E-mail has been widely used since its invention for its convenience, efficiency, and high speed. However, it is wise to remember how easily this wonderful technology can be misused, sometimes unintentionally, but can result in serious consequences.

    Now let's look at the case of the Illinois man who left the snow-filled streets of Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day. When he reached his hotel , he decided to send his wife a quick E-mail. Unable to find the note with his wife's E-mail address, he did his best to type from his memory. Unfortunately, he missed one letter and his E-mail was directed to an elderly lady whose husband had passed away (去世) only the day before. When the sad widow checked her E-mail, she took one look at the screen, let out a sharp cry, and fell to the floor in a dead faint (昏迷 ). At the sound , her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen:

    MY DEAREST WIFE： JUST GOT CHECKED IN. EVERYTHING PREPARED FOR YOUR ARRIVAL TOMORROW.

    P.S. SURE IS HOT DOWN HERE

    Jersey Boys

    Jersey Boys is a Broadway musical that dramatizes the rise and fall of Frankie Valli and the 1960s rock 'n' roll group Four Seasons. According to Selladoor Worldwide, the group's Beijing tour will see a brand-new production of the musical, which features Luke Sheppard as director, Mark Crossland as music director and Cressida Carre as choreographer（编舞）. Since its 2005 premiere（首演）in New York, the musical has won 57 major awards worldwide.

    2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Jan 5 to Jan 13.Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, 9 Tianqiao Nandajie, Xicheng district. 400-635-3355.

    Ticket: 199-1,299 yuan ($30-200)

    Large-scale immersive show

    The large-scale immersive show Memory 5D +, directed by Ulan Xuerong, is ongoing in Beijing from Jan 4 to 7.

    The show follows the emotional entanglement between black and white spirits, representing yin and yang, and the flora girl. As a demonstration of traditional Chinese art, the show centers on cultural inheritance and includes live performance of guqin, a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument, guzheng, a Chinese plucked zither, konghou, an ancient plucked stringed instrument and horse-head fiddle, as well as acrobatics, Khoomei, shadow play and Mongolian folk song, even chants from The Book of Songs.

    7:30 p.m, Jan 5; 2:30 p.m./ 7:30 p. m., Jan 6; 7:30 p.m.., Jan 7. Beijing Exhibition Theater, 135 Xizhimenwai Dajie (Street), Xicheng district.

    Ticket: 180-1,080 yuan

    London Philharmonic Orchestra set to thrill Beijing

    The London Phiharmonic Orchestra will wrap up its China tour with two recitals in Being on Jan 5 and 6.

    Under the baton of Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko, the orchestra will perform H. Berlioz's overture to Beatrice et Benedict and P. I. Tchaikovsky's Fantasia on Romeo and Juliet and Variations on a Rococo Theme op.33, featuring Swedish-Danish cellist Andreas Brantelid, along with other pieces.

    7p.m., Jan 5-6. Concert Hall, National Center for the Performing Arts, 2 West Chang' an Avenue, Xicheng district. 010-6655-0000.

    Ticket: 380-1,680 yuan

    Russian army's troupe to return after restart

    The Russian army's official dance and choir troupe, the Alexandrov Ensemble, is staging five shows in Beijing from Jan 4 to 7, with a variety of songs, dances and instrumental performances.

The ensemble, also known as the Red Army Choir, was founded in 1928 and has toured the globe performing Russian folk tunes and patriotic songs using Western classical music and traditional Russian instruments.

    The repertoire on Saturday comprises 24 songs and dance pieces, including Song of the Soviet Army, The Sacred War, Moscow Nights and Festival March.

    7 p.m., Jan 5-7; 2:30 p.m., Jan 6. Opera House, National Center for the Performing Arts, 2 West Chang' an Avenue, Xicheng district. 010-6655-0000.

    Ticket: 180-1000 yuan

    Throughout the world, parents talk differently to babies than they do to adults. With their young kids, parents use baby talks, featuring long pauses and a roller coaster of pitch（音高）changes.

    While parents may feel a bit silly using baby talks, they shouldn't in fact. Babies not only prefer listening to them, but they also learn new words more easily from them. By highlighting the structure of speech, such as the differences between the vowels（元音）“a” and “o”, baby talks help babies translate sounds into meaningful units of language.

    Actually, the timbre（音色）plays a role. The timbre of an instrument clearly affects how we experience music, but its role in language is less obvious. Looking into the timbre of baby talks, researchers made some surprising discoveries. In a new study published in Current Biology, researchers reported for the first time that mothers shifted their overall vocal timbre when speaking to their babies, as if they were changing their voice into a different instrument to address these unique little listeners.

