What would it be like to walk on Mars? If you could build the highest building in the world，what would it look like? Do you dream of being the next J. K. Rowling? This summer, you can experience all of these things, and more. All you need is an Internet connection and your imagination.

    A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that kids spend an average of 1 hour and 29 minutes online each day. Many kids like to use that time to chat with friends, play games or check e­mails. But the next time you get on the Web, try exploring the world instead. “With the Internet，you can go back 11,000 years in time，or go 11,000 kilometers across the planet.” said Russell, Web search expert of Google. “The whole scope of history and the world is open to you.”

    There is a wealth of information to be found online. For example, if your family is going on vacation somewhere, do a quick online search on the area before you even get in the car. “What's the background of the place; what's the history？” says Russell. “I like to tell my kids, ‘Whenever you have a question, whenever you have a doubt, search it out.'”

    Ready to launch a virtual journey of your own? Here are a few starting points to get you thinking and to help you on your way. You can invite your parents along for the ride, too. Always ask for permission before downloading programs and software onto your computer. And check with a parent or an adult before visiting any new Web site.

    Navigate the world in 3­D with Google Earth. Begin in outer space and zoom (快速移动) into the streets of any city, from Hong Kong to San Francisco. Or visit ancient monuments, watch the changing rainforests over time, and dive underwater to explore tropical reef.

    With the Moon in Google Earth tool, you can walk in Neil Armstrong's famous footsteps. Take a guided tour of the moon's surface with Armstrong's fellow shuttle mate astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

    When you're exploring that part of the solar system, hop on over to the Red Planet with Google Mars. There, you can move very quickly around the surface and see images from the Mars Rovers.

    Whenever we see a button on a doorbell or on a remote, we may press it. This is true in most cases. But some buttons are actually fake(假的), like the "close" button on an elevator.

    Many people are in the habit of pressing the "close" button because they don't have the patience to wait for the elevator doors to shut. But according to experts, the buttons are a complete trick—the doors will not close any faster however hard you press.

    It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, making sure that all elevators stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only firefighters and maintenance workers(维修工) can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys. But to normal elevator riders, the buttons aren't completely useless.

    According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control. Experts have showed that a lot of buttons that don't do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, pedestrian crosswalk buttons don't live up to their names. Pressing them used to help make the traffic signals change faster, but that was before computer-controlled traffic signals were introduced.

    But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little "white lies". They still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.

    That habit is here to stay, John Kounios, a psychology professor at Drexel University in the US, told The New York Times. "After all, I've got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not try the chance?"

    Many of us listen to music while we work, thinking that it will help us to concentrate on the task at hand. And in fact, recent research has found that music can have beneficial effects on creativity. When it comes to other areas of performance, however, the impact of background music is more complicated.

    The idea that listening to music when working is beneficial to output probably has its roots in the so-called “Mozart effect”. Put simply, this is the finding that spatial rotation performance(空间旋转能力) is increased immediately after listening to the music of Mozart, compared to no sound at all.

    How sound affects performance has been the topic of research for over 40 years, and is observed through a phenomenon called the irrelevant sound effect. To study irrelevant sound effect, participants in the research are asked to complete a simple task which requires them to recall a series of numbers or letters in the exact order in which they saw them. The tricky thing is being able to do this while ignoring any background noise.

    Two key characteristics of the irrelevant sound effect are required for its observation. First, the task must require the person to use their rehearsal abilities(复述能力), and second, the sound must contain acoustical variation(声学变化). Where the sound does not vary much acoustically, the performance of the task is much closer to that observed in quiet conditions.

    The irrelevant sound effect itself comes from attempting to process two sources of ordered information at the same time—one from the task and one from the sound. Unfortunately, only the former is required to successfully perform the  recall task, and the effort in ensuring that irrelevant order information from the sound is not processed actually hinders(阻碍) this ability.

    A similar conflict is also seen when reading while in the presence of lyrical music. In this situation, the two sources of words—from the task and the sound—are in conflict. The cost is poorer performance of the task in the presence of music with lyrics.

    What this all means is that whether having music playing in the background helps or hinders performance depends on the task and on the type of music, and only understanding this relationship will help people maximize their productivity levels.

