We usually believe what our brain tells us, but there are some amazing facts which show that the brain tricks us. As a result, we think we can see something that is not actually there or we ignore（忽视）things that actually are there.

 Scientists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris have researched this phenomenon（现象）, which they call “change blindness”. Their experiments show how we sometimes just do not see what is in front of our eyes because           42          .

 Here is one of their most famous experiments. In this experiment, the participants（参与者）were shown a video of two groups of people (one group in white T-shirts and one group in black T-shirts) who passed basketballs around in a hallway. Each group had three members. Simons and Chabris asked the participants to count how many times the white team passed the ball. While the two teams were passing their balls around, a person dressed up as a big bear walked through the group and stopped to look at the camera. Simons and Chabris found that about half of the research participants did not notice the big bear.

Where does the wind come from? What makes the wind move(移动) all the time? Scientists tell us that it is the sun. That makes air move, and makes it blow(吹). When the sun shines on the earth, it makes the earth hot. Then the earth makes the air hot. When the air becomes hotter, it also becomes lighter(更轻). The light air goes up. Cool air comes into take the place of（代替） the hot air. The hot light air goes up higher and higher until it becomes cool. Then it comes down again, and then the earth makes it hot again, and it has to go up. When the air move, it has wind.

    Almost all animals need to sleep to stay healthy. But sleeping can also be dangerous because other animals may hurt those who are sleeping. This leads to many different ways of sleeping that help them stay safe. Some of these ways may surprise you!

    Almost all bats sleep upside down. They hang from a branch of a tree or the ceiling of a cave. Up high, bats are safe from most other animals. If they are in danger, they just fly away.

    A dolphin sleeps with just half its brain at a time. It must stay awake to breathe and to watch for danger. Dolphin mothers and babies can go without sleep for as long as two months to stay safe.

    Some ducks sleep with just half their brains, too. These ducks often sleep in a line. The ducks at both ends help to keep the group safe. They keep one eye open to watch for danger. The ducks in the middle sleep deeply with both eyes closed.

    Seals breathe air, but that doesn't stop some of them from sleeping underwater. They hold their breath and dive deep to sleep for up to twenty minutes at a time. Sleeping deep underwater helps these seals stay safe from animals that hunt them near the surface.

    Horses often sleep standing up. Their legs lock in place so they don't fall over. If a horse is lying down, it needs a long time to get up. A horse can run from danger more quickly if it is already standing.

    A flamingo can sleep while standing on one leg. The standing leg locks so it stays straight. The other leg remains close to the flamingo's body. Its head rests on its back. A flamingo lives (and sleeps) near many other birds to stay safe.

    Some seabirds can sleep while they fly. These large birds spend most of their lives over the ocean. They are in danger on the water, but they are safe in the air. They fly for many hours without flapping（拍打）their wings. Sometimes they sleep while they are flying.

    Would you like to sleep how they sleep?

    Most people agree that trees look nice, but not everyone knows that trees can also help cities save money. A few years ago, the US Forest Service studied trees in Chicago. They found that just one tree can save a city hundreds of dollars over its lifetime.

    Trees can save money by helping people save energy(能源). Trees stop the sun shining on buildings. They also block(挡住) the winter wind. That helps people use less energy to make their homes or offices warm or cool. Saving energy is saving money.

    Trees have another way to help a city save money. When it rains, there will be a lot of water in a city's sewers (下水道). Cities need lots of money to clean that water. But before the rainwater gets to the dirty sewers, trees can take some into themselves. With the help of trees, there is less water to clean.

    Every day there is less and less space on Earth for rubbish. Yet every day we make more and more rubbish. What can we do? We can recycle some of our rubbish. Recycling means that the rubbish will be made into something that can be used again.

    Recycling helps Earth. And it saves space in rubbish dumps(垃圾场). Half of everything that we put into landfills could be recycled instead. In fact, most things made of paper, metal, glass and plastic can be recycled.

    Paper  can  be  broken  into  small  pieces  and  made  into  new  paper. Steel and aluminum cans(金属罐) can be melted down(熔化) and made into new cans. The same is true of glass bottles. This can be done over and over again. Recycling doesn't take as much energy as making these things the first time. So we can use less of Earth's fuel resources.

    Plastic can be melted down, too. Then it can be formed into park benches(长椅), playgrounds and so on. Some people call plastic the "wood" of the future. Things made of plastic will last about 400 years—even if they stay outside in the weather. No wood can do that!