What's on?

Electric Underground

7.30pm－1.00am   Free at the Cyclops Theatre

    Do you know who's playing in your area? We're bringing you an evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract(合同)? If so, come early to the talk at 7.30pm by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He's going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce you music.

Gee Whizz

8.30pm-10.30pm   Comedy at Kaleidoscope

    Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He's the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7.00pm for drinks and snacks(快餐).

Simon's Workshop

5.00pm-7.30pm    Wednesdays at Victoria Stage

    This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years' experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.

Charlotte Stone

8.00pm-11.00pm     Pizza World

    Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is a great evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-selling CD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meat and fresh fish, pizzas and pasta (面食). Book early to get a table. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and white wine.

    Last week I took a journey deep into space, to the end of the solar system, and was pulled into a black hole. Then I took a trip to Brazil and experienced surviving an airplane crash in the jungle. After that, I joined some divers and went to the bottom of the ocean to see strange blind creatures that have never seen sunlight. For a break, I took part in some car racing and then skied down some of the most difficult mountains in the world. I ended my travels by meeting face to face with a dinosaur, the terrible T-Rex, and survived the experience!

    I did all this in one great day at Futuroscope. Opened in 1987, Futuroscope is one of the largest space age parks in the world. This science and technology-based theme park in France uses the most advanced technology. Its 3-D cinemas and giant movie screens provide brand new experiences of the earth and beyond. Visitors can get close to parts of the world they have never experienced, going to the bottom of the ocean, flying through the jungle or visiting the edges of the solar system. The amazing, up-to-date information together with many opportunities for hands-on learning makes the world come to life in a completely new way for visitors. Learning centers throughout the park let visitors try their own scientific experiments, as well as learn more about space travel, the undersea world and much more.

    I bought tickets for myself and my friends at the park's entrance, but tickets are also available online. Futuroscope is not only for indiviudals, but is also the perfect mix of fun and learning for class outings. Classes or other large groups that let Futuroscope know their plans in advance can get the group admission rate. For anyone coming from out of town, Futuroscope has many excellent hotels, most of which provide a shuttle service to the park. If driving, Futuroscope is within easy reach of the freeway. Plan your trip well before starting, since Futuroscope has so many shows, activities and great souvenir shops that it is difficult to see them all. Come ready to walk a lot—be sure to wear some comfortable sneakers or other walking shoes!

Jessica: What are you doing now?

Susan: I {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (listen) to the news.

Jessica: Is there anything urgent? If not, I {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (real) want to have a talk with you.

Susan: No, there isn't. What's wrong?

Jessica: I think your grandma is {#blank#}3{#/blank#} nice person, but I can't help {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (think) that she doesn't like me.

Susan: Oh, she likes you. She is just old-fashioned and has her own way of doing things.

Jessica: But every time I clean the kitchen, she comes in {#blank#}5{#/blank#} me and cleans it again. Then she complains that the house is not tidy. I can't deal with this.

Susan: Just let her do it and ignore (忽视) her. She thinks if you don't get on your hands and knees {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (clean) the floor, the floor won't be clean.

Jessica: What a silly thing to say! What's a mop (拖把) for? And what's wrong with my cooking?

Susan: Nothing. I love your cooking.

Jessica: Then why does she complain about it? This morning she suggested that I {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (go) to cooking school to learn {#blank#}8{#/blank#} to cook.

Susan: Jessica, just ignore her. She only wants to make sure {#blank#}9{#/blank#} we can take care of ourselves.

Jessica: Don't we?

Susan: Yes, we do. I'm sorry that she makes you suffer {#blank#}10{#/blank#} stress, but I wish you'd learn to get along with her. Remember, she's an elder.

Jessica: Don't worry. When things get tense (紧张的), I just remind myself that she's your grandma, and I keep my temper (脾气) under control and my mouth shut.

    The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max's internals are nearly the same: With each, you get a 12 megapixel camera, better-sounding speakers and the ability to pack two SIM cards into one device for international travelers or people who have to turn between a device for work and one for personal use.

    The phones come with Apple's new A12 bionic chip, which helps make Face ID and games load faster. Apple played up the speed of these new phones during its product announcement, and they are fast. But so were the models before them.

    Both models feature beautiful OLED screens that make watching videos, especially on the XS Max, totally surprising.

    Battery life is also improved on both devices. Apple (AAPL) says you can spare about 30 minutes longer on the XS compared to last year's X, and 90 minutes longer on the Max. It's not a game changer, but we'll take any extra minutes we can get.

