Why do you go to the library? For books, yes--but you like books because they tell stories. You hope to get lost in a story or be transported into someone else's life. At one type of library, you can do just that--even though there's not a single book.

    At a Human Library, instead of books, you can “borrow” people. Individuals volunteer as human “books” and participants in the event can “read” the book--meaning they would have a one-on-one conversation with the volunteer and share in a dialogue about that individual's experience. “Books” are volunteers from all walks of life who have experienced discrimination (歧视) based on race, religion, class, gender identity, age, lifestyle choices, disability and other aspects of their life

    For a certain amount of time, you can ask them questions and listen to their stories, which are as fascinating and as attractive as any you can find in a book. Many of the stories have to do with some kind of stereotype. You can speak with a refugee (难民), a soldier suffering from PTSD, a homeless person or a woman living with HIV. The Human Library encourages people to challenge their own long-held beliefs-to truly get to know, and learn from someone they might otherwise make a quick judgment about.

    According to its website, the Human Library is “a place where difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered.” It provides the opportunity for the community to share and understand the experiences of others in their community.

    The Human Library Organization came to be in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2000. Ronni Abergel, his brother Dany, and some colleagues hosted a four-day event during a major Northern European festival, hoping to raise awareness about violence among youth. After the success of this event, Abergel founded the Human Library Organization, which has been growing ever since.

    Though there are a few permanent human libraries, most aren't places at all, but events. Though many do take place at physical libraries, you don't need a library card—anyone can come and be part of the experience. There have been human library events all over the globe, in universities and in pubs, from Chicago to Tunis to Edinburgh to San Antonio.

The stories these "books" tell range from fascinating to heartbreaking and everything in between. And that's the very point of the organization--to prove that no person can be summed up in just one word. It seeks to show people that you truly can't judge a book by its cover—or by its title or label.

    Parents complain that children outgrow their clothes so fast that it costs a fortune（￡12, 000 on average per year）, going through seven different sizes in the space of their first two years. There could now be a solution：a new high－tech fabric（织物）that expands as the wearer grows.

    Ryan Yasin, who is studying for a master's degree at the London Royal College of Art, came up with the idea after purchasing clothes for his newborn nephew, only to find the baby had outgrown them by the time they arrived. In addition to the expense Yasin was also concerned about the environmental influence. The process of making and distributing just l kilogram, or 2. 2 pounds, of new fabric results in an average of 23 kg, or 50 pounds of greenhouse gases. To make matters worse, the “fast fashion” trend worldwide has caused garment production to double since 2000, with more than half of the clothing ending up in landfills annually!

    To find a solution, Yasin used his previous experience designing satellites to invent a way to fold synthetic（合成的）material such that it stretches in all directions.

    The first design, a pair of tiny pants, not only fit his baby nephew, but also his 2－year-old niece! After spending a lot of time perfecting the process and testing the design, Yasin is now awaiting a patent for his design and seeking investors（投资者）to bring the clothing to market.

    For his new line of Petit Pli, the designer plans to produce outerwear that is both waterproof（防水的）and windproof. The clothing will be machine washable and fold small enough to fit in a jacket or pant pocket. Yasin plans to establish a take－back system so that worn－out Petit Pli clothing can be recycled into new fabric.

    The designer does not expect parents to dress their children only in his expandable clothing, particularly since the current designs use synthetic materials. But he plans to soon produce the wear in “a wider variety of garments” and hopes that Petit Pli will be able to have an “influence on over-consumption. ”We surely hope he succeeds!

    It is natural that young people are often uncomfortable when they are with their parents. They say that their parents don't understand them. They often think that their parents are out of touch with modern ways, that they are too serious and too strict with their children, and that they seldom give their children a free hand.

    It is true that parents often find it difficult to win their children's trust and they tend(倾向) to forget how they themselves felt when young.

    For example, young people like to act on the spot without much thinking. It is one of their ways to show that they have grown up and they can face any difficult situation. Old people worry more easily. Most of them plan things in advance, at least in the back of their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset by something unexpected.

    When you want your parents to let you do something, you will have better success if you ask before you really start doing it.

    Young people often make their parents angry with their choices in clothes, in entertainment and in music. But they do not mean to cause any trouble; it is just that they feel cut off from the older people's world, into which they have not yet been accepted. That's why young people want to make a new culture of their own, and if their parents don't like their music or entertainment or clothes or their way of speech, this will make the young people extremely happy.

    Sometimes you are so proud of yourself that you do not want your parents to say “yes” to what you do. All you want is to be left alone and do what you like. It is natural enough, after being a child for so many years, when you were completely under your parents' control.

