For many of us, talking about money is embarrassing, especially revealing our income and spending habits in public. So it's no wonder that seeking investment advice from computer program is so popular.

    Consultancy firm Accenture found that 68% of global consumers would be happy to use robot-advice to plan for retirement, feeling it would be faster, cheaper, and fairer than human advice. “Many of our customers say they feel awkward in face-to-face meetings, preferring an online experience where they don't feel nervous,” says Lynn Smith, a director of robot-advice firm Wealth Wizards. So how does robot-advice work and is it really any better than traditional financial advice?

    Robot-adviser firms use algorithms (算法) to analyse your financial situation and goals and then work out an investment plan to suit you. Basically, you answer lots of questions online about your income, expenses, family situation, attitude to risk and so on, and then the algorithm allocates (分配) your savings to a series of investments, from index funds that aim to imitate a particular stock market index or sector, to fixed-income bonds.

    Robot-advice is certainly growing in popularity. But are we really happy to give up the human adviser completely? “No” is the short answer. Accenture finds that a significant proportion of us still want human interaction, particularly when our finances are complex. “When a customer needs advice surpassing a number of different regulatory regimes, human advice will be required, says John Perks, managing director of life and pensions at UK insurer LV, which launched its Retirement Wizard robot-advice service two years ago.

    The truth is that only about a quarter of funds managed by clever humans overcome the market as a whole, so when you take into account the much higher management fees you pay for that kind of service, the performance difference is likely to be marginal (微不足道的) for most of us.

    The robots may be coming, but in this case at least, they seem to be on the side of the small investor trying to save for a comfortable retirement.

    Golden Gate Bridge

    Located in San Francisco,the Golden Gate Bridge started in the year 1933 to connect the San Francisco Peninsula with Marin County.It was finally thrown open to public traffic in 1937.It cost $25.7 million in the construction.Till the year 1957,the Golden Gate Bridge,at a length of 2,737 meters,was the longest suspension bridge in the world.

    Brooklyn Bridge

    The Brooklyn Bridge is located in Brooklyn.It is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, having been opened in the year 1883.The length of the bridge is 1,843 meters.The bridge has been featured in several Hollywood movies.

    George Washington Bridge

    Also known as the Hudson River Bridge and the Columbus Bridge,the George Washington Bridge which connects Fort Lee to Manhattan came into use in 1931 after a construction period of almost 4 years.It is a two level suspension bridge that cost about $52 million to build.

    Mackinac Bridge

    This is the third biggest suspension bridge in the world at a length of 8,038 meters.The architect of this bridge was Dr.David B. Steinman who directed the construction of the bridge which started in the year 1054 and opened to the public in 1958.People using this bridge are charged a certain amount of money.

    Navajo Bridge

    Located in Arizona,this bridge crosses the Colorado River and is almost 250 meters long.The construction of this bridge started in the year 1927,ending two years later,costing $390,000.In the 1990s a second bridge was built which was opened to the public in 1994.The first bridge is now used only by pedestrians.

    ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida's busiest airport is becoming the first in the nation to require a face scan of passengers on all arriving and departing international flights, including US citizens, according to officials there. The expected announcement Thursday at Orlando International Airport alarms some privacy supporters. They say there are no formal rules in place for handling data collected from the scans, nor formal guidelines on what should happen if a passenger is wrongly prevented from boarding.

    Airports in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, New York and Washington D.C. already use face scans for some departing international flights, but they don't involve all international travelers at the airports like the program's expansion in Orlando would. The image(图像) from the face scan is compared to a Department of Homeland Security database that has images of people who should be on the flight, in order to check the traveler's identity.

    US citizens at these airports can refuse to be scanned, but the agency “doesn't seem to be doing an adequate job letting Americans know they can,” said Harrison Rudolph, an expert at the Center on Privacy & Technology at the Georgetown University Law Center.

    US citizens at the Orlando airport will be able to refuse face scans just like at the other airports if they don't want to provide their photograph, Jennifer Gabris, a spokeswoman for the US Customs and Border Protection said in an email. However, a notice about a possible rule change for the program states that “US citizens may be required to provide photographs upon entering or departing the United States.”

    “We're not talking about one gate,” Rudolph said. “We're talking about every international departure gate, which is a huge expansion of the number of people who will be scanned. Errors tend to go up as uses go up.”

    Two US senators（参议员） last month sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, urging that formal rules be carried out before the program is expanded. “It will also ensure a full test of this potentially sweeping program that could influence every American leaving the country by airport,” said the letter from the senators.

