We each have a memory. That's why we can still remember things after a long time. Some people have very good memories and they can easily learn many things by heart, but some people can only remember things when they say or do them again and again. Many of the great men of the world have got surprising memories.

    A good memory is a great help in learning languages. Everybody learns his mother language when he is a small child. He hears the sounds, remembers them and then he learns to speak. Some children are living with their parents in foreign countries. They can learn two languages as easily as one because they hear, remember and speak two languages every day. In school it is not so easy to learn a foreign language because the pupils have so little time for it, and they are busy with other subjects, too.

    But your memory will become better and better when you do more and more exercises

    There was a small village near the mountain. There were a lot of trees in the mountain. People in the 1always got something from the mountain, such as animals and trees. When they wanted to 2a house, they cut down the trees. And they also killed the animals for 3. Trees were very 4in their daily life. They made tables, chairs 5beds by cutting down the trees. In addition, when they 6meals, they still used some trees for wood. However, they only cut down trees but 7planted new trees. So the trees were fewer and fewer and the animals were becoming 8as well.

    One summer, it rained 9in the village. The rain lasted for about a week. The soil and the stones on the mountain fell down and soon 10the whole village. They finally realized they couldn't only cut down trees but also needed to protect them.

    When Justin Tong was a child, other kids felt sorry for him. His parents always had him doing lots of housework such as carrying out the rubbish and sending newspapers. But when he grew up, he was better off than his childhood friends and lived a happier and healthier life.

This is the finding of a 40-year study that followed the lives of 456 children in London. It showed that the children who had worked hard in childhood had a richer and a happier future. "Children who worked in the home or community gained competence(能力) and came to feel they were worthwhile members of society," said Daniel Brown, the psychologist(心理学家) who made the discovery. "And because they felt good about themselves, others felt good about them."

Brown's study followed these children in great detail. Interviews were repeated at ages 25, 31 and 47. Under Brown, the researchers compared the children's mental-health scores with their childhood-activity scores. Points were awarded for part-time jobs, housework, effort in school, and ability to deal with problems.

    Working at any age is important. Childhood activities help a child develop responsibility, independence, confidence and competence — the underpinnings (基础) of emotional health. They also help him understand that people must cooperate and work toward common goals. The most competent adults are those who know how to do this.

    Yet work isn't everything. As Tolstoy once said, "One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love, to work for the person one loves and to love one's work."

    Saving the environment is actually quite simple, when you come to think about it. It does not have to be a problem. If you and everyone follow these tips, you are helping save the environment easily.

    Switch off the lights when you leave the room. By now you have probably wasted thousands of watts (瓦特) lightening your room 1 you weren't there. If you work on a home office, this habit is not only bad for the environment, but also for your pocket.

    Turn off the computer when possible. If you know that you will be 2 for four hours or more, turning it off could lead to large savings over the long run.

    Print only when necessary. Sure, reading on paper might be more comfortable, but you should avoid printing those two-line e-mails every time. Read it on the screen and print only necessary documents. Remember also to use 3 sides of the sheet.

    Use fluorescent lamps (荧光灯). The fluorescent lamps may 4 more in the stores, but within the time you use one, you should have already recovered the investment. A normal incandescent light bulb (白炽灯泡) lasts 750 hours but a fluorescent bulb will give off the same amount of light yet last for 7,500 to 10, 000 hours with 1/3 of the wattage.

    Use low-flush (冲洗) toilets. In your household, 40% of the pure water is flushed down the toilet. You can 5 this easy way at home; use small plastic bottles, filled with water or stones to displace (置换) the amount of water in toilets. This will make it a "low-flush toilet", or you can use a displacement bag in your tank, which might reduce 1-2 gallons per flush.

    More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It is fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that's why there are about 1.4 billion bicycles and only about 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

    Get on a bicycle and ride around your neighbourhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your car. You can bike to work and benefit (受益) from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don't even have to ride all the way.

    Folding (可折叠的) bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by accessing on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle-friendly to travellers.

    Health Benefits of Bicycling:

    It helps to prevent heart diseases.

    Bicycling helps to control your weight.

    A 15-minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year. Bicycling can improve your mood (心情).

    Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and self-confident. Bicycling is healthier than driving.

    Every night in Jinan University in Guangzhou, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}play diabolo (空竹) as a crowd watches in amazement.

    Chen Zhelun, 25, a Malaysian-Chinese started the diabolo club, which helps to increase the popularity of this traditional Chinese game. He is one of many students expressing their interest in the country's cultural heritage (遗产) by {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    The diabolo, which came from China, is popular among Chinese living in Malaysia.

    "We played diabolo from primary school onward. I thought I could find someone {#blank#}3{#/blank#}in China, but only a few students knew about it. So I started a club to develop it," says Chen.

    To Chen's surprise, the old game has interested a huge crowd—more than 1,000students have joined the club.

    "It {#blank#}4{#/blank#}and it's fun," says Chen.

    But some prefer quieter activities. Every weekend, one classroom in Shenzhen University is always crowded, but it's unusually silent. The members of Lanting Calligraphy Club are writing Chinese characters with traditional brushes.

    As head of the traditional Chinese local operas club, Kong Yanquan plans to put modern elements (元素) into traditional culture to get students to join his club.

    "I think it's everyone's duty {#blank#}5{#/blank#}China's traditional culture among young people," he says.