How to Protect Your Ears

    You and your friends are leaving a concert on a Friday night. When you get outside, your ears are ringing. You have to shout to be heard. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So no harm done…right?

    Not quite. Temporary buzzing may be easy to ignore, but repeated exposure to loud noise will eventually cause serious— and irreversible(无法治愈的)—hearing loss. A new study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston shows that one in five people between the ages of 12 and 19 are experiencing slight hearing loss, and one in 20 have mild hearing loss. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    But the good news is that there plenty of ways you can protect your ears from further damage — and still listen to the music you love:

    Ask around. Put your earbuds in or your headphones on, and then ask a friend next to you whether or not he or she can hear what you're listening to. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Turn it down.

    Buy noise-canceling headphones. A pair of earbuds or headphones that fits comfortably will limit outside noise so that you can hear your music better at lower volumes.

    Take breaks. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So when listening to music, take your headphones off for 15 or 20 minutes and let your ears enjoy the quiet.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can buy a cheap pair at any drugstore as an easy way to lower volume at concerts — or while playing or practicing your own music — without changing the quality of the sound.

A. Use earplugs.

B. Keep the volume below 70 percent.

C. If the answer is yes, your music is too loud.

D. Like every other part of your body, your ears need rest.

E. But by morning, your hearing is totally back to normal.

F. Unfortunately, there's no way to get back hearing you've already lost.

G. The exposure to noise is louder and longer than in any previous generation.

    You might make a disgusted face when you notice that the person waiting in their car at the red light next to you is picking their nose,but admit it,you do it too.And while it might be the natural option when there isn't a box of tissues around,it can be bad for you.The main reasons people feel the need to pick their nose is to clear it of dried liquid,stop an itch（痒）,or just because it feels good.Boogers（鼻屎）form when dried liquid and cilia,the tiny hairs that line the nostrils（鼻孔）,trap the dust,dirt,and other things.When boogers build up in your nose,it can be uncomfortable,and sometimes just blowing into a tissue doesn't do the trick.

    Otolaryngologist Erich P.Voigt, MD ,told Business Insider that picking your nose can cause injuries and bleeding within your nostrils.That's not terribly damaging,but when the bacteria from your hands get into your body,it can cause a cold and flu.So doctors strongly suggest not picking the nose.

    If dry winter air is causing the dirty liquid to harden in your nostrils,making you want to pick,consider damping the air at home,or taking a steam shower to soften things up in there.

    Children, who are most famous for having a finger up their nose,sometimes don't realize how much injury they're causing,and sometimes it.can lead to nose bleeds.

    So, next time you go to pick your nose,think about how many bacteria are on your hands and in your boogers, and maybe reach for a tissue instead.Even if you 're alone,and not waiting for the light to turn green,please,use a tissue.

    When Carson Palmer, a professional American football player, hurt his arm a few years ago, he took a week off from throwing the football. But in his head, Palmer practiced every day. The following weekend, Palmer had the best game of his life.

    For more than a century, scientists have been trying to understand how this mental training works. In the 1930s, researchers proved by experiment that when you're imagining an action, your brain sends signals to your muscles(肌肉) which are too weak to tighten the muscles but might help train the body to perform. In other words, mental practice might create a pattern in your head, like an inner how-to guide for a particular skill.

    Sports psychologists have conducted hundreds of studies comparing imagined and physical practice for actions. On the whole, the research shows that mental training works. A 2012 study, for example, compared 32 amateur golfers who practiced hitting the balls to another 32 who merely held a golf club in their hands and visualized（想象）their swings. Under the same training rules, both groups improved their skills by getting the ball about 4 inches closer to the hole.

    Visualization has advantages over the real thing: You can do it anywhere, even when injured. It is safe-a major plus for high-risk performers such as gymnasts and surgeons. And you can practice for longer periods of time because you're not restricted by physical tiredness, That's not to say it's easy, we've had Olympic-level athletes sitting in our lab, visualizing the movements for two hours," says Tadhg Macintyre, a sports psychologist at the University of Limerick in Ireland. “When we're done, they're absolutely tired.”

    It doesn't work for everyone, though. "If you're a novice, the effect can be harmful,” warns Macintyre. If you're trying to visualize a free throw, and you don't even know the proper movement, then you're probably going to mentally practice the wrong skill.”

    You can tell a lot about a country from its passport. Color is the first give-away. Nations tend to pick colors that reflect their national character. New Zealand decorates its famous rugby team, its airline and its passports in the nation's favorite color—black. Many Islamic countries have green passports because of the importance of the color in the Muslim faith.

