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    Next time you're in a public place, take a look around you, and count how many people are using their phones. I can tell you now that it is probably more than half, whether you're on public transport, in a cafe or simply walking down the street.

    I'm not saying that I am not an example of this, but it always amazes me how people can spend so much time on their phones without actually talking to anyone in particular.

    For example, I recently visited London and travelled on the tube while I was there. Apart from the people asleep, almost everybody else was on their phones, and because of the nature of the tube, it is difficult not to see exactly what they are all doing. Of course, being underground it is difficult for you to get any signal, which rules out texting or using the Internet, but there is still plenty you can use your phones for. People were playing games, reading articles and listening to music, and I am sure that as soon as they emerged from the train station they would start texting or calling or checking their emails.

    Recently, my smartphone broke and had to be sent off to the warehouse for repair for a week or so. In the meantime I had to use a really old, basic phone just to keep me in touch with my family and friends. All I could do on this phone was send text messages, make calls and play one game. And I loved it. I loved being free from the Internet, and I really didn't mind not having constant updates about what my friends were doing or what the latest celebrity story was. It allowed me to spend more lime taking in my surroundings.

    However, I knew that as soon as I got my smartphone hack I would be one of those people once again. Perhaps I should just go back to using the basic phone and forget my smartphone.

    This is the colourful waste created by a Swedish city with a unique recycling system. Like many cities in Sweden, Eskilstuna has an impressive recycling record. It met the EU 2020 target of recycling 50% of waste many years ago. But almost everyone who lives here follows a strict recycling policy at home. People are expected to sort their household waste into seven separate categories, including food, textiles, cartons (纸板箱) and metal. But what really makes the system stand out is the bright colour code.

    The reason for this becomes clear at the city's recycling plant. The bags arrive all jumbled up because they're collected altogether in a rush, once a fortnight from outside people's houses. But thanks to those bright colors, scanners can select the bags and separate them efficiently. The food waste in green bags is processed on site into a certain thick liquid to make burnable gas, which powers the city's buses. One of the benefits of this method of recycling is that there is less cross—pollution, so more of the recycled waste can actually be used to make new things. Like the rest of Sweden, Eskilstuna is committed to sending zero waste from its citizens to landfill. Waste that cannot be recycled is burnt at a local plant to generate electricity. This reduces reliance on fossil fuels, but does create greenhouse gases.

As countries around the world try to improve their recycling rates, some may look to Eskilstuna as an example to follow as long as they think they can persuade their citizens to get busy sorting at home.

    Digital technology -- email and smart phones especially--have vastly improved workers' ability to be productive outside of a traditional office. Even so, most white-collar work still happens in an office. One reason is that, according to findings of a new survey of office workers conducted by Wakefield Research for the IT company Citrix, most bosses are doubtful about remote working. Half of the workers say their boss doesn't accept it, and only 35 percent say it's tolerated.

    Skeptical bosses will likely have their doubts reinforced (加深)by the same survey, which shows that

    43 percent of workers say they've watched TV or a movie while "working" remotely, while 35 percent have done housework, and 28 percent have cooked dinner.

It is true, however, that working at home makes people much more efficient (高效的), because it allows workers to take care of annoying housework while still getting their jobs done. It's much faster, for example, to shop for groceries at a quarter to three than to stand in line during the after-work rush.

    The fact that such practices remain officially unaccepted reflects how far we haven't come as a society from the days when we expected every full-time worker to be supported by a full-time homemaker.

    More broadly the Wakefield survey suggests that employers may be missing a low-cost way to give workers something of value. Sixty-four percent of those survey participants who haven't worked remotely would rather give up some bonus in order to get even one day a week working from home. Under such circumstances, smart firms need to find ways to let their employees have enough flexibility to manage their time efficiently.

    On a dark winter day in Russia in 1896, Sergei Prokofiev sat by a piano next to his mother. She was helping him compose (作曲) his first piece of music. Sergei was only five years old.

    He had overheard his parents discussing a terrible famine (饥荒) in India. The picture Sergei had of those hungry people in his mind caused him to write a story, in the form of musical notes. Sergei could not read music, so he picked out a tune on the piano keys, and his mother recorded the notes. Sergei titled it "Indian Gallop".

    Sergei's mother began giving him piano lessons for 20 minutes a day, and his ability grew quickly. She had a great love for music, too, and Sergei often lay awake in bed at night and listened to her play the piano.

