● Try to stay away from places with too much noise. If you have to go, wear earplugs. A pair of good earplugs can cut the noise by 30 decibels. ● When swimming, remember to put earplugs into your ears to stop water from getting in.

● Never put anything sharp into your ears. If you think you have too much earwax, ask your mum or dad to help you clean it out. Keep these things in mind! Then you won't be saying “WHAT? WHAT?" when you are older.

Are you shy? If you are, you are not alone. In fact, close to 50 percent of people are shy. Almost 80 percent of people feel shy at some point in their lives. These days, shyness is becoming more and more common. Now, scientists are trying to understand shyness. They have some interesting ideas about why people are shy.

Is it possible to be born shy? Many scientists say yes. They say 15 to 20 percent of babies behave shyly. These babies are a little quieter and more watchful than other babies. Interestingly, these shy babies usually have shy parents. As a result, scientists think that some shyness is genetic.

Family size might cause people to be shy as well. Scientists at Harvard University studied shy children. They found that 66 percent of them had older brothers and sisters. As a result, they became shy. At the same time, children with no brothers and sisters may be shy as well. Growing up alone, they often play by themselves. They are not able to learn the same social skills as children from big families.

You may also be shy because of where you were born. When scientists studied shyness in different countries, they found surprising differences. In Japan, most people said they were shy. But in Israel, only one of three people said so. What explains the difference? One scientist says the Japanese and Israelis have different opinions of failure. In Japan, when people do not succeed, they feel bad about themselves. They blame（责备）themselves for their failure. In Israel, the opposite is true. Israelis often blame failure on outside reasons, such as family, teachers, friends, or bad luck. In Israel, freedom of opinion and risk taking are strongly supported. This may be why Israelis worry less about failure and are less shy.

For shy people, it can be difficult to make friends, speak in class, and even get a good job. But scientists say you can get over your shyness. They suggest trying new things and practicing conversation. And don't forget—if you are shy, you are not the only one.

The Smallest Life Around Us

    Tiny plants and animals live all around us．We cannot see them because they are so small，but they are everywhere. They live in the soil，in the air，and in rivers and oceans．They grow on mountains and in caves．Some live in the ice at the north and south poles; some live where it is very hot．They are found throughout cities and in the country. They grow on other plants and animals．Some are even living on you，on your skin，hair，and inside your body，in your mouth，nose，and all through your body．

    These tiny plants and animals are called microbes．The word microbe is made from two other words：micro，meaning small，and bios，meaning life．So，microbe means small life．

    Microbes have been on earth for a very long time．They may have been the first forms of life to be alive．Today there are more microbes in the world than all other living things．

    People did not know microbes had existed（存在） long．They were too small for them to see．But people did see many changes in their world﹣important changes．And they did not know what caused them．They saw food that they kept too long change color and begin to smell bad．They saw cuts and wounds grow red and painful and become worse. They saw old plants and leaves and trees crumble apart on the forest floor and disappear into the soil．Such changes were a natural part of the world，but people did not understand them．They did not know these changes were evidence(证据) of tiny plants and animals growing all around them.

    Sometimes people call each other “scared-cat”, but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense (紧张的), and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream. Although the cat doesn't realize this, its body is getting ready for action. If the danger continues, the animal will do one of two things. It will protect itself, or it will run away as fast as it can.

    Something like this also happens to people. When we are excited, angry or scared by other feelings, our bodies go through many physical changes. Our hearts beat faster, and our muscles get tense. All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react. We, too, get ready to defend ourselves or run.

   Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face. If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble. Have you ever said something in anger — or hit somebody — and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told somebody you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn't always clever to express your feelings freely.

    Does this mean that it's smarter always to hide (藏) our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger, sadness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense. Physical illness can develop. It can actually be bad for your health. (It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either; all feelings need to be expressed.)

    Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away. It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard. You might not be able to see them, but before long you'd smell them. And if you opened the cupboard, chances are you'd see little fruit flies flying all over them. They'd be rotten (腐烂).

    You can try to treat feelings as if they were bananas in the cupboard. You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist, but they'll still be around. And at last you'll have to deal with them, just like those bananas.

    Now there is too much garbage(垃圾) on the earth. Our planet is in danger, so it is urgent(紧迫) to classify(分类) garbage. How should garbage be classified? The following pictures may help you.