    But as well as a statement of national identity, color can show international cooperation. The British passport was originally a navy blue. But after Britain joined the European Union in 1973, it switched to burgundy red（酒红色）like other EU countries. The common color was supposed to make European passports instantly recognizable.

    But since colors can't be patented（专利）, nothing stops others with the same idea. A number of countries that long to join the EU have changed their passports to burgundy too. Meanwhile Britain has decided to leave the club. Its government has announced that the UK passports will return to navy blue after Breit（脱欧）.

    If you have a passport from Singapore or South Korea, you are in possession of one of the most powe3rful travel documents on earth. Passport power is measured by the number of countries the holder can access visa-free. Currently sharing first place in the power rankings, Singaporean and South Korean passports provide visa-free access to 162 countries each. British passport holders share fourth place in the power ranking with six other nations, each accessing 159 countries visa-free. Americans ranked fifth with access to 158. Somalia, Syria, Pakistan and Iraq are among the world's least powerful passports. Afghanistan is the lowest ranking of all, with visa0free access to just 26 countries.

    Having to get a visa is not a piece of cake. First there is the never-ending form. Then there are lengthy appointments and expensive fees. Some visas also require travelers to pre-booked flights to prove that they intend to return home.

    But there are unexpected advantages to some of the world's weaker passports. Middle-ranking Namibia is one of just a handful of countries, whose citizens can enter Angola visa-free. India is one of only three countries, whose citizens have visa-free access to Bhutan.

    A low-ranking passport limits your choices, but not your sense of adventure.

    Feeding birds is a popular way to watch wildlife. But experts say it might put wild birds at risk.

    Feeding birds is not necessary for their survival except in extreme weather conditions. Feeders(喂食器)can definitely help birds get through that kind of weather. But most birds eat insects and show little interest in bird feeders. For those birds, we can grow native plants in a natural environment. Birds which are fond of eating seeds will be more likely to come to feeders if there is some cover nearby. This lets them feed and then fly to protective areas, such as in trees.

    The most common mistake people make with their bird feeders is that they put feeders in places where birds are easily frightened by passers-by, risk being hurt by cats, or risk flying into windows.

    So set up a bird feeder at least one meter away from a window. That way, if a bird gets frightened, it won't get killed when it hits the glass. Owners of cats should keep them inside home so they can't hurt the birds.

    Some birds are more aggressive at feeders. They eat a lot and do not leave much food for other birds. A solution is to put the food in more than one place by using different kinds of seeds or fruits. This can also increase the number and diversity of birds in your neighborhood. But don't feed wild birds anything salty, like potato chips, or food that could choke them, like bread.

    Pay attention to food quality and freshness. Unprotected food left too long in feeders will turn moldy(发霉), which can kill wildlife.

    Another word of advice: Always provide a supply of clean water for birds, but use care when looking for the right birdbath. If the birdbaths are too deep for birds, putting a few large stones in the water can give the birds a place to sit.

    OK, so it's not a real war but the U. S. and China are at the beginning of a trade war thanks to President Trump's policy. The Chinese government raised $34 billion in new duties on goods exported from the U.S. last week in answer to President Trump's unwise tariffs(关税) of $34 billion on Chinese goods.

    Farm and seafood-producing states are going to be hit hardest by China's new tariffs on U. S. goods. States where cars are made and shipped to China are on the hook as well.

    In terms of value, some 38 percent of products on the tariff list are agricultural, including soybeans, sorghum, tobacco and meat. That's nothing like good news for farm-belt states, primarily in the Midwest like Iowa.

    A wide range of seafood is on China's tarifflist. That could hurt fishery workers in Alaska and lobster(龙虾) harvesters in Maine. Alaska, for example, exported nearly $lbillion worth of seafood to China. "China is a major market for Alaska seafood," said Alexa Tonkovich, Executive Director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. "The seafood industry directly employs nearly 60,000 workers in Alaska each year and directly employs more workers than any other private industry."

    And automaking States, particularly in the South, are also at risk. Some 24 percent ofproducts on the list- in terms of value-are cars, trucks and other vehicles. Michigan alone exported $1.7 billion worth of motor vehicles and vehicle parts to China in 2017. Other states being affected include South Carolina, where BMW makes SUVs for both the U.S. and export, and Alabama, home to Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai factories.

    This round of tariffs spares some industries, like commercial aircraft. Washington State could breathe a sigh of relief, which is home to Boeing. It also, for the moment, skips tariffs on chemical products.

    Alexa Tonkovich has warned the U.S. government that the trade war could risk jobs, reduce industry profits, and cause higher prices for consumers in the U.S!