Modern smart phones are fast becomingthe must-have item. But what's in store for the next generation of smart phones?

    Tired of carrying around that heavy wallet? Soon you won't need to! The next generation of smart phones will have NFC technology, which lets you pay for things with your smart phones. All youdo is enter your credit card information into your phone. Then, when you are ina shop that allows NFC payments, you just wave your phone over a special instrument at the checkout. The purchase is instantly charged to your creditcard.

    Ever seen someone wearing something and wished you knew where to get it? Soon it will be easy with PicCommerce, new technology that uses image-recognition software. Here's how it works. If yousee something you like, simply take a photo of it with your smart phone. Then, your phone will send the image to a special server, which will respond with information about where you can buy it and how much it will cost.

    Sick of your smart phone battery going flat? With so many applications draining (消耗) the battery, the latest phones need tobe charged every day. But next generation smart phones will come with built-inchips that can connect to an antenna (天线) in your home. And as long as your phone is within range of the antenna, you will be able to charge your smart phone wirelessly, even if it is in your pocket.

    Worried about getting your smart phoneswet in the rain? A company called Hz0 has invented Water Block, new technologythat makes your phone completely water proof. And it's so effective that your phone will even work under water.

    Fed up with carrying a heavy phone around? Soon, you will be able to get a Paper Phone! “Flexible phones are the future,” said scientist Roel Vertegaal. So, what are the benefits of flexible phones? Well, it means that instead of carrying your phone in your pocket, you could wear it wrapped around your wrist, for example.

    Of course, there is just the problem: with so much new smart phone technology around, you will soon need to buy a newphone!

    More and more people in America are celebrating the Indian holiday Diwali. Diwali is Hindi for “row of lights.” It is the most important holiday in India.

    Many people around the world are beginning to celebrate it as well. The United States is one of the places where the festival is becoming more common. Diwali celebrations can now be found at American landmarks like Disney land in California and New York City's Times Square. They are also held in many parks and museums.

    Neeta Bhasin created the Times Square event. She said Indian immigrants (移民) have found great success in America. But, she said, many Americans still do not know much about India. So, she decided to act. "I felt it's about time that we should take India to mainstream America and show India's rich culture, heritage, arts and variety to the world, "she said, "And I couldn't find a better place than the center of the universe: Times Square."

    Bhasin came to the United States from India 40 years ago. She is president of ASB Communications, the marketing firm behind Diwali at Times Square. Tens of thousands of people attend the event, now in its fourth year.

    In India, Diwali is a five-day harvest festival held just before the Hindu New Year. The exact dates change from year to year but Diwali is always in the fall. Celebrations include lighting oil lamps or candles called diyas. The lights represent "a victory of knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness, good over evil."

    A Diwali celebration will light up Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim this year. Visitors can watch performances of traditional Indian dances and take part in a Bollywood dance party. The event is part of a Festival of Holidays program at the theme park to show cultural traditions from around the world.

    One of the most striking findings of a newly research in the UK is that of the people interviewed, one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.

    Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start close relationships? Does modem life really make it harder to fall in love? Or are we making it harder for ourselves? It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for money or status. A man doesn't expect his wife to be in (唯一的) charge of running his household and raising his children.

    But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.

    In theory, finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago, your choice of soul mate was limited by geography, social convention and family tradition. Although it was never clear，many marriages were essentially arranged. Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster ( 牡蛎), you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.

    But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by the limitations of choice. The expectations of partners are raised to an unmanageable degree: good looks, impressive salary, kind to grandmother, and right socks. There is no room for error in the first impression.

    We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn't, it should be ended. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don't put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Twelve-hour work at the office makes relaxed after-hours dating difficult. The cost of housing and child-raising creates pressure to have a stable income and Career before a life partnership.

    It's a classroom. Instead of being told to sit quietly and listen, you are encouraged to stand up, jump around, imagine and act out. It's a class full of laughter and applause (鼓掌), emotion and energy. Welcome to drama class, one of my favorite classes at high school.

    In drama class we used to play a lot of “drama games”. We would improvise (即兴表演), copy and above all use our imagination.

    My favorite game was called “Spotto”. One person stood in the front of the class and performed a scene, completely out of their imagination. When one audience member yelled “Spotto!”, the performer had to freeze. Then the person who had yelled Spotto had to get up and improvise a new scenario (剧情) based on the position the first performer froze in. This went on as more and more people were added to the scene. Eventually the entire class would have joined the scene. Then the performers would start to leave in reverse (颠倒的) order.

    It was a lot of fun, and a good test of everyone's imagination to see what they would come up with. Drama class at my school often involved a big performance at the end of the term as well. We would work on a production throughout the term and put on a show for our parents and the school community.

    It was a great experience to perform on stage in front of a large audience. Drama class can help shy children, like me, to come out of their shells. It helped them become more confident and developed their public speaking skills. Drama class is also a great place to express oneself, and a way for children to use up some of their energy.

    July is a month of fun-filled activities for kids and teens as long as you know where to find them. When you want some fun activities for July, consider these ideas happening in this month.

Exploring nature allows us to catch sight of rare animals and come across special places of beauty. Of course, none of this would be possible {#blank#}1{#/blank#} protected nature areas. This is {#blank#}2{#/blank#} national parks are so important. A few national parks allow things like hotels and recreation areas {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (construct) within them, but most parks do not allow any development at all. 

The very first national park {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (be)also one of the most famous in the world—Yellowstone, in the western USA. Nineteenth-century explorers {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (amaze) by what they saw in Yellowstone. Apart from the beautiful mountains, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (rush) rivers, and tall waterfalls, there were geysers, which sent boiling water as high as 91 meters into the air. Then there were the hot springs, as colourful as rainbows. These explorers wanted to protect the natural {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (feature) of the area from development so that future generations could enjoy the area. And so, in 1872, Yellowstone was established as {#blank#}8{#/blank#} national park. Today, around four million people a year visit it. Many come hoping to see wildlife, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} is no longer as common in the American West as it once was. Everyone comes to see the geysers, {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(especial) Old Faithful, which sits near the centre of the park, and sends 95. 6 ℃ water up to 56 metres into the air every 44 to 125 minutes.