    Sergei's parents found a famous music teacher for him. The teacher shouted at Sergei when he didn't practice reading and playing music. Sergei later wrote, "I wanted to compose great musical plays, and instead I was given all sorts of boring tasks." Yet he persisted with his studies and grew up to be a great composer.

In 1936 a children's theater asked Sergei to write music that would teach children about different instruments. He was happy and wrote the piece in a week, calling it Peter and the Wolf.

    Sergei's Peter and the Wolf was enjoyed by children as well as adults. The first time Sergei played the piece on the piano, the children listening to it loved it so much that they made him play the ending three extra times. He was excited.

    Today Sergei Prokofiev is remembered not only for his contributions (贡献) to classical music, but also for his sense of fun.

When people visit their local family-owned pumpkin patch around Halloween, they aren't usually looking for dinner. The majority of the nearly 2 billion pounds of pumpkins grown in the US each year are carved (雕刻) up instead of being eaten, making them a unique part of the agriculture industry. For people who prefer seasonal recipes to decorations, that may raise a few questions: Are the pumpkins sold for jack-o'-lanterns different from pumpkins sold as food? And are Halloween pumpkins any good to eat?

Carving pumpkins, often with a round shape and deep orange color, don't taste very good, because they are bred to be decorations first. They have walls that are thin enough to stick a knife through and a texture (质地) that's unappealing compared to the ones consumers are used to eating. "Uncut carving pumpkins are safe to eat; however, it's not the best type to use for cooking," Daria McKelvey, a supervisor for the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden, tells Mental Floss. Unlike decorative pumpkins, cooking pumpkins are small and dense (紧实的). This is one reason they taste better. McKelvey says. "Cooking pumpkins are smaller, sweeter, and have fewer fibers, making them easier to cook with—but not so good for carving." These pumpkins can be added into soup, or simply roasted.

If you do want to get some use out of your carving pumpkins this Halloween, turn the flesh of your Halloween pumpkin into purée. Adding sugar and spices and baking it into a dessert can do a lot to mask the fruit's underwhelming flavor(味道). Whatever you do, make sure your pumpkin isn't carved up already when you decide to cook with it. Never use one that's been carved into a jack-o'-lantern, otherwise you could be dealing with bacteria, dirt and dust.

It was dinner time for the Rangers, a group of mostly Indigenous (本地的) Australians who had spent a long day cleaning up the polluted beaches of the continent's northern coast. Soon they would be eating freshly caught fish and seafood cooked under the stars on an open fire, as their ancestors did.

The Rangers are of more than 100 Indigenous groups spread across Australia who have taken on the job of protecting the land of their forefathers. In Arnhem Land, they are the protectors of 3, 300 square miles of land and sea. They comb the beaches by hand, picking up as much rubbish as possible. The task is very difficult as each day it delivers waves of new rubbish.

For the Rangers, cleaning the beaches is more than a vacation. For a people whose culture is strongly tied to the land, protecting the environment is equal to preserving their history.

However, colonization forcefully broke their connection to the land generations ago. Indigenous people were displaced and their cultural practices outlawed. Tens of thousands of years of traditional land management ended, and as a result many parts of the country now face serious disasters from invasive plant and animal species, bush fires and land mismanagement.

In recent years, the government has restored more than 20 percent of Australia's land to indigenous owners. Since 2007, the Indigenous Rangers Organizations have been at work protecting this land.

Luck, one of the few nonIndigenous employees working with the Rangers, said the combination of old and new techniques and an appreciation for the culture of indigenous workers has been critical to the program's success.

"You are working with staff who see the world different to you, so there is a much higher focus on the cultural aspects of work and life," he said.

"Being a ranger is a source of confidence. You feel strong," said Terence, a senior ranger." Here we still live on the land. The culture is still alive."

Though thousands of adventurers have climbed up Mount Everest, the highest and most famous of the world's 14 tallest mountains, only 40 climbers have conquered them all. Nepalese mountaineer Purja became one of them after he reached the 8028-meter peak of China's Mt. Shishapangma on October 29, 2019. Purja made the extraordinary achievement in just six months and six days, much faster than late South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho's 2013 record of seven years, ten months, and six days.

"I am incredibly excited and proud to have reached this final peak and achieved my goal of climbing the world's 14 tallest mountains in record time," Purja said. "It was extremely hard during the six months, and I hope to have proven that anything is possible with some determination, self-belief, and positivity."

