English Classes for Free

    Adults of all nationalities (国籍) are welcome to take our English classes. Our classes meet every day, Monday to Friday from 1 pm to 3 pm. Our classes are free because we are running a teacher training center and our teachers need students for teaching practice. Classes will cover grammar, vocabulary, conversations, reading and writing skills. Classes will begin on July 24th and will end on October 13th. All students must be 18 and over.

    Table Tennis Lessons

    If you love to play ping-pong and like to improve your game, welcome to Chicago Table Tennis Club all year around. We are the biggest club in Chicago with more than 100 members and students at all levels and ages. We can improve your ping-pong skills and within one class you will see the result. If you or your kids are interested, please feel free to call 317-287-9852.

    Dance Classes Start Soon

    Don't worry if you have no dance experience. 90% of our students don't. Our summer dance classes start you off at ground zero and build you up. The classes are for adults and are full of people in their 20's and 30's hoping to learn some moves, stay in shape, and meet cool people!

    We have been in business for 5 years now, and have taught almost 2,000 students!

    Summer Theatre Camp

    Our Summer Theatre Camp educates young people aged 7〜14 in the theatre arts. The camp offers classes in speech, character-building, dance, reading and so on. Camp hours will be 8 am to 4 pm. The camp will provide theatre experience for only 45 campers. The campers will have to join in a contest and be chosen for the camp.

    Swiss researchers said Monday they have developed a wireless camera system to monitor vital signs in premature babies, a move that could replace uncomfortable and highly inaccurate skin sensors (传感器) which produce false alarms in up to 90 percent of cases, mainly set off by the baby's movement.

    “This is a cause of discomfort for the babies, because we have to check on them every time,” said Jean-Claude Fauchere, a doctor at University Hospital Zurich's newborn clinic.

    His hospital is preparing to begin tests of a new, contactless system created by researchers at the EPFL polytechnical university in Lausanne and at the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology.

    The system designed in Switzerland should allow premature babies kept warm in incubators (恒温箱) to be medically monitored using highly sensitive cameras that detect the newborn's pulse by analyzing its skin color, which changes so slightly every time its heart beats.

    “Breathing is monitored by measuring movements of its chest and shoulders. At night, infrared (红外线的) cameras take over, and monitoring can be carried out non-stop,” the statement said.

    The visual system was designed by CSEM researchers, who chose cameras sensitive enough to detect minute changes in skin color, while the EPFL researchers designed algorithms (运算程序) to process the data in real time.

    “We ran an early study on adults, where we looked at a specific part of skin on their foreheads,” EPFL doctoral student Sibylle Fallet said. “With our algorithms we can track this area when the person moves, and use tiny changes in their color to determine the pulse,” she said. “The tests showed that the cameras produced practically the same results as conventional sensors.”

    Once the system has been widely tested on premature babies, it could one day replace skin sensors altogether, the schools said.

    There are two kinds of secrets: secrets of nature and secrets about people. Natural secrets exist all around us; to find them, one must study some undiscovered aspect of the physical world. Secrets about people are different: they are things that people don't know about themselves or things they hide because they don't want others to know. So when thinking about what kind of company to build, there are two distinct questions to ask: What secrets is nature not telling you? What secrets are people not telling you?

    It's easy to assume that natural secrets are the most important: the people who look for them can sound authoritative (权威的).This is why physics PhDs are difficult to work with—because they know the most basic truths, they think they know all truths. But does understanding electronic theory automatically make you a great marriage counselor? Does a gravity theorist know more about your business than you do? At PayPal, I once interviewed a physics PhD for an engineering job. Halfway through my first question, he shouted, "Stop! I already know what you're going to ask!" But he was wrong. It was the easiest no-hire decision I've ever made. Secrets about people are relatively overlooked. Maybe that's because you don^'t need a dozen years of higher education to ask the questions that uncover them: What are people not allowed to talk about? What is forbidden or taboo?

    The best place to look for secrets is where no one else is looking. Most people think only in terms of what they've been taught; schooling itself aims to spread basic wisdom. So you might ask: are there any fields that matter but haven't been standardized? Physics, for example, is a real major at all major universities, and it's set in its ways. The opposite of physics might be astrology, but astrology doesn't matter. What about something like nutrition? Nutrition matters for everybody, but you can't major in it at Harvard. Most top scientists go into other fields. Most of the big studies were done 30 or 40 years ago, and most are seriously flawed (有缺陷的). The food pyramid that told us to eat low fat and large amounts of grains was probably produced by Big Food(美国著名食品公司)than real science; its chief impact has been to worsen our obesity(肥胖)problem. There^'s plenty more to learn: we know more about the physics of far away stars than we know about human nutrition. It won't be easy, but it's not obviously impossible: exactly the kind of field that could produce secrets.

