In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five fays off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I'd hitch a ride (搭便车).

    I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn't give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured （使…放心）me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.

    Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the kindness I'd been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.

    After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven't changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.” I couldn't remember where I'd met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.

    The ability to speak more than one language certainly has its special benefits.It enables you to work in another country or interact with people whose language is different from your mother tongue.Cognitive（认知的）  psychologists have been interested in how bilingualism（双语能力）shapes the mind for almost a century.There are those who suggest that in order to speak one language,bilinguals have to suppress（抑制）the influence of the other.In the past three decades,research had argued that this unique form of language processing trains the brain in the use of abilities known as "executive（执行的）functions" such as ignoring irrelevant information or shifting attention. Bilinguals of different ages and cultural backgrounds have been shown to be faster and more accurate than their monolingual（单语的）peers when performing cognitive tasks demanding these abilities.Furthermore,it has been argued that bilingualism may lead to a delayed onset（发作）of symptoms associated with dementia（痴呆）.

    But the scientific community recently has become increasingly skeptical of the bilingual advantage.One of the main points of criticism is that differences between monolinguals and bilinguals when it comes to executive functions are not always apparent.It appears that research on bilingualism is at a turning point.We need to pursue a new approach to understand,beyond those individual examples of executive functions,how the bilingual mind works. We have attempted to address this challenge by testing whether bilinguals and monolinguals differ in terms of how accurately they can assess their own performances.This ability is called meta cognition and is associated with other areas where bilinguals have been shown to have an advantage.

    In our research,we presented participants with a situation in which they had to observe two circles on a screen and guess which one contained more dots.Sometimes the difference was obvious,making the decision easy,while at other times the decision was very difficult (for example,one circle contained 50 dots and the other 49).Participants were then asked to determine how confident they were in their decision on a scale from less to more confident than normal.

    During the course of two experiments,we found that bilinguals and monolinguals were equally likely to choose the circle containing the highest number of dots.However,monolinguals were better able than bilinguals to discriminate between when they were right and when they were wrong.In other words,bilinguals had less insight into their performance than monolinguals.This went against our initial predictions,as we expected to find a bilingual advantage in meta cognitive processing.These results indicate that bilingualism may be associated with cognitive disadvantages as well as benefits.

    Henry had been a journalist for many years. He had worked on many international newspapers and magazines and traveled all over the world.

    Henry had witnessed wars and natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and erupting volcanos(火山爆发). He had reported on serious accidents such as major fires and airline crashes. He had seen every kind of terrible crime and strange event there was. He had met and written about some of the most unusual people in the world. In fact, there wasn't much that Henry had not seen or done.

    Now he was retired from journalism. He owned a very expensive restaurant and spent his days talking to his wealthy and important customers. He liked to say that nothing surprised him.

    One day he was sitting at the bar in his restaurant when a big gorilla walked in and asked for a table. Henry showed no surprise. He took the gorilla to a table and handed him a menu. He treated him politely and pretended there was nothing at all strange about having a gorilla in his restaurant.

    The gorilla looked through the menu and ordered a salad. Henry served the gorilla his salad personally, knowing that his waiters and waitresses would be too frightened. At last the gorilla finished his salad and asked for the bill. Henry wrote out the bill and handed it to the big animal. The gorilla studied it, shook his head sadly, then gave Henry fifty dollars.

    "Thank you", Henry said, and then to make conversation he added, "We don't get many gorillas in this restaurant."

    "At fifty dollars for a salad," the gorilla said, "I'm not surprised."

    San Francisco is a wonderful vacation destination that offers many different things to see and to do. The best way for a traveler to get a feel for the city is to take one of the many different tours there.

    Foot. When touring the city by walking, you aren't going to walk much. There are far more benefits to touring the city on foot, though. This kind of tour allows you to see many of the buildings. It usually makes you see a more localized neighborhood level.

    Water. The waters of San Francisco Bay have played an important role in the city's development over the last century. Touring San Francisco by water is a completely unique way for you to see this wonderful city.

    Bus. If you want to get a great feel for the layout of the city, one of the best things you could do is book a tour through our company. A bus tour of San Francisco is one of the most complete ways to experience the city.

    Air. While it is the most expensive way to see San Francisco, it is also one of the most unique and thrilling ways to see the city. Seeing the city from high above allows you to get a good feel for the layout of the city as tour guides point out landmarks and attractions. If you decide to tour San Francisco from the air, you'll get memories that you won't forget forever.

    We are a travel agency with good service. For more information, please click here.

    A new study, conducted by British company Mindlab International, has found that listening to music at work increases accuracy (精确) and speed, The Telegraph reported.

    Perhaps, some parents disagree with this idea, saying, "Switch off the music and concentrate!" Well, if that's the case with your parents, you might now be able to convince them that you have science on your side.

    The company gave 26 participants （参与者）a series of different tasks for five days in a row, including spell checking, mathematical word problems, data entry, and abstract reasoning. The participants completed these tasks while listening to music or no music at all.

    The results showed that while music was playing, 88% of participants produced their most accurate test results and 81% completed their fastest work. David Lewis, chairman of Mindlab International, told The Telegraph, "Music is a very powerful management tool if you want to increase not only the efficiency of your workforce but also their emotional state, they are going to become more positive about the work."

    However, you may have a list of your favorite songs, but not all kinds of music match all homework. For maths or other subjects involving numbers or attention to detail, you should listen to classical music, the study found. In the study, pop music enabled participants to complete their tasks 58% faster than when listening to no music at all. If you are reviewing your English writing, pop music is the best choice, as it is the best kind for spell checking. It cut mistakes by 14%, compared to listening to no music. After finishing your homework, do you often take time to check your answers? Maybe, some dance music is suitable for you.

    Uber

    Uber is available in over 70 cities throughout 40 countries worldwide. You can either choose a typical Uber unmarked car or a regular taxi. The app can show you where drivers are, so you know how long you'll be waiting. You can also get fare quotes(报价)in advance. Your payment source is linked to the app and is automatically charged, so no physical money is ever needed.

    Lyft

    Lyft is a service that is also available in many large cities in the US. However, it offers something different, one of which is Lyft Line. With this service, you can find people that take the same route on a daily basis as you and split the fare with them. Lyft's regular service lets you easily see where rides are, catch one, and easily pay right within the app.

    Easy Taxi

    Easy Taxi is available in 86 cities across 26 countries and lets you quickly browse through maps and find locations you'd like to be picked up at. From there, just make sure there are taxis in your area. Confirm your ride and then pay for it within the Easy Taxi app. Once you book a ride, you should see the taxi's plate number and phone number appear on the map, making it easy for you to pick out both the car and the driver.

    Curb

    Curb, formerly Taxi Magic, is currently available in around 60 cities across the United States as well as select cities in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico. It ties in with taxi companies and their drivers. As your taxi makes its way to your location, you'll be able to track its progress inside the app. You can link a payment account to Curb to pay your fare through the app. You can also pay in cash.