The term “formal learning” refers to all learning which takes place in the classroom regardless of whether such learning is informed by conservative or progressive ideologies(思想意识). “Informal learning”, on the other hand, is used to refer to learning which takes place outside the classroom.

    These definitions(定义) provide the basic difference between the two models of learning. Formal learning is separated from daily life and may actually promote ways of learning and thinking which often run counter to those obtained form practical daily life. A characteristic feature of formal learning is the centrality of activities which can prepare for the changes of adult life outside the classroom, but it cannot, by its nature, consist of these challenges.

    In doing this, language plays an important role as a major channel for information exchange.  The language of the classroom is more similar to the language used by middle-class families than that used by working-class families. Middle class children thus find it easier to gain the language of the classroom than their working-class classmates.

Informal learning, in contrast, occurs in the setting to which it relates, making learning immediately relevant (相关的). In this context, language does not occupy such an important role: the child's experience of learning is more direct, involving sight, touch, taste, and smell senses that are not used in the classroom. Whereas formal learning is transmitted by teachers selected to perform this role, informal learning is gained as a natural part of child's socialization. Adults or older children who are proficient (熟练的) in skill or activity provide—sometimes unintentionally (无意义地)—target models of behavior in the course of everyday activity.

    Informal learning, therefore, can take place at any time and place. The motivation of learner provides another important difference between the two models of learning. The formal learner is generally motivated by some kind of external goal such as parental approval, social status, and possible financial reward. The informal learner, however, tends to be motivated by successful completion of the task itself and the partial knowledge of adult status.

    Given that learning systems develop as a response to the social and economic contexts in which they are firmly, it is understandable that modern, high urbanized (城市化) societies have concentrated almost specially on the establishment of formal education systems. What these societies have failed to recognize are the ways in which formal learning inhibits the child's multi-sensory acquisition of practical skills. The failure to provide a child with a direct education may in part account for many of the social problems which trouble our societies.

    Car companies are developing vehicles that will plug into electric sockets, ust like many laptops, digital cameras, cell phones and Mp4 do. Called “plug-in vehicles”, these cars will get most of their power from electricity. Their drivers won't have to stop at gas stations as often as usual.

    The technology is more than just cool. In our car-filled world, plug-in vehicles could reduce the amount of gas we use, which keeps rising in cost now and then. Besides, driving around in these vehicles may even help the environment. Gas-burning cars produce a lot of greenhouse gas, which causes global warming.

    The first company-produced plug-in vehicles could hit the roads by 2020. But engineers still have a lot of work to do to make the technology practical and inexpensive.

    Batteries are the biggest challenge. In the plug-in-vehicle world，Li-ion(锂离子)batteries are getting the most attention. These batteries can store a large amount of energy in a small package, and they last a longer time between charges. Li-ion batteries can fit laptops, cell phones, heart instruments and other similar pocket ones.

    But because cars are so big and heavy, it would still require a suitcase-sized Li-ion batteries to power about 12km of driving. What's more, the batteries are much expensive.

    “A car filled with batteries could go a long distance,” says Ted Bohn, an electrical engineer in Chicago. “But it couldn't pull any people, and it would cost $100,000.” So researchers need to work out how to make batteries smaller and cheaper, among other questions.

    “The answers don't exist yet,” Bohn says, “As a kid, I thought someone someplace knows the answer to everything. All of these questions haven't been decided. That's what engineering is about-making a guess, running tests and getting fine results.”

    Businesses are witnessing a difficult time, which has in turn produced influence on consumers, desire to go green. However, shoppers are still laying stress on environmental concerns.

    Two thirds of customers say that environmental considerations inform their purchases to the same degree as they did a year ago, while more than a quarter say that they are now even better aware of the environmental effect on what they buy.

    This may help to influence how shops store goods on their shelves. And the companies should still make efforts to become more environmentally friendly. Two out of three people think it is important to buy from environmentally responsible companies, with about one in seven saying that they had even decided to take their custom elsewhere if they felt a company's environmental reputation was not good enough.

Harry Morrison, chief executive (主管) of the Carbon Trust, sympathizes: "I understand this situation where survival is very important now. But from environmental considerations, the clock is ticking—we don't have much time. In addition, cutting carbon has an immediate effect as costs drop and a medium-term benefit for the brand."

