Terrafugia Company has said that its flying car, named Transition, has successfully finished a 37- second test flight.

    On March 5th, 2009, at Plattsburgh International Airport in New York. The company's chief pilot, Phil Meteer, piloted the flying car.

    Transition is a two-seat airplane that can take off and land at airports as well as drive on roads.

    The company said that the flying car can travel at speeds up to 115 mph in the air, drive at highway speeds on the ground, and fold up (折叠）to fit in a garage (车库) 81 inches wide and 80 inches high.

Hospitals could use it to transport patients so as to avoid road traffic. It may start running on wheels, and when it gets to traffic lights it can fly overhead the lights and keep its way forward. So it's good news to avoid traffic problems and the traffic accidents.

But some people say this is a going airplane rather than a flying car, at least on the appearance. Anyway, we are happy for scientific-technical progress, what a fantastical world in the near future!

    Almost all animals need to sleep to stay healthy. But sleeping can also be dangerous because other animals may hurt those who are sleeping. This leads to many different ways of sleeping that help them stay safe. Some of these ways may surprise you!

    Almost all bats sleep upside down. They hang from a branch of a tree or the ceiling of a cave. Up high, bats are safe from most other animals. If they are in danger, they just fly away.

    A dolphin sleeps with just half its brain at a time. It must stay awake to breathe and to watch for danger. Dolphin mothers and babies can go without sleep for as long as two months to stay safe.

    Some ducks sleep with just half their brains, too. These ducks often sleep in a line. The ducks at both ends help to keep the group safe. They keep one eye open to watch for danger. The ducks in the middle sleep deeply with both eyes closed.

    Seals breathe air, but that doesn't stop some of them from sleeping underwater. They hold their breath and dive deep to sleep for up to twenty minutes at a time. Sleeping deep underwater helps these seals stay safe from animals that hunt them near the surface.

    Horses often sleep standing up. Their legs lock in place so they don't fall over. If a horse is lying down, it needs a long time to get up. A horse can run from danger more quickly if it is already standing.

    A flamingo can sleep while standing on one leg. The standing leg locks so it stays straight. The other leg remains close to the flamingo's body. Its head rests on its back. A flamingo lives (and sleeps) near many other birds to stay safe.

    Some seabirds can sleep while they fly. These large birds spend most of their lives over the ocean. They are in danger on the water, but they are safe in the air. They fly for many hours without flapping（拍打）their wings. Sometimes they sleep while they are flying.

    Would you like to sleep how they sleep?

    A recent study found people's lives are made shorter in North China. It is showed the life expectancy(平均寿命) had been cut down by 5.5 years there. Researchers（研究者）think that the heavy air pollution in China should be to blame(承担责任). It's really the truth. Our government has already done something. However, it doesn't seem to work so well.

    “Air pollution in China is doing harm to people's health. The harm is much more serious than we can imagine,” said Chen Yuyu of Beijing University, one of researchers of this study.

    Dirty air brings serious problems in North China. In January this year, the air pollution was worse than that in other places. That was caused by rising temperature and waste gas（气体）from coal heating（燃煤）.

    Chinese government should strongly fight with air pollution. They should think of more proper ways to deal with the problem. People should be encouraged to take buses, ride bicycles or walk, instead of driving cars. The factories that pollute heavily should be closed.

    “We need to improve our environment, although it might be expensive. Protecting our environment means protecting ourselves,” Li Hongbin, another researcher of the study said.

    Everyone has got two personalities (性格)—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don't show your secret personality when you're awake because you can control yourself, but when you're asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, you often change your sleeping positions. The important position that best shows your secret personality is the one that you go to sleep.

    If you go to sleep on your back, you're a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by new ideas. You don't like to make people unhappy, so you never express your real feelings. You're quite shy and you aren't very confident.

    If you sleep on your stomach, you are a person who likes to keep secrets. You worry a lot and you're always easily becoming sad. You never want to change your ideas, but you are satisfied with your life the way it is. You usually live for today not for tomorrow.

    If you sleep on curled up (蜷缩) , you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and often protect yourself from being hurt, so you are very defensive. You're shy and you don't usually like meeting people. You like to be on your own.

    If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced (平衡的) personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You're usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel worried, but you don't often get unhappy. You always say what you think, even if it makes people angry.