A team of engineers at Harvard University has been inspired by Nature to create the first robotic fly. The mechanical fly has become a platform for a series of new high-tech systems. Designed to do what a fly does naturally, the tiny machine is the size of a fat housefly. Its mini wings allow it to stay in the air and perform controlled flight tasks.

    “It's extremely important for us to think about this as a whole system and not just the sum of a bunch of individual components,” said Robert Wood, the Harvard engineering professor who has been working on the robotic fly project for over a decade. A few years ago, his team got the go-ahead to start piecing the components together. “The added difficulty with a project like this is that actually none of those components are off the shelf and so we have to develop them all on our own,” he said.

    They engineered a series of systems to start and drive the robotic fly. “The seemingly simple system which just moves the wings has a number of interdependencies on the individual components, each of which individually has to perform well, and then has to be matched well to everything it's connected to,” said Wood. The flight device was built into a set of power, computation, sensing and control systems. Wood says the success of the project proves that the flying robot with these tiny components can be built and manufactured.

    Wood says the design offers a new way to study flight mechanics and control at insect-scale. Yet, the power, sensing and computation technologies on board could have much broader applications. “You can start thinking about using them to answer open scientific questions, you know, to study biology in ways that would be difficult with the animals, but using these robots instead,” he said. “So there are a lot of technologies and open interesting scientific questions that are really what drives us on a day to day basis.”

    Many of us deal with mental health challenges on a daily basis. Being fed a steady diet of destructive world events only serves to make that harder, So I've decided to share a few strategies to avoid being completely broken down by the newsfeed right now.

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    You'll find it easier to make this mental mindshift if you make a conscious effort to boost your level of positive emotion by doing things you enjoy and spending time with people you love. Positive emotions leave the door open to possibility while negative emotions keep the door shut.

    Recognize that there's a difference between being absorbed and being informed

    Sure, you want to be aware of what's happening in the world, but that doesn't mean that you have to be absorbed into your Twitter or Facebook and aim for a balanced media diet.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Move toward the good, too.

    Look for opportunities to take action

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} But by carrying through on sort of positive action, however small (writing a letter, making a donation, attending a face-to-face get-together in your town), you'll feel good. And that will help to stop what can otherwise quickly change into negative feelings of anxiety and sadness.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Reach out-don't break down Inward

    Connect with other caring citizens who share your concern about what's happening in our country and our world. Talk to other people you know who may be going through an especially difficult time right now.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Finally, reach out for other types of support if you feel like you're really struggling.

A. It doesn't have to be something huge.

B. Say no sometimes.

C. Hold your sense of optimism.

D. Let them know that you will be there to support them and that you care.

E. Feeling powerless fuels anxiety, taking action brings it down.

F. Don't just focus on the really bad news.

G. Doing good deeds can also relax social anxiety.

    Started in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest of all the many colleges and universities in the United States. Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth were opened soon after Harvard.

    In the early years, these schools were much alike. Only young men went to colleges. All the students studied the same subjects, and everyone learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Little was known about science then, and one kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world. When the students graduated, most of them become ministers or teachers.

    In 1782, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later, lawyers could receive their training in Harvard's law school. In 1825, besides Latin and Greek, Harvard began teaching modern languages, such as French and German. Soon it began teaching American history.

    As knowledge increased, Harvard and other colleges began to teach many new subjects. Students were allowed to choose the subjects that interested them.

    Today there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of them are made up of smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning. There's so much to learn that one kind of school can' offer it all.

    It is sometimes possible to fix a water damaged cell phone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. The longer you wait, the more likely the phone is unrepairable.

    As soon as you notice your phone has dropped into water, you should take a cloth to wipe it off. Additionally, you should take out the SIM card and battery. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    If you put your water damaged cell phone back together and it won't turn on, it is likely that some water has gotten down inside the phone. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. You can remove the battery and SIM card from the phone once again and place all three components into a bowl filled with rice. This may work because rice is very absorbent.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. If the rice method either did not work, you can take the phone apart and lay all its pieces outside in direct sunlight for several hours. The heat from the sun may completely dry out the inside and outside of the phone and its parts. If it is raining or the sun is not out, you can use a blow dryer on low heat to get the same results.

    If all of your attempts at repairing your phone are unsuccessful, you will likely have no choice but to take it to your cell provider or to a place that repairs cell phones to get it fixed. Unless your phone is very valuable, the cost of repairing the phone might be higher than what you paid for it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It may be beneficial to meanwhile purchase insurance from your cell phone provider.

    As smog forced students to stay home, the online learning industry saw a sharp increase in consumers.

    During the air pollution red alert from Dec. 8 to 10 last winter, the Beijing Commission of Education ordered all kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools to suspend classes (停课). But the commission urged that, "Teachers should guide students to make full use of digital materials and conduct online learning at home".

    According to the China Education and Research Network, the number of new users of 17zuoye. com, an online homework platform, tripled (增至三倍) on Dec. 8 compared to the previous day.

    Online courses companies also adopted special measures to meet students' demand for Internet learning during the red alert period. For example, New Oriental offered free online English classes for three days for school students as well as online question answering services.

    Recent years have seen the popularity of online courses increase sharply in China. Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC), for example, originated in the United States but have become widespread in China since 2013. Some Chinese universities, including Tsinghua University and Peking University, have started their own MOOC platforms. "MOOCs have enlarged the time and space of teaching, fired up learners' interest, helped more people benefit from high quality educational resources and accelerated reform in many aspects of teaching," an official at the Ministry of Education told China Daily.

    If you're thinking about studying abroad, but aren't sure how to convince your parents or yourself, here are some of the best reasons why spending a semester or year overseas is a smart and fun thing to do.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Want to impress potential employers? Companies around the world continue to invest in the global market, and prefer to hire employees who have international experience. Not to mention the knowledge of a second language. Your resume (简历) will stand out from everyone else applying for the same position.

    Learn foreign languages. Language teachers say being immersed (沉浸) in a culture that speaks the language you want to learn is the quickest and most effective way to learn it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} As globalization brings the world together, it's important to be competent in more than one language.

    Experience different cultures. Immersing yourself in a totally different culture is powerful. You'll experience things like trying different foods, celebrating traditional customs, and learning the history of another country. A person's culture reflects beliefs and values that influence their way of life. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Expand your worldview. Previously held beliefs about foreign countries will change once you've been abroad. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It can be surprising just how much you know is slightly biased (有偏见的), based on where you're from. It's also a unique opportunity to educate others on your country！

    Earn money! {#blank#}5{#/blank#} We are pretty lucky that English is the international language of business. It's an important language that many foreigners want to learn. You can get paid for teaching, interpreting, or translating English while you're studying abroad.

A. Discover what you want out of life.

B. Improve employment opportunities.

C. You can actually earn income while you study abroad.

D. You'll gain a completely new view on your own country  too.

E. You'll gain an understanding of this that can't be taught with books.

F. Mastering a foreign language opens up all kinds of new opportunities.

G. You'll miss your friends who will want to share their culture and ideas with you.