Taobao is a major online shopping website in China. For those who just love to shop online, now is the best time of the year, because Nov 11, China's Singles' Day, will see some seemingly irrational discounts, in line with the tradition that was started in 2010.

    Last year, Taobao, a major online shopping website, set a record of 1 billion yuan in sales on that day alone, with a whopping 19.1 billion yuan exchanging hands on the website. The number of items sold paralyzed the delivery services due to overloading. On the verge of yet another annual spending spree, it's worth reading up on tricks and tips to make the most of the shopping carnival.

    Be prepared

    Select goods early and rationally

    Put everything you want in the “shopping cart” to make a list of potential purchases. Then go through it carefully, removing anything you selected on impulse.

    Seal a deal in advance

    Talk to service staff as early as possible. They may have already decided on a discount policy for Nov 11 and may even ship the product to you in advance, which is a good way to avoid the heavy online traffic on the special day.

    Manage your budget

    Popular items will be in strong demand, so make sure you're ready to pay with the least number of procedures. It's best to deposit a reasonable amount of money in your Alipay account so that you can pay without going through any lengthy verifications. If you're planning on using a credit card, you can call the bank to apply for more credit, but only spend as much as you can afford to repay.

    Look at the real items

    With many products, such as shoes and clothes, it's better to look at them first to check their quality, size and appearance and ensure you're buying the right one.

    Be smart

    It's all about timing

    According to Alipay, there are several peak hours when online traffic is heavy and there is a higher risk of failed transactions. Try to avoid the following time spans: 12 pm-1:30 am, 10-11 am, 3-5 pm, and 8-10 pm.

    Apps as a helping hand

    Smartphone apps like Huihui Shopping list the best offers on a particular website, while Yitao, a software developed by Alibaba, compares prices of selected items across different websites to bring you the best deal.

    Track and open your package

    Because of the huge demand, delivery mistakes are inevitable, so try to track the package. If the product is perishable, keep the tracking record in case of a dispute. When the package arrives, check the item carefully before signing for it. Now you can go ahead and enjoy all your new stuff!

    Swiss researchers said Monday they have developed a wireless camera system to monitor vital signs in premature babies, a move that could replace uncomfortable and highly inaccurate skin sensors (传感器) which produce false alarms in up to 90 percent of cases, mainly set off by the baby's movement.

    “This is a cause of discomfort for the babies, because we have to check on them every time,” said Jean-Claude Fauchere, a doctor at University Hospital Zurich's newborn clinic.

    His hospital is preparing to begin tests of a new, contactless system created by researchers at the EPFL polytechnical university in Lausanne and at the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology.

    The system designed in Switzerland should allow premature babies kept warm in incubators (恒温箱) to be medically monitored using highly sensitive cameras that detect the newborn's pulse by analyzing its skin color, which changes so slightly every time its heart beats.

    “Breathing is monitored by measuring movements of its chest and shoulders. At night, infrared (红外线的) cameras take over, and monitoring can be carried out non-stop,” the statement said.

    The visual system was designed by CSEM researchers, who chose cameras sensitive enough to detect minute changes in skin color, while the EPFL researchers designed algorithms (运算程序) to process the data in real time.

    “We ran an early study on adults, where we looked at a specific part of skin on their foreheads,” EPFL doctoral student Sibylle Fallet said. “With our algorithms we can track this area when the person moves, and use tiny changes in their color to determine the pulse,” she said. “The tests showed that the cameras produced practically the same results as conventional sensors.”

    Once the system has been widely tested on premature babies, it could one day replace skin sensors altogether, the schools said.

    The summer holidays are coming up. It's time to fill the bookshelves with quality literature for the kids. Here are some great books.

    Josephine Wants to Dance by Jackie French

    Price: $14.99 (for ages 4+)

    Josephine is a kangaroo who loves to dance. Her little brother, Joey, tells her that kangaroos don't dance; they jump. But Josephine continues to point her toes and leap through the air. When a ballet group comes to town and the lead ballerina (芭蕾舞演员) is injured, Josephine is called upon to help save the day. Can she do it, and, more importantly, does it matter that she's a kangaroo?

