People have been acting like people-in other words, they've been making tools, creating ceremonies, and sharing food—for a long time. That's the conclusion of a recent study from South Africa's southern coast.

    There, in a cave lying above the sea, researchers from Arizona State University have found evidence that humans were behaving in surprisingly complex ways as early as 164,000 years ago. Our species. Homo sapiens, appeared an estimated 200,000 years ago.

    The cave held three important evidences about the behavior of these Stone Age people.

    First, the researchers found the remains of all kinds of shellfish. The people who lived in the cave probably collected these creatures from rocky shores and tide pools and brought them to the cave to eat.

    The researchers consider the early Africans move to the South African coast between 195,000 and 130,000 years ago. Around that time, the climate inland turned relatively cold and dry. Therefore, there were fewer plants and animals to eat away from the coast.

    When these ancient people moved to the coast, they probably experienced a major cultural shift, the researchers suspect. That's because observations of modem hunter-gatherer societies suggest that men are more likely to hunt for big animals when people live inland. On the coast, women play a more important role in providing food by gathering plants and shellfish.

    As for the second clue, the researchers unearthed 57 pieces of reddish pigment (颜料). The researchers think that the cave habitants used the paint for coloring their bodies or for other ceremonies. Symbolic behavior is a clearly human feature.

    Finally, the search discovered over 1,800 stone tools, including well crafted blades (刀片). These blades came in various sizes. The smallest were just less than a half inch wide. Ancient people may have attached these blades to the end of a stick to make spears or other tools.

    It's nearly exam time, so check out some of the best free apps(应用程序)around to help you manage the stress of exams and ensure you are studying effectively over the coming weeks.

Exam Countdown

    This app can help to remind you how many days, hours, and minutes you have until your exam. This can help to motivate you to hit the books before it's too late.

Block The Internet

    Are you constantly checking Facebook when you should be writing an essay? Or perhaps are you distracted by a battle in League of Legends? Download this app to get rid of online distractions by temporarily blocking Internet sites on your mobile. Simply add the websites you want to block and the period of time to block them for. Guarantee to get yourself focused on that assignment.

CBT-i Coach

    The US Department of Veterans (老兵)Affairs developed the app, CBT-i Coach, to assist with insomnia (失眠)and help people who would like to improve their sleeping habits. It provides several key parts: information about sleep and insomnia, strategies for improving sleep, relaxation skills and a helpful sleep diary.

Yoga(瑜伽)

    Yoga has great health benefits both for the mind and body and will help you to perform at your best while at university. Download a yoga app and have your own personal yoga instructor in your living room. You can choose from short or long workouts and have a qualified instructor teaching you how to do each pose(姿势). Choose from a variety of yoga routines and watch the instructional videos. Go on, stretch out those sore muscles.

    TESCO has announced it is banning the sale of energy drinks to teenagers, and that the big move will begin in weeks. The supermarket has joined a host of major names banning teenagers from buying high caffeine, high-sugar drinks. The government indicates that the principal question to be determined is whether the purchasing restrictions will apply at the age of 16 or 18.

    Theresa May said the consultation was linked to the government's childhood obesity (肥胖) strategy and said it was necessary to examine the consumption of energy drinks "often because they are sold at cheaper prices than soft drinks".

    The principal reason for the ban is the high level of caffeine in the energy drinks, which has been linked to a string of health problems for children, including head and stomach aches as well as sleep problems.

    Energy drinks often also have higher levels of sugar than soft drinks. According to government figures, sugared energy drinks have 60% more calories and 65% more sugar than normal soft drinks and sugar is one of the largest causes of obesity.

    Jamie Oliver said he welcomed the ban on energy drink sales because "too many children are regularly using them to replace breakfast" and "teachers from across the country have told me how their lessons are disrupted because of these drinks".

    A Downing Street source added that there is no evidence that energy drinks have any nutritional value in children's diet. That accounts for the government's action on measures to tackle childhood obesity and improve children's health.

    The move is the latest step in an approach in relation to childhood obesity and health. According to European Food Safety Authority research, two-thirds of 10 to 16-year-olds regularly consume energy drinks, along with 18% of 3 to 10-year-olds.

    February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.

    On the 14th day, it is customary for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals!

    This is the scene that greets you on Valentine's Day, named after Valentine who was a priest in third century Rome. When the emperor decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives, he banned marriage.

    But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor had him put to death.

    While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine", an expression that is still in use today.

    Valentine died for what he believed in and so was made a Saint, as well as becoming one of history's most romantic figures.

    Nowadays, Valentine's Day wins the same popularity among Chinese young people. It is a time when students "don't want to be alone" according to Gao Shunjie, a student reporter for 21st Century Teens in Jinling High School, Nanjing. Some of her classmates are planning to make Valentine's cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St Valentine.

    Memory, they say, is a matter of practice and exercise. If you have the wish and really make a conscious effort, then you can quite easily improve your ability to remember things. But even if you are successful, there are times when your memory seems to play tricks on you.

    Sometimes you remember things that really did not happen. One morning last week, for example, I got up and found that I had left the front door unlocked all night, yet I clearly remember locking it carefully the night before.

    Memory "tricks" work the other way as well. Once in a while, you remember not doing something, and then find out that you did. One day last month, for example, I was sitting in a barber shop waiting for my turn to get a haircut, and suddenly I realized that I had got a haircut two days before at the barber shop across the street from my office.

    We always seem to find something funny and amusing in incidents caused by people's forgetfulness or absent -mindedness. Stories about absent -minded professors have been told for years, and we never get tired of hearing new ones. Unfortunately, however, absent -mindedness is not always funny. There are times when "tricks" of our memory can cause us great trouble.

    One of the best-loved American writers was William Sydney Porter, or O. Henry. From 1893 he lived with his family in a house in Austin, Texas, which is now a museum. Visitors to Austin can see the house. It was saved from destruction (破坏) and turned into a museum in 1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of the American writer.

    William Porter rented this house in Austin and lived there with his wife Athol and daughter Margaret for about two years. Many objects in the museum came from the Porters. Others did not. An important piece in the room is the original photo over here. It was taken there in the house about 1895. The piano there dates back to the 1860s. His wife took lessons on it when she first moved to Austin.

    Porter wasn't a successful writer in the beginning. He worked on a farm, in a land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museum has a special proof (证明) of Porter's love of language—his dictionary. It is said that he had read every word in that dictionary.

    Later William Porter was forced to leave Austin because he was charged (指控) with wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Because he was afraid of a trial (审判), he left the country secretly. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced the trial and served three and a half years in a prison in Ohio.

    William Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time he was freed, he had published 14 stories and became well-known as O. Henry. Porter later moved to New York City and found great success there. He published over 180 stories in the last eight years of his life.