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Shaw Taylor, owner of Rodney's Bookstore in Cambridge, has been selling books for almost 20 years. But he's been an observer of independent bookstores and the confused industry for even longer. “Cambridge in the 1970s had 35 bookstores,” Taylor says. “Now I think there's probably 10 to 15.”
While their numbers certainly aren't what they once were, independent bookstores continue to defend their peculiar niche against slim profit margins, large chain bookstores, and the rising tide of e-book vendors. In the past decade, the number of independent bookstores in the United States has grown by more than 50%, from 1,651 stores to more than 2,500, according to Dan Cullen, senior strategy officer of the American Booksellers Association. Last year, sales increased by 5%, says Mr. Cullen.
Observers say a special blend of local flavor, dedication to physical books, accessibility to author tours, and a business model that includes other revenue streams has helped to keep the lights on for many independent bookstores. The formula has proved so successful even chains are working to bring a small-venue feel to their big-box stores. Barnes＆Noble, with its 600-plus storefronts scattered across the US, was in decline on book sales until it was bought by Elliott Management Corp. Observers attribute Barnes＆Noble's resurgence, in part, to managers keeping a close eye on the interests of local customers.
“One of the key ingredients to the independent bookseller is this notion of community,” says Ryan Raffaelli, a professor who studies the reemergence of industries and technologies. Independent bookstores have found success by fashioning spaces where like-minded readers can convene and mingle with authors on tour.
Unlike chain bookstores, independent bookstore owners are free to shape their offerings to their own interests. Mr. Taylor in Cambridge, for example, sells masks from Congo because his brother makes an annual trip there and brings back a fresh supply.
“Local bookstores do a better job of atmosphere because there's a little bit more quirk,” says a customer of Trident Booksellers and Café in Boston. “You have a little bit more inconsistency, which makes it look a little bit more homely.”
Besides its expansive menu and rows of books, Trident Booksellers and Café generally offers two events a day. These events range from readings to book signings and even cooking events.
Many bookstores host 500 to 600 events each year. Often, it's independent bookstores that unearth up-and-coming authors before they gain fame. In turn, the authors become loyal to the bookstores.
Locals also bring visiting friends to independent bookstores as a way to experience the flavor of the town. Part of the thrill for first-time visitors is walking into a place that's completely different than any other bookstore and having fun.
[A] There are fewer bookstores in the US now than in the 1970s.
[B] Independent bookstore owners can make more profits.
[C] More and more people prefer to read e-books than printed books.
[D] Independent bookstores in the US have increased more than a half in the past ten years.
[A] paying close attention to the interests of local customers
[B] inviting more authors to communicate with readers
[C] updating its book categories
[D] selling part of its operations to another company at a high price
[A] its offerings are carefully selected and well displayed
[B] the books there are various and cheap
[C] he enjoys the homely atmosphere there
[D] he can meet like-minded people there
[A] They just sell books and refuse to change.
[B] They cannot decide what to sell freely.
[C] They don't hold any events at all.
[D] They are boring because they look identical.
[A] American independent bookstores thrive due to a combination of different factors
[B] there is a long way to go for American chain bookstores to revive
[C] it is time for chain bookstores to learn from independent bookstores
[D] the current book market is not so bleak as people often consider
Few signs of old age are clearer than the sight of gray hair. As we grow older, black, brown, blonde or red strands lose their youthful color. Although this may seem like a permanent change, new research reveals that the graying process can be undone-at least temporarily.
Around four years ago Martin Picard, a mitochondrial psychobiologist at Columbia University, was pondering the way our cells grow old in a multistep manner in which some of them begin to show signs of aging at much earlier time points than others. This patchwork process , he realized, was clearly visible on our head, where our hairs do not all turn gray at the same time.
Most people start noticing their first gray hairs in their 30s. This period, when graying has just begun, is probably when the process is most reversible, according to Picard. In those with a full head of gray hair, most of the strands have presumably reached a “point of no return,” but the possibility remains that some hair follicles may still be malleable to change, he says.
