The brain is a seemingly endless library, whose shelves house our most precious memories. To allow new memories to form, old information is sometimes pushed out of the brain.

    Previous studies have shown that learning new information can lead to {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. But in a new study, researchers showed for the first time how this effect {#blank#}2{#/blank#} in the brain.

    In daily life, forgetting actually has clear {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Imagine, for instance, that you lost your bank card. The new card you receive will come with a new personal identification number (PIN). Each time you remember the new PIN, you gradually forget the old one. This process improves access to {#blank#}4{#/blank#} information, without old memories interfering.

    And most of us may sometimes feel {#blank#}5{#/blank#} when old memories interfere with new, relevant memories. Consider trying to remember where you parked your car in the same car park you were at a week earlier. This type of memory is particularly interfering.

    When we get new information, the brain automatically tries to combine it with existing information by {#blank#}6{#/blank#} associations. And when we retrieve（检索）information, both the desired and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} but irrelevant information is recalled.

    The majority of previous research has focused on how we learn and remember new information. But current studies are beginning to put greater {#blank#}8{#/blank#} on the conditions under which we forget, as its importance begins to be more appreciated.

    A very small number of people are able to remember almost every detail of their life. Though it may sound like an advantage to many, people with this rare condition often find their {#blank#}9{#/blank#} ability troublesome. In a sense, normal forgetting may help to ensure our brain doesn't become too full.

The Floating School

    Life on the islands can feel a bit isolated due to a lack of electricity and internet connectivity.

    Although some of the islands have primary schools, most young people must travel to the larger islands or to the mainland to attend high school. Schools on the islands follow the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} curriculum (课程). They don't teach subjects such as maritime skills, swimming or local fishing traditions, and so the curriculum isn't always {#blank#}2{#/blank#} with students' everyday life.

    So, we {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the Floating School after winning funding through a US State Department grant competition called Seeds for the Future. Before we started the school, we spoke with young people, community leaders and teachers on the islands to find out the topics young people are most interested in. We also learned about the various {#blank#}4{#/blank#} of students and young people who don't go to school. Thus, we {#blank#}5{#/blank#} our own non-formal educational programme that fits with the context of life on the islands. For example, those working in fishing have responsibility {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the marine life, so we teach environmental protection and discourage destructive fishing practices.

    The Floating School is a wooden boat that can {#blank#}7{#/blank#} up to twenty people and it goes to the students, not the other way around -- we use it to transport educational materials, tools, and teachers to young people living on the islands. Our teachers are local young {#blank#}8{#/blank#}— so far we have had journalists, photographers, computer engineers and musicians — and students who want to {#blank#}9{#/blank#} their skills.

    At first, many of the young people thought the Floating School would be the same as their schools on the islands. They had thought of the teachers to be {#blank#}10{#/blank#}. But our students learn through art, media and literature. They don't have to wear uniforms or shoes, and the teachers treat the students as equals, without judging them. This means our students can be themselves.