Chinese e-commerce websites fail to pay more attention to older consumers, says a news report.

    There's been a thought that younger consumers have been the driving force of online buying. That may not be the case. According to a statement from Alipay, the average expenditure (支出) of Alipayusers born before the 1960s was 31,000 yuan in 2012, much higher than 14,000 yuan of those born after the 1980s. It shows that online shopping has become akey part of people's daily consumption, for both young and old.

    Besides shopping, people pay bills such as water bill, electricity bill, and credit card repayment online. The middle-aged and senior consumers are also participating in that consumption revolution.

    Liu Chen, 56, said that his online expenditure in 2014 was over 50,000 yuan, about half of the total annual expenditure. He always pays his telephone bill online. Clothes, electrical appliances and kids' snacks are themain items he purchases online.

    Liu's shopping strategy is to find something good online first, then go to shops to check it out, and finally buy it online because it is cheaper. As quality concerns him, Liu only buys items that come with aguarantee.

    Stories such as those from Liu are representative of millions of middle-aged and older Chinese, which show the great potential of the aged inthe Chinese consumption market. Yet, the market seems not to be valued as it should be.

    Some Chinese e-commerce websites such as jd. com, dangdang. comand amazon. cn don't have a category for goods for the elderly on their mainpages. Alibaba's platform does have one, but the goods in it are not as abundant as other categories. Moreover, Taobao's category is not really designed for elders, but their children.

    Despite the seeming lack of commitment to older consumers, the Chinese market for the elderly is clearly huge, and e-commerce websites should takegreat efforts to develop it.

    Have you felt annoyed when a cell phone rings during the class? Something must be done to stop this. Now in New York City, USA, a rule is carried out in schools. Students can't even bring cell phones to school. Is it a good thing or not?

    Anxious parents say that cell phones are an important tool in holding New York City's families together.

    "I worry about it." said Elizabeth Lorris Ritter, a mother of a middle school kid. "It's necessary in our everyday life. We have a washing machine. We have running water, and we have cell phones."

    Many American parents think cell phones connect them to their children on buses, getting out from subways, walking through unknown places.

    "I have her call me when she gets out of school," said Lindsay Walt, a schoolgirl's mother. "No one in New York is going to let their child go to school without a cell phone."

    What about the cell phone owners, the students? Most of the students said cell phones were essential and the cell phone was like an extra hand or foot for them.

    "I feel so empty," said May Chom, 14. There is also no way to listen to music on the way to school without my phone. It will be a really, really boring trip."

    London's transport services offer you a special experience of the city. Here's a round-up of the transport choices available to you.

    London Underground

    There are 11 colour-coded Underground lines. Services run regularly from around 05:00 to 00:30 (Sunday 07:30 to 23:30) on most routes.

Visit tfl.gov.uk/tube for more information.

    Tip:

    Always stand on the right when using the escalators (电动扶梯) at Tube stations. It can get hot and busy on the Tube during peak (高峰) travel times, so you may prefer to travel outside these hours.

    Buses

    A cheap and easy way to travel around London. They generally run from 05:00 to 00:30. Night buses operate on many major routes from around midnight to 05:00, and some operate a 24-hour service.

    It is not possible to pay for your London bus fare in cash. Instead you can pay with a Visitor Oyster card, Oyster card, Travelcard or UK-issued contactless payment card. A single bus journey is £1.50 with an Oyster card or UK-issued contactless payment card.

    To help you get home, if you don't have enough credit on your Oyster card, you will be able to make one more bus journey.

    After this you will need to top up the credit on your card before you use it again. If your contactless payment card has been issued outside the UK, please check tfl.gov.uk/contactless before you use your card to travel on our bus services. For any international transaction fees (手续费) that may apply, please check with your card issuer.

    For more information visit tfl.gov.uk/buses.

    Tip:

    Some bus routes are especially good for sightseeing — try routes 9, 14, 15 and 22. The New Routemaster bus featured in the James Bond film Skyfall and runs on routes 9, 11, 24, 38 and 390.

    If you run out of credit on your Visitor Oyster card, it's easy to add more at:

    Touchscreen ticket machines in Tube, DLR, London Overground and some National Rail stations.

    Around 4,000 Oyster Ticket Stops cross London (Find your nearest one at ticketstoplocator.tfl.gov.uk).

    Travel & Visitor Information Centres.