The team also investigated the association between hair graying and psychological stress because prior research hinted that such factors may accelerate the hair's aging process. Anecdotes of such a connection are also visible throughout history: according to legend, the hair of Marie Antoinette, the 18th-century queen of France, turned white overnight just before her execution at the guillotine.
The researchers found that the times when graying or reversal occurred corresponded to periods of significant stress or relaxation. In one individual, a 35-year-old man with auburn hair, five strands of hair underwent a reversal during the same time span, which coincided with a two-week vacation. Another subject, a 30-year-old woman with black hair, had one strand that contained a white segment that corresponded to two months during which she underwent marital separation and relocation-her highest-stress period in the year.
Eva Peters, a German psychoneuroimmunologist says that this is a “very creative and well-conceptualized study.” But, she adds, because the number of cases the researchers were able to look at was relatively small-particularly in the stress-related portion of the study-further research is needed to confirm these findings.
Eventually, Picard says, one could envision hair as a powerful tool to assess the effects of earlier life events on aging-because, much like the rings of a tree, hair provides a kind of physical record of elapsed events. “It's pretty clear that the hair encodes part of your biological history in some way,” he says. “Hair grows out of the body, and then it crystallizes into this hard, stable structure that holds the memory of your past.”
[A] gray hair best reveals the fact of aging
[B] the color of one's hair can be changed at will
[C] human hair comes in many colors
[D] things can be done to interrupt the process of hair graying
[A] not everyone's hair will turn gray at last
[B] the process of hair graying can be clearly seen
[C] one's hair usually turns gray at different paces
[D] hair turns gray due to cellular aging
[A] To show that people's hair is doomed to turn gray.
[B] To show that stress can speed the hair graying process.
[C] To show that ancient people's hair turns gray at an earlier age.
[D] To show that ancient people don't know how to undo the hair graying process.
[A] he starts to exercise on a regular basis
[B] he decides to focus on what he likes
[C] he takes some time to have a good rest
[D] he deals with tricky problems
[A] It fully shows the influence of stress on the hair graying process.
[B] It is very creative but not so convincing for the cases are quite limited.
[C] It discloses that one's hair can record his past experience.
[D] It shows that one's hair can reflect his physical state.
Air pollution from food production in the United States is linked to an estimated 15,900 premature deaths each year, according to a new study. Of those, an estimated 12,700 deaths-around 80%—are connected to production of animal-based foods. Scientists have known for years that farming contributes to harmful air pollution, but experts say this study offers the first full accounting of deaths connected to the production of certain types of food.
“When we think of the big sources of air pollution in the US, our imagination usually turns to smokestacks and tailpipes,” said Joshua Apte, an assistant professor at the University of California-Berkeley, who was not involved in this study. “But it turns out that agriculture is also a major contributor to our air pollution and therefore we should care about it for our health.”
The study focused on a specific type of tiny pollution particles known as PM 2.5. They linger in the air we breathe and measure barely a fraction of the diameter of a human hair. But despite their small size, the particles have been linked to millions of premature deaths globally, as well as serious cardiovascular and respiratory problems, especially in children and the elderly.
PM 2.5 particles kicked up into the air by cultivation and fuel combustion in farm equipment are part of the problem, but the study found the majority of premature deaths are linked to ammonia emissions from livestock waste and fertilizer. Airborne ammonia reacts with other chemicals to form dangerous particulate matter (PM 2.5). “It happens mostly through ammonia, which is released when farmers use nitrogen fertilizer-which they use a lot of-or is released from animal manure,” said Jason Hill, a professor at the University of Minnesota and a co-author of the study.
The study found that substituting poultry for red meat could prevent roughly 6,300 of the annual deaths tied to farming air pollution, and even larger reductions of 10,700 to 13,100 deaths could be achieved each year with large-scale shifts toward vegetarian, vegan, or flexitarian diets.
The study points to a few ways for farmers to cut down on the production of ammonia. Using fertilizer more precisely in order to maximize crop production can help. Farmers can also reduce the amount of ammonia produced from manure by covering animal waste and injecting manure into fields instead of spraying it.
