Cell Phones: Hang Up or Keep Talking?

Millions of people are using cell phones today. In many places it is actually considered unusual not to use one. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They find that the phones are more than a means of communication—-having a mobile phone shows that they are cool and connected.

    The explosions around the world in mobile phone use make some health professionals worried. Some doctors are concerned that in the future many people may suffer health problems from the use of mobile phones. In England, there has been a serious debate about this issue. Mobile phone companies are worried about the negative publicity of such ideas. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    On the other hand, why do some medical studies show changes in the brain cells of some people who use mobile phones? Signs of change in the tissues of the brain and head can be detected with modern scanning(扫描)equipment. In one case, a traveling salesman had to retire at a young age because of serious memory loss. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} He would often forget the name of his own son. This man used to talk on his mobile phone for about six hours a day, every day of his working week, for a couple of years. His family doctor blamed his mobile phone use, but his employer's doctor didn't agree.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The answer is radiation. High-tech machines can detect very small amounts of radiation from mobile phones. Mobile phone companies agree that there is some radiation, but they say the amount is too small to worry about.

    As the discussion about their safety continues, it appears that it's best to use mobile phones less often. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Use your mobile phone only when you really need it. Mobile phones can be very useful and convenient, especially in emergencies. In the future, mobile phones may have a warning label that says they are bad for your health. So for now, it's wise not to use your mobile phone too often.

A. Use your regular phone if you want to talk for a long time.

B. They will possibly affect their benefits.

C. In many countries, cell phones are very popular with young people.

D. He couldn't remember even simple tasks.

E. What do the doctors worry about?

F. They say that there is no proof that mobile phones are bad for your health.

G. What is it that makes mobile phones potentially harmful?

    One of the most popular vacation destinations for young families is the home of relatives. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  Here are some tips for making sure you are invited back again.

    Be considerate

    Every family has their own way of doing things. Keep these things in mind when you're visiting.

    If your host family are early to bed and early to rise, don't keep them up talking until one o'clock in the morning.

    If your host family gets angry about kids running wild, either plan to keep a close eye on your kids or plan to stay somewhere else. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    Offer to help out

    Playing host to a family with children can be quite a challenge. Make sure you help lighten the load.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Offer to help with cooking and cleanup. Make your beds and run to the store for milk. Better yet, don't ask. Just start working.

    Help pay for food

    This may not apply, if you're visiting parents and they insist on paying for everything and they can afford it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Use your judgment when it comes to parents. However, if you're visiting cousins, it will be a great help to them if you buy your  share of the food.

    Show your appreciation

    No matter whom you are visiting, make sure you let them know you appreciate their hospitality(盛情招待). {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  Or leave some fresh flowers when you leave. If you don't have enough money, write them a letter, letting them know how much fun you had and how much you appreciate them.

A．Don't expect your hosts to supply your every need.

B．Offer to take them out to dinner on your last night in town.

C．Make sure you don't leave your things behind while visiting a family.

D．In that case you may hurt your parents if you insist on paying for food.

E．Try not to disturb someone who is in the middle of exams.

F．Staying with relatives is a great way to save money while getting away from home for a while.

G．Having a talk with your children about expected behavior while visiting is always a good idea.

Do you think you could learn a language in an hour?

    We know, we know! We would expect you to be skeptical. It's ridiculous to think you can learn a language in 60 minutes. You wouldn't even get through the As in a bilingual dictionary in that amount of time! Best-case situation: in an hour, most of us could probably stuff a few words and ready-made phrases into our short-term memory (with a high likelihood of forgetting it all by the following day). Accomplishing anything more than that in one hour? Impossible. Unless…

    We posed the one-hour language challenge to four polyglots(通晓数种语言的人) who are experts on how to study languages. To keep the challenge from becoming completely impossible, we gave them a bit of a break: to learn Romanian in one hour. Why Romanian? Because it's a Romance language and shares many similarities with the languages that the polyglots already know: French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese. And to make sure their hour of learning was as effective as possible, all of them were assigned a personal Romanian tutor to help coach them on their way to success.

    Although each polyglot has a different technique for picking up and remembering a new language, all four methods offer valuable insights to anyone, from casual learners to hard-core language enthusiasts.

Alex Rawlings — UK

    "I'm a bit nervous. This is probably the craziest language-learning thing I've ever done, but learning languages has always been about fun. I expect that, after this, I'll be prepared to have a simple chat over a coffee in Romanian. Is that reasonable?"

    Method: Learn the verbs first

    With only an hour until he had to start demonstrating his grasp of Romanian, Alex knew he had to start talking quickly. He chose to focus first on commonly used verbs and how to conjugate（动词变形） them. Once he had some verbs down, he could start collecting nouns from his tutor and plugging them in to make more interesting and relevant sentences.

Luca Lampariello — Italy

    "Every time I have a conversation with native speakers, it really motivates me. Human contact is really important when learning a language."

Method: Start speaking right away

    Speaking doesn't mean speaking perfectly. Speaking even a little bit is a huge confidence boost. When you can say something in a new language and people actually understand you, it's very motivating. Yes, you'll make mistakes, but you'll also learn faster than if you try to get it all perfect in your head first.

