What will power your house in the future？Nuclear, wind, or solar power？According toscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)in the US, it might beleaves—but artificial(人造的)ones.

    Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water intoenergy. It is known as photosynthesis(光合作用). Nowresearchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.

    The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and hiscolleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip with catalysts(催化剂). Similar tonatural leaves, it can splitwater into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogenand oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell, which usesthose two materials to produce electricity, located eitheron top of a house or beside the house.

Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card, scientistsclaimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity indeveloping countries.“ One can imagine villages in India and Africa not longfrom now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology, ”said Noceraat a conference of the American Chemical Society.

    The artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leafwas invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. Thenew leaf, by contrast, is made ofcheap materials, easy to useand highly stable. In laboratory studies, Nocera showedthat an artificial leaf prototype(原型)could operatecontinuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.

    The wonderful improvements come from Nocera's recent discoveryof several powerful, new andinexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation insidethe leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now, the new leafis about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a naturalone. Besides, the device canrun in whatever water is available；that is, it doesn'tneed pure water. This is important for some countries that don't have access topure water.

    With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and“give energy to the poor”, scientistsbelieve that the new technology could be widely used in developing countries, especially inIndia and rural China.

How to Win a Debate Competition

    Debating doesn't mean that you can end up arguing with your opponents(对手). {#blank#}1{#/blank#}．The following tips on how to win a debate will further help you out.

    1 ){#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    This is very important. If you already know the debate topic that you are going to debate on, learn as much about it as you can. Research on it and then form opinions about it. Only if you know something in and out, will you be able to talk convincingly on it.

    2 ) Be confident.

    When you are putting your point in front of your opponents as well as the audience, be sure of yourself. Along with the words, your body language, voice modulation (语调) and eye contact, will play a major part in your success in debating. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    3 ) Give real life examples.

    While debating, make use of very simple language, which your audience can understand very easily. Give as many real examples as you can when making a point. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}．Thus, the judges and audience will find you much more convincing.

    4 ) Be descriptive.

    To win any debate, there is something about the human mind that you should be aware of. The thing with us humans is that if we see something, we believe and remember it much more than something we merely hear! {#blank#}5{#/blank#}．Tell you point of view in such a way that they can actually "see" what you are saying. If you are somehow able to pull this off, there is no doubt that you will be the winner of the debate competition!

    Follow the tips mentioned above, and with time, you will see yourself winning over your judges and audience.

    In today's households where both parent go to work and kids have busy schedules with school homework and many afternoon activities, finding time for a gathering at the table seems all but impossible. Yet, studies have shown time and again that eating together has multiple benefits for family members, especially children.

    According to reports issued by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University(CASA), children who eat more with their family are at lower risk of developing poor eating habits, weight problems or alcohol dependencies. They tend to perform better academically than those who frequently eat alone. Family meals came into American life in the mid-20^th century. In the 60's and 70's, social, economic and technological changes quickly dissolved the short-lived way of family meals. Restaurant visits, take-out and TV dinners have since become the norm.

    There are indicators, however, that the old customs are coming back. According to the latest CASA reports, 59% of surveyed families said they ate diner together at least five times a week, a significant increase from 47% in 1998. Whatever drives this trend, it is a development that should be welcomed.

    Eating together as a family is not just about food and nutrition. It is about teaching them how to become members of their society and culture. Food as become so easily and cheaply available that we no longer appreciate its significance. We have to rediscover its importance and its value. Sharing a meal with loved ones should be considered a special event, which can almost take on the form of a ceremony, as it was practiced by our ancestors for whom finding food was a constant struggle.

    Of course, there is no guarantee that the simple act of eating at home surrounded by family may make children more virtuous or socially more responsible. But it can lay the groundwork for a lot of things that point them in the right direction.

    One form of social prejudice against older people is the belief that they cannot understand or use modern technology. Activities like playing computer games, going on the Net and downloading MP3s are only for the youngsters. Isn't it unfair that older people enjoying a computer game should be frowned（皱眉）upon by their children and grandchildren?

    Nowadays older people have more control over their lives and they play a full part in society. Moreover, better health care has left more people in their sixties and seventies feeling fit and active after retirement. Mental activity, as well as physical exercise, can contribute to better health. Playing computer games is a very effective way of exercising the brain.

    When personal computers were first introduced, most older people didn't believe they would ever familiarize themselves with it. Now computers have been around for a few generations and retired people have gradually become more relaxed about using them for fun. Gamers over 65 prefer playing puzzle games and card games. Kate Stevens, aged 72, says: 揑 find it very relaxing. It's not very demanding, but you still need to concentrate.”

    Another development that has favored 揼rey games? is a change in the type of videogames available on the market. There's a greater variety of games to choose from, including more intellectual and complex strategy（策略）and simulation（模拟）games. Internet Chess and Train Simulator are among the most popular of these. Train Simulator is based on real-world rail activities. Players can choose from a variety of challengers, such as keeping to a strict-timetable and using helper engines during a winter storm.

    Some people argue that 揼rey gamers? simply don't have the skills required for computer games, and that teenagers are better. This couldn't be further from the truth. Most computer games require the kind of analytical thinking that improves with practice, which means that the 揼rey gamers may well be far better than gamers half a century younger than them.

    My father was attached to gardening by birth. One of my earliest memories is following Dad barefoot around in the garden with both hands blackened from digging in the soil. The garden was a wonderland full of possibilities.

    As Dad grew older, he still loved gardening. Even when he was diagnosed with cancer, he still planted all sorts of plants. Sometimes, I would come over to visit, and we would walk together in the garden. But then, something changed. Like the weeds that took over his garden, the cancer grew rapidly in Dad, and the doctor gave up. I stayed with Dad twenty-four hours a day and I found myself in all kinds of uncomfortable situations with Dad until I promised to care for the garden.

    Though I had heard the words of the doctor, what really made me believe that Dad was dying was the state of his garden. That year, he only planted tomatoes. Too tired to weed them, he simply tied them with strong strings to the fence and let them be. It made me sad to see them ignored, so I would come over and water them once in a while, and remove the weeds. I still remember the day I picked the last tomato from the vine(藤). That day was one of the saddest I had ever experienced in my life.

    Three years ago, I decided to plant my own garden. I decided I would start out with just a few tomatoes. That morning when I moved to the garden, something caught the corner of my eye and I had to smile. It was my eight-year-old son Nathan, standing barefoot in the soil, happily playing in soil.

    Welcome to SummerCamps.com; find and book the very best summer camps. Your children are precious so we offer the highest quality of camps that will meet each child's needs and interests.

    Catalina Sea Camp

    Sea Camp offers three one-week sessions to boys and girls aged 8-13 and two three-week sessions to teens aged 12-17. Our hand-picked instructors create an atmosphere of fun and excitement while leading campers to a host of ocean adventures, marine(海洋的) biology, and social summer camp activities.

    Address: Toyon Way, San Bruno, California 94066

    Phone: 800-645-1423

    Camp Cayuga

    Camp Cayuga is a private summer camp for children aged 6 to 16. The camp is on a 350-acre land in the Pocono Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania, just outside the village of Honesdale. It's a 3-hour drive from New York City and Philadelphia.

    Address: 321 Niles Pond Road-Suite ISC, Honesdale, Pennsylvania 18431

    Phone: 908-470-1224

    Camp Rockmont

    Camp Rockmont is a Christian summer camp for boys, aged 6-16, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Rockmont's duty of developing boys into healthy young men is accomplished through age-appropriate skills, activities, and challenges that help campers to know themselves better.

    Address: 375 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain, North Carolina 28711

    Phone: 828-686-3885

    Primitive Pursuits Overnight Camps

    Primitive Pursuits Overnight Camps offer week-long Summer Adventure Overnight Camps in New York's Finger Lakes to your children aged 11-15. Campers experience a week of nature-based skills training, inspiring challenges, and fun activities under the guidance of skilled instructors.

    Address: 611 County Rd 13, Van Etten, New York 14889

    Phone: 607-272-2292