One of my first memories as a child in the 1950s was a discussion I had with my brother in our tiny bedroom in the family house in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

    We had heard in school about a planet called Pluto. It was the farthest, coldest, and darkest thing a child could imagine. We guessed how long it would take to die if we stood on the surface of such a frozen place wearing only the clothes we had on. We tried to figure out how much colder Pluto was than Antarctica, or than the coldest day we had ever experienced in Pennsylvania.

    Pluto, which famously was downgraded from a “major planet” to a “dwarf planet”（矮星） in 2006, captured our imagination because it was a mystery that could complete our picture of what it was like at the most remote corners of our solar system.

    Pluto's underdog discovery story is part of what makes it so attractive. Clyde Tombaugh was a Kansas farm boy who built telescopes out of spare auto parts, old farm equipment and self-ground lenses. As an assistant at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, Tombaugh's task was to search millions of stars for a moving point of light, a planet that the observatory's founder thought existed beyond the orbit of Neptune. On February 18，1930，Tombaugh found it. Pluto was the first planet discovered by an American, and represented a moment of light in the midst of the Great Depression's dark encroachment (入侵).

    Pluto is much more than something that is not a planet. It's a reminder that there are many worlds out there beyond our own and that the sky isn't the limit at all. We don't know what kinds of fantastic variations on a theme nature is capable of making until we get there to look.

Dear young musicians,

    Thank you for agreeing to take part in our Music Day. The whole idea of the day is for music students around the area to meet other players and receive expert teaching from our guests, six professional players. In the evening,you will perform the pieces you have worked on during the day at a concert which your friends and family can attend

    After you have registered（注册) at the reception,go to the main hall. First,there will be a short performance by our professional musicians who are joining us for the day. After this you will go into your classes to practice on your own instruments for the evening concert. There will also be a chance to experiment with a different institiment from the one you normally play,and see if you enjoy playing something more unusual — we have several instruments to choose from!

    The first part of the day will finish at 5 pm,when parents can collect students. For those remaining in the hall until the evening concert at 7 pm,there will be DVDs for you to watch,although you should also bring something to do while you are waiting. A change ot clothes is required for the evening — black trousers or a skirt and white top — so unless you are going home at 5 pm,you will need to have this with you at the start of the day.

    If for whatever reason you cannot attend the evening concert, you must tell us as soon as possible, as we need to know numbers in order to prepare the stage. We look forward to seeing you at the Young People's Music Day.

    Who could have imagined that a treadmill (跑步机) on wheels would one day become a thing? The Lopifit is an unusual means of transportation that allows you to power an electric bicycle by walking on a treadmill. It's actually cooler than it sounds.

The Lopifit founder Bruin Bergmeester said it all started when he asked himself the question "How can I use a treadmill outdoors?" Then he spent the next few years figuring out a way to make it work He eventually came up with a functional design, added an electric engine, and the Lopifit was born. It's similar to an electric bicycle in that the motor only engages when the rider puts power in as well. Only while typical electric bikes are given pedal assist, the Lopifit senses when you walk on the treadmill and use the motor to turn a drive chain under the treadmill, helping you reach a top speed of 17 miles per hour.

To use the Lopifit, simply turn on the battery and use your foot to slide the treadmill backwards and then start the motor. Then get on and enjoy the ride! H you need speed, just walk on the treadmill, and if you want to coast, all you have to do is stay still and admire the view. To stop, you have two hand breaks. The right hand break stops the electric bicycle, while the left one stops the treadmill itself. It sounds and actually looks simple enough to use, but most of those who have tried it say that it takes some time to get used to it.

    The Lopifit first hit the streets in 2014 and, unsurprisingly, became an instant hit. That was actually quite challenging for the company, because it started getting calls for orders, but it was nowhere near ready for mass production. The unique treadmill bicycle became available this year, and the Lopifit is struggling to keep up with demand, despite the high price, $2,115.

Favorite Books for Kids

    People say that text messages and e-mails lack emotion compared to phone or face-to-face conversations. But one thing seems to improve it – the emoticon(表情符).

    These little symbols – whether it's a wink(眨眼); -), a smiley : -) or a sad face : -) - always add a little something to whatever you are sending out, making it more expressive than cold words on a screen.

    To be sure, emoticons have changed the way that we communicate with each other. But there is more: a new study found that they are even changing how our brains work – we now react to emoticons in the same way as we would to real human faces, reported Live Science.

    It's actually amazing when you start to think about it: what an emoticon consists of is simply three punctuation marks(标点符号) – on their own, they carry no meaning as a pair of eyes, a nose or a mouth, but after they were first put together as symbols for faces in 1982, they began to appear more and more in our written materials.

    Owen Churches, a scientist at Flinders University in Australia, wanted to find out what people see in emoticons that make them so popular. So he showed 20 participants images of real faces, a smiley emoticon and a series of meaningless characters while their brain activities were monitored.

    Previous studies have already shown that our brains process human faces differently than they do other objects – they analyze the position of the mouth relative to the nose and the eyes to “read” for emotions. As a result, certain parts of our brain, such as the occipital-temporal cortex, are activated(激活).

    When Churches compared participants' brain activities, he was surprised to find that the brain areas that were activated when people looked at smiley emoticons were the same as when they were shown pictures of real faces.

    According to Churches, this is a good example of how culture is shaping our brains. “Emoticons are a new form of language that we're producing,” Churches told ABC Science. “Before 1982 there would be no reason that ':-)' would activate face-sensitive areas of the cortex, but now it does because we've learnt that this represents a face.”

    Next time you chat with your friends online, try to use emoticons where they are needed. It'll be almost like you're smiling or winking at them yourself.

    A   RICHMOND EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE

    Learn to act introduces people to a broad range of acting techniques. It is specially geared to those with little or no acting experience. The atmosphere is relaxed and unthreatening and great emphasis is placed on developing the confidence and abilities of people who may initially be a little apprehensive!

    B   WORLD CULTURE DAY

    Brazilian Street Percussion

    2:30—4:50

    Samba percussion workshop. Lift your spirits with the taste of carnival! It doesn't matter whether you're an experienced musician or a complete beginner; you'll be creating complex exotic rhythms in no time.

    African Storytelling

    3:45—4:45

    The magical African storytelling tradition of narration, poetry and proverbs. An event for all the family.

    C   SCOTTISH DANCING

    IT'S FUN

    IT'S GOOD EXERCISE

    ● We have classes for dancers of all abilities.

    ● Previous experience is not essential.

    ● All you need to bring is a pair of soft shoes and enthusiasm.

    ● Classes are held in a number of places and at different times.

    ● We guarantee you a warm welcome.

    D   DRAWING IN COLOUR

    An intensive workshop for beginners

    Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th October

    This unusual workshop offers instruction in effective ways to draw in colour. Activities will include study of light and shade and ways to express mood and emotion in colour.

    The small class(12 students) assures maximum attention for each student. Professional quality materials are included in the fee of ￡95.