    In the short time Steve and Zach had been inside their tent packing their tools, wind-blown flame had skipped from the top of one tree to another. The long dry summer had turned the forest into a tinderbox.

    "Let's go! We can make it back to the river we crossed today!" Steve kept Brady on the lead and their heads down against the fire-wind. But Brady barked a sharp warning. Ahead of them lay a thick curtain of smoke across the track. They would never make it through that. The dog was pulling at his lead trying to draw them away from the smoke, and yet Steve was uneasy. It seemed to him that they were moving away from the river.

    Suddenly, Zach cried. "Zach!" Steve shouted. "Are you OK? Where are you?" Then Brady pulled Steve down a sharp slope(坡). At its base, Zach was rubbing his ankle.

    As Steve helped his friend to his feet, Brady lifted his head and snuffed(嗅) the smoke-laden wind. Next moment, the dog bounded away and disappeared. The boys shouted for him, but he didn't come back. Steve couldn't blame Brady for panicking. He himself wanted to run even though he didn't have a clue which way.

    Steve and Zach hadn't gone far when there was a familiar bark, and Brady came bounding, stopped directly in front of Steve and hit him with his head, pushing him back toward the slope they'd just climbed. But Steve didn't get it. Then Brady grabbed the boy's jeans and started pulling. The message was clear, but Steve hesitated. Of course he remembered Brady saving his uncle's life when the dog was much younger. Was he still sharp enough to get them through this?

    Nearby, a pine went up in a whoosh of smoke. Brady pulled again, urgently. "OK, big guy," Steve gritted(咬紧牙关). Brady led them back down the slope and into the trees. Not far from them fire was touching underbrush. Several times the big dog stopped. Often he changed directions. Steve was so tired that he just wanted to rest, but Brady wouldn't have it. The dog bullied both boys to go on. How long they'd walked Steve had no idea. He was almost numb when he heard it—the wonderful sound of rushing water!

    A campaign is being launched to encourage children to surrender 30 minutes of screen time a day to head for the great outdoors.

    The newly formed Wild Network—a collaboration of nearly 400 organizations—is attempting to attract youngsters away from television and computer screens to fields, woods and parks. Members of the network include the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS. Organizers say it is the UK's biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play, and claim it could help improve fitness, mental alertness and general well-being.

    A documentary film, Project Wild Thing, will forecast the launch at more than 50 cinemas across the UK from Friday. It looks at the increasing link between children and nature.

    Andy Simpson, chairman of the Wild Network, said, "The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation. Time spent outdoors is decreasing, roaming (漫步) ranges have fallen largely, activity levels are declining and the ability to identify common species has been lost."

    Suggestions on how to get more time in nature include collecting conkers (七叶树果), camping, snail racing, and observing autumn colour on trees.

    From January, the network will aim to make suggestions on how the government can do more to get children muddy and bright-eyed.

    This is not the first time the message of less screen time, more play has been brought up. Children in the 1980s were requested to do the same by the BBC TV series Why Don't You, which somewhat confusingly called on its viewers to "switch off the TV set and go to do something less boring instead".

Some people live to climb the highest mountains. Some people live only dreaming about it while others live to avoid ever climbing at all. But one thing is certain — all people meet mountains in their life. 

When I was a little girl, my family moved to a tiny town at the bottom of a big mountain. One day after school, while exploring the green woods of this amazing mountain, I almost fell on a set of stairs. What could these steps lead to? Curiosity got the best of me as I knew it would be starting to get dark soon. I started climbing up those strangely mysterious (神秘的) steps. I climbed and climbed. There was nothing but just green bushes and these steps. I had to reach the top. But it was now getting real dark. If I kept going I might not be able to see my way back. My mom would be worried sick if I didn't come home soon. So I ran back home almost in the dark while trying not to get too scared.

Anxiously I went to bed dreaming about what I would find at the top of this magical mountain. Could there be a castle up there? Maybe I would find a monster (怪物) . Maybe I was taking the risk of never coming back home. Or, maybe all I would find was absolutely nothing! But something inside me was going to climb that mountain at all cost. I could hardly wait to try this adventure again. 

Now we live in a world surrounded by the "can't do" attitudes. We all fall down. We all have doubts and regrets. Still we must climb and dream about what's at the top of our mountain. Monsters may appear or the night will fall. But never ever give up on your dream! Never let anyone tell you, "You can't." Dream big and climb high!