Mystery of Mosquito Flight

    The mosquito is a troublesome and dangerous insect. Their bites itch and can carry dangerous diseases, like malaria, Zika virus and yellow fever. Recently, researchers from Britain and Japan discovered how mosquitoes fly. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Mosquito wings are small and have an uncommon shape.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So, how is their flight possible? The team of scientists from Britain and Japan solved the mystery. They used high-speed cameras and computer images to understand the mechanics of how the insect moves its wings to stay in the air.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They set up eight super-high speed cameras that take 10,000 images each second. Simon Walker, a researcher at the University of Oxford, explains that normally at least two cameras are needed to record an insect, so they've got enough views of an insect. With two camera views they can then take any point on an insect and calculate its 3-D coordinates (三维坐标).

    Mosquitoes can spread diseases. The insect has two antennae, or tall, thin organs on its head that it uses to feel things. But its antennae and six legs make it difficult to take clear images of the wing movements. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The extra cameras let the researchers see that the mosquito's wings move eight hundred times each second. That is four times faster than many insects of a similar size.

    Mosquitoes fly by moving their wings in several different directions. The thin top edges of their wings move forward first and then they change direction and move down. The movement looks as if the wings are drawing the number eight. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Walker says that existing unmanned flying devices do not work very well outside because wind can affect their flight.

    "Insects, on the other hand, deal really well with even quite windy conditions. So understanding how they can do this is going to be advantageous to us." These researchers say that understanding how mosquitoes fly might help find ways to stop them from spreading diseases.

A. Because of this, it is hard to believe that they are able to fly.

B. Mosquitoes evolved from other insects about 226 million years ago.

C. So, the team needed to use eight cameras to view the wings from many directions.

D. Researchers at the University of Oxford took images of mosquito wing movements.

E. Many measures have been tried for mosquito control, for example, getting rid of breeding places.

F. This knowledge, they say, help find ways to stop mosquitoes from spreading diseases in the future.

G. The research team believes the mosquitoes' wing movements could help inventors design new flying devices.

    How to Overcome Shyness Have you ever found it embarrassing to talk in front of the public? In fact, a great number of people are struggling with shyness. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ● Act confidently.

    Confidence comes through action, learning, practice, and mastery. Remember when you learned how to ride a bike? It was terrifying at first, but after you just went for it and tried it, you got it, and felt confident. Social confidence works the same way. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Remove avoidance and you will overcome your anxiety.

    ● Engage yourself

    This means participating in small talk in the checkout line and talking to strangers at bars, stores, sporting events, and the gym. Additionally, approach the individuals by whom you are attracted romantically. Talk to them. Ask them to dance. Ask them out on dates.

    Life is short. Who cares if you get rejected? There are seven billion people on this planet. You're not expected to like or be liked by all of them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ●{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Join a club, a sports team or an outdoor activity. Pick up a new project or learn a new skill. Do something to get out of your comfort zone. Part of overcoming shyness is about developing confidence in several areas of your life and not letting anxiety, fear of failure, fear of rejection, or fear of humiliation get in your way. By practicing new activities, you are confronting your fear of the unknown and learning to handle that anxiety more effectively.

    ● Talk it out.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Be more talkative and expressive in all areas of your life. Whether you're at work, with friends, with strangers, or walking down the street, you can practice talking more openly. Let your voice and your ideas be heard.

A. Get out more often.

B. Try new things.

C. Shyness can be a characteristic of people who have low self-esteem.

D. Fortunately, there are some effective strategies to overcome shyness.

E. Start practicing giving speeches and telling stories at every opportunity.

F. Take some chances and put yourself out there to meet new people.

G. Feeling anxious is not the problem; avoiding social interactions is the problem.

    Your children are watching you. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} According to the Health Program, developing healthy habits is an important part for your children. And when it comes to developing healthy habits, parents influence their children more than anyone else.

     {#blank#}2{#/blank#} What happens during those early years can influence children for the rest of their lives. This includes some eating and exercise habits. Children are very careful, even at a young age. Children watch what others do carefully and imitate the behaviors of those closest to them. As parents, you should do the following: {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you do that, your children are more likely to be enthusiastic about developing theirs.

     Let your children see you taking care of your own physical health by eating fruits and vegetables. Talk to them about healthy habits in appropriate terms and at a proper time. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Computers, televisions and other forms of technology are a major part of life in the 21^st century. Unfortunately, as the use of technology in the home increases, so does the time spent watching TV or playing on the computer. So as parents, you should also arrange the time for your children wisely.

A. Take part in physical activities and exercise regularly.

B. Don't get rid of technology, but use it wisely.

C. Be enthusiastic about developing healthy habits of your own.

D. Your actions are speaking to them louder than your words will.

E. Children prefer to imitate their parents rather than listen to them.

F. This can be helpful to teach your children to form good eating habits.

G. It's easy for the children to form their healthy habits when they are young.