The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple's products sounds cool and has become a fashion. Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” — and many other brands are following suit. The BBC's iPlayer — which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet —used the title in 2015. A lovely bear — popular in the US and UK — that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version(简装本) of London's Independent newspaper was started last week under the name “i”.

    In general, single-letter prefixes(前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms like e-mail first came into use.

    Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of independent's “i”, it's no surprise that they've selected this fashionable name.

    But it's hard to see what's so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King's College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn't have one clear definition,” he says.

    “However, thanks to Apple, the term is now connected with portability (轻便) .”adds Thorne.

    ※Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.

    Along with “Google” and “Microblog”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last ten years.

    But as history shows, people grow tired of fashions. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was connected with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the fashion disappeared.

    If someone asked you to quantify (衡量) the time you spend online, how would you answer? If you're like one-fifth of Americans, you'd likely say “almost constantly.” New research shows that 21 percent of Americans report that they're online more or less constantly.

    Andrew Perrin, a research assistant at Pew, did a survey about Internet use. During the survey, adults were asked how much they go online. 13 percent said they don't go online and 13 percent said they go online several times a week or less. Only 10 percent said they go online once a day and much larger quantities said they go online several times a day (42 percent) or “almost constantly” (21 percent).

    Interestingly, there wasn't a gender split (性别分化) when it came to near constant Internet use. Age seems to be the great divider: Only six percent of people over 65 said they were online that much. Those who reported that they were online all the time included 12 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds, 28 percent of 30- to 49-year-olds and 36 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds.

    Don't suppose that teenagers are online more than adults, however. In another survey, Pew found that while they did have a slight edge on adults in general when it came to “almost constant” Internet use, 24 percent said they were online pretty much all the time. They still fell greatly behind the 36 percent of adults between 18 and 29 years of age who were always online.

    Given that the United Nations considers unrestricted (无限制的) Internet access (接入) to be a human right, the number of Americans who report being online “almost constantly” could rise along with availability and affordability. But it remains to be seen whether being online all the time is actually something to long for, or how constant connectivity will affect American culture in the long term.

    Imagine you're standing in line to buy a snack at a store. You step up to the counter and the cashier scans your food. Next, you have to pay. But instead of scanning a QR Code(二维码) with your smart phone, you just hold out your hand so the cashier can scan your fingerprint. Or, a camera scans your face, your eyes or even your ear.

    Now, this type of technology might not be far away. As technology companies move away from the traditional password, biometric (生物特征识别的) security, which includes fingerprint, face and voice ID, is becoming increasingly popular.

    In 2013, Apple introduced the iPhone 5s, one of the first smart phones with a fingerprint scanner. Since then, using one's fingerprint to unlock a phone and make mobile payments has become a commonplace, bringing convenience to our lives. And since 2016, Samsung has featured eye-scanning technology in its top smart phones, while Apple's new iphone X can even scan a user's face. But despite its popularity, experts warn that biometrics might not be as secure as we imagine." Biometrics is ideally good in practice, not so much," said John Michener, a biometrics expert.

    When introducing the new iPhone's face ID feature, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice-president, said. "The chance that a random person in the population could look at your iPhones X and unlock it with their face is about one in a million." But it's already been done. In a video posted on a community website Reddit, two brothers showed how they were each able to unlock the same iPhone X using their own face. And they aren't even twins.

    "We may expect too much from biometrics," Anil Jain, a computer science professor at Michigan State University, told CBS News. "No security systems are perfect."

    Earlier last year, Jain found a way to trick biometric security. Using a printed copy of a thumbprint, she was able to unlock a dead person's smart phone for the police, according to a tech website Splinter. "It's good to see biometrics being used more," Jain told CBS News, "because it adds another factor for security. But using multiple security measures is the best defense."

    Many students ask for advice about improving their English. There are three basic questions.

    The first question is about real English. Li Hao from Hubei wrote, "I enjoy watching English films and listening to real English songs. But it takes a long time. What do you think?"

    This is a great way to learn English! Talk about the film or song with your friends, and guess the meaning of the new words. Just enjoy yourself!

    The second question is about speaking. Sam, form Suzhou wrote, "Our school has a foreign teacher. But I'm shy and can't speak to her. What should I do?"

    When I visit China, lots of people in the street say, "Hello! How are you? Where are you from? Do you like China?" These are good questions to start a conversation. Many people are shy when they speak English, so before you begin, takes deep breath and smile! Smiling always helps.

    The third question is about vocabulary. Oliver, from Anhui wrote, "I want to remember all the new words. I write them down, but I forget them quickly. What should I do? Try to remember eight or ten words a day. Write them on pieces of paper and place them in your bedroom. Say the words when you see them, and change them every day. And when you're shopping, how about counting the English words, or saying the English names for everything you see?

Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs. 

AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival （19 Oct. ） cost £ 169. 15 at Booking. com. A week later, the same room cost £ 118. 15.

If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid or you're looking for a big event to pass your time-check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category. 

STAYAWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you -may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday. 

Don't be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge's Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was £ 95. 95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was £ 75. 75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just £ 62. 95.

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF Really central hotels in cities such as London, Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As an alternative consider checking into a self-catering flat with its own kitchen. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city centre buildings. A great example is the historic O'Neill Flat on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, available for £ 420 for five days in late September, with room for four adults. 

GET ON A BIKE London's "Boris bikes' have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you. on public transport or car parking costs. 

Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle （casual members pay around £ 1. 50 for two hours） and Cardiff （free for up to 30 minutes, or £ 5 per day）. 

How to keep yourself safe from newvirus?

After a new-type coronavirus(冠状病毒)was found in viral pneumonia(肺炎)cases,more cases have been reported in recent days.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}:

Wear masks outdoors

●Wearing a mask is one of the most effective ways to protect you from getting infected.

●Make sure to wear it properly by tightening up the nose clip and pulling the bottom of it over your chin (下巴).

●{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, a mask is also needed to prevent you from spreading germs to others.Cover your coughs and sneeze with tissue (纸巾) 

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or you can cough or sneeze into your sleeve, but avoid covering with your hands directly.

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Wash your hands with soap and running water thoroughly for at least 15 seconds.

● Before eating and after using the toilet

● After returning home

● After touching trash or garbage

● After contacting with animals or handling animal wastes Strengthen your immune system and exercise regularly

● Exercise regularly is one of the most important ways to help you stay away from catching any infections.

● Make sure that shared spaces have good air flow and avoid going to crowded places such as hospitals, railway stations and airports.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

● Seek medical attention immediately if you have symptoms(症状) of fever and respiratory(呼吸的) infection.

● Avoid close contact with people who have flu or cold-like symptoms.

●{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.Avoid contact with wild animals or farmed livestock(牲畜) without any protection.

A.If your hands are not visibly dirty

B.Eat thoroughly cooked meat and eggs

C.If you are not feeling well or having a fever

D.Wash your hands frequently and properly

E.Visit your friends and relatives often as usual.

F.Wear a mask if transport or movement is necessary

G.To prevent catching the infection, here's what you can do