    There is one major difference between the iPhone XS and XS Max: size. The Max is unquestionably big, but it's technically the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus. The edge-to-edge screen creates the illusion（幻想）the device itself is 21% larger than its predecessor, but it'll fit in your hands just as easily (or not) as older Plus models.

    But it's hard to shake the feeling that the device is big just to be big. Unlike the Samsung (SSNLF) Galaxy Note or the iPad, the XS Max doesn't support many features tailored for bigger screens, such as another row of apps or a side-by-side display that lets you use two apps at once. It's a missed opportunity.

    The real star of the new models is the camera. A new feature called Smart HDR shoots a four-frame object taken at different exposures and settings and mixes them together to create more detailed shots — similar to an existing feature on the Google Pixel 2.

    But the likely fan favorite feature is a change to the iPhone's Portrait Mode that lets you change the depth of a photo after you take it, allowing you to have more creative control. For example, you can snap a shot of a friend on a beach and change the background for an artsy feel. If you decide later you want to see more of the ocean, you can change the background via the edit button.

    It's an impressive feature, but the results also depend on your photo skills and the lighting. When it's good, it's really good. When it's not, you'll still get a good-looking picture. The Pixel 2 and Samsung Galaxy S9 offer a similar feature, too.

    The XS and XS Max come with headphones, but unlike last year, you won't find an adapter included in the box. This means you'll need to spend $9 more if you want to use an old pair of headphones. It's Apple's way of saying it's finally time to get over the fact there's no longer a headphone jack.

    Looking out the window of his truck, Bob Fitzgerald sees large, undesirable plants growing in the fields. Visitors to his neighborhood around the Chesapeake Bay mainly see dying forests and empty farmland. Fitzgerald says the land has been in his family since the 17th century, and it has been sinking for hundreds of years. As sea levels rise salt water is entering rivers and other waterways. As a result, the ground is becoming too salty for crops to grow.

    Around the world, scientists warn that coastal (沿海 ) farms are under threat from rising seas and salt water. A World Bank report predicts that rice production in coastal areas may fall by 15 percent by the year 2050. Another study found that hundreds of millions of people will be forced to move inland because of rising waters.

    Kate Tully, an agroecologist(农业生态学家) wants to keep coastal farmers in business as the seas rise. The United States Department of Agriculture gave Tully and other researchers $ 1.1 million to study the problem. She and her team hope to give farmers ways to stay on their land. She told media that they are testing different crops on pieces of land around the coastal areas.

    "Sorghum is my new favorite crop because it can grow without rain and it can grow with lots of rain. So this is actually a pretty good option." The grain crop may be a good choice to feed the nearly 600 million chickens raised in the area each year. As farmers know, chickens can deal with salt, dry weather conditions and heavy rains. Tally's group is also testing other kinds of grain and a few crops that they believe can grow in the salt.

    Yet just being able to grow a crop is not enough. The crop has to be profitable. So an economist on the team will be looking at the numbers. But continuing to farm the land may not be the best plan of action. Some people believe the land should he given back to nature. They say the fields should be turned into wetlands, which are popular with duck hunters. "There's money in duck hunting," fully said. Hunting organizations will pay farmers for a permit to hunt on their land. Farmers could earn a lot of money from duck hunters, she said.

    Tully and her team are just getting started. It will be a few years before they really understand how to save the farms.

    Vacations are important. We need to take time out from work to relax, and just be ourselves. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} We should all be allowed to leave our jobs behind us—at least for a few weeks each year—and just have fun. This might be something as simple as reading a good book in front of a warm fireplace and travelling to the most interesting places on our planet. Whatever we fancy doing is worth taking time out for.

    Workplace stress is on the rise. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} These include disease, depression and even death. We all seem to be running from one place to the next, never finding out where we want to go in the first place. I intend to break that trend in the coming days.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} I will sleep late, write, watch movies, drink the occasional glass of wine, and eat to my heart's content ignoring calorie counting. My plan is to just enjoy the fleeting moments of being alive.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Spend your next vacation the way you want. Do what will restore your mental health. You're very valuable to the people who are close to you, and to those who depend on you. Like it or not, we are all interdependent in this great life of ours.

    You are valuable. Just remember that the next time you look at the mirror and take a deep breath. Remind yourself that there will never be anyone like you ever on this earth again.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} All you have to do is just ask yourself what you want to do.