A couple of days ago, as the test results came out, my son and a group of his 13-year-old friends piled into the back seat of my car, ready for the last-day-of-school party at McDonald's. “Jack got a laptop for getting straight A's, and Laurie got a cell-phone,” one boy said. “Oh, yeah, and Sarah got an iPad, and she's only in third grade,” said another. “And how about Brian? He got $10 for each A.”

    I suddenly became concerned. These payoffs might get parents through grammar school, but what about high school and beyond? What would be left after the electric guitar, the cell-phone, and the DVD player?

    I saw the road ahead:As the homework load increased, my income would decrease.I saw my comfortable lifestyle disappear before my eyes — no more of those $5 bags of already-peeled organic carrots. No more organic anything!

    I started to feel surprised and nervous. Would every goal achieved by my two children fetch a reward? A high grade point average? A good class ranking? Would sports achievements be included in this reward system: soccer goals, touchdowns? What about the orchestra? Would first chair pay more than second? I'd be penniless by eighth-grade graduation.

    “We never paid anything for good grades,” said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. “He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that's about it.”

    Don't you just hate that? We're all running around looking for the MP3 player with the most updates, and she's spending a few dollars on pizza. She gets motivation; we get negotiation. And what about the primary grades? What do these students get? “When the teacher asked if anyone got rewards for good grades, everyone in my class raised their hands and said they got ice cream cones ,” said one third-grader.

    LONDON—Terror struck in the heart of London on Thursday as explosions ripped through three subway trains and blasted(炸开)the roof off a crowded red double-decker bus. At least 37 people were killed and more than 700 wounded in the deadliest attack on the city since the blitz(闪电战)in World War II.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair blamed Islamic extremists and said the bombings were designed to coincide with the opening in Scotland of a G-8 summit of the world's most powerful leaders. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the bombings—which came the day after London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics— have the “hallmarks(特点)of an al-Qaida-related attack”.

    Trapped passengers in the Underground railway threw themselves on the floor, some sobbing. As subway cars quickly filled with smoke, people used their umbrellas try to break the windows so that they could get air. Passengers emerged from the Underground covered with blood and soot(黑烟). On the street, in a light rain, buses ferried the wounded, and doctors used a hotel as a hospital.

     “I didn't hear anything, just a flash of light, people screaming, no thoughts of what it was. I just had to get out of the train,” said subway passenger Chris Randall, 28, who was hospitalized with cuts and burns to the face, the legs and hands.

     “It was chaos(混乱),” said Gary Lewis, 32, evacuated(撤离)from a subway train at King's Cross station. “The one haunting(萦绕)image was someone whose face was totally black( with soot) and pouring with blood.”

    Police said there had been no warning and that the blasts at three subway stations went off within 26 minutes, starting at 8:51 a.m. in an Underground train just outside the financial district. Authorities initially blames a power failure but realized it was a terror attack after the bus bombing near the British Museum at 9:47 a.m.—less than an hour after the first explosion.

    For many of us, our workplace can be dark, depressing and dull. Windowless rooms and airless open-plan floors can kill motivation and cause a loss to worker performance, possibly even their health.

    But a refreshing trend is taking root in workplace design: nature. There's a growing evidence showing that workplaces which include natural elements, such as plants, light, colors and shapes, have noticeable and measurable benefits for both companies and their employees.

    The positive effects touch on everything from worker happiness and creativity to increased productivity, improved profits, and the improved ability to attract the best workers. It's all based on the principle of biophilia(亲生命性) — the born relationship between humans and the natural world and other living systems. And it's easier to achieve at the office than you think.

    “People just don't like using lights in a building with no plants, no views, no natural light,” says Sir Cary Cooper CBE, professor at Lancaster University in the UK. He led a 2015 study on the impact of biophilia in the workplace that surveyed 7,600 workers in 16 countries and found that even small nature-inspired changes can have a great effect.

    Responding to the Human Spaces Global Report, those who worked in environments with natural elements reported a 15% higher level of well-being, a 6% higher level of productivity and a 15% higher level of creativity. One third of them said the design of an office would affect their decisions to work for a company. Even so, 58% said there were no live plants at their workplaces and 47% reported having no natural light.

    An earlier, 2014 study by Cardiff University in Wales also showed that plants in the office make people happier and more productive. But more research is needed into biophilia, experts say.

    The McDonnells lived in a small brick house in Larchmont, a suburb of New York City. Jim was foreman of mail carriers at the post office where he had worked for 25 years. Married in 1960, he and Anne were childless.