Purja's "Project Possible" started becoming a reality on April 23, 2019, when he successfully peaked Nepal's 8091 meters tall Mt. Annapurna. The climber then rapidly completed the next five mountains, including Mt. Everest, within only four weeks! Five more peaks were conquered in July and the last three during September and October.

The adventurer, who was joined by teams of Nepalese climbers on each of his adventures, encountered many memorable and critical moments. On April 23, 2019, while going down Mt. Annapurna, Purja and his team heard about a Malaysian climber who had been separated from his group with no food, water, or oxygen for over 40 hours. They managed to find him and got him airlifted to a hospital. On May 15, 2019, Purja's team similarly helped three trapped climbers on Mt. Kanchenjunga by giving them oxygen.

Purja said his primary purpose for undertaking this enormous task was to show the world that anyone can attain greatness if they put their minds to it. "By achieving this goal, I knew I could inspire people from all generations across the world," he said.

The Taj Mahal (泰姬陵) is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and the finest example of the late style of Indian architecture (建筑). It is at Agra in northern India. It lies beside the River Jumna in the middle of gardens with quiet pools.

The Taj Mahal was built by the Mogul emperor (皇帝) Shah Jahan, who ruled India in the seventeenth century. It is in memory of his favorite wife, born in Arjumand Banu Begum, known as Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. The building, which was completed between 1632 and 1638, was designed by a local Muslim architect (建筑师), Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The whole building, with gardens and gateway structures, was completed in 1643. The Taj Mahal stands at one end of the garden tomb with marble (大理石) path. The room is softly lighted by the light that passes through double screens of carved marble set high in the walls. The building now is kept in good condition.

It took 22 years to build the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan planned a similar building, but in black instead of white, to lie on the other side of the river. But before it could be built, Shah Jahan was imprisoned (监禁) by his son and buried next to his wife in the Taj Mahal.

Computer technology has changed the way we deal with the world, from allowing us to communicate with others more easily to entertaining us with video chatting. Newer generations are growing up with this technology, but we should know that the computer is a double-edged sword. It does have its benefits, primarily in education and gaining information, but it can also be harmful to children during a very important time of growth. Too much computer use can affect children's physical and mental health as well as social skills.

Using the computer is an activity much like watching television. You don't get very much exercise, simply sitting down. Computers cause other health problems as well. Too much use of a keyboard and a mouse can cause hand injuries, back problems and so on. At a time when children are growing physically, it's especially important to note the benefits of physical activity.

Too much computer use can affect a child's attention and focus（专注度）. Though some computer games have been shown to help a child develop certain cognitive (认知的) skills, there are still many games and other forms of computer entertainment doing nothing to develop a child's mind. Addiction (上瘾) to programs, games and videos makes it more difficult for children to focus on tasks for a long period of time, and this can affect a student's studies and grades. In more extreme cases, children with computer addiction will fail their classes completely. Computer addiction is a very troublesome thing, and once it starts, it's very difficult to stop.

Computer use is also an activity which most children enjoying doing alone, and it can go hand in hand with addiction. Children who spend more time on the computer than other people in general, may fail to develop necessary social skills. Social skills are important not only for communicating with others, but for developing self-respect and working in social environments, both of which are very important for children's growth.

After months of expectation and secrecy, the official mascot (吉祥物) of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games－a giant panda-inspired cartoon character－made its first public debut with cheers at Beijing's Shougang Ice Hockey Arena.

The panda is named “Bing Dwen Dwen” in Chinese. Bing means “ice” in Chinese, while Dwen Dwen suggests “health and cleverness”－characteristics also shared by pandas. Pandas are perhaps the most recognized animal species in China, organizers said.

“Pandas combine China's traditional culture and its modern appearance together with winter sports elements in a fascinating image (形象) that shows our great expectations for the Games and shows that we welcome the world,” said Beijing Mayor Chen Jining, who also serves as an executive president on the organizing committee.

“I have already seen the mascot and from what I've seen, it's a wonderful choice,” IOC President Thomas Bach said before introducing the character.” “The mascot really takes in the best elements and characteristics of China and the Chinese people. It will be a great ambassador (大使) for the country and the 24th Winter Olympics.”

The ring of light surrounding the mascot's face is suggestive of ice and snow tracks, as well as the flowing “ribbons” of the National Speed Skating Oval. The oval is one of two new competition sites in downtown Beijing expected to become a landmark of the Games, according to its chief designer Cao Xue.

