Having experienced a shocking electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, James Franco's world became completely dark and quiet for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.

    One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by lightning. Witnesses (目击者) thought he was dead but he woke up 20 minutes later, lying face down in muddy water. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw: a tree and a muddy road. When Mrs. Franco came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.

    The news of James regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from lightning. However, none of them could give a compelling answer as to why this should happen. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since James lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock.

    In some science-fiction movies, robots refuse to die no matter how people fight back (反击). Now, it has turned into a fact. For the first time, researchers have created a robot that can take a beating (挨打) and keep on working. Developed by scientists from Cornell University and the University of Vermont, the new robot looks like a spider with four legs.

    Until now, even the most advanced robot was almost certain to break down when damaged. That's because its computer doesn't know how to operate the machine after its shape has been changed.

    To solve this problem, the scientists put some sensors (传感器) into the machine. The sensors can read how the machine is working and send signals to the computer.

    Using this information, the system follows a new way to tell the machine's shape at any given moment. The computer considers a lot of possible next steps, and it calculates how best to move the robot forward the longest possible distance, before trying to move it again.

    The new technology is a major advance in robotics (机器人技术), scientists say. It may someday help researchers create better artificial arms and legs that give new freedom to people who lack them. The new knowledge might also help scientists understand how people and animals tell their own sense of place in space.

     “Designing robots that can fit changing environments has been a difficult problem,” says scientist Olaf Sporns of Indiana University. “This work provides a new way toward solving this important problem.”

It is OK not to be OK

    This is the simple encouragement people often use for themselves or others. But for professional athletes, this can be the hardest sentence to say.

    On March 6, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love posted an article titled “Everyone is Going Through Something” on the website The Players' Tribune. In the article, the 29-year-old showed how he suffered from his first panic attack on Nov 5 in a game against the Atlanta Hawks and why he was so worried about sharing his story with the public.

    Love identified that what keeps people from speaking up about their mental health challenges is the fear that many people see them as a weakness. “Growing up, you figure out really quickly how a boy is supposed to act. You learn what it takes to 'be a man'. It's like a play book: Be strong. Don't talk about your feelings. Get through it on your own,” he wrote.

    And being an NBA player made his situation even more difficult. Love was afraid to share his struggles because he didn't want his Cavaliers teammates to think that he was unreliable.

    However, as it turned out, Love's teammates understood and supported him. Cleveland superstar LeBron James even wrote on social media that Love is “even more powerful now than ever before”.

    For Love, it was a journey of empowerment to accept and address his mental illness and share his experience with millions of people who face the same problems. In fact, he was inspired to talk about his situation by Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, who had also opened up about his mental health issues.

    Last month, the 28-year-old told the Toronto Sun that despite being a top-performing and wealthy NBA player, he still deals with constant blues. “It's one of the things that no matter how indestructible (坚不可摧的) we look like we are, we're all human at the end of the day, ”he said. “Sometimes…it gets the best of you, when everything in the whole world's on top of you, ” But other times, by admitting who we are, we can get what we want. As Love told Advance Ohio Media, “You have to let some of that stuff bleed out in order to fully recover from it.”

    Good news! Job offered.

    Receptionist Administration

    Full Time

    A receptionist is required from 1st June 2017 at Dartford Science & Technology College. The position is only from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Friday, with an hour's break for lunch every day. The successful applicant must have a good telephone manner, good interpersonal skills and IT skills.

Science Technician

    Term time plus 10 days, 37 hours per week

    We are looking for a technician to provide a technical support service for science teaching staff. Applications are to be received no later than midnight on 10th June 2015.

    Health & Social Care Teacher

    Our client, an 11-18 mixed comprehensive school in Ealing, West London, is currently seeking a teacher for Health & Social Care. The position will be a full-time post until July 2015. We require an energetic teacher to develop the learning potential of students. We are seeking someone with excellent subject knowledge who can combine academic strictness and achievement with enjoyment of teaching Health & Social Care.

    If you are keen to work, click the button below.

    I'll be the first to admit that I am a technophobe(对技术有恐惧感的人). Who would have guessed that a website would help repay a 20-year-old loan?

    I'll always remember my last day at school. My best friend, Jenny, had organized a party in the Sixth Form Common Room.

    Jenny asked me to go to the supermarket with her to buy all the snacks. "I'm really looking forward to this party, Stingy," she said. Everyone called me Stingy instead of Debbie because they thought I didn't like to spend money. Actually, it was true.

    "There's lots of money in the kitty. Let's go crazy!" Going crazy meant buying enough snacks to feed an army. It came to ￡19.90, which was a lot of money in 1982.

    Jenny gave me a guilty(内疚的) look. "I've left-the kitty money in the common room. Can you pay and I'll give you back the money?"

    "Sure," I replied, trying to look relaxed. "Neither a lender or a borrower be" was my motto(座右铭) but I didn't want to look stingy. I gave ￡20 to the impatient shop assistant.

    Well, the Party was a great success. So great that I completely forgot about my loan until I was flying to America the next day.  I was going to live with my uncle's family until I started university.

    I tried to get in touch with Jenny but her family had moved. My ￡20 was lost. Until...

    I'd heard about a website called Friends Reunited which helped people contact old school friends.  My husband helped me log on and find my school. There she was, Jenny Frost.

    I'm now married with a beautiful daughter called Debbie. Does anyone know how to get in touch with Debbie "Stingy" Jones? I still owe her ￡20!

    We met two months later and the ￡20 was returned, plus interest(利息) of course. After all, I'm a bank manager now, so loans are my business.

Family Fun in Canadian Museum of Nature

    Bring the whole family to rediscover our fully redecorated museum.

    WHAT TO SEE AND DO

    Check out What's On for all the events, educational activities and HD movies happening during your visit. Care for birds, dive down into the depths at the helm (舵柄) of a research submersible(潜水器) or explore a cave… on the first floor. Don't miss our gallery play areas on the third floor when visiting with kids. By visiting here, your children will learn more about nature. Check out Our Exhibitions which present our special exhibitions and our galleries. Be sure to stop at our Nature Boutique on the second floor for a vast selection of games, books and nature-related souvenirs from 9:30 am until the museum closes for the day.

    HOURS, ADMISSION, SERVICES AND MORE

    The Canadian Museum of Nature provides a host of information, images and videos on our websites about nature, such as http://www.nature.ca/en/family-fun and http://www.expeditionarctic.ca/.The museum also participates in several social networks. Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.