Researchers at Brigham found about one in five teenagers now have some degree of hearing damage. The researchers did not say why hearing loss has risen, but other experts have strong suspicions. One likely culprit, they say, is MP3 players.

    An MP3 player can be dangerous to hearing when its decibel level is turned up too high. High-decibel sounds can damage nerve endings, called hair cells. If a sound is loud enough, the damage can be permanent. A loud sound can shake the membrane (薄膜) on which the hair cells sit- “like an earthquake”. That shake can break or even uproot hair cells. When that happens, the hair cells are finished. Human ears cannot regrow hair cells. Therefore, when listening to an MP3 player, set a volume limit and avoid exposure to loud sounds.

    On the other hand, the loudness of today's music may not be totally under your control. Music companies have been purposely turning up the volume. It's a trend called the fight for loudness.

    Play a CD from the 1990s. Then play a newly released tune. Don't touch the volume control. You'll probably notice that the new CD sounds louder than the old one. Why? Sound engineers who create CDs are using dynamic range compression (压缩), a technology that makes the quiet parts of a song louder and the loud parts quieter. The overall effect of compression is a louder recording.

    Many musicians and sound engineers aren't pleased. They say that compression is driving down the quality of today, s music, making it sound flat and blaring. Gray Hobish, a sound engineer, explains that music should be a combination of loudness and softness. But music companies want to make music louder so it will stand out. That's important in the competition among recording companies.

    What about listeners? Many teenagers listen to music on the go in noisy places and through headphones, all of which reduce sound quality. So young listeners may not notice the poorer quality of modem recordings. “To their ears,” says Hobish, “the music sounds fine. And they are not aware of the hidden threat of the music they are enjoying.”

British Museum

    Located in Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, the British Museum houses a vast collection of world art and artifacts and is free to all visitors. The British Museum's remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture, and it has more than 7 million objects, so it would probably take a week to see everything.

    Over 6 million visitors every year experience the collection, including world-famous objects such as the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies.

    Admission and opening times

    Free, open daily 10:00 to 17:30.

    Open until 20:30 on Fridays, except Good Friday.

    Closed on 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January.

    Large luggage, suitcases and cabin baggage

    For everyone's safety, all bags, packages and personal items may be searched before entry. Wheeled cases and large items of luggage are not allowed on British Museum for safety and security reasons. Storage for luggage is available at major rail stations, including Euston, King's Cross and Charing Cross.

    Membership

    Membership allows you to discover 2 million years of human history with free unlimited entry to special exhibitions, an exclusive discount offer on magazine subscription and many more benefits.

    Individual membership: £74

    Under 26 membership: £54

    Young friends (ages 8-15): £25

    Shops

    The Museum has four shops where you can buy books, souvenirs, and family gifts.

    One of the hardest parts of living abroad is being away from your loved ones, especially your family. While my friends are so important to me, I've personally found it more difficult being away from family.

    However, I was fortunate that my mum and sister recently found the time to see me. Both my sister and I have major birthdays this year as she's tuming 18 and I'll be 21. My sister is a very big music fan and this year, I created my status as the best older sister by keeping an eye out for music concerts in Paris. In our home town of Leicester, we don't regularly get many well-known artists playing in our city. But in Paris, I managed to get the best 18th birthday present of all: tickets for all three of us to see my sister's favorite American rapper, Angel Haze.

    I will try to visit for my sister's actual birthday in June, the chance for my sister and my mum to visit became a birthday treat. The experience of finding our way together to the concert or getting to show them around the Paris sites such as the Eiffel Tower,the Arc du Triomphe and even my favorite ice cream place,Amorino, was an amazing memory for us all !Despite the fact that I felt the slight pressure to make sure the weekend went smoothly,even the heavy rain failed to dampen our mood.

    Therefore, while it can be difficult being away from home and potentially missing big family moments,there are ways to avoid the sadness and find a way to make the best of your situation to create an unforgettable memory. Just like the continuing rain while we went up the Eiffel tower, every cloud has a silver lining, because then we got the funniest photos ever!

    During the past Spring Festival, many children may have received red packets from their families. But Xing Pu, a 40-year-old economist, is asking the government to give red packets to every Chinese citizen.

