To American visitors, Iceland is a very interesting country, partly because it is different in so many ways from he or she is used to seeing at home. There are quite a few things that are not done, or that do not exist on the island—quite a few “No's”.

    There is no pollution, for instance, no dogs are permitted in Reykjavik, the capital. There is no television on Thursdays or during the whole month of July, and only three hours of black and white TV the rest of the time. There is no hard liquor（酒） on Wednesdays and no beer at any time. There is no handguns; only one prison of thirty-five rooms in the whole land—an admirable figure, even for a small country of 313,376 people.

There is no army, air force or navy. There is no tipping（给小费） for anything. There are no large stores open on Saturdays or Sundays. Since Iceland is located just under the Arctic Circle, there is no darkness in summer and no daylight in winter. But thanks to Gulf Stream, the climate is rather mild, with temperatures between 34 degrees and 52 degrees in July.

The rules on television liquor and guns are the result of government decisions. But the absence of pollution is because of in great part the fact that Iceland gets its power from the thousands of hot springs(泉水) that come out of the ground. They provide all the energy needed by the country. In fact, Iceland uses only 3 percent of all its available power.

    Iceland has been described as a democratic（民主的） independent country where more fish are caught and more books published per person than anywhere else in the world. The Icelanders have always felt a particular love for literature. They wrote their first books in the ninth and tenth centuries AD. These works were poems and tales about the kings, heroes, and heroines of Iceland and Norway. At first, the stories were remembered and passed from generation to generation. They were finally written down between 1140 and 1220. The Icelanders have never stopped writing ever since. “Rather shoeless than bookless,” they proudly say.

    Teachers' Day around the world is not celebrated on the same day.In some countries，Teachers' Day is celebrated on working days.However，in other countries，it is celebrated on holidays.

    Here we are giving you a list of countries that celebrate Teachers' Day on holidays.

China

    The Teachers' Day was proposed(提议)at National Central University in 1931.It was adopted(被采纳) by the central government of Republic of China in 1932.In 1939，the day was set on August 27，Confucius's birthday.People's Republic of China government called it off in 1951.It was reestablished in 1985，and the day was changed to September 10.Now more and more people are trying to celebrate the Teachers' Day back to Confucius's birthday.

India

    In India，Teachers' Day is celebrated on September 5，in honor of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan，the second President of India.Because his birthday was September 5th.At schools on this day，students in India celebrate this day to show their respect and love to their teachers.

Russia

    In Russia Teachers' Day is on October 5th.Before 1994，this day was set on the first Sunday of September.

USA

    In the United States，Teachers' Day is a holiday on the Tuesday of the first full week of May.

Thailand

    January 16 was adopted as Teachers' Day in the Thailand by a resolution(决议) of the government on November 21，1956.The first Teachers' Day was held in 1957.

Iran

    In Iran，Teachers' Day is celebrated on May 2nd every year.It is in honor of the famous Iranian professor Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari who died on May 2，1980.

    Although different countries celebrate Teachers' Day on different days，the activities people take to celebrate it just stay the same.

    What does it take to be a good neighbor ? Over the years I have had all kinds of neighbors.ones that were enjoyable and others that were to be avoided at all costs.

    One of the most important things in being a good neighbor is to respect a person's privacy(隐私).When someone new moves into the neighborhood it is a good idea to watch them to see how friendly you should be if you go rushing over as soon as they move in they may think you are going to be one of those neighbors that come over at all times of the day,not respecting their privacy.

    It is a good idea always to be friendly to everyone in the neighborhood.This can not only put you on good terms with them,but will also be a form of protection for your family and home.If you wave as they drive by or offer a friendly hello while they are out in their yard this shows that you respect them.If you are friendly do them they are much more likely to watch out for any wrong doings going on around your home while you are out and let you know if anything happens.

    Another way of being a good neighbor is to be helpful in times of need.If you see that they are in need of a helping hand doing something or in times of a disaster,it is good to offer your help.Even though you have never really talked to the people down the street,they are willing to take the time to help out a neighbor in need.

    In conclusion,if you respect a person's privacy,treat them kindly and be helpful when you see they are in need,you will be a great neighbor and anyone would be happy to have you next door!

    In the near future, we may be using our eyes to operate our smart-phones and tablets, even when it comes to playing popular games like Fruit Ninja.

    The Gaze Group has been developing eye-controlled computer technology for nearly 20years. But those devices have been firstly designed to help those with disabilities, and are very expensive.

    “After a while, we figured out that probably the best way is to go for a mass-market way,”says Gaze's Sune Alstrup Johansen. “Where everybody would have this available.”

    Johansen and some of his colleagues have formed a new company, the Eye Tribe, which is hoping to develop the technology on a mass commercial level.

    The technology works when combined with the computing device toward the user's face. After making sure of the user's eye movements, the technology is then able to easily find where a person's eyes are moving, and then allow the eyes to control a cursor (光标)

    “Our software can then determine the location of the eyes and know where you're looking on the screen to make sure what you're looking at, ”reads an explanation on the Eye Tribe site.

    There has been a gradual change toward hands-free technology in recent years, particularly in the gaming world. Recently Xbox released the Kinect device, which lets users control their Xbox and play certain games using only their hands, legs and voices. But still, most of these devices have been more of a gimmick than a practical way to use one's hands to control a mobile device. Johansen said a replaceable filter (滤光器) would be a cheap, convenient way for most consumers.

    And even as companies like The Eye Tribe work to create such a product for the average user, making the eye-controlled technology more accessible and less expensive will have similar benefits for physically disabled users.

    For more articles on modem science, please CLICK here.

    A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces(熔炉) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.

    The death of a star is not a quiet event. First there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.

    After the explosion, gravity pulls in what's left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so solid that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billion of pounds.

    The more the star shrinks(收缩), the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can go out. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!

    That's what we know about black holes. What we don't know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.

    But if the black hole doesn't keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world. They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words a black hole in our universe could turn into a "white hole" in a different universe. As the black hole swallows(吞噬) light, the white hole shines brightly--somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time--many years in the past or future.

    Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed(挤压). So far the time being, black hole must remain a mystery.

    Black holes are a mystery--but that hasn't stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make use of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth's energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could some day be used to swallow earthly waste--a sort of huge waste disposal(处理) in the sky!

    There is some unwelcome news for students preparing for exams and officers putting in long hours—you don't need that "refreshment（提神） break" as much as you may think.

    Scientists believed it was not easy for people to continue their work if they felt the need to have a snack or a rest to make them feel better. They argued that the only way to regain willpower is by supplying more energy to our bodies with rest, food or entertainment.

    But psychologists have challenged this theory, saying weak willpower is in your head. They found that a person's mindset(理念) and belief about willpower determine how long and how well they'll be able to work on a tough mental exercise. "If you think of willpower as something that's limited, you're more likely to be tired when you perform a difficult task," said Professor Veronika Job. "But if you think of willpower as something that is not easily depleted, you can go on and on."

    The researchers led by Mr. Job designed an experiment to test the students' beliefs about willpower. After a tiring task those who believed or were led to believe that willpower was a limited resource performed worse on standard concentration tests than those who thought of willpower as something they had more control over.

    Mr. Job said, "Students who may already have trouble studying are being told that their powers of concentration are limited, and they need to take frequent breaks. But a belief in willpower as a non-limited resource makes people stronger in their ability to work through challenges."

    The findings could help people who are battling with temptation(诱惑): people following strict diets and doing exercise regularly to lose weight, people trying to overcome addictions, employees facing a tight deadline. Willpower isn't driven by a biologically based process as much as we used to think.