    On the evening of the eleventh anniversary of their marriage, carrying out the garbage, Jim McDonnell slipped on ice­coated steps, and struck his head. A few days later, driving to work, he lost control of the car, hit a telephone pole, and banged his forehead against the windshield. The following day he fell off the stairs, and again he banged his head. Found unconscious, he was hospitalized for three days with a cerebral concussion(脑震荡). One day in the same month, Jim borrowed a friend's station wagon and drove to Kennedy Airport to pick up Anne's brother and family. When he returned the borrowed car at 10 p.m., he was unaware that the wallet containing his identification had slipped out of his pocket onto the floor of the station wagon. After that, he was never seen again.

    So what really happened to Anne's husband? During his walk home, Jim had indeed blacked out(昏厥), losing all ability to remember who he was and where he lived. What happened then is unclear. The next thing he knew was that he was in downtown Philadelphia, a city he had never visited before. Seeing signs advertising the services of a James Peters, a real estate broker, Jim adopted James Peters as his own name. He had no past; his only reality was the present. James Peters got a Social Security card, which could be obtained at that time without showing a birth certificate, and took a job in a health club. He next worked at a cancer research institute, cleaning out animal cages. He also got a night shift job at the P&P luncheonette, where he became well known for his omelets, as well as his courtesy and good humor.

    About a month before Christmas 1985, colleagues noticed that Jim had grown unusually quiet and depressed. Something seemed to be turning in his mind. On December 22, Jim had fallen and banged his head. The next day at work he seemed distracted, and late that afternoon he had fallen again, striking his head. On December 24, he awoke feeling confused, yet delighted. After almost 15 years, he knew who he was! He was James A. McDonnell, Jr., of Larchmont, New York. His wife's name was Anne.

    Anne had just returned home from Christmas Mass, where she lit candles and prayed for Jim. A light snow was falling, and she was in a hurry to leave for Christmas dinner at her sister's before the roads grew slick. Then the doorbell rang. "Oh my," she thought, "this is not a good time for a visitor." Anne opened the door — and saw a man with a full white beard. Immediately she recognized Jim. She couldn't speak.

    To Jim, Anne looked a little older, but prettier too. His heart overflowed.

    "Hello, Anne," he said.

    Scientists recently discovered that pictures on cave walls at Creswell Crags are the oldest known in Great Britain. But they didn't find out in the usual way.

    Archaeologists often date cave art with a process called radiocarbon dating. The technique can measure the age of carbon found in charcoal (木炭) drawings or painted pictures. Carbon is an element found in many things, including charcoal and even people. But in this case, there was no paint or charcoal to test. People carved the pictures of animals and figures into the rock using stone tools. The scientists had an "aha!" moment when they noticed small rocks stuck to the top of the drawings. The small rocks must have formed after the drawings were made.

    "It is rare to be able to scientifically date rock art," said Alistair Pike, an archaeological scientist at Britain's University of Bristol. "We were very fortunate that some of the engravings were covered by stalagmites(石笋).

    When a test proved that the stalagmites formed 12,800 years ago, the scientists knew the art underneath them had to be at least that old. And some of the animals shown, like the European bison, are now extinct-another tip-off that the art is quite old.

    The artists came to Creswell Crags, This place is one of the farthest points north reached by our ancient ancestors during the Ice Age. At that time, much of the North Sea was dry, so people could move about more easily.

    Some tools and bones found there are 13,000 to 15,000 years old. They show that the travelers hunted horses, reindeer, and arctic hare. Their artwork is similar to art in France and Germany. It tells scientists that the Creswell Crags artists must have had a close connection to peoples several thousand kilometers away—another important clue to understanding how humans spread out across the world.

Here comes 4 most popular clubs in our school! Join us, and we will help you to find your own shining points, lead you to find beauty and to create beauty, and make your campus life as fulfilling and happy as a dream.

Basketball Club

Students will be able to develop their basketball skills further and have the opportunity to compete in basketball games with members from other international schools in Beijing. The club will be available to 10-16 members from grades 5 to 8, and will practice twice weekly.

Yoga Club

Yoga not only improves balance and flexibility, but also serves as a peaceful escape from the stress of daily life. Our students will have the chance to physically exercise while reducing some stress from their life. The club will be available to 10-16 members from grades 7 to 12, and will meet once weekly (Tuesday).

Public Speaking Club

The Public Speaking Club will be centered around the personal development of students along with developing public speaking skills. The club will be interested in focusing on all skills in delivering better speeches and improving communication skills. The club will be available to 10-12 members from grades 7 to 12, and will meet once weekly (Wednesday).

Media Club

The Media Club teaches students the basics of journalism. The club offers a wide range of activities like interviewing teachers and students, writing about big events on campus, and operating the weekly school radio broadcasts. The club will be available to 8-12 members from grades 6-12 and will meet once weekly (Monday).