Next autumn when you see wild geese heading south for the winter flying in a V formation, you might think about what scientists have discovered as to why they fly that way.

    As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift(提升) for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V formation the whole group adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flies on its own.

    People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the push of one another.

    When a wild goose falls out of the formation，it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go alone and quickly tries to get back into the formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. When the head goose gets tired，it flies back into the formation and another goose flies to the front. It is wise to take turns doing difficult jobs whether it is people or wild geese flying south.

    Wild geese honk (发出雁叫声) from behind to inspire those up front to keep up their speed. What can we learn from this?

    When a wild goose gets sick or wounded by gunshots，and falls out of the formation，two other geese will fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They will stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies，and only then will they go on with their own or with another formation to catch up with their group.

    A company in San Francisco, California, has found a way to turn used plastic bottles into women's shoes.

    Every day, millions of Americans drink water and other liquids from plastic bottles. More than 60 million of them are thrown away each day. Many of the plastic bottles end up in landfills or are burned with other waste products.

    A San Francisco start-up company called Rothy's, however, turns this plastic waste into environmentally friendly shoes. Roth Martin is the company's co-founder. He explains how they turn plastic into soft material for women's feet. They take the plastic, clean it, and break it down into small pieces. Then they press them through a device that makes soft fibers. Those fibers are then combined together. This is done by a 3D machine. It is designed to reduce waste while making the shoes. The knitted stuff and the inner part of the shoe are then attached to the shoe's outer part, called the sole (鞋底). This outer sole is also made from environmentally friendly material: responsibly sourced no-carbon rubber.

    Rothy's shoes are sold online. They are flat shoes, with either a rounded or pointed toe. They come in different colors and designs. They cost either $ 125 or $ 145 per pair, depending on the design. After American actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovered them last year, the demand for the shoes grew. Martin says there is no shortage of material to fill that demand. “We're not going to run out of water bottles any time soon. So we have a limitless supply of material, and I think that is a good sign for our future.” When the environmentally friendly shoes wear out, customers can return them at no cost to a company that uses the recycled materials to make other products.

    For now, the shoes are only available to be shipped in the United States. However, the company says it will add international shipping in the near future.

    In many countries, authority is seldom questioned, either because it is highly respected, or because it is feared. Because rank has been important in certain societies for a long time, people have been trained never to question those in authority. For example, children are not expected to question their teachers in school. It may be considered improper for young businessmen to suggest ideas that differ from those of older, more experienced members of the business.

    In other countries, including America, children are trained to question and search for answers. When a child asks a question, he will often be told to go to the library and find the answer for himself. By the time students reach the age of 14 or 15, they may be developing exciting new ideas in all fields of science and arts. To encourage such creativity, there are many national prizes offered to students every year for their scientific discoveries and artistic accomplishments.

    This interest in questioning and searching may be considered by some people as bad for young people's manners, that young people lack respect for authority. This impression may be created when visitors notice young Americans asking questions and arguing with older people. However, this is because many Americans have a different attitude toward authority than may exist in other areas of the world. In a work or business situation, ideas are freely and openly discussed and argued. It is important to remember that it is the person's ideas that are being questioned, not the individual himself. The two are quite separate. The purpose of the searching, questioning, and arguing is to find the facts in a particular situation, and therefore a solution, so that the work of the business can progress in the most effective manner possible.

    As was mentioned earlier, you may notice the same questioning in social conversations. Although some individual may think that Americans are rude because of the direct manner with people, they are merely trying to learn more about your ideas.

    A new app aims to help parents interpret what their baby wants based on the sound of their cry. The free app Chatter Baby, which was released last month, analyzes the acoustic (声学的) features of a baby's cry, to help parents understand whether their child might be hungry, fussy or in pain. While critics say caregivers should not rely too much on their smartphone, others say it's a helpful tool for new or tired parents.

    Ariana Anderson, a mother of four, developed the app. She originally designed the technology to help deaf parents better understand why their baby was upset, but soon realized it could be a helpful tool for all new parents.

    To build a database, Anderson and her team uploaded 2,000 audio samples of infant(婴儿) cries. She used cries recorded during ear piercings and vaccinations to distinguish pain cries. And to create a baseline for the other two categories, a group of moms had to agree on whether the cry was either hungry or fussy.

    Anderson's team continues to collect data and hopes to make the app more accurate by asking parents to get specific about what certain sounds mean.

    Pediatrician Eric Ball pointed out that evaluating cries can never be an exact science. “I think that all of the apps and technology that new parents are using now can be helpful but need to be taken seriously,” Ball said ,“ I do worry that some parents will get stuck in big data and turn their parenting into basically a spreadsheet(电子表格) which I think will take away the love and caring that parents are supposed to be providing for the children. ”

    But Anderson said the aim of the app is to have parents interpret the results, not to provide a yes or no answer. The Bells, a couple using this app, say it's a win-win. They believe they are not only helping their baby now but potentially others in the future.

    What do you think of your Chinese? If you think your Chinese is good enough, you can take part in the competition named Chinese Characters Dictation Competition(中国汉字听写大会).

    Today teenagers are using more and more smart phones. They spend too much time in shopping, chatting, playing games and so on. Many of them cannot using smart phones to help with their study. Overuse of smart phones will make students too lazy to think and write. Some of them even forget how to write Chinese characters by hand. Teachers and parents are very worried about it.

    In order to draw people's attention to the problems above, in 2013 CCTV held the first Chinese Characters Dictation Competition. About 200 students from 32 teams took part in it. They stood on the stage to write down Chinese characters by dictation. Lu Jialei, a 14-year-old girl from Zhejiang, got first place.

    Since then, the competition has been popular among teenagers. Many people are interested in this kind of competition, too. They like to write down the characters while the competitors(参赛者)are writing them.

    Can you be the next winner?

Terrific New Technologies

•A fashionable smart speaker

    The new Amazon Echo smart speaker has the same popular feature as the original-an always listening voice assistant ready to play music and news, set timers, and use third-party apps. Only now it's actually stylish. The $120 speaker comes in different finishes, including fabric and wood.

•A helping hand for parents

    10 Suzy Snooze helps babies and kids sleep so parents can catch up on their own sleep. It's a sound machine and a nightlight. It connects with an app over wi-fi and turns into an audio monitor. If a kid cries at midnight, it'll detect the sound and try to calm him back to sleep. It can also let early risers know when it's OK to get out of bed. Made by Bleep Bleeps, the $249 "smart nightlight" has an adorable little face.

•Safety for ding dongs

    Doorbells used to just ring, ding, and dong. But thanks to modern technology, doorbells can now double as Internet-connected- surveillance(监视) devices. Rings $249 Video Doorbell Pro can record HD video of your front steps, even at night. It includes motion sensors and two-way audio, so you can yell "get off my lawn" from anywhere. You can also use the app to see what's going on in front of your house while you're at work or in the backyard.

•The must-have kitchen gadget

    The Instant Pot makes food fast in one pot. The surprise kitchen hit is a combination of pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker and even yogurt maker. It has sensors and settings to make cooking as safe as possible. Starting at $80, an Instant Pot can make dishes in less time than it typically takes to cook them.