    Larger companies have an extra motivation to look at reducing their carbon footprint, as new rules next year will require businesses to buy carbon allowances to make up for their emissions (排放). Those that have taken early action will have a head start. More than two thirds of consumers are not clear about which companies are environmentally responsible. This suggests that firms that are able to relay clearly their message to the public will be in a pole position to attract shoppers.

The Carbon Trust believes that it can help by informing customers about the good work companies are doing. "When companies are granted (授予) the standard, they can use a logo (标识) in all their marketing which makes it clear that they are working towards cutting emissions," Mr. Morrison said.

    In fifth grade, my backpack was stolen from my dad's car, which had my binder (活页夹) with a few valuable stories that I have been working on for quite a while. I was very devastated. Then I decided to go to school with absolutely nothing.

    My 5th grade teacher, Miss Taylor, was really sweet, understanding and kind to me. She gave me an extra binder that she had, and to help personalize it, she got out a piece of paper, and started writing my name in a cool letter style. I was deeply moved by what she had done for me that day.

    But here's something even better. Later that same day, Miss Taylor had gotten a call from the office and told me exactly this “Zoe, A wonder has happened! Someone found your binder!” And I ran down to the office, and got my binder. It was really packed full, because the person that had found it had collected all written works and put them inside of my binder. When I opened it, an envelope fell out. On the back of the envelope was “I'm sorry all your things got stolen, but I hope this helps.” I opened the envelope and it had $20 in it.

    If something bad happens or if life lets you down sometimes, there are always lots of people out there that are kind, and can bring back faith and hope to humanity.

    Are you familiar with the greeting, "Can I add you on WeChat?" It seems like every time we meet new friends or colleagues nowadays, the first thing that springs to mind is adding each other on the app. Nevertheless, more than 80 percent of WeChat users report feeling stressed or anxious when they receive a large number of messages, according to a study done recently by the app's developer Tencent(腾讯). In other words, WeChat can overwhelm(使应接不暇) us, while also breaking down the boundaries between our work and private lives.

    Just think how easy it is now for bosses to hand out assignments during the holiday, so long as they have your WeChat contact. When you're at the cinema enjoying a romantic movie or having a barbecue in the backyard, you can never cut yourself off from the outside world unless you switch off your phone. Not to post something in WeChat Moments before replying to your boss first!

    Apart from interrupting your leisure time, WeChat can also reduce your productivity at work. For many office workers, logging in to WeChat on their computers at the start of the day has become routine. But what if browsing the Moments distracts us from doing the work? The app steals our time without us even noticing it, making us have the false belief that we are busy all the time.

    And as if that weren't bad enough, there're the "one-off" friends who take up space on our WeChat friend list. A handy way to check how many one-off friends you have is to take a look at your chat history with them. Sometimes, you only sent the initial friend requests so you could invite them to a WeChat group or inform them of something for your boss. Yet still, as your friend count(好友数量) ever goes up, it can make you feel the need to post selfies(自拍) and share details of your life in your Moments, just so you can stay up to date.

    With WeChat, all our spare time is swallowed up by the constant torrent of messages and our attention keeps getting diverted by Moments and pop-up ads. So it's time that we should do something to nip this problem in the bud.

When we learn to drive, we need to learn basic skills such as how to switch on the engine, turn on the wipers, operate the brakes, etc. before we actually take to the road. Once the lower order operations and skills listed above have been automatized or at least routinized to the extent that we do not have to pay attention to them (by­pass Working Memory's attentional systems), we can actually be safe in the assumption that we can wholly focus on the higher order skills which will allow us to take the split seconds decisions that will prevent us from getting lost, clash with other cars, break the traffic laws while dealing with our children messing about in the back seats.

This is what the brain does, too, when learning languages. Because Working Memory has a very limited space available when performing any task, the brain has learnt to automatize lower order skills so that, by being performed "subconsciously" they free up cognitive(认知)space. So, for instance, if I am an advanced speaker who has routinized accurate pronunciation, grammar and syntax to a fairly high degree, I will be able to devote more conscious attention (Working Memory space) to the message I want to put across. On the other hand, if I still struggle with pronunciation, word order, irregular verb forms and tenses most of my attention will be taken up by the mechanics of what I want to say, rather than the meaning; this will slow me down and limit my ability to think through what I want to say due to cognitive overload.

In language teaching this important principle translates as follows: in order to enable our students to focus on the higher order skills involved in comprehension and production we need to ensure that the lower­order ones have been acquired or performance will be reduced.