How to make read-aloud time fun

如何安排快乐的阅读时间

导读：在这个生活节奏快速、社会竞争激烈的环境中，许多年轻的父母都为了生活经常在外奔波。他们很少有时间和孩子们一起享受天伦之乐，他们大多给孩子带来的是物质上满足，而缺少精神上的交流。每天孩子睡前在床头给他们讲故事的情景，在现在生活中已很少有了。其实，和孩子一起读书不但可以增进父母与孩子之间的感情，同时也可以提高孩子的读书兴趣。忙于工作的父母们，找一些时间和孩子一起来享受阅读的快乐时间吧。

You've heard it before, but it bears repeating: Reading aloud is one of the most important things you can do for your child. Not only do daily read-aloud sessions stimulate brain development and help foster（培养） a lifelong（终身的；一辈子的） love of reading and learning, but they're a great way for a parent and child to spend time together, especially at the end of a hectic（忙乱的） day. That's why reading aloud is part of so many families' bedtime rituals（仪式；习惯）.

How can you turn reading sessions into events your child not only enjoys but anticipates? Try these tips:

Before you read

- Choose books you enjoy. Nine out of ten librarians agree: It's essential to pick books you like to read, whether they're new titles or favorites from your own childhood. If you don't care for a particular story, it won't take long for your child to notice -- and if you don't like it, why should he?

- Choose appropriate books. Once your child is about 7, he might be ready for stories with ambiguous endings (the Harry Potter books, for example, leave some unresolved issues from volume to volume). It is okay to read books a little above your child's level -- kids understand more than they can express or read on their own. And if you pick a lemon（【俚】令人讨厌的人(或物)；瑕疵品；无价值的东西）, don't feel obligated to finish it; acknowledge that you made a bad choice and start something else.

- Go to the library. Taking regular trips to the library teaches your child he can choose what he wants to read, and it's an inexpensive way to add new books to your rotation. The library's special displays are a great place to find books that complement the season or a particular theme. And watching the librarians conduct their own story hour will give you ideas for your at-home reading sessions.

- Preview your reading. If possible, read through your child's book before the two of you settle down, suggests Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook. If you're familiar with the story and the language, you'll be able to read more expressively (see below) and anticipate some of your child's questions.

- Create a reading-friendly environment. Choose a quiet, comfortable place to read to your child, whether it's your bed, the living room couch, or a big beanbag chair. Eliminate distractions such as the TV, phone, and radio. If you can, read at the same time every day; this helps turn reading into a ritual your child will look forward to.

While you read

- Read slowly. Your child needs time to process what he's hearing.

- Read with expression. Tracy Heffernan, mother of two and coordinator of the San Francisco chapter of BookPals, an organization that enlists trained actors for volunteer read-aloud events, says this is probably the most important thing parents can do to engage their child's attention. "It's hard to go too far here," she says. Pause at commas and periods; get excited when you come to an exclamation point. Long pauses can add suspense, keeping listeners glued to the story.

- Try different voices, accents, characters, and sounds. Reading a book about a witch（女巫）? Make her sound like Dorothy's nemesis in The Wizard of Oz. Is your story about farm animals? Imitate the sounds they make. This isn't for everyone, so if you don't feel comfortable with it, that's okay. But hearing Mom or Dad talk like a horse is guaranteed to make your child smile and engage him more in the story.

- Use props（道具）. Wear berets（贝雷帽） and eat French bread while reading Ludwig Bemelmans's classic, Madeline. Cut out paper snowflakes before reading Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Props help make a book seem real.

- Incorporate songs and puppet（木偶；玩偶） play. If you and your child know a song that's related to the theme of a book, sing it before you start reading, or make up a new rhyme together. If you have hand or finger puppets, act out a scene from the book during or after your reading session; this is a great way to reinforce a book's message or simply to extend the enjoyment.