Michael Youlden — UK

    "We all speak a variety of Romance languages which I think will help us get into Romanian quickly."

Method: Write everything down

    Language learning is about recall; there's no use learning something if you don't remember it. Speaking new words aloud is very important, but so is writing them down — after all, words exist as sounds and in written form. Taking notes is a proven way to put new vocabulary and grammar into your memory. Writing supports memorizing which supports speaking... it's a cycle. Plus, you have an easy reference when you want to review what you've learned.

Matthew Youlden — UK

    "I'm going to look for the patterns and similarities with languages I already know. We won't be able to speak fluently after an hour of study, but we should be able to get by with some basic vocabulary and phrases."

Method: Look for cognates

    Cognates are words in different languages that look and sound similar and have the same meaning, due to a common origin. Almost every language combination contains cognates (even if two languages aren't seemingly related), but languages from the same language family have many more. Whichever language you are learning, identify the familiar words and then use them to anchor the new words that aren't so familiar. To use English as an example, because it's a sort of Germanic-Romance hybrid, English already has many words that cognate with German, Dutch and Swedish on one hand, and on the other hand it also has lots of words that cognate with French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and, of course, Romanian!

    Learn a language with courses designed by the experts. Start here, today!

    Pick a language to learn. German, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Swedish.

    Have you ever felt sick to your stomach during a test? Have you ever been so worried about something that you ended up with a terrible headache?

    If so, then you know what it's like to feel stress. You've probably heard people say，“Wow，I'm really stressed out.” {#blank#}1{#/blank#}But children have lots of things going on in their lives that can cause stress, too.

What is stress?

    Stress is what you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about something. This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, frustrated, scared, or afraid—which can give you a stomachache or a headache.

What causes stress?

    Plenty of things can cause stress in a child's life.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Good or normal stress might show up when you're called on in class or when you have to give a report. Have you ever gotten butterflies in your stomach or sweaty hands? Those can be signs of good stress.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, you may do a better job on your book report if the anxiety inspires you to prepare well before you get up and read it to the class.

    But bad stress can happen if the stressful feelings keep going over time. You may not feel well if your parents are fighting, if a family member is sick，if you're having problems at school, or if you're going through anything else that makes you upset every day.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Once you recognize that you're feeling stressed, there are several things you can do. You can try talking about what's bothering you with an adult you trust, like a parent or teacher.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} An adult may have ideas about how to solve whatever is worrying you or making you uncomfortable.

A．This kind of stress can help you to get things done.

B．Maybe you hear adults say those kinds of things all the time.

C．Bring up what's been on your mind and how it makes you feel.

D．Everyone experiences stress at times—adults, teens，and even kids.

E．There are ways to reduce stress and manage the stress that's unavoidable

F．That kind of stress isn't going to help you, and it can actually make you sick.

G．The trick is to remember that some types of stress are good and others are bad.

                                                                     How to Grow Vegetables at Home

    Many people choose to grow their own vegetables for healthy food. You'll enjoy the fruits of your labor if you give your plants the care they require.

    Step 1

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Consider how much produce you can use. Also consider your space. Your gardening area will need at least six hours of sunlight per day.

    Step 2

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If the leaves are yellow or have holes that is a sign the plant is diseased. Look for plants with strong green stems and a shiny appearance.

    Step 3

    Prepare your soil. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Add manure(肥料).

    Step 4

    Dig a hole as deep as the plant's root ball and a little wider. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Checkthe instructions on each plant to see how much space to leave between plants. Water thoroughly(彻底地) when the planting is over.

    Step 5

    Maintain your vegetable garden by watering and weeding regularly. Your garden needs about an inch of water a week. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Weed by hand or with a tool.

A. Plan your garden.

B. Consider the place.

C. Choose plants that look healthy.

D. Remove grass and weeds from the soil.

E. Place the plant in the hole and fill it in with dirt.

F. The biggest mistake is trying to do too much too soon.

G. Water once or twice a week to help your plants develop strong roots.

    In an online class, developing healthy patterns of communication with professors is very important. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} While I have only listed two of each, there are obviously many other situations that can arise. Students should be able to extend the logic（逻辑）of each to their particular circumstance.

    Do's

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Questions about subject content are generally welcomed. Before asking questions about the course design, read the syllabus（教学大纲）and learning management system information to be sure the answer isn't hiding in plain sight.

    Participate in discussion forums（论坛）, blogs and other open-ended forums for dialogue. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Be sure to stay on topic and not offer irrelevant information. Make a point, and make it safe for others to do the same.

    Don'ts

    Don't share personal information or stories. Professors are not trained nurses, financial aid experts or your best friends. If you are in need of a deadline extension, simply explain the situation to the professor. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Don't openly express annoyance at a professor or class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} When a student attacks a professor on the social media, the language used actually says more about the student. If there is truly a concern about a professor's professionalism or ability, be sure to use online course evaluations to calmly offer your comments.

A. That's what they are for.

B. Turn to an online instructor for help.

C. If more information is needed, they will ask.

D. Remember that online professors get a lot of emails.

E. Below are some common do's and don't for online learners.

F. Everyone has taken a not-so-great class at one time or another.

G. Ask questions, but make sure they are good, thoughtful questions.