Read the advertisements carefully．Thenanswer the questions that follow．

INTERESTED IN CHILDCARE?

Qualified person or preschool teacherneeded for busy childcare center, south of the river．Full-timework guaranteed．Immediatestart necessary．Thecandidate must be able to work as a co-operative team member．Phone6345 2345 for an interview and fax resume to 6345 2345．

WE NEED OFFICE CLEANERS!

Three people are required forprofessional cleaning in the CBD area．Working hours from 5:00 pm on Mondays,Wednesdays & Fridays．Approximately five hours per shift．A goodrecord is necessary．Experiencepreferred．Phone6345 7843 now．

WANT TO WORK AS A DENTAL NURSE?

This is an exciting opportunity for aqualified dental nurse with a confident and cheerful personality to work in theSchool Dental Health Scheme．You must be able to get along well withchildren because the work involves talking to groups about dental healthpractices．Forfurther information, visit our website at: schooldentalservices@ gov．sg．And faxyour resume to 6234 4567．

FLORIST WANTED!

Are you a creative and trained floristwith at least two years of experience? Then this may be just what you areseeking．Thecity's leading Florist Artist Studio needs another part-time member on theirwedding team．Pleasephone 6098 7888 now!

    You're rushing to work and a man ahead of you falls down on the sidewalk. Do you stop to help? In a study of by-standers, it was found that some people keep on walking.

    "There is a tendency to decide that no action is needed," says a psychologist, "In order to take action, you have to work against them." Here are some common thoughts that stop you from helping.

    ●Why should I be the one? I'm probably not the most able person in this crowd. You might think someone older or with more medical knowledge should offer assistance.

    ●What if he doesn't really need my help? The fear of embarrassment is powerful; no one wants to risk looking foolish in front of others.

    ●No one else looks concerned. We can follow the people around us, but most people tend to hold back their emotions in public.

    "If you spot trouble and find yourself explaining inaction, force yourself to stop and evaluate the situation instead of walking on," says the psychologist. "Then retry to involve other people; you don't have to take on the entire responsibility of being helpful. Sometimes it's just a matter of turning to the person next to you and saying, 'It looks like we should do something.' Or asking someone if an ambulance has been called and, if not, to call for one. Once you take action, most people will follow you."

    Some people shy away from traveling alone while a few welcome it. So, what is it that makes traveling alone an attractive choice?

    First of all, the travel plan and all the decisions you make are yours alone. You don't need to worry about any other person or group. In other words, there are no arguments. Actually, you can be completely selfish.

    Traveling alone is also a great confidence builder. Yes, at times it can feel a bit lonely, but that is just one of many problems you will have to solve yourself, along with making your own preparations and setting your own goals.

    Besides, have you noticed that when you're on your own, people are more willing to start a conversation with you? Interestingly, people tend to keep a distance from couples and groups. However, the lone (独自的) traveler looks ready to connect with their fellow human beings and more likely to get into pleasant conversation about their trips.

    Here are two more exciting reasons why you should consider traveling alone. You will find you learn the language faster when you don't have someone else talking to you in your own language all the time. You are forced to communicate in the foreign language when you travel alone in a country that doesn't speak your native language. In addition, when you're on your own, you're free to meet someone who might turn out to be very important in your life.

    Of course, there may be things stopping you: You fear the unknown, or you have friends who may be upset by your decision to take off by yourself. You will have to make them believe the value of traveling done and allay any fears they might have, but with the technology at our fingertips, you can include them in the adventure.

    The flowers are blooming and the birds are singing as Melinda sits in the rose garden of the nursing home. She is recalling old times as she waits for her family's arrival. The nursing home has been Melinda's new settlement ever since Thomas passed away a week ago. Thomas had fought a long and hard battle against lung cancer for three years. Unfortunately, he has broken the promise that he and Melinda had made: to be with each other for every birthday. Melinda knew this was unrealistic (不现实的) but agreed to the promise for Thomas's sake.

