Patricia Blues, 29, has a new aim in life: to keep drivers' hands on their steering wheels and off their cell phones. On November 2, 2007, Blues lived through a horrible experience. A motorist dialing a cell phone drove through a stop sign at 45 miles per hour and ran into the side of Blues' car. Blues' 2-year-old daughter was killed immediately in the crash.

    Blues has since devoted her time top pushing for laws that would prevent this type of tragedy from happening again.

    Cell phones are not the only distractions（分神） that cause accidents. Eating, changing CDs, reading maps, talking to passengers, and just reaching for an object on the floor can be dangerous. Therefore, the emphasis should be on educating drivers to avoid all distractions. However, talking on cell phones might be easier to regulate than eating or changing music. At least 34 states have already passed laws to restrict cell phone use in moving cars. No state has banned it yet, but several US. cities. Worldwide, 13 nations, including Australia, England, Germany, Japan and China have banned drivers' use of cell phones in moving cars.

    To date, no scientific evidence has been published showing that talking on the phone affects driving safety. But according to a test by some high school students, “driving while on the phone does affect safety and probably shouldn't be done”.

    Who could have imagined that a treadmill (跑步机) on wheels would one day become a thing? The Lopifit is an unusual means of transportation that allows you to power an electric bicycle by walking on a treadmill. It's actually cooler than it sounds.

The Lopifit founder Bruin Bergmeester said it all started when he asked himself the question "How can I use a treadmill outdoors?" Then he spent the next few years figuring out a way to make it work He eventually came up with a functional design, added an electric engine, and the Lopifit was born. It's similar to an electric bicycle in that the motor only engages when the rider puts power in as well. Only while typical electric bikes are given pedal assist, the Lopifit senses when you walk on the treadmill and use the motor to turn a drive chain under the treadmill, helping you reach a top speed of 17 miles per hour.

To use the Lopifit, simply turn on the battery and use your foot to slide the treadmill backwards and then start the motor. Then get on and enjoy the ride! H you need speed, just walk on the treadmill, and if you want to coast, all you have to do is stay still and admire the view. To stop, you have two hand breaks. The right hand break stops the electric bicycle, while the left one stops the treadmill itself. It sounds and actually looks simple enough to use, but most of those who have tried it say that it takes some time to get used to it.

    The Lopifit first hit the streets in 2014 and, unsurprisingly, became an instant hit. That was actually quite challenging for the company, because it started getting calls for orders, but it was nowhere near ready for mass production. The unique treadmill bicycle became available this year, and the Lopifit is struggling to keep up with demand, despite the high price, $2,115.

    Scientists are using robots to study the health of waters in and around Venice, Italy. The robots are designed to act like fish, other underwater creatures and plants. The scientists are working with several universities and research centers as part of a group called subCULTron. The European Union gives money to the project as part of its Horizon 2020 program whose aim is to take great ideas from the lab to the market and support science and innovation (创新) in Europe. The scientists want to use the artificial intelligence of the robots to help humans understand what is happening under the water of the Venice lagoon (潟湖).

    SubCULTron, a collective artificial intelligence project, plans to create the biggest shoal (鱼群) of robot fish in the world. The project's aim is to improve knowledge of the seabed and try to turn human abilities into hi-tech items.

    Alexandre Campo, a computer scientist, says the scientists have looked at the way animals learn to work in groups to understand how robots can learn to work together. The subCULTron project wants its robots to learn to work together so they can watch out for changes and new problems in the water.

    One problem the researchers had in the beginning was how the robots would communicate with each other. Wi-Fi and GPS equipment don't work underwater. Instead，the robots can use sonar (声呐) and an electric field.

    Another problem was charging batteries. The robots come up to the water's surface and stay near a boat or a power station to charge without any electrical cables. Besides, how to be water- proof, especially for some key pads of the robots, was really tough. Fortunately, a special mixture has been created to be pinned on the robot, which successfully stands the test of water.

    The health state of the lagoon is pretty good. There are no industrial polluters, and the city now has a modem sewer (污水管) system. It's not like before when all the waste flushed directly into the water. The robots in Venice will continue their work until 2019. The subCULTron project hopes they develop into “an artificial society underneath the water surface” that serves “a human society above the water”.

