A new study finds that young females in one group of African chimps(黑猩猩) use sticks as dolls more than their male peers (同龄) do, often treating pieces of wood like a mother chimp caring for a baby. In human cultures around the world, girls play with dolls and pretend that the toys are babies far more than boys do.

    Chimp observations, collected over 14 years of field work with the Kanyawara chimp community in Kibale National Park in Ugandan, provide the first evidence of a nonhuman animal in the wild that exhibits sex differences in how it plays. This finding supports an argument that biology as well as society underlies boys' and girls' different toy preferences.

    Stick play occurred most commonly between ages 3 and 9. Females spent a lot more time carrying sticks than males did. Young male chimps occasionally used sticks to mimic(模仿) childcare. "Far more often, they fought with sticks, an infrequent behavior among females," say Sonya Kahlenberg of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and Richard Wrangham of Harvard University.

    "Biological differences between the sexes make female chimps more receptive to stick-mothering than males," says Wrangham.

    Consistent with reported cultural traditions among adult chimps, Kanyawara youngsters learned from each other to play with sticks as if caring for babies. Stick play among young chimps showed no evidence of being directly influenced by older chimps. Child-bearing females never played with sticks and thus didn't model such behavior for younger chimps.

    Young females carried sticks for anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. They often rested in nests with their sticks, sometimes playing with them much as chimp mothers play with their babies though they didn't get any form of teaching from the adults.

    In Korea, it is rude to wear shoes inside someone's house because it is considered dirty. In Saudi Arabia, you should not bring food to someone's house because taking food or drink suggests that you think the host cannot afford the meal. More and more people around the world are travelling abroad to study, to go on vacation, or to work, and while it can be a great way to learn about other cultures, there may be times when travelers accidentally annoy their host.

    The same gesture can have very different meanings in different countries. The gesture meaning OK in the United States means something completely different in Brazil as Ella Yao discovered. Ella had travelled to Brazil to study and was living with a host family. During dinner, her host asked Ella if she was enjoying the meal. Because her mouth was full of food, Ella made a sign with her hand that to her meant OK. Although Ella meant the food was good, this symbol in Brazilian culture is extremely rude and her host was deeply annoyed.

    While travelling in Thailand, Elizabeth Brown learned that there are differences in food in the United States and Thailand. She stopped at a small, family-owned restaurant in Chiang Mai and ordered spring rolls. She was really enjoying eating them until she got the last one and noticed that there was an insect inside. She complained to the server. Later, she discovered that although insects are disgusting to most Americans, they are considered a delicacy(佳肴) in some countries.

    All these mistakes can be avoided with some research on cultural differences before you go abroad. However, if you do accidentally annoy someone, quickly apologize, and learn from your mistake.

    An Indonesia man believed to be the oldest person alive celebrated his 146^th birthday Saturday,despite having claimed（声称）he no longer wants to be alive.

    Mbah Gotho, whose official name is Sodimejo, lives with his grandson in a town called Sragen within Indonesia's Central Java province.

    Gotho made international headlines in September after speaking to local media, which led local officials to confirm the truth of his identity card.Gotho's birth date is listed as Dec.31, 1870.

    While officials say the document is real, they admitted it would be impossible to prove whether Gotho was actually born that year.

    However, the man claimed to remember the opening of a local sugar factory, which was recorded in 1880.

    Gotho said he has outlived four wives, 10 brothers and sisters, and three children. His only remaining close relatives are grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grand-children, he claimed." What I want is to die." he told local media in September, according to Reuters, one of the biggest names in media worldwide.

    Gotho's grandson claimed the 146-year-old had made arrangements for his death as far back as 1992, when he bought a forever sleeping place close to the burial sites of his children.

    Gotho's grandson also said the elder was in relatively good health, suffering only from eyesight problem and loss of hearing, and enjoyed his days smoking and eating.

    Why read, and sometimes even write poetry? That question is not difficult to answer if we change the word poetry to songs.