The introduction of the mascots marks the key point of a journey that began in August 2018, when Beijing organizers started a global design competition for the mascots. A total of 5,816 designs were received from 35 countries, and were reviewed by Chinese and international experts in a comprehensive evaluation and selection process.

The new mascot will serve as spirited symbol of the Games that will take place in the three zones of downtown Beijing, the suburban district of Yanqing and co-host city Zhangjiakou in surrounding Hebei province.

China still dumps most of the garbage it generates in landfills, which could pollute soil, water and air. Today, China is facing a problem similar to the one Japan faced in the 1970s, especially in its coastal cities which have a relatively high economic growth rate and a large population but comparatively limited land space, resulting in serious environmental pollution.

China has just started its garbage sorting journey, and it will take time for the people to make it a habit of sorting garbage at source.

Shanghai is among China's first cities to introduce garbage classification and also the country's most serious in its performing. Since July 1, 2019, Shanghai residents have been required by law to sort garbage into four different categories, or they could face fines. Individuals, including tourists, can be fined up to 200 yuan for failing to sort their waste properly, while companies and institutions can be fined up to 50，000 yuan.

The city government has set up online apps to handle sorting questions, and announced guidelines to address the "one-size-fits-all" method. The country is about to invest over 21 million yuan in the construction of garbage processing facilities to meet demands.

Following Shanghai, Beijing is also pushing ahead with garbage sorting legislation (立法) in the continual national action to get all of China sorting garbage. Not forced yet, the Chinese capital is already carrying out garbage sorting in more than 200 residential communities and it's trying to get more residents on board by making the system smarter. Now it's introducing artificial intelligence into its waste management system, by setting up little cameras in many sets of bins.

However, not every face can be recognized by the smart dustbin until you register (注册) for the system. Once registration is complete, users will scan a QR code on the bin, which then opens it up to allow for garbage disposal (处理). Now, each household gets one special QR code for throwing out waste. Here, the intelligent bins don't just calculate garbage weight, they also help residents gain rewards by collecting points through the special app.

China welcomes the age of compulsory garbage sorting with its cities revising laws on garbage classification. For Shanghai, sixty percent of the city is expected to implement garbage sorting by the end of this year, and 90 percent by 2020. Garbage sorting is, without doubt, a costly but worthwhile commitment. It is good for the environment and essential for the country's long-term development, and may finally turn out to be a promising industry as well.

Since 1993, Chicken Soup for the Soul has been a socially conscious company that combines storytelling with making the world a better place. We tell the stories of all people through our efforts, always with an eye to furthering unity and understanding, and an appreciation for our differences.

Our Products

Facts & Figures

• The Chicken Soup for the Soul book series of over 250 titles has sold more than 110 million copies nationwide. Our books have been translated into 43 languages, have been published in over 100 countries, and have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide.

• In 2004, Chicken Soup for the Soul launched Pet Food, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, which today can be found in over 5,000 independent pet specialty stores.

• In 2008, Chicken Soup for the Soul became the best-selling trade paperback series of all time.

• In 2013 Kerner Entertainment agreed to produce a film based on Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Oil Painting workshop

March23, 2021

For ages 15 and up. 

Beginners welcome! Experience not required. 

Registration Deadline—March9, 2021

●Class Schedule

9:30-10:00 Welcome and Registration

10:00-12:00 Painting Session

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-3:00 Painting Session

3:00 Evaluation and Departure

●About the Instructor

Judy Moore-Gist, Alexander Certified Instructor and Certified Ross Instructor, is making great efforts to give people of all ages the opportunity to experience William Alexander's The Magic of Oil Painting and Bob Ross's The Joy of Painting. Both, William Alexander and Bob Ross, PBS TV hosts, have inspired thousands of first-time painters. Showing the" wet-on-wet" technique encouraged people of all ages to pick up a brush and put their dreams on canvas(画布). Judy will do the same, and you are welcome to take a class and see for yourself. At the end of just one session you will be amazed at the beautiful painting that you create in just a few hours. You will become more aware of beautiful cloud                shapes and colors you ignored before. There is nothing more inspiring than seeing a beautiful scenery that you paint and others will treasure forever. 

For more information about Judy Moore-Gist, click here. 

Cost: $ 75. 00/ a person

Prices include all instructor fees, materials, and lunch. 

