Reports tell us that Americans work more and vacation less than people in other major industrial countries. Still, millions of Americans do try to get away from home for a week or two in the summer months. Some might even have the time and money to spend longer on vacation.

    For example, many retired Americans can be found driving around the United States in big recreational vehicles, known as R. V.'s. These serve as a home away from home. In fact, it might even be their only home as they see the country.

    Some American families get in their cars and drive to historic places like Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. There, they can experience what life was like for early Americans. If that is not exciting enough, also in Williamsburg is a water park and an amusement park with rides.

    Other Americans visit national parks like Yellowstone or Yosemite out in the West. They want to spend time with nature. Or they take their vacation by a lake or the ocean. They might swim or fish. But many just want to sit and enjoy the feeling of doing nothing, except maybe read a book.

    Some families fly to other countries on vacation. Or they go on a cruise ship (大型游轮) and stop in different ports. Cruise ships are like floating cities.

    But not everyone goes someplace special on vacation. This might be the only time for people to work on things like home improvement projects. And while they do that, they might think of all the fun their friends are having.

    We all need to eat. So, meals could be a chance to stop what we're doing and spend time with the people in our lives. A recent study from a team of South Korea suggests that eating together has many good effects on children and teenagers while frequently eating alone may lead to poor eating habits and poor food choices. People who eat alone more than twice a week have a greater risk of developing high blood pressure.

    There are benefits of family dinners on children and teenagers.

    In 2014, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) looked at data from nearly three-quarters of the world's countries. Among its findings is the fact that students who share a main meal with their families are less likely to hate school. Children who eat a main meal with their families are also less likely to take drugs (毒品).

    In the report, titled “The Importance of Family Dinners (VIII),'' researchers say that teens who have frequent family dinners are more likely to say their parents know a lot about what's going on in their lives.

    Another study from the University of Montreal finds that children who eat with their families experience long-term physical and mental health benefits. These children are physically in better shape and drink fewer sugary soft drinks. These children also seem to have better social skills and are less violent.

    One of the researchers, Pagani, involved in this study is a professor at the university. She says that mealtimes with parents possibly provide young children with firsthand social events, which helps them have better communication skills.

    A recent study presents the possibility of “carbon farming” as a less risky alternative to other carbon capture and storage technologies. It suggests that a significant percentage of atmospheric CO₂ could potentially be removed by planting millions of acres of a shrub known as the Barbados nut（麻疯树）, in dry, coastal areas. But other experts doubted whether the Barbados nut would be able to grow well in sandy desert soils and absorb the quantity of carbon their models predict.

    The researchers behind the study say Barbados nut plantations（种植园）could help to reduce the local effects of global warming in desert areas, causing a decrease in average temperature and an increase in rainfall. If a large enough portion of the Earth were blanketed with carbon farms, these local effects could become global, capturing between 17 and 25 metric tons of CO₂ per hectare each year over a 20-year period.

    Carbon farms would not compete with food production if they were concentrated in dry coastal areas. In their analysis, oceanside desalination（海水淡化）plants provide a low-emission irrigation method. The study states that the Barbados nut is uniquely suited to growing in regions unsuitable for other crops .The plant, which produces a non-edible seed that can be used to create biodiesel（生物柴油）, is comfortable growing at temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It can also stand up to high levels of pollution in the soil, making waste water another potential source for irrigation.

    The cost of carbon farming is comparable to the costs associated with other carbon capture and storage technologies, the study claims. Wulfmeyer stressed that carbon farming could have “fantastic value for the local people” if international carbon markets pick up, promoting rural development and opening up the possibility of additional agriculture as the soil quality improves around the plantation.

    In an email, Van Noordwijk, a chief science advisor, questioned the growth rate and the atmospheric carbon capture rate assumed by the study's authors, calling the estimated carbon price of the plantations a “considerable underestimate”. “We are talking about a plant with a shrubby growth habit and a long track record of misleading farmers with production potentials that are not being realized,” he said, and “Even with abundant water, the nutrient storage in sandy desert soil is low. He added, “The estimated carbon price of this option already indicates that there are far better opportunities for reducing ongoing emissions from peatland（泥炭地）use and deforestation.”

    From July to October every year, about a quarter of the world's blue whales feed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. But the whales currently face a major threat in their favorite feeding area. Ships carrying cargo （货物）sail in the same area at the same time. All too often, the whales' paths and the ships' travel lines overlap (重叠), and a ship will hit a whale.

    According to a new study, these ship strikes have become a serious threat to the overall population of the world's blue whales. Only about 10,000 of the creatures still exist worldwide. Blue whales are the largest known animals ever to live on Earth. Even so, if hit by a container ship, a blue whale will likely die from its injuries.

    In 2007 alone, large ships killed five blue whales in the waters off San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that because there are so few whales already, losing three to five from the California whale population every year is a significant loss. "The estimated population of blue whales in this part of the Pacific is 2,500", says Sean Hastings, a NOAA analyst. "So every whale counts toward this species moving off the endangered-species list."

    Now, marine scientists must figure out how to protect the whales from the giant container ships. One very simple program is already under way in the Santa Barbara Channel, a waterway that separates mainland California from the nearby Channel Islands.

    The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has asked large container ships passing through the area to voluntarily slow down. Sailing slower will allow the ships crew （船员）more time to change course before hitting a whale.

    Several of the world's largest shipping lines are set to participate in the new program. For every ship that passes through the Santa Barbara Channel at or below the reduced speed of 12 knots （海里/小时）, the company that owns the ship will be paid $2,500.

    In a world full of Kates and Sarahs, you might think it'd be nice to have a unique name to help me stand out in a crowd. Being named Stacia (pronounced stay-sha) is not so lucky to me. I'll get the occasional "Your name is so pretty" after introducing myself, but eventually my name causes me more frustration than happiness. For example, Microsoft Word always tries to tell me my name isn't a real word. I couldn't even pronounce my own name correctly until I was five.

    I once had a professor who pronounced my name differently each class. After a while I stopped correcting him, and that's been my reaction to strangers ever since. In other cases, I'd rather tell the seller my name is Staci and save both of us, as well as the people standing behind me in line, valuable time.

    Meeting new people gives me anxiety, and I've realized it's easier just to lie about my name altogether in certain cases. Actually I did—so many times that Brittany is now my chosen "going out" name. It may have caused some confusion for my friends at first, who would let out a small laugh or have a confused look, but I've trained them to keep a straight face whenever I whip out this fake (假的) name. Now going out on weekends means I get to have a shift of identity.

    Frustrations aside, being the owner of a unique name has made me appreciate the little things in life. Someone pronouncing or spelling my name correctly on the first try brings me more joy than it probably should. I also love it when I meet another Stacia and we get to bond over our shared struggles.

    To any other Stacias reading this—I feel you, girl. P. S. I apologize to any real Brittanys out there. Thanks for letting me borrow your name.

Study lamps are vital to learning. Finding the best lighting for study is important for everyone. For the sake of maximizing the use of time and energy, and for the very important goal of preserving eyesight, anyone reading for understanding needs not only adequate light, but light that ensures reading with ease. Only when eye strain(疲劳) is not interfering does the learning process move forward.

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You can purchase a large number of stylish desk lamps from lamp stores and online. The products range from precious ones to casual ones, from traditional ones to ultra-modern(超现代的)ones. They feature such desirable additions as dimmer switches and night lights. Some have battery backup in case of power failure and a choice of OttLite bulbs that duplicate natural sunlight.

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