Ian Faloona, an associate professor at the University of California-Davis, who published a study in 2018 on agriculture's production of nitrogen oxides-another type of air pollution-said that making these changes can also be good for farmers' bottom lines. “In the end, it's going to be cost effective because you're making the process more efficient,” Faloona said.
[A] It makes scientists come to know that farming may pollute the air.
[B] It shows that about 80% premature deaths are related to air pollution.
[C] It reveals air pollution is the leading cause of deaths in America.
[D] It gives people an idea of how many deaths are linked to the production of some specific foods.
[A] cars and chimneys were the major sources of air pollution
[B] agriculture had nothing to do with air pollution
[C] air pollution was not fatal to humans
[D] agricultural production also causes a lot of air pollution
[A] PM 2.5 is a substance that is much smaller than a human hair
[B] PM 2.5 is related to millions of premature deaths around the world
[C] cultivation and fuel combustion produce most of the PM 2.5
[D] children and patients are more likely to suffer from PM 2.5
[A] eat less meat and more vegetarian food
[B] look for ways to increase crop yields
[C] adopt more efficient fertilization methods
[D] avoid using fertilizers that contain ammonia
[A] bring economic benefits to farmers
[B] be good for the health of farmers
[C] significantly reduce air pollution
[D] revolutionize traditional agriculture
Prior to GPS, exploring new places required preparation. We had to think, consult paper maps, and plan and memorize parts of our route. In today's technological world, there is no need to think. Simply follow the turn-by-turn directions on your phone, and you'll end up where you need to be. But your overall sense of the place suffers. Spatial navigation, which had been a process performed exclusively by the human brain and perceptual system, has now been surrendered to technology. Does it matter?
There are structures in the brain dedicated to these complex pathfinding tasks. In particular, the hippocampus is deeply associated with supporting spatial memory, spatial navigation and mental mapping. As we age, our memory declines. And while there is no silver bullet for healthy aging, neuroscientists agree that one of the key ingredients of successful aging is staying mentally active. Studies show that we can actually exercise the hippocampus memory through exploration and spatial navigation. Expert navigators such as London cab drivers have larger hippocampi compared to regular populations in consequence of their intensive spatial mapping and multisensory experience of the city.
Mental maps arise from direct experience. As we explore new environments, the brain constantly maps out our surroundings. And we use all of our senses to learn about and remember our surroundings, not just vision. So even today, strolling along a modern city waterfront, we might hear the low throaty notes of approaching ships in the fog. We refer to such distinctive, spatially situated sounds as auditory beacons.
However, as civilizations expanded and grew, it became more difficult to navigate over long distances only through sensory experiences and memory. One cannot sail to another continent on senses alone. So, maps were a revolution for humanity. Physical maps can contain enormous amounts of information about the surrounding environment on a simple piece of paper. The challenge is that physical maps can be very abstract and require many other techniques to operate, such as the ability to determine where in the map one is located. In fact, the expertise needed to use them is not within everyone's grasp.
The rise of satellite-enabled GPS was revolutionary for navigation. But this easy egocentric navigation can reduce spatial awareness and mental mapping. Our question is: Can we find a way to still use GPS but reduce the harmful effects of current GPS navigation on memory?
Our research finds that instead of guiding users to turn right and turn left on the way to their desired destination, we can convert a location of interest to a distinctive auditory beacon via earbuds. As a result, people can build spatial awareness through active and direct exploration of the environment along the way.
[A] surprised
[B] concerned
[C] supportive
[D] critical
[A] cab drivers are expert navigators
[B] cab drivers tend to age at a slower rate
[C] spatial navigation does good to memory
[D] spatial navigation helps stop aging
[A] A bunch of fresh flowers.
[B] The café around the street corner.
[C] The squawks of seagulls.
[D] A big tower in the downtown.
[A] They contain very limited information.
[B] People have to carry them around.
[C] The words on them are hard to read.
[D] Not everyone is able to grasp the skills to use them.
[A] What Is GPS-and How Important It Is
[B] What You Must Know About GPS
[C] GPS Is Not That Good-At Least Not As Good As We Think
[D] How GPS Weakens Memory-and What We Can Do About It