Getting older is a natural part of life. Changes as you get older are usually gradual. Certain physical changes are common. How fast your body can burn calories slows over time, which means that your body needs less food energy than before.

    How much and how well you sleep will likely change. Most people start needing reading glasses around forty, and many have some hearing loss later in life. Starting in your fifties, bone aging increase. How you feel as you get older depends on many things, including what health problems run in your family and the choices you make.

    If your family members have diseases or chronic (慢性的) health problems like high blood pressure, then you may have a greater chance of having those problems yourself. But it doesn't mean you will definitely have the same problems. Actually, the lifestyle choices you make can help reduce your chances of getting illness that run in your family. And even if you do get a family illness, choosing to be physically active, to eat healthy foods, and to learn how to deal with stress can keep the illness from destroying your ability to enjoy your golden years.

    What do you need to do to feel your best as you age? One of the most important things you can do for your health at any age is to be physically active. Physical activity keeps your body strong, and it helps with how you feel. People who stay active are less likely to get depressed.

    Your mental and emotional health is also important. Protect or improve your emotional health by staying in touch with friends, family, and the community. People who feel connected to others are more likely to feel happy than those who do not.

Black Box Thinking

—By Matthew Syed

    This book is a new approach to high performance, a means of finding all edge in a complex and fast-changing world. It is not just about sport, but has powerful implications for business and politics, as well as parents and students, in other words, all of us. Drawing on a dizzying series of case studies and real-world examples, together with cutting-edge research on small gains, creativity and courage, Matthew Syed tells the inside story of how success really happens—and how we cannot grow unless we are prepared to learn from our mistakes.

Map Stories

—By Francisca Matteoli

    In the book, the author tells 20 surprising stories on the geography of the world and, using beautiful maps from all countries and times, she explains the birth of the most magical places on Earth. The book is a journey through space and time, and a lesson about the world as it is and our place in it.

Making it up as I Go Along

—By Marian Keyes

    It is a funny look at the absurdity of modern life and recognizes that we are all clearly making it up as we go along. It includes Keyes, guide to breaking up you're your hairdresser, and her warning about the dangers of fake tan（古铜色）.And there is some secret truth about writers, or at least about Keyes.

Mog and Me and Other Stories

—By Judith Kerr

    Judith Kerr was born on June 14, 1923 in Berlin but escaped from Hitler's Germany with her parents and brother in 1933 when she was nine years old. Judith went to 11 different schools and worked with the Red Cross during the war. For the past 30 years, she's worked as an author and illustrator of children's books. Come and play with everyone's favorite family pet, in this huge board book collection of stories especially for younger readers.

    Liana nervously bit her nails while she waited for the exam to arrive. She looked around the room; hundreds of other law students sat in rows staring anxiously at the tables in front of them. Just as she began to take a deep breath to calm her anxiety, an exam booklet(册子) was placed in front of her. This was the moment she had been expecting ever since she began law school three years ago. She picked up her pencil, and opened to the first page of the bar exam, a test for all students wanting to become licensed lawyers.

    Liana never thought she would want to become a lawyer. Her parents were both artists. Law was something she had not been exposed to as a child. But art made for a tumultuous career—both of her parents had struggled to find jobs and worked round the clock when they were young. Even though they finally seemed successful and happy, Liana wanted something different.

    She was the anchor on her high school debate team, and consistently impressed her competitors with her analytical thinking. "Never argue with Ms. Lakes," her teachers would say. So she chose to major in law. In her mind, she pictured herself in a New York City courtroom(法庭) dressed in an expensive suit, with papers in her hand, waving at the jury(陪审团) in a speech on human rights.

    But now, with the bar exam sitting in front of her, she started to worry. "What if I don't pass? Did I study enough?" Her thoughts raced through her mind. On the first page were seven paragraphs detailing a law situation followed by a series of questions. Liana read through the paragraphs, and quickly scribbled down an explanation of the first question before moving onto the next question. The next few hours went like this as the clock ticked closer and closer to the lunch hour.

    At 12:00 p.m. sharp, a buzzer(蜂鸣器) sounded and everyone was told to put down their pencils and walked out for an hour-long lunch break. At lunch, Liana met her friend, Kevin.

    "How did it go?" she asked. "To be honest, I've no idea. I just kept writing." Kevin said. Liana laughed and said she felt the same way.

    After lunch, the two exchanged words of encouragement. They strolled back into the exam center a bit more refreshed. Liana finished the second half of the exam that day with a better feeling than what she started with in the morning.

    A new Magic Bench designed by Disney Research lets you interact (互动) with lovely animated (动画的) character—and no special glasses or earphones are required. Instead, the complete environment-the seat, the sitter and the cartoon characters-is mirrored on a screen opposite the bench making it possible for others to watch the scene unfold.

    How does the illusion work? A camera and sensor catch images and gather depth information about physical objects the bench and the person. And then computer translates them into the 3D animations. Meanwhile sensors of touch built into the bench deliver shaking that is happening at the same time and speed to animated actions on the screen, creating the illusion that the animated figures are occupying real-world space next to the user.

    "Our goal for this project was: hear a character coming, see them enter the space, and feel them sit next to you," said Moshe Mahler, principal digital artist at Disney Research. Unlike the traditional mobile technology, one of whose limitations is that only a single user can see its illusion, the Magic Bench allows groups of people to gather in a single environment and collectively participate in an augmented—reality (扩充实境) experience, all at the same time.

    In a video show, a small cartoon donkey runs into view and kicks the bench, causing sharp sound and making the seated person jump in surprise. Another test shows two people on the bench, reacting as they feel an animated rabbit skip up beside them and jump up and down. When a user passes his hand over the rabbit, a shadow moves across its head, as though it were occupying the same physical space as the person next to it.

    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.

Throughout human history, there is a bottomless well of people who made great contributions so that we can now enjoy a better life. The following are, just four of those great minds.

Joseph Lister(1827—1912)

English surgeon(外科医生) Lister pioneered the use of antiseptic(防腐的)and antiseptic surgery which greatly improved survival rates from major surgery. For this, he is often referred to as the father of modern surgery as his use of antiseptic greatly increased the kinds of operations that could be carried out.

Maximilian Bircher-Benner(1867—1939)

Bircher-Benner was a pioneering Swiss physician and nutritionist. He advocated the eating of raw fruit and vegetables and discouraged eating meat and heavily processed foods. Although he was questioned by the scientific establishment, his healthy eating ideas took off and helped create a diet of processed bread, meat and carbs (碳水化合物). The healthy eating trends he established have continued to grow in popularity with more scientific research showing the health benefits of such a diet.

Paracelsus(1493—1541)

Swiss-German physician and leading health reformer. Paracelsus founded the discipline of toxicology(毒理学)and pioneered the use of chemicals in treating patients. He emphasized practical experience. He was also one of the first doctors to note illness can be psychological in nature.

Peter Mansfield(1933—2017)

English physicist who with Peter Lauterbur helped to develop magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)which gets doctors to see inside a patient's body without needing to cut it open. With MRI, doctors can see far more than with x-ray, which is limited to bones. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2003.