    House of Secrets by Chris Columbus

    Price: $19.99 (for ages 9+)

    The Walker kids —Caroline, Brendan and Nell—may have saved the world, but they can't save their home and must leave Kristoff House. Things can't get any worse, but then it turns out that the Wind Witch is still alive and planning an attack. To defeat her, the Walkers must return to the book world. The Walkers always help each other, but they must do it alone in their most important mission yet. And this time, if they fail, there's no chance of coming back.

    Edge of Extinction Book 1 by Laura Martin

    Price: $16.00 (for ages 9+)

    If you like The Land of the Dinosaurs, you will love this book. Two hundred years ago, the first dinosaur was successfully cloned (克隆). Soon after, humans realized they'd made a big mistake. Thirteen-year-old Sky Mundy's father suddenly disappeared five years ago. Along with her best friend， Shawn， she steps out into the world above --a world of dinosaurs --to look for him. Then she learns that everything she's been taught has been a lie.

    Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street? Perhaps they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new "species" of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name — phubbers（低头族）.

    Recently, a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities bury themselves in their phones. A doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die, a pretty woman takes selfie（自拍照）in front of a car accident site, and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone. A chain of similar events eventually leads to the destruction of the world.

    Although the ending sounds overstated, the damage phubbing can bring is real. Your health is the first to bear the effect and result of it. "Constantly bending your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck," Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying. "the neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching." Also, staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.

    But that's not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. At reunions with family or friends, many people tend to stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.

    It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cell phones in broad daylight.

    Painkillers (止痛药) are turning out to be a real pain: according to a new study in the British Medical Journal. Taking them for just a week can increase your risk of heart attack by 50%. The research suggested that the risk related to the use of certain drugs was greatest with higher doses (服用量) and during the first month of use. The potential risk may increase by 75% for medicines like ibuprofen (布洛芬) and naproxen, and more than 100% for rofecoxib.

    It all sounds bad but, your risk is very low, — say, one in a million — a 100% increase means you still only have a two in a million chance. Of course, all painkilling medication that works can have side effects — nothing is safe and effective. Paracetamol (扑热息痛) has very few unless taken too much, in which case it can cause serious liver danger, but it isn't very effective. Drugs like opiates are strong painkillers but easy to be addicted and often have other bad effects. Maybe you find that you are in a dilemma now. But don't despair; you can refer to a pain clinic for some professional guidance. For ongoing pain, music and exercise may be the best choices to help you reduce the feeling of it.

    Scientist at Harvard have recently done a quite horrible study on mice. They made the mice experience extremes of hot and cold, applied pressure to their back legs and injected the capsaicin (辣椒素) into their feet. And then they timed how long it took them to respond to the pain. Lack of sleep increased the discomfort, while stimulants (兴奋剂) such as caffeine made them less responsive to pain. This has been widely reported that a good night's sleep and a cup of coffee in the morning may help reduce pain.

    But anyway  don't throw the pills away because the study also shows taking small doses of drugs, such as for short periods of time can be effective and safe as long as your heart is in good condition.

China's efforts to fight desertification in its northern area {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(achieve) remarkable progress over the past 45 years. So far, the Three-North Shelter Forest Program {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(launch) in 1978 has planted and conserved 32 million hectares (公顷) of forests and restored 85 million hectares of degraded grassland, and the forest {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(cover) in the project area has increased from 5.05 percent in 1978 to 13.84 percent today.

The project has set up a green Great Wall to act as a safeguard {#blank#}4{#/blank#} sandstorms, conserves oil and water and promote agricultural development in the northern border of China. Though extra ordinary achievements are made in the program, the work {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(say) to be still challenging due to the wide distribution and severe conditions of desert land. The environmental delicacy of the region and continuous environmental issues make the task even {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(hard).

Recognizing the importance of desert ecosystems in regulating climate and keeping {#blank#}7{#/blank#} balanced environment, the authorities shifted from a traditional approach to working in harmony with it, {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(allow) for sustainable development and coexistence. Bringing nature to {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(it) original condition should not rely on human efforts in the long term. The scientific and holistic(全面的) approach to conserving mountains, rivers, forests and farmland is crucial, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} the ecologists believe can help nature restore itself.