    The skin under the eyes is delicate, which is why it sometimes appears sunken and has darker coloring than elsewhere on the face. Aging and health problems play a role in sunken eyes but other factors can contribute, so it may affect younger people as well.

Dehydration

    The most common cause of sunken eyes is dehydration, or not having enough water in the body. Consuming too much coffee, soda, and prepackaged drinks may increase production of urine(尿液), which may lead to dehydration.

    Vitamin shortages

    Shortages of vitamin C, vitamin K, and iron can cause eyes to become sunken. Vitamin C helps with absorbing iron and decreasing bruising(瘀斑), while vitamin K is responsible for blood thickening, causing unhealthy skin. Easy bruising and unhealthy skin will result in sunken eyes.

    Weight loss

    Most people tend to lose weight in their face first. Sometimes, the weight loss is sudden enough to make blood vessels(血管)below the eyes easy to see, and the skin clear, producing the appearance of sunken eyes. Sudden weight loss may also cause nutritional shortages, which can lead to sunken eyes.

    Not enough sleep or poor quality sleep can cause sunken eyes and a person's DNA or the habit of smoking can also contribute to sunken eyes. Most cases of sunken eyes relate to the quality of an individual's nutrition and healthy living. When these causes are corrected, sunken eyes can be resolved without further treatment. This means that causes can be avoided or treated in good time to prevent the recurrence of sunken eyes.

    A study involving 8, 500 teenagers from all social backgrounds found that most of them are ignorant when it comes to money. The findings, the first in a series of reports from NatWest that has started a five-year research project into teenagers and money, arc particularly worrying as this generation of young people is likely to be burdened with greater debts man any before.

    University tuition fees (学费) are currently capped at £3, 000 annually, but this will be reviewed next year and the Government is under enormous pressure to raise the ceiling.

    In the research, the teenagers were presented with die terms of four different loans but 76 per cent failed to identify the cheapest. The young people also predicted that they would be earning on average £ 31.000 by the age of 25, although the average salary for those aged 22 to 29 is just £ 17, 815. The teenagers expected to be in debt when they finished university or training, although half said that they assumed the debts would be less than £ 10.000. Average debts for graduates are £ 12, 363.

    Stephen Moir, head of community investment at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group which owns NatWest, said. "The more exposed young people are to financial issues, and the younger they become aware of them, the more likely they arc to become responsible, forward-planning adults who manage their finances confidently and effectively."

    Ministers are deeply concerned about the financial pressures on teenagers and young people because of student loans and rising housing costs. They have just introduced new lessons in how to manage debts. Nikki Fairweathcr, aged 15, from St Helens, said that she had benefited from lessons on personal finance, but admitted that she still had a lot to learn about money.

Are you looking for teen volunteer opportunities for 2024 that provide a rewarding experience that will stay with you for life? Every year thousands of teens choose to volunteer abroad with International Volunteer HQ（IVHQ）-the world's most trusted provider of safe and affordable volunteer programs for teens. 

Service trips for teens are available in more than 50 destinations and there are 17 teen volunteer programs for 16 to 18 year-olds. Some of the best programs in 2024 include Turtle Conservation in Bali, Animal Care in Costa Rica and Childcare in Tanzania. Or, if you're wanting to volunteer with a group of students from your high school, IVHQ can tailor a program for your group too!

• Benefits for volunteers:

• There is no doubt that volunteering as a teenager is a meaningful way to broaden your education and add experiences that will stand out on your college application. 

• Crossing boundaries to work with partners from different parts of the world fosters global understanding. 

• Living in a country different to your own means that you will be involved in a new culture, cuisine, and way of thinking. 

• Guaranteed support:

Chances are your parents will also want to learn more about IVHQ, whether or not they will go abroad with you. Having placed more than 130, 000 volunteers abroad, we're always happy to speak with parents to ensure all their questions are fielded. Through our online safety training, comprehensive information brochures, on-going support from experienced program managers and round-the-clock support from our local teams, IVHQ volunteers are well supported to make the most of the time abroad. 

If you're ready to pack your bags and experience a completely different lifestyle and widen your global perspective, please contact us. IVHQ will be more than happy to offer a service.