The kids in this village wear dirty clothes. They sleep beside cows and sheep in huts (棚屋) made of sticks and mud. They have no school. Yet they all can sing the English letters, and some can make words.    

    The key to their success: 20 tablet computers (平板电脑) dropped off in their Ethiopian village in February by a U.S. group called One Laptop Per Child.

    The goal is to find out whether kids using today's new technology can teach themselves to read in places where no schools or teachers exist. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers analyzing the project say they're already amazed. “What I think has already happened is that the kids have already learned more than they would have in one year of kindergarten (幼儿园),” said Matt Keller, who runs the Ethiopia program.

The fastest learner—and the first to turn on one of the tablets—is 8-year-old Kelbesa Negusse. The tablet's camera couldn't save memory, yet within weeks Kelbesa had figured out its workings and made the camera work. He called himself a lion, a marker of accomplishment in Ethiopia.

With his tablet, Kelbasa rearranged the letters HSROE into one of the many English animal names he knows. Then he spelled words on his own. “Seven months ago he didn't know any English. That's unbelievable,” said Keller.

The project aims to get kids to a stage called “deep reading,” where they can read to learn. It won't be in Amharic, Ethiopia's first language, but in English, which is widely seen as the ticket to higher paying jobs.

    In the frozen continent of Antarctica scientists fear an alien invasion — not from outer space, but carried in people's pockets and bags.

    Seeds and plants accidentally brought to Antarctica by tourists and scientists may introduce alien plant species which could threaten the survival of native plants in the finely balanced ecosystem.

    “The people that were carrying the most had lots and lots of seeds. They really were real threats,” said Dana Bergstrom, from the Australian Antarctic Division.

    “When we take things in through hitchhiking（搭车旅行） then we get species which are competitive. The plants and animals there are not necessarily competitive, so we'd start losing various precious biodiversity（生物多样性） on the (Antarctic) continent”, Bergstrom told Reuters.

    Amongst the alien species discovered were the Iceland Poppy, and Annual Winter Grass — all from cold climates and capable of growing in Antarctica.

    The Antarctic Peninsula, where most tourists travel, is now considered a “hot spot” on the frozen continent and the warmer the climate, the easier for seeds to grow. “The peninsula(半岛) is warming at some of the greatest rates on the planet,” said Bergstrom.

    The study, the first continent-wide assessment of invasive species in Antarctica, surveyed about 1,000 passengers during 2007-2008, the first year of the International Polar Year, an international effort to research the polar areas.

    Bergstrom said the one alien seed that had gained a foothold is Annual Winter Grass. It is a strong weed in the sub-Antarctic and is on the Antarctic island of King George. It has also made its way to the tail part of the Antarctic continent.

    If you want to fully enjoy your vacation, you'd better check the Durban City Tours! This is actually one of the best choices in South Africa today.

    There is nothing more relaxing than to think about that there is a place to go and relax, right? City life is strained（紧张的）, but you can escape this situation and be in the place where there is nothing but relaxation. Here in Durban you will get to see all the amazing tourist attractions（吸引人的地方）. If you love animals and want to see some elephants wandering around the streets, then Durban is the place to go. You can even get to ride one if you want!

    Here you will also get to taste all the delicious South African food. You can choose from Italian cooking to its native dishes. Durban is a great place to tour with your friends and family. You will learn a lot about its history through the landmarks（地标） you will see down the streets. Tourists and even the local villagers just can't get enough of these treats!

    However, it is important that you make the necessary arrangements安排. There are actually lots of tour guides that will help you as you make your journey along the streets of Durban. But if you prefer the best tour guides here in Durban, then you'd better choose the Street Scene Tours. Their staff（员工） are all well­trained and professional（专业的）. They will certainly make your stay here an unforgettable one. No wonder tourists prefer the Street Scene Tours when it comes to Durban City Tours.

    If you are invited to a wedding, baby shower or other celebrations, you will be expected to bring a gift. Unless you know the host very well, the gift should be modest in value, about $25 or so.

