Today, we are told, children don't spend enough time in the fresh air. Many of them are addicted to screen on a computer or a TV—they seem to be living in a virtual world. They have lost touch with nature.

    But now 400 organizations in the UK, from playgroups to the National Health Service, are encouraging children to have some “wild time”. They want kids to swap at least 30 minutes of watching TV or playing computer games for time playing outside. Activities such as building dens, climbing trees, rummaging for conkers and playing hide and seek are just some of the things kids can do. Even if they live in a city, they can go on adventures in the garden or the park.

    Children often need a helping hand from mom and dad. They need to be shown what to do and where to go. Andy Simpson from National Health Service says, “We want parents to see what this magical wonder product does for their kids' development, independence and creativity, by giving wild time a go”.

    So despite the complicated world that young people grow up in now, it seems that going back to basics and experiencing “nature's playground” is what modern children need. David Bond from Project Wild Thing says, “We need to make more space for wild time in children's daily routine, freeing this generation of kids to have the sort of experiences that many of us took for granted”.

    This might sound a bit old fashioned to you or maybe, like me, it's made you think about sticking on your boots, getting outdoors and reliving your childhood. There is no age limit on enjoying yourself!

    Settled by the Celts, invaded by the Romans and the Normans, and ruled by the English, Wales' population has regularly changed over the ages. Wales, particularly South Wales, became a melting pot (熔炉) of European nationalities and cultures. At first workers from England, Ireland and the rural areas of Wales rushed into the coal mines of South Wales. By 1911, workers from Ireland, Italy and Spain had joined the industrial workforce (劳动大军) there. Many of these newcomers were prepared to work for less pay.

    But during this period, workers, dissatisfied with regular pay cuts, poor safety, returned to the land. In 1891, the rural population of Wales was about 616,000 and by 1911 just over 649,000 people lived and worked in these areas.

       The rural population continues to grow slowly even today. People from richer parts of the UK, particularly southern England, are buying holiday homes in Wales. In some areas this has led to a lack of housing for local people. This, combined with the lack of employment in rural Welsh communities, has started a new movement of people in search of jobs and homes into the towns and cities of Wales and to other parts of the UK and Europe.

    As so many Welsh people have moved to other countries over the last 200 years, it's really no surprise that many visitors come to see friends and relatives. These visitors strengthen their links to their land of origin and continue to support the Welsh's development. During the hot summer days, about 28% of the visitors visit the countryside and nearly 70% visit the seaside.

Test-taking tips

    Do you sweat, check your pencil, and feel butterflies in your stomach as your teacher hands out the test paper? A lot of people feel anxious when it is time to take a test. Here are some tips for taking tests:

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Your memory recall will be much better if you have had enough rest. In a scientific study, people who got enough sleep before taking a math test did better than those who stayed up all night studying.

    Read the test through first. Once you have the test paper in front of you, read over the entire test, checking out how long it is and all the parts that you are expected to complete.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.If something seems unclear before you start, do not worry: ask the teacher.

    Focus on addressing each question individually. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Instead, answer the best way you can or skip over the question and come back to it after you have answered other questions.

    Relax. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Of course you cannot get up and move around in the middle of a test, but you can wiggle your fingers and toes, take four or five deep breaths. As we all know, it can be easy to forget things we know well. During a test, if you forget something and start to get nervous, it suddenly becomes much more difficult to remember.

    Finished already? Although most teachers will let you hand your test paper in early, it is usually a good idea to spend any extra time checking over your work. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. On the other hand, if you have 5 minutes until the bell rings and you are still writing, end up whatever you are working on without panic.

A. This will allow you to decide how much time you have for each section

B. Be sure you have studied properly

C. Get enough sleep the night before the test

D. As the teacher hands out the test paper, be sure you know what is expected of you

E. As you take the test, if you do not know an answer, do not worry about it

F. You can also add details that you may not have thought you'd have time for

G. If you are so nervous that you blank out, you might need a mini-break

    People who play computer games to train their brains might as well be playing Super Mario, new research suggests.