    In the Princeton Baby Lab, where researchers study how children learn, they recorded English-speaking mothers while they talked with their 7-to-12-month-old babies and while they spoke to an adult experimenter, and found that adult-directed and baby-directed speech had consistently different timbres.

    Most surprising, in a second sample of non-English-speaking mothers, researchers found that this timbre shift was also highly consistent across nine diverse languages. This suggests these timbre shifts may represent a universal form of communication with babies.

    Being able to identify baby talks across multiple languages could give us rich information about the amount and type of language children hear at preschool across different cultural environments. This could help researchers and educators predict and improve outcomes such as vocabulary and success at school.

    Parents should feel self-conscious about their own baby talks: with them they're helping their baby learn.

    Last week I was riding my special motorbike and then stopped at a convenience store. As I was getting my wheelchair off the back, a man watched me from his car and I noticed a wheelchair in his back seat. We spoke for a moment and I asked him about the wheelchair. He answered that it was for his daughter. “Well, do you think she would like to go for a ride on my motorbike with me?” I asked. He seemed shocked that a total stranger would ask him this. He thought about it for a second and said, “OK, as long as I can follow you.”

    He introduced me to Amy and he sat her on my back seat. Her father followed me for a few miles and she talked non-stop about what she wanted for Christmas.

    As we came back to the convenience store, she said, “This ride is the best Christmas present I could ever receive. I have been in a wheelchair my whole life and didn't know I could do this.” I told her about some of the other things I do (ski, travel the world by myself, etc.). As her father was taking her off my bike, she turned to him and said, “Oh Daddy, I'm going to be OK. Mr. Bryant does all kinds of things, and I will too.” Her father turned away as a tear of joy rolled down his cheek. He hugged me and said, “I was sitting here praying for a gift for Amy that would encourage her. She often felt that her life was dull compared to other children. God answered my prayer just now. Now I pray that God will bless you for your gift to Amy today.” I believed what he said. Being kind and thoughtful to others, we can be an answer to prayer.

    More than two thirds of the world's polar bears will be wiped out by 2050, according to a shocking new study. By then, scientists say, global warming will have melted 42 percent of the Arctic sea ice. By 2100, only a very few of these important creatures will be left.

    The report has been produced by the US Geological Survey. The scientists have publicized their findings in the hope of influencing US Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who has been asked to put polar bears on the US endangered species list.

    Polar bears depend on floating sea ice as a platform for hunting seals, which are their main food. Without enough ice, polar bears would be forced to go onto the land, where they are poorly skilled hunters, and would be unlikely to adapt to the life on the land in time. Experts say few little bears would survive and the stress could make many females unable to get pregnant.

    The team of American and Canadian scientists spent six months studying bears, on the ground, from spotter planes and in the lab, using computer models. Some team members fear the result is even worse for the bears than what their report says. They say the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere in the world and much faster than their computer had been forecasting. Satellite observations have showed that the ice has decreased to an all­time low.

    However, not everyone in the scientific community believes that global warming is happening on such an alarming scale. Another investigation has found that polar bears are still being hunted by wealthy “sportsmen” who want their skins and heads. At least ten international companies offer bear­hunting trips.

Teen Volunteers

    The zoo supports future conservation by having the youth involved in voluntary jobs. We have popular summer year-round programs that are designed to be fun and educational while building job readiness skills and inspiring youth to appreciate, care for, and conserve nature.

    ◆Zoo Crew

    Volunteer on a team to restore wildlife habitat at Lake Merced and Mountain Lake in San Francisco.

    Ages11-14

    Program runs: September through June

    Hours: One Saturday per month, form 10 a. m. to 12 p. m.

    The Zoo Crew will hold a necessary training for all prospective volunteers in August at the Zoo.

    ◆Nature Trail

    Nature Trailers work in close proximity (接近) to the Zoo's ambassador animal collection, and teach guests about adaptations and conservation. Nature Trailers will learn to handle a few small mammals and reptiles.

    Ages 12-14 (must be 12 by Memorial Day)

    Program runs: Memorial Day to Labor Day

    Hours: 2 days per week, 10 a. m. to 4: 45 p. m.

    ◆Talk on the Wild Side

    Learn to handle amazing animals like livestock and arthropods (节肢动物) while giving informational talks to zoo visitors. Use biofact carts to educate the public.

    Ages 14-17

    Program runs: Memorial Day to Labor Day

    Hours: 2 days per week, 9: 30 a. m. to 4: 30 p. m.

    ◆Zoo Teacher Assistant

    Help kids explore the world of animals through zoo tours, crafts, games and assist Zoo Camp teachers with activities. Gain practical work experience with children.

    Ages14-17

    Program runs: mid-June through mid-August

    Hours: A daily half-day or full-day shift for a minimum of four weeks over the course of the summer.