阅读理解

A

Darius Brown, a teen philanthropist （ 慈善家 ） from Newark, New Jersey, has been working hard to help homeless animals across the country get adopted （ 领养 ） by making them handmade bow ties （ 领结 ）.

Darius Brown's sister first taught him how to sew so he could improve his motor skills as a youngster. As he became more and more talented with his needlework, she suggested he use his new skill to start sewing bow ties.

Shortly after Darius started sewing bow ties, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit Texas and Florida—and the teen was heartbroken by the amount of animals who were left without homes after the storms.

He then decided to help the homeless pets find their forever families by making them beautiful bow ties.

He thought that if the cats and dogs could look more attractive for future owners, they would be more likely to find a home—and he was right.

Since Darius began his labor of love, he guesses he has made as many as 500 bow ties. Not only that, he says that the bow ties have helped more than 100 dogs and cats find forever homes.

As more and more animal centers reached out to Darius about getting their own shipment of ties, he started a GoFundMe campaign （ 活动 ） in June in order to raise more money for making bow ties.

He has since raised more than $50,000 and earned him the GoFundMe Hero title.

If you want to check out more of his work, you can visit his website.

B

A study found that only 1 in 20 teenagers are meeting the guidelines on sleep, exercise and screen time and that a difference exists between the sexes. Only three percent of girls get enough sleep and exercise and don't go beyond the recommended screen time, compared to seven percent of boys.

According to the study, children aged 6 to 12 years old should get between 9 and 12 hours of sleep. Children aged 14 to 18 years old should sleep for 8 to 10 hours per night. Both groups should get at least one hour of exercise a day and limit screen time to less than two hours a day.

Gregory Knell, one researcher at the University of Texas School of Public Health, said that he was surprised by how few teenagers are hitting the standard and that the study's results are a “wake-up call.” He added that there can be great effects on physical and emotional health and academic performance.

“There is plenty of evidence to show how teenagers aren't getting enough physical activity, or enough sleep, or keeping their screen time in control,” Knell said. “But this is the first time these three factors, which have a vital influence on a child's health, have been analyzed together. The results are a wake-up call for everyone who wants to make sure our children have a healthy future.”

Besides, researchers analyzed the responses of almost 60,000 high school students in the U.S. from 2011 to 2017. They found that those who showed signs of depression （ 抑郁症 ） were the least likely to meet all the guidelines.

C

William Pretzer was 5 years old when Rosa Parks of Montgomery, Alabama, was arrested （ 逮捕 ）. It was December 1, 1955. The 42-year-old dressmaker was on a city bus to her home after a day's work, and she refused to give her seat to a white passenger.

This famous event did not make any impression on Pretzer, because he was so young and living more than 2,000 miles away in Sacramento, California. To be honest, it would take time for most people to realize how meaningful it was. Actually, it marked the beginning of the civil rights movement in the United States, and Parks was called the “mother” of the movement.

“Within the African American community, it is seen as an opportunity for progress to be made, for attention and pressure to be brought to influence the white power structure,” says Pretzer.

Parks' act inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott （ 抵制 ）, through which Martin Luther King, Jr. became a civil rights leader. The boycott lasted 381 days, and on the 382nd day, backed by a Supreme Court ruling, the city's buses were officially integrated （ 使成为一体 ）.

By Pretzer's definition, Parks is a history maker.

“History makers are those that sense the moment,” he says.

Pretzer studied Parks' story in detail in the early 2000s, when he helped Detroit's Henry Ford Museum, where he worked for more than 20 years, acquire the retired bus in which the incident occurred.

D

“The Lion King” on Broadway is offering fans a view of the musical （ 音乐舞台剧 ） that even the very best seat in the theater can't provide.

The famous Disney movie released （ 发布 ） 360-degree footage （ 片段镜头 ） of its opening song “Circle of Life” that lets users look left, right, up, backstage and at the audience, even when sitting on a couch.

“It seemed like a really perfect marriage : A well-known song like ‘Circle of Life’ being displayed through a completely new technology that we hope will open up ‘The Lion King’ to a new generation of theater-goers,” said Andrew Flatt, the senior vice president for marketing at Disney Theatrical Group.

The footage was shot at the Minskoff Theatre, the home of “The Lion King.” During the filming, the audience members were politely asked not to wave at the cameras, and not to clap at the beginning and keep their energy levels up all the time.

To create the virtual reality （ 虚拟现实 ） world, some half-dozen GoPro cameras were placed in the center of the stage as the actors moved around in their costumes and masks.

The cameras were used to capture the view as Pride Rock rises up and baby Simba is introduced. Software helped to offer a 360-degree view—a circle of life.

Viewers can follow one performer, or look out into the aisles to see elephants arriving, see the conductor and audience faces, or look backstage to find out what's coming next. It is a really exciting experience.

“I keep turning in different directions and discovering new things,” said Flatt. “I hope that the video inspires memories and perhaps brings back to the theater people who've seen the show. But, at the same time, I hope it opens up the eyes of people who never thought ‘The Lion King’ would be for them.”