Have you seen some machines that eat used plastic bottles and give some coins to the users(用户) ?

     Recently, such machines have appeared at universities in Chongqing. They can turn rubbish into treasure and encourage the public to recycle rubbish. The machine is as large as a fridge. Users put an empty bottle in the machine, It is identified(识别) by a  small camera. Then it is put into a built-in bin. The users can get some coins. They can also give away the money.

     When the machine is filled with bottles. it will tell the company's(公司) head office. Nearby stations will send workers to have bottles collected . packed and send to the company.

     The bottle recycling machines could greatly encourage the public to recycle rubbish and save natural resources(资源) . Now the machine only eats plastic bottles. At sometimes in the future it will also cover others, such as glass bottles, to turn more rubbish into treasure and make full use of the natural resources.

     People can also see similar machines in Shanghai. In the future, more such machines will appear at some large stations. Bus stops, neighborhoods and schools.

      Astronauts are not like pilots, who fly into sky. They need some special trainings. They will fly into space. First they go to the Johnson space center in Houston Texas. They are tested there. Space doctors want to know how strong and smart they are.

      First of all, their hearts are tested. The people walk or run. Next, the space doctors see how fast their hearts are beating.

      Then it is another important test. In this test the person must curl his body up in a ball. And when he is in that position, he will be put into a round cloth bag. The doctors don't tell him how long he will have to stay in the bag. If a spaceship broke down in space, the astronauts would get into bags like these. Then they would have to wait, curled up in darkness, until they are saved. You can know that an astronaut must not be afraid of tight spaces or darkness.

      After these tests, scientists only choose the best people to start astronaut training in a training center. They will learn many other things in training. They will learn how to jump out of moving airplane, to blow up a lifeboat and get into it while they are in the ocean.

They also have to learn how to get lifted out of the ocean by a helicopter.

      When they finish training, the astronauts go on to work. They stay in good situation by running and doing exercise. They read about the special jobs. In that way they will be able to learn new facts about space travel.

      Finally, the astronaut is told to go to work on a flight into space. The members begin to know each other first. Then they can learn which jobs each will do.

    You must think a computer is the best thing in the world, right? You must think it works at a super speed and can do everything? Well, it's not! In fact, the brain is much more powerful than any super computer! Think about when a glass is just about to fall off the table. Your brain controls everything that you need to do to save that glass from falling. First your eyes check out what's going on, then tell your brain, and your brain decides how quickly you need to react(反应), and then your muscles(肌肉) go into action. That is just from your brain. No computer could ever come close to that!

    The brain weighs just 3 pounds, but it controls everything you do from thinking, learning, feeling even to breathing and your heart beating. Even though the brain is just 2% of your body weight, it uses around 20% of all your energy in your body. That is a lot for such a small organ(器官). There are about 100 billion tiny, tiny little cells(细胞) in your brain. There are so many that it would take you over 3,000 years to count them all!

    Your brain stops growing when you're 18, but it actually keeps on developing and learning new things. So your parents are really super smart! You won't be able to fool them! Believe it or not, your brain NEVER stops working. Even during sleeping, the brain works for long-term memory establishment(建立). It is realized that the brain is the second organ in the body as the heart that never stops during human lives.

    So everyone should be proud of such a gift of nature.

Is It Better to Read Books or Listen to Them?

    We often think how fast we learn something depends on how smart we are. If your brain is taking in material quickly, you're clever; if not, well, that doesn't say great things about your IQ. But science shows context (上下文) and technique (技术) actually play a big role in how fast we learn, and even small changes – like the way you use to read – can make a big difference.

    Audio (音频的) books have plenty of advantages: you can enjoy them anywhere, even in the car, and not printing books saves trees. Poor readers also often find them more interesting. But according to the latest research, if your goal isn't to pass the time in traffic, but instead to learn something difficult, you should choose a physical book.

    In a recent opinion piece in the New York Times, psychology (心理学) professor Daniel T.

    Willingham mentioned a 2010 study where 48 students either read or listened to an article about child psychology. Although the students spent the same amount of time with their material and did about the same number of distracting (分散注意力) activities while they absorbed the information, they scored very differently on a 10-item quiz later. Generally, the readers scored 81 percent but while the listeners scored 59 percent. Why does listening vs reading material have such a great effect on learning?

    Willingham explains that first, most of us read more slowly than we listen (especially when pausing and rereading), and when you're trying to absorb new information, slower seems to be better. "About 10 to 15 percent of eye movements during reading are actually regressive – meaning the eyes are going back and re-checking," he explains to TIME. "This happens very quickly…"

    Second, books offer visual cues (可视线索) that help our brains organize and understand new information. Things like chapter breaks, subheadings, and lists help us in making sense of the material and understanding how it fits together. You lose all that when you go the audio way.

    The bottom line is simple: Don't feel shame about passing your time in traffic with an audio book. However, be aware of audio's limitations when it comes to studying, and seriously consider choosing good old-fashioned reading instead.