    Xing suggested the government give out 1,000 yuan to each Chinese since the government income has increased rapidly in recent years. He said his suggestion would allow everyone to directly enjoy the fruits of the country's economic success, help the lower-income groups deal with rising prices and increase consumption (消费) around the country.

    Recent years have seen the government carry out a series of pro-poor (扶贫) and pro-rural (惠农) policies, including increasing spending on public healthcare and calling off the agricultural tax. But the lower-income group still needs more help while being hit hard by an 11-year high in prices and recent snowstorms.

    Xing said while making the draft, he has borrowed many ideas from practices in countries like the United States and Singapore. Earlier this year, the governments of the two nations offered money to their citizens as the result of a surplus in government income. As for in China, "We can even encourage the rich to donate their 1,000 yuan red packet to the poor," said Xing.

    Although Xing's suggestion has gained wide support among ordinary Chinese on the Internet, many other economists criticized it as unpractical. Even Xing himself admitted he made the suggestion without any careful calculation. But they agreed with Xing's point that the growing economic pie should be shared among the people.

    "To better use the increase of money, handing out money is not a solution that holds good for all time. It could be better to improve the public service or cut the price of energy used in daily life," said QiaoXinsheng, an economic professor.

    Hot spots of drones (无人机) in Australia are getting sensors to automatically identify the aircraft and their pilots. Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said it would fix the equipment at the nation's airports starting next month. The monitors have been planned for some time, but come in the wake of 72 hours of drone-related disorder at the UK's Gatwick airport last week.

    In 2019, Australia will also start a scheme to register drone owners. The UK is also due to introduce a scheme in November that will require recreational drones weighing 250g (0.55lb) or more to be registered.

    Almost 140,000 air travellers were delayed last week after reports of drone sightings caused huge delays at Gatwick Airport. UK police are still searching for the criminals, although they have also raised the possibility that witness reports of the aircraft were mistaken. The incident “highlights” the need for a drone-spotting capability (能力), CASA spokesman Peter Gibson told the news agency Agence France-Presse. The supervision system would be able to spot the types of drone being flown, read their serial numbers and work out where the pilot was located, he said. Efforts to identify pilots would be aided by the introduction of the registration scheme for commercial and casual drone owners, he added. “2019 will witness severe action towards drone safety,” said Mr. Gibson. As well as airports and other sensitive locations, the drone-spotting systems will be fixed in other places known to be popular with drone owners such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

    Authorities in Australia have expressed worries about the number of drones being flown in controlled areas in recent months. Anyone breaking rules could face fines of up to 10,000 Australian dollars ($7,058; £5,600) as well as checks on the safety of their craft. “In 2019 it could be very expensive doing the wrong thing with your drone,” said Mr. Gibson. Events at Gatwick were discussed by ministers in a Christmas Eve phone conference. It is understood that the Cabinet Office “pushed” the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office to update their relevant regulations. They also discussed defence systems across the UK's airports.

Traveling Tips

    No Smoking

    Federal and State Government Regulations do not allow you to smoke on board express coaches within Australia.

    Luggage Allowance

    As a fare paying customer you are entitled to take 2 pieces of personal luggage. Each must not exceed 75 cm in length, or weigh more than 20kg.

    Excess luggage will be carried at the company's excess luggage rate and depending on space availability may be required to be carried on another coach.

    Luggage Tips

    1) Keep your valuables with you. Money, jewellery, valuable documents, credit cards, keys, medications should be retained by you and not on the coach at meal or transport stops.

    2) Use sturdy, lockable luggage. Do not use plastic bags as these may split during the transit.

    3) Make sure you identify your luggage with a name tag.

    4) Backpacks—stow all items and do not leave mugs, shoes, towels hanging off your backpack as these can get caught in other luggage and cause damage.

    Departure Times

    The time shown on your ticket is the coach departure time. If you are boarding halfway and not at a travel centre or terminal you should be at the pick up point 15 minutes ahead of this time, so you can be comfortably on board by the time the coach is due to leave. If you are boarding at a travel centre or terminal, please arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the published departure time and remember to allow extra time at peak travel times.

    Dress Requirements

    As a courtesy, and so as not to offend fellow travelers, a reasonable standard of clothing and footwear is required.