- Take breaks. It's okay to pause in the middle of a story to answer your child's questions or to let him get up and move around a little. Don't feel you must finish every book you begin; if your child gets excited and starts talking about something else or wants to try an activity mentioned in the book, go with the flow. Reading sessions should never be a chore for either of you. It's also okay to let your child scribble or draw while you read; active kids often need something to keep their hands busy.

- Offer your opinions. When you finish a book, give your child an honest opinion of it and give him a chance to share his own impressions. He'll learn that it's okay not to enjoy everything one reads.

- Let your child participate. Kids love to be involved in reading aloud, whether it's by supplying sound effects, predicting what comes next, or filling in omitted words and sentences in familiar tales.

- Pick the right stopping point. There's absolutely nothing wrong with leaving off for the night at a suspenseful spot in the story -- ending a reading session with a cliffhanger（扣人心弦；紧张悬念） will have your child eagerly anticipating the next one.

- Try a book on tape. If you just can't fit a read-aloud session into your day, listen a book on tape while you and your child are in the car, suggests Walter Mayes, a professional storyteller based in the San Francisco Bay area. It's not quite the same as snuggling up with a good book, but you can listen together, and it will expose your child to new stories.

- Don't turn read-aloud time into homework time. As your child gets older, he'll often have reading-related homework. It's fine to help him with that, but don't let it take the place of your fun reading times. If he starts associating reading with hard work, he may never want to pick up a book voluntarily.

After you read

- Try a story extender. Story-extender is a term Mayes uses for activities that encourage expression and bring your child's favorite books to life. Mayes and his son once ate dinner by candlelight after reading one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, for example. Story-inspired arts and crafts -- making paper lanterns（灯笼） after reading a book about the Chinese New Year, for instance -- are another great way to keep your child thinking about what he's heard and learned.

- Go somewhere inspired by your books. To really bring your child's stories to life, plan an outing or trip based on something you've read together. Mayes knows families who have used their vacations to visit the settings of Wilder's books or Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series. But your adventures can be simpler, too. If you've just read a book about playing outside, for example, head to the park; if the tale was about a trip to the grocery store, go to a local market. While you're on your outings, point out familiar words and phrases on signs and billboards（广告牌）.

- Set a good example. Let your child see you reading as often as possible; there's no better way to convey a love of books. And keep reading to your child as he gets older, even after he learns to read on his own. The time you spend reading is an opportunity for the two of you to connect, and it continues to expose your child to stories and concepts he might not discover on his own.

　

(source: http://www.msn.com)

The Cholesterol Connection

胆固醇的联系物

导读：随着物质生活的日益提高，社会上的三高（高血压、高血脂、高胆固醇）人群也日益增多。并且这类人群也逐渐年轻化，以前三高人群大都属于中老年，现在许多二三十岁的青壮年也加入了该行列。三高病症虽然 可能会威胁我们的生命，但我们只要在日常的生活饮食中稍加注意，那么我们完全可以远离它们。下面我们先来了解一下一些食品信息，从中找到抵制高胆固醇的方法吧。

There’s no denying that a healthy diet is the first line of defense against rising cholesterol（胆固醇）. “If you eat a predominantly（显著地） plant-based diet—with lots of fruits and vegetables plus some fish—you are on the right track to keeping your cholesterol at a healthy level,” says Lisa Dorfman, a registered dietitian（营养学者） and spokeswoman（女发言人） for the American Dietetic Association. That said, certain so-called super-foods can actually help lower bad cholesterol and/or increase the good cholesterol. Ideally, you want to shoot for total cholesterol under 200, with LDL (the bad one) under 110 and HDL (the good one) greater than 35.

Try to incorporate more of these foods into your daily diet:

Almonds（杏仁）: Studies have found that eating just a quarter cup of almonds a day can lower your LDL by 4.4 percent, according to dietitian Leslie Bonci, who is also the director of sports nutrition（营养学） at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “Eating nuts, especially almonds, which are high in good-for-you monounsaturated fat（单元不饱和脂肪）, is better than simply eating a low-fat snack like pretzels（椒盐饼干）,” says Bonci. Of course, they can also be high in calories, so stick with a small serving and choose almonds that are dry roasted without oil.

Oatmeal（燕麦片）: You’ve seen the commercials with people proclaiming dramatic drops in their cholesterol numbers thanks to a daily serving of this hot cereal. Those great results are due to the high levels of soluble（可溶解的） fiber found in oatmeal. “The soluble fiber binds to the bile acids that are the precursor to the development of cholesterol and help flush it out,” explains Bonci. It doesn’t matter how you get your oats—those instant, just-add-water packets are just as good for you as traditional, slow-cooked versions.

Fish: Omega-3 fatty acids are widely considered to be the best of the “good” fats, and the best place to find them is in fish—especially fatty fishes like salmon（鲑鱼）, halibut（大比目鱼） and tuna（金枪鱼）. According to Dorfman of the ADA, you want to get 1.5 to 3 grams per day of omega-3. A 4-ounce piece of salmon will give you close to 3 grams, and you can also get these fatty acids from walnuts（胡桃） and flaxseed（亚麻籽） (two tablespoons of flaxseed provides 3.5 grams) and in fish oil supplements.

Red wine: Not everything that’s good for you has to feel virtuous. A glass of red wine, which contains flavanols, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory（消炎的） properties that may help lower cholesterol and stave off heart disease. But in this case, more is definitely not better. “For women, the recommendation is one drink a day and for men it’s two,” says Bonci. More than that will, literally, dilute any potential benefits. These flavanols can also be found in red grape juice and dark cocoa.

Soy（大豆）: Soybeans, soy nuts and edamame, plus any products made from soy (like tofu（豆腐）, soymilk（豆奶）, etc.) can help to reduce the production of new cholesterol. A little can go a long way—aim for about 25 grams of soy protein a day (the amount in a cup of edamame). And those who are at an increased risk of breast or prostate cancer may want to skip it since too much of soy’s phyto-estrogens can act similarly to the body’s own estrogen (which has been shown to feed some hormone-dependent tumors).

Now that you know the good stuff to add to your diet, try to reduce—or better yet, eliminate—these bad-for-you foods from your repertoire:

Whole-milk dairy products: Saturated fat（饱和脂肪）, which clogs arteries and increases LDL levels, is the No. 1 cholesterol-boosting culprit（罪犯）. And foods like ice cream and cheese are where you’re likely to find them. Swap out the Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby for a lower-fat frozen yogurt（酸奶）, and skip the brie（布里干酪） in favor of something less rich, like a part-skim mozzarella（意大利白干酪）.

Processed meats: Bacon（培根）, sausage（腊肠）, liverwurst（肝泥香肠） and the like are also wonderful sources of artery-clogging saturated fat. Look for lower-fat options, like bacon（熏猪肉） and sausage made from turkey（火鸡） and other lean protein sources.

Fast-food fries: Even worse than saturated fats are the dreaded trans fats（转化脂肪）. “You might as well take a gun and shoot yourself!” says Dorfman. The main source of trans fats are partially hydrogenated oils, and that’s exactly what most fast-food restaurants are still using to cook their fries. Trans fats hit cholesterol with a double whammy（双重灾难）—in addition to raising your LDL, they simultaneously lower your HDL.

Tropical oils: Palm kernel（棕仁） and coconut oils（椰子油） are two of the fattiest of oils—100 percent of the bad-for-you saturated variety. Don’t use them when you cook at home, and try to avoid them when you eat out (most fast-food restaurants have eliminated them, but you can check their Web sites for detailed nutritional information). Use heart-healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats（多元不饱和脂肪）, like olive, canola and safflower oil（红花油）, instead.

Baked goods: Many manufacturers of packaged cookies and cakes have eliminated trans fats from their recipes, but check the nutrition labels to be sure. But all baked goods—even those that are homemade—are high in saturated fats, thanks to the butter and shortening. Since no one wants to give up dessert completely, eat high-fat baked goods only occasionally, opting more often for low-fat sweets like sorbets.

　

(source: http://www.msn.com)