    "Thomas, you are completely a dreamerl" Melinda shouted to Thomas as he dragged on about living on an island with his beautiful wife. That's what she loved about him most-he had a vivid imagination. They got married at age eighteen and began having children right away. Mary came within the year, followed by Thomas Benjamin II, Lilly-Ann, and Joseph "Little Joey" George. The family lived an exultant life filled with laughter and love.

    "Mom!" Lilly shouted, but it really sounded like a howl. Melinda had lost herself in thinking about the life she had shared with her late husband. Lilly pushed her down the long dark halls of the nursing home until they arrived at the recreational room.

    When the doors opened, Melinda put her hand over her mouth and was completely speechless. The room was crowded with the people nearest and dearest to her and the warmth and love was felt instantly. The night went on; stories and cocktails were shared and everything was perfect.

    However, when Melinda caught a moment to herself she looked around at her family. With a smile on her face, she raised her Manhattan and called out for a toast. "This one is for you, Thomas, though you are not here."

    Over the past few years, smart home tech has become more and more accessible and it's increasingly easy to find that you've bought a product that includes smart home features. So what does a modem smart home look like, and how can you start building one? You could get to start making your home smarter by the following gadgets.

    Ecobee 4

    Measuring both occupancy and temperature, its sensors signal your Ecobee to automatically switch to the right mode.

    It only takes about 30 minutes, thanks to an easy-to-follow installation guide and an in-app step-by-step walkthrough.

    Easily adjust temperature using your voice with built-in Alexa or from wherever you are using your mobile devices.

    Amazon Smart Plug

    Amazon Smart Plug works with Alexa to add voice control.

    Schedule lights, fans, and appliances to turn on and off automatically, or control them remotely when you're away.

    It's simple to set up and use. Plug in, open Alexa app, and start using your voice.

    The Philips Hue White Smart Bulb

    It works with Amazon Alexa to support dimming through voice control.

    Schedule your own custom lighting scenes. Set the smart bulbs to turn on and off at a pre-set time.

    To install, simply screw (拧) the smart bulbs into your desired light location.

    Control smart-bulb-equipped lamps and overhead lights via the Philips Hue App.

    August Smart Lock Pro

    It works with Alexa for voice control (Alexa device sold separately).

    Control keyless access. It locks automatically behind you, and unlocks as you approach.

    Install in about 10 minutes with just a screwdriver (螺丝刀) .

Bruce, a parrot missing part of his beak （喙）,  creatively uses stones to clean feathers （羽毛）,  highlighting advanced intelligence in parrots. 

Bruce lost the upper part of his beak in 2012 and was sent to live at a reserve in New Zealand. The defect made Bruce unable to search for food on his own, let alone keep his feathers clean with his beak. But in 2021, when comparative psychologist Bastos arrived at the reserve with colleagues to study parrots, zookeepers reported something strange：Bruce had seemingly figured out how to select and use small stones to clean his own feathers with his beak. 

Over nine days, the team kept a close eye on Bruce, quickly taking, videos if he started cleaning his feathers. It turned out that Bruce had indeed invented his own way to do so, the researchers reported in Scientific Reports. 

"It's crazy because the behavior was not from the wild, " Bastos says. When Bruce arrived at the reserve, he was too young to learn how to clean his feathers. And no other bird in the reserve uses stones in this way. "It seems like he just invented this tool use for himself, " she says. 

Tool use is just one of parrots' many talents. They're famous for copying and even understanding human speech. Some species can also solve complex puzzles, like how to enter a covered rubbish bin or practice self-control. 

For a concept as abstract （抽象的） as intelligence, it's challenging to develop a definition that applies across animals. Researchers often point to features once thought to make humans special—enhanced learning, memory, attention and movement control—as signs of advanced skills. However, many of these abilities can also be seen in parrots, as well as other animals like chimpanzees, dolphins and elephants. 

"Parrots are our evolutionary （进化的） mirror image. These brilliant birds may teach us about how humanlike intelligence can appear, " behavioral ecologist Antone wrote in his 2022 book The Parrot in the Mirror. With powerful brains and a preference for words, these birds are "the very best example, " he writes,  "of nature's 'other try' at humanlike intelligence. "