Watching a 3D movie can more than double the concentration powers and cognitive(认知) processing of children, a new research claims.

    A study made by visual technology firm RealD and led by child psychologist Dr. Richard Woolfson suggests that children aged between 7 and 14 experienced twice the cognitive processing speed and performed better in testing after watching 20 minutes of a 3D film. This is despite suggestions that attention spans(时期) in children have shortened in the last decade due to unlimited to access to entertainment, including on-demand TV, gaming and social media. A 2015 study claimed that watching 3D content had a similar effect to brain-training exercises.

    Consumer psychologist Mr. Fagan said that the increased stimulation(刺激) found in watching something in 3D "exercised" the brain and improved performance in the short term. "3D films can play the role of ‘brain-training' games and help to make children ‘smarter' in the short term," he said. "The shortening of response times after watching 3D was almost three times as big as that gained from watching 2D; in other words, 3D helps children process aspects of their environment more quickly. This is likely to be because 3D is a mentally stimulating experience which ‘gets the brain's juices flowing'."

    The experiment saw children given a range of cognitive tests before watching 20 minutes of a movie in either 2D or 3D and being tested again. The results showed those who saw the 3D content reacted faster and performed bettering the second round of testing. Mental engagement also rose by 13% among 3D watchers. Child psychologist Dr. Woolfson added that “supportive parenting” and regularly listening to classical music can also aid a child's memory.

    In no particular order, here are some songs on the Music app of my phone:

On a Sunday Afternoon by Lighter Shade of Brown—A student of mine introduced this rap song lo me all the way back in the early 1990s, when 1 was teaching Spanish at a local university. The story in the song takes place not too far from where I live in Los Angeles. It's a good "driving" song, nothing complicated or "deep".

    Say Something by A Great Big World—A more recent song about a couple losing contact with each other. The piano part is very little playing but beautiful.

    American Pie by Don McLean—Another song from my youth in the 80s, very popular with almost every American of my generation. It retells some of the key events of the middle 20th century, a song of happy memories of the past and wanting to return to those better times.

    The Weight by The Band—Another old song, originally made public in 1968, but one I didn't hear until I was in high school more than 10 years later. I don't understand the words to the song completely, but the feeling of the song is very comforting to me.

Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers—This Los Angeles group wrote a song that 1 used to listen to when I first moved to LA more than 25 years ago. I didn't know anyone here when I first arrived. When I got bored, I used to drive up and down the major streets that cross the city from east to west, listening to this song about the "city of angel" being as "lonely as I am. (Don t worry! I have plenty of friends now.)

    Say you're sitting around with some friends playing video games and someone mentions a game that happens to be one of your favorites. “Oh, that game's easy. So not worth the time,” one of your friends says. The others agree. Although you enjoy the game quite a lot, not wanting to argue with them, you go along with the crowd.

    You have just experienced what is commonly referred to as peer pressure（同伴压力）, also called peer influence. You will adopt a certain type of behavior, dress, or attitude in order to be accepted as part of a group of your “peers”. As a teen, you are likely to have experienced the effect of peer pressure in a number of different areas.

    We are all influenced by our peers at any age. For teens, as school and other activities take you away from home, you may spend more time with your friends than with your family. As you become more independent, your peers naturally play a greater role in your life.

    According to Dr. Casey from Cornell University, teens are very quick and accurate in making decisions on their own and in situations where they have time to think. However, when they make decisions in the heat of the moment or in social situations, their decisions are often influenced by factors like peers. In a recent study, teen volunteers played a video driving game, either alone or with friends watching. The researchers discovered that the number of risks teens took more than doubled when their friends were watching, compared with when they played alone. This shows that teens may find it more difficult to controlrisky behavior when their friends are around, or in situations where they are extremely angry.

    Just as people can influence us to make unwise choices, they can also influence us to make good ones. A teen might join in a volunteer project because his or her friends are doing it, or get good grades because his or her friends think getting good grades is important. In fact, friends often encourage each other to study, or try out for sports.

    While we are always influenced by those around us, the decision to act or not is up to us. So when it comes to decision making, the choice is up to you.

    Every 30 seconds there is an earthquake. But don't worry because most are so weak that they cannot be felt. Only a few big ones hurt people.

    Many earthquakes happened in China, such as the big one is Sichuan last year. Thousands of people died in it. So it's important to know what to do when one hits. Here are some tips on how to stay safely in an earthquake.

    If you are indoors during an earthquake, hide under a desk. Stay away from windows and anything that could fall on you.

    If you are outdoors, move to a clear place. Try to be away from trees, signs, buildings and streetlights. These could fall on you.

    If you are in a shop and far from the door, don't try to run to outside and rush for exits(出口). Everyone will be doing that and you'll find it hard getting out. Don't get into a lift during an earthquake. Just hide under some strong covers near you.

    When an earthquake has ended, be careful because after-shocks may still happen. These are just as dangerous as the earthquake itself. So stay under the desk until you make sure it's safe to get up.

    If you are at home and you smell gas, open the windows and get out of the building as quickly as you can. A gas line in your house may be broken. This could be very dangerous.

    Bryan Laubscher, one of the world's leading astrophysicists, who study the physics and chemistry of the stars, planets, etc, is developing an invention called the Mars Elevator. To form a picture of this, you may want to imagine the story of Jack and the Beanstalk (《杰克与魔豆》). This is the story of a boy who grew a beanstalk that reached the heavens. Jack climbed the stalk and entered another world. The space elevator is similar but of course much more high-tech and better yet, it is real!

    Astrophysicists are designing a steel-like cable (缆绳) that will be connected to a platform (平台) in the ocean. This cable is designed to be pulled up into space, where it will then be connected to a space station. People will be able to travel up and down this elevator by the year 2020. There will be a number of space elevators so that both tourists and businesses can travel into space. To get there, space tourists will simply travel to the nearest ocean elevator entrance. The trip up into space will take about a week. When they arrive, space tourists will be inside a space station and will be able to stay there. There are other alternatives, too. Astronomers think it will be easy to travel from the space station to the moon, where space tourists can stay in a moon hotel — which is now being designed.

    The future looks bright for space tourists. It also looks bright for industry and scientists. Mining companies will travel to space to mine elements (元素) that are rare on Earth. Energy scientists will travel to space to set up space solar panels, which will collect a huge amount of energy from the sun and shoot it back to Earth where we can use it to heat our homes and meet our energy needs.

    The traditional British pub is part of the scenery of British life. At the last count, there are around 50,000 of them in the UK. The oldest – Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St. Albans – was set up in about 793.

    Because of their abundance, the names pubs take are designed to be memorable, but more than that, they are designed to be visual. Outside any traditional pub worthy of its title, you'll find a hanging signboard with an unusual and uncommon illustration(插图) that represents the name of the business. The practice is so well established that even new pubs copy it. But why do they exist at all?

    The first British pub signs were created in the 12^th century and were simple representations of beer containers and other brewing-related equipment used to tell passersby that establishments sold beer. This was Britain in the dark ages, when education was in short supply. Since most of the population was unable to read, pub signs were used to inform would-be customers that they could find a drink inside.

    The earliest uses of pub names would reference the sign directly. People would appoint to meet at "the sign of the Eagle and Child" rather than at "the Eagle and Child".

    Today the tradition remains unchanged largely out of respect for the past, but many pub signs do have some functionality. Remote country pubs often use signboards to point the way to their doors. It's a part of British culture that's rapidly disappearing – more than 20,000 pubs have closed since 1980 – but for now there are still more than enough. You can take a moment to appreciate the history and symbolism behind a pub's sign the next time you see one.