If you wish to pay by check, please print the OilPaintAug. pdf printable registration form and mail it in with payment to: Holiday Lake 4H Educational Center, 1267 4-HCamp Road, Appomattox, VA 24522. 

Refund(退款)Policy:

Full Refund: March 9, 2021

Nonrefundable: after March 9, 2021

For more information contact Heather Benninghove at 434-248-5444 or heathern@vt. edu. 

Have you ever thought about writing your own fantasy novel? One of the best things you can do is to take inspiration from others. Here are some of the best fantasy books for you.

Sabriel by Garth Nix

While attending boarding school, Sabriel receives a package which contains bells, her father's swords, and a message instructing her to stop a dangerous act on destroying the Old Kingdom' S magical rules. This classic fantasy provides readers with more adventures to explore.

Also available from: Amazon; Walmart.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

This book is about ideas of justice, good and bad. Jam lives in the town of Lucille, where the old statues have been torn down and the bad things no longer exist. But when a creature named Pet appears from one of her mother's paintings, on the hunt for a monster, Jam will have to rethink all she's been taught.

Also available from: Amazon; Barnes & Noble.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Fans of Harry Potter will be swept away by this adventurous tale about four new friends who discover they have access to powerful magic. Born in New York City, Sunny Nwazue felt out of place and isolated-until she was invited into a hidden world and handed a dangerous task.

Also available from: Amazon; Walmart.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

This novel takes readers into a world where dragons and humans live side by side. Seraphina is half human and half dragon, with a dragon mother able to take human form and a human father who can't stand dragons. Seraphina will probably become a teen fantasy classic.

Also available from: Bookshop; Target.

Transportation and communication networks bring people together. Yet sometimes people themselves create barriers (障碍) to transportation and communication. In some countries, laws stop people from moving freely from place to place. Over the centuries, many groups of people have been denied the freedom to travel because of their race, religion, or nationality. In the Middle Ages, for example, Jews were often forbidden to move about freely within certain cities. South Africa's government used to require black Africans to carry passes when they travel within the country. Some governments require all citizens to carry identification papers and to report to government officials when they move.

Countries set up customs posts at their borders. Foreign travellers must go through a customs inspection before they are allowed to travel in the country. Usually travelers have to carry special papers such as passports and visas (签证). Some countries even limit the number of visitors to their country each year. Others allow tourists to visit only certain areas of the country, or they may require that travellers be with an official guide at all times during their stay.

Many of those barriers to travel also act as barriers to communication. When two governments have conflicts with each other on important matters, they usually do not want their citizens to exchange news or ideas freely. Countries often try to keep military or industrial information secret.

Today, people have the ability to travel, to communicate, and to transport goods more quickly and easily than ever before. Natural barriers that were difficult or dangerous to cross a hundred years ago can now be crossed easily. The barriers that people themselves make are not so easy to overcome. But in spite of all the different kinds of barriers, people continue to enjoy travel and the exchange of goods and ideas.

Science has a lot of uses. It can uncover laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there's always a temptation(诱惑)to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author of The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation.

Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest book The Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren't?

To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of disciplines(学科). Considering this, you might expect the book to be a dry recitation of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unorthodox(非常规的), and perhaps unfortunate, way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader's attention. So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development, and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters.

On the whole, Brooks's story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong or memorable characters, the more serious problems with The Social Animal lie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks's attempt to translate his tale into science.

Published in 1859, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species made a number of brave claims about the nature of evolution — including the suggestion that an animal species with greater diversity in its line will produce more subspecies too. This assumption is not as obvious as you might think at first. And it was finally found to be true for birds only a couple of years ago. Now, researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK have shown that Darwin was right on this point for mammals (哺乳动物), too.

Apart from being an important contribution to our understanding of evolution in general, the findings could also be useful in ongoing conservation efforts — helping experts to figure out which species need to be protected in order to ensure their survival.

"My research investigating the relationship between species and the variety of subspecies proves that subspecies play a vital role in long-term evolutionary dynamics and in future evolution of species," says biological anthropologist Laura van Holstein. There are three subspecies of northern giraffe, for example, and 45 subspecies of the red fox — the highest in the animal kingdom. 36 different species of wild cats have been found and most of these are further divided into subspecies. Human beings, on the other hand, don't have any subspecies.