    In a six-week study, experts found people who played online games designed to improve their cognitive(认知的) skills didn't get any smarter.

    More than 8,600 people aged 18 to 60 were asked to play online brain games designed by the researchers to improve their memory, reasoning and other skills, for at least 10 minutes a day, three times a week.

    They were compared to more than 2,700 people who didn't play any brain games, but spent a similar amount of time surfing the Internet. All participants were given an "IQ test" before and after the experiment.

    Researchers said the people who did the brain training didn't do any better on the test after six weeks than people who had simply been on the Internet.

    "If you're(playing these games) because they're fun, that's absolutely fine," said Adrian Owen, assistant director at Britain's Medical Research Council. "But if you're expecting these games to improve your IQ, our data suggests this isn't the case."

    Computer games that are supposed to improve memory, reasoning and other cognitive skills are played by millions of people worldwide, though few studies have examined if the games work.

    "There is precious little evidence to suggest the skills used in these games transfer to the real world," said Art Kramer, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, US.

    Instead of playing brain games, Kramer said people would be better off getting some exercise. He said physical activity can help produce new brain cells.

    Other experts said brain games might be useful, but only if they weren't fun.

    "If you set the level for these games to a very high level where you don't get the answers very often and it really annoys you, then it may be useful," said Philip Adey, a professor of psychology at King's College in London.

    If people are enjoying the brain games, Adey said they probably aren't being challenged and might as well be playing a regular video game.

    He said people should consider learning a new language or sport if they really want to improve their brain power. "To stimulate(激发) the intellect, you need a real challenge," Adey said, "Getting smart is hard work."

    Many effects of a lack of sleep, such as being bad-tempered and not working at your best, are well known.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity and heart disease, and it shortens your life expectancy.

    How much sleep do we need?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}But some need more and some less. What matters is that you find out how much sleep you need and then try to achieve it. As a general rule, if you wake up tired and spend the day longing for a chance to have a nap, it's likely that you're not getting enough sleep.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}An occasional night without sleep makes you feel tired and irritable( 急躁易怒 ) the next day, but it won't harm your health. After several sleepless nights, the mental effects become more serious. Your brain will- fog, making it difficult to concentrate and make decisions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

How to catch up on lost sleep?

    If you don't get enough sleep, there's only one way to compensate (补偿) —getting more sleep.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you've had months of limited sleep, you'll have built up a big sleep debt, so expect recovery to take several weeks.

    Starting on a weekend, try to add on an extra hour or two of sleep a night. The way to do this is to go to bed when you're tired and allow your body to wake you in the morning (no alarm clocks allowed!).

A. What happens if we don't sleep?

B. Why is a good sleep vital for a long life?

C. It won't happen with a single early night.

D. If it continues, lack of sleep can affect your overall health.

E. However, the cost of all those sleepless nights is more than those.

F. It's now clear that a solid night's sleep is essential for a long and healthy life.

G. Most of us need around 8 hours of good-quality sleep a night to function properly.

    You can't always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella. But designer Mikhail Belvacv doesn't think that forgetting to check the weather forecast before heading out should result in you getting wet.

    That's why he created Lampbrella, a lamp post with its own rain sensing umbrella.

    The designer says he came up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. "Once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain. I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy(伞蓬) built into a street lamp," he said.

    The Lampbrella is a standard-looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy. It has a built-in electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand. Sensors (传感器)then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians shelter whenever it starts raining.

    In addition to the rain sensor, there's also a 360 motion sensor on the fiberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone's using the Lampbrella. After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed.

    According to the designer, the Lampbrella would move at a relatively low speed, so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians. Besides, it would be grounded to protect from possible lighting strike. Each Lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people. Being installed at 2 meters off the ground it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians.

    While there are no plans to take Lampbrella into production, Belyaev says he recently introduced his creation to one Moscow Department and insists this creation should be installed on the street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter.