My three-year-old granddaughter, Tegan, went with her parents to a family gathering at the home of her other grandparents. Everyone was having a wonderful time visiting and catching up on all the latest family news.

    Like most children, Tegan was having a good time playing with all the toys that were different from her own and that were kept for children to play with at her grandparents' house. In particular, Tegan had found a little tea set and had begun pretending that she was having a tea party. She set up all the place settings and arranged her table with the great care and elegance that only a three-year-old can create. Meanwhile, her Daddy concentrated on conversation, and as he continued to chat with his family, Tegan would hand him a cup of "tea". Her Daddy, who always tries to participate in her games, would pause for a few seconds from his conversation, and say all the proper words and gestures for her tea party which would thrill Tegan. He would request two lumps of sugar. He would tell her how wonderful her tea tasted, and then he would continue his adult conversation with his family.

    After going through this routine several times, her Daddy suddenly awoke to reality as he had a flash of concern in his mind: "She is only three years old, where is she getting this 'tea' that I've been dutifully drinking?" He quietly followed her, without her knowing, and his fears were growing stronger as he saw her turn and go through the bathroom door. Sure enough, there she was stretching up on her tippy toes reaching up to get her 'tea' water out of the container of water that grandpa used to soak (浸泡)his false teeth!

    "Can't hold a candle to" is a popular expression. When there wasn't electricity, someone would have a servant light his way by holding a candle. The expression meant that the person who cannot hold a candle to you is not fit even to be your servant. Now，it means such a person cannot compare or compete.

    Another expression is "hold your tongue. "It means to be still and not talk. "Hold your tongue" is not something you would tell a friend. But a parent or teacher might use the expression to quiet a noisy child.

    "Hold out" is an expression one hears often in sports reports and labor news. It means to refuse to play or work. Professional football and baseball players "hold out" if their team refuses to pay them what they think they are worth.

    The expression "hold up" has several different meanings. One is a robbery. A man with a gun may say, "This is a hold up. Give me your money." Another meaning is to delay. A driver who was held up by heavy traffic might be late for work. Another meaning is for a story to be considered true after an investigation. A story can hold up if it is proved true.

    "Hold on" is another expression, which means wait or stop. As you leave for school, your brother may say, "Hold on，you forgot your book. " It is used to ask a telephone caller to wait and not hang up his telephone.

    Our final expression is "hold the line." That means to keep a problem or situation from getting worse—to hold steady. For example, the president may say he will "hold the line on taxes." He means therewill be no increase in taxes.

    A research project jointly carried out by scientists from several British universities and institutes has drawn people's attention to the toothbrush again.

    Researchers have found that your toothbrush is home to more than 100 million bacteria. But there are hundreds of microorganisms in the mouths and your toothbrush probably won't make you sick unless there is an unhealthy balance of bacteria. Our immune system can usually take care of bacterial invaders. However, if others use your toothbrush, or you use someone else's, bacteria can be spread.

    They have also found the toothbrush holders are the third-most dirty household items (behind dish sponges and kitchen sinks), thus advocating cleaning the toothbrush holder regularly.

    The storage of your toothbrush in your bathroom is also important. Here are some storage tips from the researchers to keep your toothbrush as healthy as possible:

    Put your toothbrush as far away as possible from the toilet flushing.

    Let your toothbrush dry thoroughly between brushings.

    Don't use toothbrush covers, which can create a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

    Keep your toothbrush upright in a holder rather than lying down.

    Keep toothbrushes separate. If toothbrushes touch, they can exchange and spread bacteria.

    There are products available that claim to sanitize（消毒）your toothbrush. While some of these products do kill some bacteria, there is no evidence that using them will reduce your risk of illness, according to the researchers.

    They recommend replacing your toothbrush every three to four months or more often if you are sick or if you have a weakened immune system. Children's toothbrushes may need to be replaced more often than adult brushes.

    Scientists are trying to save Puerto Rico's endangered Amazon parrots after Hurricane Maria destroyed the birds' habitats and food sources(来源).

    El Yunque is a large national forest on the eastern part of Puerto Rico. Just two of the 56 wild parrots that once lived there survived Maria, the Category-4 storm that struck Puerto Rico in September 2017. Scientists report other forests have seen great drops in parrot populations as well.

    In the 1800s, there were more than a million of the bright green parrots living in the wild in Puerto Rico. By the 1970s, the number was down to just 13 birds after years of forest clearing.

    A special program was started in 1972 to help increase the parrot population, which led to the creation of three breeding(繁殖) centers. Just weeks before Hurricane Maria hit, scientists counted 56 wild parrots at El Yunque. That was the highest number in the program's history. Scientists say that even though several parrots have been born in captivity(笼养) and in the wild since Maria, the species is still in danger.

The Puerto Rican Amazon is the island's only remaining native parrot. More than 460 of the birds are kept inside the breeding centers at El Yunque and the Rio Abajo forest. Scientists have not released(释放) any of the birds since Hurricane Maria. A third breeding center, in a forest in the western area of Maricao, has not been in operation since the storm.

    Scientists are considering whether to catch some of the remaining wild parrots and put them in the same cage as the birds that are set to be released. This way, the captive birds can learn from the wild birds how to survive in the forests. Another consideration is to release some captive parrots in Maricao, which was not as heavily damaged by Maria.

    Supermarket shoppers who buy lots of foods on "two for one" deals are far more likely to be obese (肥胖的), a major study suggests.

    Cancer Research UK found that those with highest consumption of discounted foods were at 50 percent greater risk of obesity, compared with those with low take-up of such deals.

    The study of more than 16,000 households found almost one in three food and drink items in UK supermarket baskets were bought on promotion. And the discounts were far more likely to be applied to unhealthy foods, with almost half of all chocolate, crisps, popcorn, and savoury snacks bought on promotion.

    Shoppers whose baskets contained between 40 and 80 percent of goods on special offer were 54 percent more likely to be obese than those with a maximum 20 percent of foods on such deals. Those with highest take-up of the deals bought 30 percent less fruit, and nearly 25 percent fewer vegetables than those shunning the deals.

    The study follows a government consultation on proposals to ban "buy one, get one free" deals on unhealthy foods and supermarket "guilt lanes" as part of its childhood obesity strategy.

    One in five children are overweight or obese when they start primary school, rising to around one in three when they leave.

    Research has found that obesity increases the risk of 13 different types of cancer including bowel and breast disease.

    Alison Cox, director of cancer prevention at Cancer Research UK, said: "The government's proposed 9 p. m. ban on junk food ads is a step forward in fighting childhood obesity. Now we want to see restrictions on price promotions for unhealthy food and drink items, as well as those strategically placed at checkouts. This will help families to make healthier choices.

    "There isn't one magic fix for the problem, but getting rid of these encouragements to buy unhealthy food is key to changing it."

PhoneSoap: Charge and Clean Your Phone

    You may charge your phone every day, but do you clean your phone as much? Whatever your hands touch, your phones touch. It has been discovered that some phones have 18 times more bacteria and viruses than any surface in a public restroom. So it probably won't surprise you that a 2011 University of London study found that one in six of our phones have bacteria and viruses on them—specifically, the bacteria called E.coli.

    The research on bacteria and viruses led to the invention of PhoneSoap. It is not actually liquid like dishwasher soap. It is a phone charger that uses the electromagnetic radiation used in hospitals to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses, cleaning your phone while it charges.

    "There are really certain types of bacteria and viruses that we should not be in touch with, and they are really on our phones," says Wes Barnes, the PhoneSoap co-founder. It all started while his cousin and co-founder, Dan LaPorte, was in his cancer research lab at college. "He realized he got the idea of getting rid of bacteria and viruses on the phones," said Barnes. "In the lab they used UV-C light for destroying them. He realized this would be the fastest, most powerful way to kill any bacteria and viruses living on electronic machines."

    PhoneSoap looks like a little metal suitcase. Your phone rests in to charge and get cleaned at the same time. Instead of plugging your phone into the wall, you'd plug it into the PhoneSoap charger box. The process only takes a few minutes but, Barnes says, "The idea is that you can leave it in there overnight if you want to keep charging. Reflective paint keeps the light completely around the phone so it cleans the phone fully."

    The co-founders spent 2013 finding the right companies and they started shipping the product in late November. By last week's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, PhoneSoap was all grown-up. Both co-founders have left their previous jobs and are selling PhoneSoap nonstop. "We're shipping almost more than we can handle each day," Barnes says. "It's been a great adventure."