Millions of children in the United States go to summer camps. Some go to play outdoors at traditional camps in the woods, in the mountains or on lakes. But families now have many choices of special camps. These can be in the middle of nature or a big city. Special camps offer young people the chance to learn about different subjects: Anything from space exploration to business to medicine.

    In technology camps, one subject that children can learn about is video game design. They learn how to use computer programmes to create games of their own. One programme that teaches video game design is called Cybercamps. Children can learn how to design their own virtual(实际上的) worlds to set their video game in. Then, they programme their own rules and objects into the game.

    Cybercamps also offers courses in robot building and Web design. A recent story in the Washington Post described how one child made a robot that could sing a song. Another made a robot that could follow a black line drawn on a piece of cardboard. Also, children can learn how to make Web sites. One child made a site for pokeman, one of his favourite cartoon shows.

    Clothes are traditionally made of natural materials, such as cotton, leather and wool. They are all from plants or animals, but that doesn't mean they're friendly to the earth. For example, farmers have to use a lot of chemicals to grow cotton plants.

    Scientists are now looking for new ways to make clothing materials. They hope the new materials are both comfortable and good for the earth. Scientists have worked out how to make materials out of corn husks(棉籽), chicken feathers and rice straws.

    "They used to be useless things. We always have a problem of how to deal with them," Yang, a scientist says, "Now, we can turn them into beautiful materials. Chicken feathers are better than other things. They have small air pockets like honeycombs. That means it will be very warm if you use them to make a jacket or sweater, and I think more and more people will like to buy these kinds of clothes."

    Thanks to software like Apple's Siri or Microsoft's Cortana, it's easier than ever to do something on our phone or computer. All we have to do is "talk", and our favorite song starts playing a few seconds later. But in the neat" future, asking our phone to play a song by using our voice will seem as old--fashioned. That's because US tech company Microsoft recently applied for a patent* for a "brain control interface"(BCI): meaning that soon, we may be able to control our phone and computer with our thoughts.

    BCI technology works by changing brain signals into computer commands. This technology isn't brand new, however. Last year, for example, it was reported that scientists were able to help a disabled man from the US, 53-year-old Bill Kochevar, to move again. To do this, Kochevar was fitted with BCI technology, as well as equipment to make his muscles move. After a few weeks of getting used to it, Kochevar was able to use his thoughts to "tell" the BCI to move his muscles, meaning he was able to feed himself for the first time in years.

    Apart from helping disabled people, it's hoped that BCI technology will improve the daily lives of other people too. US social networking platform Facebook announced last year that it was working off BCI technology to help people type by using their brain. By 2020, the company hopes to have created a system that will allow people to type up to 100 words per minute just by thinking about them.

    However, many people are worried that technology that tan read our thoughts will create privacy problems, especially if social media companies are included. But Facebook researcher Regina Dugan said at a meeting last year that the company has no interest in reading people's private thoughts. "That might be more than any of us care to "know. And it's not something any of us should have a right to know," she said.

    Like most people, your intelligence（智力）changes from season to season. You are probably a lot sharper in spring than you are at any time of the year. A well known scientist, Ellsworth Huntington concluded（得出结论）from other men's work and his own that climate and temperature have a clear effect on people's intelligence.

    He found that cool weather is much better for creative thinking than warm weather, but this doesn't mean that all people are not so quick at learning in summer as they are during the rest of the year. It doesn't mean, however, that the intelligence of a large number of people seems to the lowest in summer.

    Spring season appears to be the best period of the year for thinking. One reason may be that in spring man's intelligence is affected（影响）by the same factors（因素）that bring about great changes in all nature.

    Autumn is the next-best season, then follows winter. As for summer, it seems to be a good time to take long holidays from thinking.