My color television has given me nothing but a headache. I was able to buy it a little over a year ago because I had my relatives give me money for my birthday instead of clothes that wouldn't fit. I let a salesclerk fool me into buying a discontinued model. I realized this a day later, when I saw newspaper advertisements for the set at seventy-five dollars less than I had paid. The set worked so beautiful when I first got it home that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night. Fortunately, I didn't get any channels showing all-night movies or I would never have gotten to bed.

       Then I started developing a problem with the set that involved static(静电) noise. For some reason, when certain shows switched into a commercial, a loud noise would sound for a few seconds. Gradually, this noise began to appear during a show, and to get rid of it, I had to change to another channel and then change it back. Sometimes this technique would not work, and I had to pick up the set and shake it to remove the sound. I actually began to build up my arm muscles(肌肉) shaking my set.

       When neither of these methods removed the static noise, I would sit helplessly and wait for the noise to go away. At last I ended up hitting the set with my first, and it stopped working altogether. My trip to the repair shop cost me $62, and the sit is working well now, but I keep expecting more trouble.

    Computer technology is still developing rapidly. The computer of the future will continue to increase in value and performance while decreasing in cost. It will become smaller, but faster and more powerful.

    It is possible to make some guesses about what the future of the computer will look like, based upon the types of technologies that are being developed now. A lot of progress has already been made in some of these new technologies, but some are still in their earliest stages and may not be ready for use for years. Two of the most interesting areas of computing that are currently being developed are quantum computing (量子计算) and nanotechnology (纳米技术).

    Quantum computing is one possibility for the future of the computer that could make computers run far faster than even the quickest computers do today. Quantum computers could be able to do what modern supercomputers are unable to do by using transistors that are able to take on many states at the same time.

    Nanotechnology could also change the face of computing, by creating computers that could be very powerful, though they are tiny in size. These computers could be incorporated (并入) into everyday objects, including electrical appliances (电器), clothes and even the human body. We will be able to use computers in new and unimaginable ways. They will become a part of our lives rather than simply being a box that is used only for specific purposes, such as work.

    Quantum computing and nanotechnology will be able to play new roles, which will make us live greener lives, as well as enjoy better health and happier lives.

    When you need to see a doctor, surely you will want to see a good one. But there is one important thing you may never have thought about: Has your doctor rested enough?

    Doctors in our country often have to work 34 hours or longer without sleep. Most of them work 104 hours a week, and some even 150. (There are only 168 hours a week!) One report said that a doctor who works such long hours cannot think more clearly than a drunk driver. Another found that doctors who sleep 5.8 fewer hours than the week before might make 22% more serious mistakes. Surely no one wants to get in a car that is driven by a drunk driver. So, how safe would you feel when you are under the care of a tired doctor?

    Sadly this problem has been around for a long time. There are no laws about it yet and hospital bosses don't look like they care either. And that is why we doctors are asking you to join us on the street this Sunday. Fight together with us on the street so we can fight better for your life in the hospital.

Time: 1 p. m. July 15            Place: City Hospital Square

    A retired United States soldier named Terry McGlade, who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, his dog Major is a hero. He is specially trained to says sense when McGlade is about to have a seizure, get his phone and dial 911 for help.

    When Major had recently sensed an incident about to happen, and McGlade collapsed and hit the floor, Major was able to get to McGlade's phone, and more or less bite on the phone which is specially set up so that when multiple buttons are pressed and held in, it goes into emergency call mode, and dial 911.

    "He was actually able to get my phone out of my pocket," McGlade said.

    The 911 operators who got the call from Major said they never heard him bark or anything. However, they could hear what sounded like a confused man in the background, and did get quite suspicious after quite a few calls from McGlade's cell phone kept coming in. Quite clearly, Major was using his leg and also stepping on the screen to get the phone to díal for help.

    After Major was sure someone would be on their way to help, he then made his way out to the front of the house to wait. When police and ambulance arrived, he led them into the house and right to McGlade, still in distress.

    "I probably would have been in severe trouble if he wouldn't have called," McGlade said.

    McGlade was taken to the hospital, where he was kept overnight for observation, but thanks to his best friend, and now hero of the day, Major. He is feeling much better, and will make a full recovery with little risk of lasting damage from this particular incident.

    For many students who desire to move around but not far freely, one of the most common vehicles is the bicycle. For such a seemingly simple invention, its story is not that simple.

    Most historians trace its origin back to 1817, when a German nobleman named Karl von Drais invented a wooden, two­wheeled machine that riders moved forward with their feet. His invention became popular in both England and France, where it eventually became known as the velocipede. Unfortunately, it was eventually banned as a danger to pedestrians and was rarely seen after the early 1820s.

    Things were quiet for several decades until the bicycle development took off in the 1860s. An important milestone happened in Paris in 1863 when pedals were added to the front axle (轴). This occurred in Pierre Michaux's workshop, but it's unclear whether he or his employee, Pierre Lallement, should be given credit for the innovation Lallement moved to the United States, where he obtained a patent for "improvements in velocipedes" in 1866. These new machines proved to be popular, and the name "bicycle" had come into use by 1869. However, many people referred to them as "bone shakers", which described their clunky ride due to a heavy wooden frame and steel wheels.

    In the 1870s, "high wheelers" or "penny­farthings" became popular. However, with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel, they could be dangerous, if riders had to stop suddenly, as they would "take a header" when their momentum (动量) carried them over the front wheel onto their heads. Eventually, English inventor John Kemp Starley designed a "safety bicycle" with two same small wheels, a chain drive, and a set of gears. With tires added in and brake systems bettered in the following decades, bicycle production had skyrocketed to over one million bicycles by 1899.

    Mass production of bicycles increased their popularity greatly, since they became affordable for the average person. Over the course of the 20th century, manufacturers continued to improve the features and design of bicycles as new technologies appeared.

Most children love stories. Stories are entertaining and fun, but can they be more than just fun? Findings from a new study led by Rebecca de Leeuw, an assistant professor at the Radboud University, indicate stories in movies can also be meaningful for children. 

The researchers contacted children between 4 and 15years old after they watched the Disney film Inside Out. This film takes place mainly in the head of an 11-year-old girl, where her emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, personified as different characters—conflict on how to help her best in her new life after her family moves. The story follows the "hero's journey" —a classical narrative（叙事的）framework, which involves a hero who goes on an adventure, overcomes challenges, and return s changed. So the research team chose this film. When making this film, the film-makers had in-depth discussions with psychologists to make the emotion animation consistent with scientific knowledge. 

The research team asked mostly open-ended questions to encourage the children to share their thoughts, including the key question: "Was there a part of the movie you had to think about?" Children looked at stills of important scenes and were invited to explain in their own words what happened. If they liked, they also rewatched scenes of the film. 

While watching, children made sense of the feelings, motives and behavior of characters in the film, using their social intelligence skills. They also further developed these skills when they were challenged in making sense of the story. Children also mentioned they appreciated seeing acts of pity, kindness, love and bravery in the film. Just like adults, they were even touched to tears by these qualities. 

One of the children in the study even expressed that Joy inspired her to never quit in her own life. The more insights children gained while watching, the more meaningful the story became for them. Altogether, stories in movies can be a quick way for children to gain life experience and wisdom.