    If you prefer to control your life, you'd better win your parents over and try to get them to understand you. If your parents see that you have a high sense of responsibility, they will certainly give you the right to do what you want to do.

    Few facts about modern life seem more undeniable than how busy everyone seems to be. Across the industrialized world, large numbers of survey respondents tell researchers they're overburdened with work, at the expense of time with family and friends.

    But the total time people are working, whether paid or otherwise, has not increased in Europe or North America in recent decades. What's more, the date also show that the people who say they're the busiest generally aren't.

    Part of the answer is simple economics. As economies grow, and the incomes of the better-off have risen over time, time has literally become more valuable: Any given hour is worth more, so we experience more pressure to squeeze in more work.

But it's also a result of the kind of work in which many of us are engaged. In the past, farming work was subject to weather limits, white at present people live in an "unlimited world," and there are always more incoming emails, more meetings, more things to read, and digital mobile technology means you have a few more to-do list items.

    With time pressure weighing us down, it's hardly surprising that we live with one eye on the clock. But psychological research demonstrates that this time-awareness actually leads to worse performance. So the ironic consequence of the "busy feeling" is that we could handle to-do list less well than if we weren't so rushed.

    Arguable worst of all, the feeling of rush spreads to affect our leisure time, so that even when life finally does permit an hour or two for recovery, we end up feeling that leisure time should be spent "productively," too.

    If there's a solution to the busyness epidemic(流行病), other than the universal 21-hour workweek, it may lie in clearly realizing just how reasonable our attitudes have become. Historically, the ultimate symbol of wealth, achievement and social superiority was the freedom not to work. Now, it's busyness that has become the indicator of high status. "The best-off in our society are often very busy, and have to be," says Gershunny. "You ask me, am I busy, and I tell you: "Yes, of course I'm busy because I'm an important person!"

    Too often, we measure our worth not by the results we achieve, but by how much of our time we spend. We live crazy lives, at least in part, because it makes us feel good about ourselves.

    A ten-year-old boy from Howell, Michigan is being praised as a hero thanks to his persistence (坚持) that led to saving the life of an elderly neighbor. The event happened late in an evening when Danny DiPietro was being driven home from hockey practice by his mom.

    That's when the young boy noticed an open garage (车库) and a figure that he believed was a dog outside an apartment building near his house. Given the freezing weather, the young boy got a feeling that something was not right. But instead of dismissing it like most kids at his age, he insisted that his mother, Dawn, find out what was going on. Dawn tried to make Danny believe that no one would leave a dog out in such cold weather, but he refused to take no for an answer.

    Dawn finally gave in and decided to drive to the area with the family dog and see if there was any truth in Danny' s hunch (直觉). Sure enough, as she got closer to the apartment building she noticed a garage that was wide open and someone waving madly for help. Upon getting there, she realized that it was not a dog the young boy had seen, but Kathleen St. Onge. The 80-year-old woman had fallen down on some ice in front of her garage and had been lying there for two hours, unable to get up.

    Dawn rushed home to get her husband to help and called 911. The two then returned with some blankets to cover Ms. St. Onge, while they were waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Though still in hospital, the elderly woman is recovering well and forever grateful to Danny for following his hunch!

Growing evidence shows that dancing can boost brain health and help manage neurocognitive (神经认知的) disorders. So what is it about dance that's different from other regular exercises? 

Helena Blumen, a cognitive (认知的) scientist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says the complex (复杂的) mental multitasking that dance requires involves various parts of the brain at the same time. Basically, dancing requires more brain power than simpler repetitive (重复的) exercises. 

While scientists are still learning how the mechanisms of dancing work in the brain, a clearer picture is beginning to appear. Researchers at Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany, did MRI scans of older adults who had participated in one of two programs over a six -month period. One group practiced dance and the other did a traditional exercise program with cycling and strength training. While both groups improved their level of physical fitness, the dancers grew more white and gray matter in the parts of the brain responsible for cognitive processes. Both white and gray matter typically decline as we get older, making communication in the brain slow. 

Imagine your brain is a city with loads of roads. The researchers assume the changes brought by dancing contribute to brain plasticity, which is like the city's ability to build new roads, repair old ones or even change the direction of traffic based on how often the routes are used and what the city needs. 

In addition to the physical and neurological (神经学的) benefits, dance can also help people accept what their bodies can and can't do. Dawnia Baynes, 44, developed multiple sclerosis (MS) after her body lose all feeling from the chest down. She recently joined an online dance program for people with MS. Not only has it improved her range of motion, it has also helped her overcome her fear of being judged for how she moves. 

"To see other people moving is like I'm moving," she says, "and knowing that I don't have to be professional and super technical in my dancing makes me comfortable with where I am right now."