Old-fashioned carpooling (拼车) where a group of people take turns driving each other to work has always faced a resistance. In a study by ABC News, 84％of those who drive to work say that they still do it alone.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} For example, sometimes they simply cannot find anyone to share a ride with.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} NuRide, a company providing online carpooling service, offers daily travelers not just a web-based list of would-be carpoolers but also a way to arrange a trip online. Here's how it works: rider seekers enter the positions where their trip will begin and end, the time they want to leave and if they're willing to drive or just ride in someone else's car. The website's search engine then looks for matches and makes lists of the names of traveling companions, along with the car model and the exact time and place to meet for each trip.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Then they meet their car mates when it's time to go.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They are required to provide the name of their employer and a work e-mail address. Both need to be checked before being listed on the website.

       So far, NuRide has arranged more man 50,000 rides on the website.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. NuRide users aren't riding with total strangers.

B. It has resulted in 1.4 million fewer miles driven.

C. They insisted that carpooling is just too inconvenient.

D. Now technology makes carpooling easier and more fun.

E. It is an environmentally friendly and economical way to travel.

F. Carpooling reduces travel cost, such as fuel cost and stress of driving.

G. People who want to share the ride can show their interest in joining in online.

                                                                            Common-sense Safety Tips for Travelling Abroad

    When a holiday is just around the comer, you may be planning a trip abroad. But to enjoy a worry-free adventure abroad, you also should pay attention to the following common-sense safety tips for travelling abroad.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Another reason to take only carry-on carriage—besides avoiding baggage fees—is that the less you have to carry around, the more quickly you can move, if necessary. You should always have a free hand. Besides, you won't be exhausted from dragging all those bags around.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Lock it up.

    Leave your hotel with only what you need and lock up the rest. Take a lock for your luggage just in case your hotel doesn't offer a safe{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you don't need all your cash and cards, don't take them all with you when you go out for a day of sightseeing or shopping. Also, leave your passport in the hotel. Make photocopies of all your important documents and leave the hotel with a copy of your passport plus a one photo I.D. Why?{#blank#}4{#/blank#}If all of your identification is in it, imagine the trouble you have to go through to replace it all.

    Think and Plan.

    Always keep in mind that, when you travel abroad, you are in a place you don't know well and you can always be a target. Trust your senses{#blank#}5{#/blank#} After your arrival, ask the hotel staff and locals about the areas you are thinking of visiting, especially at night. And you should walk in well-lit areas at night and know how to contact the local police with your cell phone or a payphone in a foreign country, if necessary.

A. Travel light.

B. Pay by credit card.

C. Imagine having your bag stolen off a restaurant table.

D. You should also make it a habit to take your watch with you.

E. Plus, dragging lots of luggage is a dead giving away that you aren't a local resident.

F. You should call ahead to be sure, especially if your luggage is made of cloth material.

G. You are smart and mature, so if something or some situation doesn't feel safe, it probably isn't.

                                                                                                      Ways to save time

    We all wish we had just a bit more time. Just think what you could do with an extra hour or two each day: you could finally stick to an exercise routine, or spring­clean the house, or write your novel, or learn the guitar and so on.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}But I can help you find more hours in your day for the things that really matter.

    Get Out of Bed Earlier

    If you normally get up at 7：30 am, try getting up at 7：00 am. That half­hour might not sound like much, but it could be time that you use to exercise, to read that book you've been meaning to finish.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Do the Important Tasks First

    Once you get to work, get the important ones done first (not the easy ones, or even the urgent ones). You can afford to spend at least an hour working on big, important tasks rather than on all those little urgent ones.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}The urgent tasks will still get done, and you won't miss the important ones.

    Reduce Interruptions

    If colleagues have a habit of hanging around your desk to chat, or if the phone is constantly ringing, you might find that it takes you half the day to finish a simple task like writing a letter. Constant interruptions don't just eat up time, they also break your concentration.When you've got a big task to focus on, let your calls go to voicemail.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Wearing headphones makes it less likely that people will try to strike up a conversation.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    A few minutes chatting, browsing the web, and so on, can easily turn into hours of wasted time over the course of a day.

    When you're working, work. If your concentration is slipping, take a proper break, go and get a glass of water, or stretch your legs a bit. And if you're facing a difficult task, try breaking it into small steps or stages so that it's easier to deal with.

A. Or simply to get your day off to a calm and organized start.

B. I can't magically make all your days 25 hours long.

C. Would you want me to make your day longer?

D. Take Breaks When Necessary

E. If you have an office door, close it.

F. If you work like this, you'll usually save time.

G. Stay Focused on Your Work

    “Sorry for keeping you waiting. I left my cell phone at home, so I went hack to get it,” Adam said as he apologized to Vicky after arriving an hour late for their first date. Vicky tried to be polite, so she forced a smile and replied, “It's all right. Let's order something to eat.” While they were waiting for their food. Vicky discovered that Adam had been checking his cell phone. Just as she got the chance to talk to him Adam's cell phone rang and he answered it without delay. He talked continuously and totally ignored his date, who was sitting right next to him. Twenty minutes later, when Adam finally hung up and turned hack to Vicky, he saw nothing but an angry face. “Why don't you date your cell phone?” said Vicky. Then, she stood up and shouted, “Don't ever call me again!”