    London Overground station ticket offices.

    Tiny microbes(微生物)are at the heart of a new agricultural technique to manage harmful greenhouse gas. Scientists have discovered how microbes can be used to turn carbon dioxide into soil-enriching limestone(石灰石), with the help of a type of tree that grows in tropical areas, such as West Africa.

    Researchers have found that when the Iroko tree is grown in dry, acidic soil and treated with a combination of natural fungi(霉菌)and other bacteria, not only does the tree grow well, it also produces the mineral limestone in the soil around its root.

    The Iroko tree makes a mineral by combining Ca from the earth with CO2 from the atmosphere. The bacteria then create the conditions under which this mineral turns into limestone. The discovery offers a new way to lock carbon into the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere. In addition to storing carbon in the trees, leaves and in the form of limestone, the mineral in the soil makes it more suitable for agriculture.

    The discovery could lead to reforestation(重新造林)projects in tropical countries, and help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the developing world. It has already been used in West Africa and is being tested in Bolivia, Haiti and India.

    The findings were made in a three-year project involving researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Granada, Lausanne and Delft University of Technology. The project examined several microbiological methods of locking CO2 as limestone, and the Iroko-bacteria way showed best results. Work was funded by the European Commission under the Future Emerging Technologies (FET) scheme.

    Dr Bryne Ngwenya of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who led the research, said: "By taking advantage of this natural limestone-producing process, we have a low-tech, safe, readily employed and easily operating way to lock carbon out of the atmosphere, while improving farming conditions in tropical countries?

Most children love stories. Stories are entertaining and fun, but can they be more than just fun? Findings from a new study led by Rebecca de Leeuw, an assistant professor at the Radboud University, indicate stories in movies can also be meaningful for children. 

The researchers contacted children between 4 and 15years old after they watched the Disney film Inside Out. This film takes place mainly in the head of an 11-year-old girl, where her emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, personified as different characters—conflict on how to help her best in her new life after her family moves. The story follows the "hero's journey" —a classical narrative（叙事的）framework, which involves a hero who goes on an adventure, overcomes challenges, and return s changed. So the research team chose this film. When making this film, the film-makers had in-depth discussions with psychologists to make the emotion animation consistent with scientific knowledge. 

The research team asked mostly open-ended questions to encourage the children to share their thoughts, including the key question: "Was there a part of the movie you had to think about?" Children looked at stills of important scenes and were invited to explain in their own words what happened. If they liked, they also rewatched scenes of the film. 

While watching, children made sense of the feelings, motives and behavior of characters in the film, using their social intelligence skills. They also further developed these skills when they were challenged in making sense of the story. Children also mentioned they appreciated seeing acts of pity, kindness, love and bravery in the film. Just like adults, they were even touched to tears by these qualities. 

One of the children in the study even expressed that Joy inspired her to never quit in her own life. The more insights children gained while watching, the more meaningful the story became for them. Altogether, stories in movies can be a quick way for children to gain life experience and wisdom. 

Nowadays, the term "superfood" has become the nutritional buzzword. Simply put, these superfoods are those that provide large amount of nutrients through minimal calories. 

The term "superfood" may have taken the modern food scene by storm. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Although only popular in recent years, the concept of certain foods with special nutritional qualities has been around for a long time. The nickname "superfood" gained widespread popularity in the early 2000s as health enthusiasts and the food industry sought to identify and market foods with special health benefits. Today, it is a trend in diet. 

In an age when we share all kinds of superfoods on social media, ignoring the phenomenon is impossible. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's easy to understand. These nutritional superheroes offer a perfect combination of substance and style, tailored for the digital generation. Their lively colours, exotic origins and impressive nutrient profiles make them candidates for the next viral food trend. 

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} They offer a lifestyle that reflects the global shift towards a more healthconscious society. As the world wrestles with an increasing burden of diseases and the fast pace of modern life, people are seeking dietary solutions from superfoods. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They are rich in vitamins and minerals that can strengthen your immune system, avoid chronic diseases, and improve your overall wellbeing. Another remarkable benefit is their potential to promote heart health, helping you build a strong heart. Don't forget their role in skin regeneration. The antioxidants(抗氧化物) can provide a natural glow, reduce skin ageing and fight against skin conditions. 

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Superfoods, while nutritionally dense, should be part of a comprehensive diet rather than the only guarantee of our health.