    The extreme hot weather often makes people restless with sweats in summer. Even though people are annoyed by it, experts suggest that summer is the best season to give out your body's poisonous matters and refresh your energy.

    One popular choice is hot-stone massage(按摩). Therapists(理疗师)use smooth and heated stones, usually river rocks, to massage certain parts of the body, or set them on key points of the body. The warmth of the hot stones will promote blood circulation and also help muscles relax, while sweating is also believed to be good for letting out the body's poisonous factors.

    Another popular choice is hot-stone baths. The hot-stone bath will help the body give out poisons and humidity(湿气) that build up during the last winter. Summer is the best season to form a good body. Rather than use water or steam to heat and wash the body, people simply wear a coat or something comfortable, and then lie on heated stone tablets made of hot stones, which are warmed to around 45^oC. The body will gradually warm up and blood circulation will also be improved. More sweat will come out quickly. The sweat is smooth and fresh, not smelly like that released after sports activities. Such baths bring a number of health benefits, such as anti-aging, improved blood circulation and stress relief. The slimming effect of dieting can even be promoted.

    It dates back to ancient times to use hot stones for treatment, but the modern hot-stone massage generally owes to Mary Nelson, a native of Tucson, Arizona, America, whose trademark is "La Stone Therapy".

    The therapy is earning a good fame and popularity with many people, especially those who are often seated in cool rooms with air-conditioners. The hot-stone therapy can help cure many illnesses, back pain included.

    It seems as if Christmas and their birthday aren't enough. Kids have another day which revolves (围绕) around them. There are a lot of funny activities in Shanghai especially for families as Children's Day falls on 1^st June.

    ①Indoor activities at Big E

    Big E is a great place for kids. All kinds of ball games can be found here. This Sunday, there are some other interesting activities: free movies and a magic show with three sessions (场) between 9 a. m. and 6 p. m.

    ②The Wizard of Oz at Kerry Hotel

    If eating and relaxing is what your family are interested in, Kerry Hotel should be your favourite place. The COOK and The MEAT both offer excellent brunch (早午餐) every weekend. Besides, The BREW will organize The Wizard of Oz for children in a repeat of its special Easter performance.

    ③Brunch at City Bistro

    If you're looking for a restaurant with a more relaxing atmosphere and lower price than either The COOK or The MEAT, then go to City Bistro. A special discount on its brunch this Sunday has never happened before. While parents are enjoying the food, their children can play in the kids' corner and let parents catch their breath.

    ④Children's exhibition at Gallery G1

    If going out for brunch is too regular, families can try something a little more cultural at Gallery G1. There is an exhibition of children's artwork named My Sky, which will be displayed this weekend. There are also a number of artistic (艺术的) activities for kids to try.

    ⑤Get creative at Petit Chameleon

    Petit Chameleon at the Daycare centre is organizing a new activity named Art from the Start to show kids' creative ability. The event is about ancient Greece. On Sunday, you will see kids make their own armors (盔甲).

    About 30 years ago, I left Cuba for the United States with my son. After getting settled finally in Brunswick, New Jersey, I enrolled (注册) my son in kindergarten. Several weeks later, my son's teacher asked me to meet him at his office.

    In the teacher's office, and exchange of greetings was followed by his questions: "Is your son mentally retarded (弱智的)? Does he suffer from any kind of mental disability?"

    Was he talking about my wonderful Scola? No, no, it can't be. What a helpless, lonely moment! I told him that Scola was a quiet, sweet little boy, instead. I asked him why he was asking me all these questions.

    My son could not follow the teacher's directions, he told me, and thus, Scola was disrupting the class. Didn't he know my son did not speak English yet? He was angry: "Why hasn't your son been taught to speak English? Don't you speak English at home?"

    No, I didn't speak English at home, I replied. I was sure my son would learn English in a couple of months, and I didn't want him to forget his native language. Well, wrong answer!

    What kind of person would not speak in English to her son at home and at all times? "Are you one of those people who come to this country to save dollars and sent them back to their country, never wanting to be a part of this society?"

    Needless to say, I tried to tell him I was not one of "those people." Then he told me the meeting was over, and I left.

    As I had expected, my son learned to speak English fluently before the school year was over. He went on to graduate from college and got a job, earning close to six figures. He travels widely and leads a well-adjusted, contented life. And he has benefited from being bilingual (双语的).

    Speaking more than one language allows people to communicate with others; it teaches people about other cultures and other places- something very basic and obviously lacking in the "educator" I met in New Jersey.