    I sing when I feel good. When I sing my favorite songs, I feel even better. Sometimes when I am listening to music and to the song words, I feel that it was written for me. A good song always makes me feel something. There are songs that I sing in my head between classes and songs that I want to sing when the school bell rings by the end of the day. They help me get through the day.

    They are like bright and warm colors in the middle of grays and shades. I like songs about love and friendship. The extraordinary thing is that my feelings are more special when I sing my favorite songs in English.

    I also like reading. I used to avoid poetry until an e-friend told me I should recite poems and not look up the meaning of the words. Poetry uses many difficult words and idioms, but the best thing is to just forget about them. In the beginning I felt quite strange. Now I always lock the door. Reading aloud gives you a strange feeling, but when you have some practice and fall into the rhythm, and the sounds of the words, it is really a special experience.

    I started with small poems, but now I think I most like long poems. I have different feelings with different poems. When I have had a bad day at school, I read Keats and forget everything. When I am sad I read Wordsworth by the light of a candle. When the poem is finished, I close the book and my sadness is gone.

If you're secretly worried about your smart phone addiction, then the new NoPhone might be just the thing you need. It looks and feels exactly like a smart phone, but it does nothing. It's just a piece of plastic that you can carry around in your hand to fool yourself.

Dutch designer Ingmar Larsen came up with the idea as a joke along with his two friends. To their great surprise, the idea received a lot of attention online and people from all over the world started placing requests for NoPhones of their own. So that's when the three friends decided to turn to collecting enough fund for mass production.

    NoPhone is currently a prototype (模型) that will cost only $12 once it hits the market It is 5.5 inches high, 2.6 inches wide and 0.29 inches thick, bringing it quite close to the latest smart phones on the market. It is described as “battery free”, “no upgrades necessary,” “shatter-proof (抗震)”, “waterproof” and “an alternative to constant hand-to-phone contact that allows you to stay connected with the real world.”

“Phone addiction is everywhere,” the designers insist. “It's ruining your dates. It's distracting you at concerts. It's blocking sidewalks. Now, there is a real solution. With a thin, light and completely wireless design, the NoPhone acts as a substitute to any smart mobile device, enabling you to always have a phone to hold without giving up potential engagement with your direct environment.”

If you're interested in NoPhone, but concerned about not being able to take selfies (自拍) anymore. Don't feel upset. The makers do have an upgrade at no extra charge—the mirror sticker. That way, they say, you can enjoy “real-time” selfies with your friends when they're standing right behind you.

    Want a wonderful travel in London? Don't miss the following!

    The Guards Museum

    The Guards Museum was created as an educational tool for the newest intake of the Guards and includes exhibits of uniform for the five Roval regiments (团) dating from the Civil War, with details of the nature and origin of their ceremonial duties right up to their contemporary role. To anyone interested in these world-famous soldiers this London tourist attraction is a must-see.

    Telephone: 020 7414 3428

    Toy theatre

    Toy theatre (or paper theatre) was most popular in the 1800s, and consists of paper theatres, some with an extraordinary level of detail, allowing children to stage their own productions at home, usually with cut-out sheets of figures for the scenery, props (道具) and various characters in the play.

    Telephone: 020-7967-1066

    Charles Dickens Museum

    The Charles Dickens Museum, an author's house museum at Doughty Street, is a celebration of one of the greatest novelists in British history. The museum exhibits over 100, 000 items from personal items to artworks (艺术品) from some of his books. It is said that Dickens wrote 3 of his most famous stories while living here, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby and The Pickwick Papers. The building is the writer's only surviving London house and we can get to know what life in the household would have been like.

    Telephone: 020-7405-2127

    Foundling Museum

    The Foundling Museum was originally one of the first houses in London for abandoned children and housed over 27, 000 children before its closure (关闭). Since then this London attraction has transformed (转化) itself into one special London museum with a large collection of artworks and social history relating to the children taken in and the terrible social problems that led to children being abandoned by their parents.

    Telephone: 020-7841-3600