    For a wedding, the bride will have "registered (登记)" at one or two local department stores，indicating the items she prefers. You can buy the couple a gift that isn't listed , but most people buy something listed on the registry (记录簿). If you buy an item listed on the registry, be sure to tell the store that you are doing this, so that the couple doesn't receive duplicate (重复的) gifts. For a baby shower, bring a gift appropriate for a new born baby.

    If you wish to give a gift when you leave to return to your country, the best gift   is something unique to your country. It does not need to be especially valuable or rare. Possibilities include a book about your country, an inexpensive piece of handicraft( 手工艺品)or art, or something else that reflects your culture. If the children collect coins and stamps, they would be very pleased with a set of your country's coins or a selection of stamps from your country.

    If you owe a debt of deep gratitude to an American host family, a common way of repaying it is to take the family to a form of entertainment, such as a baseball, basketball, or a good restaurant.

    Gift giving is not as important in America as it is in other countries, so there is nothing wrong with not giving a gift. If you need help, talk to a salesperson at a department store. Tell them about the person who will be receiving the gift and the reason for the gift, and they will help you find something appropriate.

    It is important to know another language and how to communicate without words when you are in another country. Before saying anything, people communicate with each other by using gestures(手势). However, many gestures have different meanings, or no meaning at all, in different parts of the world.

    In the United States, nodding your head up and down means "yes", while in some parts of Greece and Turkey, it means "no". In the southeast of Asia, it is a polite way of saying "I heard you".

    Today in the USA, when someone puts his thumb up, it means "Everything is all right." However, in Greece it is bad. Also putting your clasped(紧握的)hands up above your head means "I am the winner." It is the sign which players often make. In Russia it is the sign of friendship.

    In the USA, holding your hand up with the thumb and index finger(食指), and the other three straight means "Everything is OK." In France, it means "You are worth nothing."

    It is also important to make eye communication. If you look down when talking to an American, he or she may feel that you are shy, or you are trying to hide something.

Besides these, you should also know there are some topics that cannot be talked about, such as age, weight and marriage. You can talk about the weather, work, sports, food, where one lives and news of the day.

    The love story between John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, was far from perfect and was tragically cut short in 1963 by a sniper's(狙击手) bullet.

    On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was seated beside his smartly dressed wife, who was wearing a pink Chanel-like suit and matching pillbox hat and holding an armful of red roses that had been presented to her by fans. They were seated in the back seat of a dark blue 1961 Lincoln with John Connally, the Governor of Texas and his wife, Nellie.

    And then came the dark moment. As the motorcade(车队) passed the Texas School Book Depository on Elm Street, a loud noise—like the sound of a firecracker—cracked the air. President Kennedy slumped(耷拉) forward, Jackie putting her arms around him.

    The look on her husband's face after he was shot would haunt Jackie for the rest of her life. The last words she ever got to say to him were, "I love you, Jack. I love you," according to Anderson, although Jackie herself recalled it slightly differently in a 1963 interview. All the way to Parkland Hospital, where President Kennedy would eventually be pronounced dead, as she recalled it, she was bent over him, asking "Jack, Jack, can you hear me? I love you."

    Jack Kennedy's final words to his wife of 10 years were far more mundane, of course. He had no way of knowing what was about to happen. It's been reported that Jack's final words were, "My God, I've been hit," but physicians have said this was impossible given Jack's injuries. Well, historians have now clarified that the last words Jack spoke before the fatal shot were, "No, you certainly can't."

    No, you certainly can't?

    He was making small talk in the car. "You certainly can't say that the people of Dallas haven't given you a nice welcome," the Texas Governor's wife had just remarked to Jack, referring to the huge, adoring crowd. "No, you certainly can't," Jack replied, milliseconds before the bullet from Lee Harvey Oswald gun struck.

    John F. Kennedy never spoke another word after that fateful day, but many things he said during his lifetime are incredibly inspiring.