A study published in Child Development,the top－ranked educational psychology journal,provides some of the strongest evidence yet that gesturing may have a unique effect on learning.Teachers in the United States tend to use gestures less than teachers in other countries.

     "Gesturing can be a very beneficial tool that is completely free and easily employed in classrooms," said Kimberly Fenn,study co－author and assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University."And I think it can have long－lasting effects."

    Fenn and Ryan Duffy of MSU and Susan Cook of the University of Iowa conducted an experiment with 184 second－,third－ and fourth－graders in Michigan elementary classrooms.

    Half of the students were shown videos of an instructor teaching math problems using only speech.The others were shown videos of the instructor teaching the same problems using both speech and gestures.In the speech－only videos,the instructor simply explains the problem.In the other videos,the instructor uses two hand gestures while speaking,using different hands to refer to the two sides of the equation.Students who learned from the gesture videos performed better on a test given immediately afterward than those who learned from the speech－only video.

    Another test was given 24 hours later,and the gesture students actually showed improvement in their performance while the speech－only students did not.

    While previous research has shown the benefits of gestures in a one－on－one tutoring－style environment,the new study is the first to test the role of gestures in equivalence learning in a regular classroom.

    The study also is the first to show that gestures can help students transfer learning to new contexts—such as transferring the knowledge learned in an addition－based equation to a multiplication－based equation.

    Fenn noted that U.S.students lag behind those in many other Western countries in math and have a particularly hard time mastering equivalence problems in early grades."So if we can help them grasp this foundational knowledge earlier," she said,"it will help them as they learn algebra and higher levels of mathematics."

    There is an English saying:“{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now, however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.

    Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated(忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.

A. Laughter can make one's life longer.

B. As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics in which they help to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh.

C. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which reduce both stress and pain.

D. It increases blood pressure, the heart beating and breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach and even the feet.

E. Although laughter helps cure the disease, doctors still can not put this theory into clinic practice.

F. Laughter is the best medicine.

G. They have found that laughter really can improve people's health

    In addition to the official basketball world, various other types of basketball are practiced around the world.

    Wheelchair Basketball

    Wheelchair basketball was invented in 1946 by former American basketball players, who, after wartime injury, wanted once again to experience the excitement of a highly athletic sport within a team environment. It is now played in more than 80 countries by over 25,000 men, women and children with a physical disability which prevents them from playing competitive basketball on their feet.

    http://www.iwbf.org

    Beach Basketball

    Beach basketball is an exciting, non-stop action game played in the sand. The game was born more than forty years ago on the physical education fields of Gulf Shores School. This kind of basketball, invented by Philip Bryant, has grown from an extremely effective skill improvement game to a very popular, widespread competitive sport.

    http://www.beachbasketball.com

    Street Basketball

    Street Basketball or streetball is mainly played as a leisure game, but streetball players can also compete against each other. There are no specific streetball rules and the game is played outdoors; the players make up their own rules to play. Streetball is very popular among younger players and allows players to publicly show their own individual skills.

    http://www.streetball.com

    Deaf Basketball

    Basketball for the deaf (unable to hear in one or both ears) men and women has been played since the early 1920s. The game today has exactly the same rules as FIBA (International Basketball Federation).

    http://www.dibf.org

    Bankshot Basketball

    Bankshot is a new game of skill and challenge that is often described as “mini golf, but with a basketball.” Bankshot is the only sports system that allows the able-bodied and athletes with a disability to play together at the same time. This game is about no running, jumping, or body contact(接触)and relies on the shooting skill.

    http://www.bankshot.com

    Since the day of its birth, the United Nations has been the subject of much debate.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Others think that it is too weak. We can better understand this debate if we learn more about the U.N. and its history.

    The U.N. was started for two reasons. First, when the idea was born, people all over the world were tired of war. They felt that there must be peaceful answers to the world's problems.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The second reason was that modern science had developed new bombs and airplanes.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}National borders were beginning to lose their meaning. Science would develop even more dangerous weapons in the future. Only an international organization would be able to control modern science.

    Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. President at the time, believed that the Allies (联盟) should plan for peace before the war ended. On December 1, 1943, Roosevelt, Britain's Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin from Soviet Union agreed to start an organization for world peace.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    During the next year and a half, the idea of such an organization was debated around the world. Then came the big day. On April 11, 1945, the first international meeting of the United Nations took place in San Francisco. The goal of the meeting was to write the U.N. Charter (宪章). All of the fifty-one nations at the meeting had their own ideas to offer for the Charter.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Every nation present voted for the Charter. No one voted against it.

A. After a long debate, a final Charter was agreed upon.

B. The U.N. Charter is a beautiful piece of writing.

C. They asked all countries, large and small, to join the organization.

D. Even the smallest country on earth can have its voice heard.

E. They also felt that only an international organization could keep world peace.

F. These weapons made it almost impossible for a country to defend itself.

G. Some people attack the organization because they think it is too powerful.

    China is fully prepared to export a full supply chain of high-speed railway technology, according to industry experts.

    China Railway Corp, the national rail operator, said exports of railway equipment and railway construction projects are proceeding well, and breakthroughs are being made in a number of projects overseas.

    Among the projects, the first full-chain commission, the Jakarta to Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia, which includes technology, design, construction, equipment manufacture, supply of resources, operations management and staff training, has been granted a construction permit and work is proceeding smoothly.

    “China's railways have established a comprehensive and advanced technology system, which is able to provide overseas customers with solutions from many different perspectives, including financing, construction, operations, and research and development,” said Yang Zhongmin, the CRC's deputy chief engineer, who added that China's railway system is competitive in terms of technology and economy of use.

    According to Yang, the nation's railway equipment and infrastructure (基础设施) service businesses have entered markets in Asia, Europe, North America and Africa.

    Last year, Joko Widodo, president of Indonesia, and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, rode Chinese-made bullet trains.

    Yang Hao, a professor of rail transportation management at Beijing Jiaotong University, said China has a major advantage in that it is able to export a full range of railway technology: “For example, it is inconvenient to import the technology for the signaling system from one country and civil engineering technology from another.”

    Everyone makes mistakes.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Making a mistake at work, however, can be more serious. It may cause problems for your employer and even affect the company's bottom line Evil consequences will finally come down to you. Simply correcting your mistake and moving on may not be an option. When you make a mistake at work your career may depend on what you do next.

    Admit your mistake.

    Tell your boss about your mistake immediately. The only exception is if you make an insignificant error that will not affect anyone. Otherwise, don't try to hide your mistake.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Present your boss with a plan to fix your mistake.

    When you go to your boss to admit your mistake, you must have a plan for correcting it. Present your plan clearly. Tell your boss how long it will take to carry out your plan and if there are any costs involved.

    Don't blame anyone else for your mistake.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Encourage those who may share responsibility to follow your lead in admitting to your boss.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    There's a big difference between admitting your mistake and beating yourself up about it. Take responsibility but don't blame yourself for making it, especially in public.

    Correct your mistake on your own time.

    If you have to spend extra hours at work to correct your mistake, don't expect to be paid for that time.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Apologize for your mistake but don't beat yourself up

B. Usually you can correct your error or just forget about it and move on

C. You can use your lunch hour or come into work early

D. Pointing fingers at others won't help you if you make a mistake

E. Strengthen your friendship with your boss

F. You'll feel ashamed if your colleague takes the responsibility for you

G. You will look terrible if someone else discovers it