    China's hot word, tuhao, may be in Oxford English Dictionary.

    In Chinese, tu means rude and hao means rich. In recent years, people use this term to describe those who spend money in an unreasonable way. The word became more popular with Apple's gold-colored iPhone, which is loved by China's rich people. The color became known as “tuhao golden”. The word is now often used to refer to people who have money but lack taste.

    There are two other Chinese hot words: dama and No Zuo No Die, which may also be taken in the dictionary. Dama, meaning middle-aged women, was first used in the Western media by the Wall Street Journal. Thousands of Chinese women were buying a large amount of gold when the gold price had gone down. Another phrase No Zuo No Die, meaning if you don't do stupid things, they won't come back to bite you, is also very popular. Other words, such as Maotai, Chinglish and dim sum have also been included in the dictionary.

    BBC World News recently made a special program called “Tuhao, let's be friends!” “The frequent use of Chinglish by foreign media suggests that foreign people are looking more to the lifestyle and popular culture of China,” says Zhang Yiwu, professor of Beijing University.

    What does this trend suggest about the Chinese language's influence?

    Xing Hongbing, a professor from Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) said “These show that Chinglish is now being accepted by the rest of the world and they play important roles in daily life of Chinese. Behind these Chinglish words and phrases are the Chinese culture. They are reflections of the changes and trends in the Chinese society and they help people from other countries to understand what's happening in China.”

    CREATIVE KIDS

    FILM MAKING

    Become a director, scriptwriter(编剧), editor(编辑) and more ... all in a week?

    Six half days of film making + six half days of fun activities.

    What's it all about?

Imagine yourself as the new Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott? Love the cinema, but think you could do better? Or do you dream of being the next Keira Knightley or Johnny Depp? If so, then this is your holiday! You and your group will choose the type of film to make — adventure, fantasy, thriller or comedy. Then you'll create your own film to show at the end of the week. What's more, you'll also take your film home on DVD too!

    Can I do other activities as well?

Yes — every day there's also half a day of activities from our great activity programme, and different entertainment every evening. So you can pack in lots of other new experiences too!

What do I learn?

    You'll learn the basics of film and sound recording, performing, and script-writing; and how to use sound effects, visual effects and music.

    You'll also learn about the work of a director, before editing your own film.

    Do I need any experience?

    No, our fantastic trained instructors and film industry experts will guide you through the whole process, and give you tips from the professionals.

    Do I need any specialist equipment?

    No, we'll provide all the equipment, from top spec digital video cameras and editing equipment, to costumes and make-up. Just bring your imagination!

    Only ￡695 per child!

    Forest Schools originated in Sweden in the 1950s and spread to other countries, particularly Denmark where they have become an important part of the Danish early years program.

    In a typical Danish Forest School, young children from 3 years are taken into the forest for 4 hours each day of the week. They take no toys with them, but instead use only what the forest provides (and their imaginations) to develop their games. There is a primitive hut in the forest, which is used in extreme weather. Activities are child-led and fun, such as finding small animals or stomping in puddles. Because of high adult to child ratios, children can safely try out activities which are often considered too dangerous, such as climbing trees or lighting fires, and by dressing the children in good protective clothing, they are able to play freely. By setting children small manageable tasks at which they are unlikely to fail, and giving genuine praise, children's independence and confidence grow.

    A Swedish scientific study found that children in the Forest School are more balanced and socially capable, have fewer sick days, are more able to concentrate and have better co-ordination than the city nursery children. The primary reason appeared to be the greater opportunities to play in nature, so that children play for longer at a time, tending not to disturb each other as much as children in the city nursery. The study observed that where children were interrupted, they became irritable, their stress level rose, and their ability to concentrate fell.

    The study also showed that the Forest School children had 25 % fewer sick days than the city children. One reason for this is that the air is nearly always better outside than indoors. Outside a child is not so exposed to virus and bacteria and not so likely to be infected by other children. Another reason may be that, since stress has been shown to have a negative effect on the immune system, high stress levels may be weakening the city children. The Forest School children, on the other hand, are in a pleasant, natural, fun and less stressful environment.