    We can understand why Vicky was so angry at Adam. In fact, like Adam, many people in modern society can't stand to be separated from their cell phones. With their cell phones, they talk to others, listen to music, check e-mall, and download applications as well as photos. Their dependence on this technological device has become so great that the cell phone is now often considered a necessity rather than a luxury (奢侈品). Some people cannot even imagine life without their cell phones. As a result, a psychological(心理学的) phrase known as "disconnect anxiety" was born.

    According to psychologists, when these people are not using their phones, they may start to feel uneasy. Some feel socially separated without their cell phone. Others worry about not being able to respond to emergencies in time. Still others are so psychologically influenced by their cell phones that they often believe their phones have been ringing without their knowledge. Those who suffer from disconnect anxiety frequently check their cell phones for any missed calls or messages. In addition, they like to keep in touch with their friends-even just to kill time. What's more, if these heavy cell phone users discover that they have forgotten to bring their cell phones along with them, they will insist on returning home to get their "cells".

    It's nice to have a cell phone, and it makes sense, of course, to enjoy all the advantages this clever product has brought. However, we need to use it wisely. For example, when we are doing something important, we should turn off our cell phones to concentrate on our work. As for Adam, he had better leave his cell phone at home on his next date with Vicky-if he gets another chance to go out with her!

    Screen Time: How Much Is Too Much?

    Many children spend a lot of time watching or playing with electronic media—from televisions to video games, computers and other devices. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Perhaps parents now should ease up on their concerns about screen time, at least for older boys and girls.

    Until last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggested that children and teenagers have no more than two hours of screen time a day. It also suggests that parents balance a child's screen time with other activities.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Christopher Ferguson, who teaches psychology at Stetson University in Florida, notes a lack of evidence supporting reports that too many hours spent playing video games or watching TV is truly harmful.

    Ferguson seems interested in one idea: the link between video games and violent or risky behavior. When he saw results from a recent British survey on screen time, he wanted to know more. The British study found a small negative effect—about a one percent increase—in aggression and depression among children who had six or more hours of screen time a day. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So, Ferguson and his team examined answers from a survey on risky behaviors. The study involved about 6,000 boys and girls in Florida, whose average age was 16.

    Data from this survey found that American children are also fairly resistant to the negative effects of electronic media. Among those who used screens up to six hours a day, the survey found: a 0.5 percent increase in criminal behavior; a 1.7 percent increase in signs of depression; and a 1.2 percent negative effect on school grades. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} To further argue his point that screen time is not harmful, Ferguson adds that children should become familiar with screen technology. Electronic devices, he says, are a part of our everyday lives.

A. Some negative experiences on social media can and do affect some children.

B. However, some experts question claims that too much screen time is harmful.

C. He wanted to see if there was a similar effect among young people in the United States.

D. So, it is natural that parents should wonder about all the time children spend looking at a screen.

E. The researchers found no increase in risky sex or driving behaviors, use of illegal substances or eating disorders.

F. The researchers suggested that for those children, technology use might get in the way of taking part in other important activities.

Observational Learning: To See Is to Know

    A group of psychologists, led by Albert Bandura, developed social learning theory, which emphasizes the fact that much learning occurs in a social context. This kind of learning, which results simply from observing and imitating the behavior of others, is called observational learning. Observational learning helps people acquire proper behavior in their families and cultures. By watching others, we learn how to greet people, eat, laugh and tell jokes. Do you still remember your first few days in senior grade one? By watching others, you learned how people talked to each other, what clothes were "fashionable," and how to interact with instructors.

    With modeling, you observe others' behaviors, and then none, some, or all of these behaviors may be learned and repeated, or modified. In one of Bandura's classic studies, children were divided into three groups: One group watched an adult beating up a Bobo doll, one group watched an adult ignoring the Bobo doll, and the third didn't see an adult at all. After being mildly frustrated by being placed in a room with toys, but not being allowed to play with some of them, all of the children were then placed in another room with a variety of toys, including a Bobo doll. Children in the first group tended to imitate what they had seen, mistreating the doll (and inventing new ways to abuse it).

    Researchers have discovered that several characteristics of models can make learning through observation more effective. Not surprisingly, the more you pay attention to the model, the more you learn. You are more likely to pay attention if the model is an expert, is good looking, has high status, or is socially powerful. Second, by watching others, we learn about what behaviors are appropriate for people like ourselves, so models who are seen as similar are more readily imitated. All students need to see successful, capable models who look and sound like them.

    Then, as teachers, how can you apply observational learning? Here are a few guidelines. Above all, model the behaviors and attitudes you desire your students to learn. For example, show enthusiasm for the subject you teach. Be willing to demonstrate both the mental and the physical tasks you expect the students to perform. Second, use peers, especially class leaders, as models. For example, in group work, pair students who do well with those who are having difficulties. Third, you may seek the help of class leaders in modeling behaviors. Examples include letting high­status students lead an activity when you need class cooperation or when students are likely to be reluctant at first.