To test Darwin's assumption, van Holstein looked at a huge database of animal classifications, analysing the collected knowledge we have about mammal species and subspecies to look for patterns. The data showed that habitat (land versus sea, for example) plays an important role in subspecies' form and increase. The findings show that those living in the sea, or spending a lot of time in the air are less affected by physical boundaries like mountains.

The discoveries on subspecies habitat are particularly significant when it comes to conservation, because the habitats of so many animals are under threat from climate change and human activity, and these findings indicate that our actions really are having an effect on the process of evolution.

Sleep apnea is when you have pauses in breathing while you're asleep. These pauses can last from seconds to minutes. You may have difficulty breathing a few times or dozens of times an hour. These breathing pauses can be dangerous if they cause the oxygen level in your body to drop or disturb your sleep. When oxygen drops, your brain does whatever it can to get you to resume breathing. And then you may snore (打鼾), gasp, or make a choking sound.

Sleep apnea is a common disorder. Anyone can develop it. "Sleep apnea can occur in both sexes, in all races, and in people of all sizes and shapes," says Dr. Michael Twery, a sleep expert.

So, how can you tell whether you may have this disorder? One of the most common symptoms is excessive (过多的) daytime sleepiness. "Anyone who feels so tired on a regular basis — even if they allow enough time to get enough sleep on a regular basis and they still feel this way — needs to discuss it with their doctor," says Twery.

Another common symptom is loud, frequent snoring. But not everyone who snores has sleep apnea.

Other symptoms of sleep apnea may include feeling impatient or depressed, or having mood swings. You may have memory problems or trouble concentrating. Or, you may wake up with a headache or a dry mouth.

Your doctor can diagnose sleep apnea based on your symptoms. A sleep study, which records things like heart rate and oxygen level while you sleep, can show whether apnea is mild or severe. "The largest amount of the population with sleep apnea has mild sleep apnea," Twery explains. "Mild sleep apnea may or may not be associated with any daytime symptoms. People who are so sleepy that they're at risk of a driving accident are probably in the moderate (中等的) to severe range."

You know you have to "read between lines." I want to persuade you to do something equally important in the course of your reading. I want to persuade you to" write between the lines. " Unless you do, you are not likely to do the most efficient(效率高的)kind of reading.

I insist that making up a book is not an act of damage but of love.

There are two ways in which one can own a book. The first is the property right you have by buying it, just as you pay for clothes and furniture. But this act of buying is only the first step to possession. Full ownership comes only when you have made it a part of yourself, and the best way to make yourself a part of it is by writing in it. A comparison may make the point clear. You buy a piece of beef from the butcher's icebox. But you do not own the beef in the most important sense until you eat it and get it into your blood. I am arguing that books, too, must be absorbed in your blood to do you any good.

There are three kinds of book owners. The first has all the standard sets and bestsellers unread, untouched. The second has a great many books—a few of them read through, most of them dipped into, but all of them as clean and shiny as the day they were bought. The third has a few books every one of them worn, shaken and loose­ended by continual use, marked from front to back.

Why is making up a book necessary to read it?

First, it keeps you wide awake. In the second place, reading, if it is active, is thinking, and thinking tends to express itself in words, spoken or written. The marked books is usually the thought through the book. Finally, writing helps you remember the thoughts you had, or the thoughts the author expressed.

Chinese volleyball superstar Zhu Ting has inspired a new English word. "Stay awesome and ZHUperb!" wrote a blogger at a US-based volleyball website. The word combines "Zhu" and "superb (卓越的)", to describe the 27-year-old player.

Zhu's excellent scoring performances put her among the Top 10 Global Outstanding Athletes for this year's Heracles Prize of the Big Ben Award. As the captain, Zhu "created the new golden age of women's volleyball in China", the award said. Zhu is considered a national hero by many in China, with good reason. Before this year's World Cup victory, she helped the national volleyball team win the 2015 FIVB World Cup, the 2015 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship, and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Although she's a superstar now, it hasn't been easy for Zhu to get to where she is. Born to a farming family in Henan province, Zhu earned a chance to attend a local sports school at age 13. She became well known to the public by helping China's U20 team win the 2013 FIVB U20 World Championship. Shortly after, Zhu joined the national team and began playing under legendary coach Lang Ping.

At first, the 1. 98-meter-tall Zhu found it difficult to move quickly and stay balanced. But Lang Ping took advantage of her height and trained her to jump high and smash balls. Her work paid off. Zhu is now an outstanding player. "Hard work and talent are equally important. I'll move forward step by step, " she told People's Daily.