Zebra crossings－the alternating dark and light stripes on the road surface－are meant to remind drivers that pedestrians may be trying to get across. Unfortunately, they are not very effective. A 1998 study done by the Department of Traffic Planning and Engineering at Sweden's Lund University revealed that three out of four drivers maintained the same speed or even speeded up as they were approaching a crossing. Even worse, only 5% stopped even when they saw someone trying to get across.

    Now a mother-daughter team in Ahmedabad, India has come up with a clever way to get drivers to pay more attention－a 3-D zebra crossing with an optical illusion (视错觉).

    Artists Saumya Pandya Thakkar and Shakuntala Pandya were asked to paint the crosswalks by IL&FS, an Indian company that manages the highways in Ahmedabad. The corporation was looking for a creative solution to help the city's residents to cross the busy accident-prone  (易出事故的) roads safely. Thakkar and Pandya, who had previously seen images of 3-D zebra crossings that gave drivers the illusion of logs(原木)of wood on the streets in Taizhou, China, decided to test if a similar way would work in India.

    Sure enough, in the six months that the 3-D crosswalks have been painted across four of the city's most dangerous highways, there have been no accidents reported! The artists say that while it may appear that the zebra crossing could cause the drivers to brake suddenly and endanger the vehicles behind, such is not the case. Because of the way the human eye works, the illusion is only visible from a distance. As they get closer, the painting looks just like any other ordinary zebra crossing. The creators hope that their smart design will become increasingly common throughout India and perhaps even the world. So let's look forward to it.

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    Chokwe Selassie, aged 13, is working hard to help drivers avoid potholes(坑洼). The eighth-grader was inspired to kick off his creation on a recent morning, when his mother was driving him to school. Their car was damaged as it went over a huge pothole in the middle of the street in their hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. He decided to do something about the pothole problem in his city. His solution: an app that warns drivers when there is a pothole ahead.

    Chokwe developed the app with his friends Rodriguez Ratliff and Emmanuel Brooks. When the app detects a pothole, it is highlighted in red. And if you get close to the pothole, your phone will warn you. Drivers can also use the app to report any potholes they meet, and to look for other routes they can take to avoid roads that have them.

    The app relies on current available information about the streets of Jackson. It works by using the city's 311 call system, and uses information already stored in a database. Through the call system, citizens dial 311 to report non-emergency problems, which include potholes. Chokwe and his friends determined that focusing on the 10 busiest streets in Jackson would give them a large enough sample size to test the prototype（原型）.

    Although the app isn't yet available for sale,Chokwe is already looking for ways to improve it. The prototype remains limited to 10 streets in Jackson, but he hopes to add more, so that it includes every street in the city. And then he wants to go even farther until it's nationwide.

    It is not so easy to disagree with your parents. Here are a few quick tips on how to show your opinion in the right way.

     {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Don't let angry words fly out of your mouth if you don't really want to say them，or you will have a lot of work to do later.

     {#blank#}2{#/blank#}How would you feel if you were your mother or father？ Why do they do that？ Is it really bad？

    Try to stay calm. If you find yourself getting too angry, ask for some time to be alone.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Learn to listen. Maybe your parents aren't as persuasive as you think.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Pay attention to needs rather than problems. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Tell your parents that you want to discuss the problem with them rather than work against them.

A. Think before you speak.

B. Never listen to your parents.

C. Think about the problem from your parents' point of view.

D. It is quite common to disagree with one's parents.

E. Hear them out and then decide how to deal with the problem.

F. Be clear about what you need，rather than focus on why you disagree.

G. If you can, try to discuss the problem with your parents at another time.

    More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It's fun, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that's why there are 1.4 billion bicycles and only 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can take you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

    If you get on a bicycle and ride it, you may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is easier than stopping and getting out of your cars. You can bike to work and benefit from the enjoyable exercise without polluting the environment. You don't even have to ride all the way.

    Folding bikes work well for people who ride the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the same on an airplane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a common bike with you when you fly. But be sure to look for information by getting on airline websites. Not all airlines are bicycle friendly to travellers.

    Here are some of Health Benefits of Bicycling：

    Bicycling helps to prevent heart diseases.

    Bicycling helps to control your weight.

    A 15­minute bike ride to and from work three times a week burns off five kilos of fat in a year.

    Bicycling can improve your mood.

    Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and self-confident.

    Bicycling is healthier than driving.

    Honey from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees nest(巢）and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange unexpected helper—a little bird called a honey guide.

    The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax（蜂蜡） in the beehives (蜂房).

    The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees' nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest.

    When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey and the wax，always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.

    Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.

    Recently, I have read a great number of books. I have found that no reading every day has helped me in my study Reduce Stress  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} And I am sure no matter what I read, the act of it will also improve yours.

    Reduce Stress {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Fiction is great for this. Reading an interesting fiction book is perfect right before bed time, though sometimes it's hard to put the book down if it's really good. Still, you'll be relaxed.

    Improve Analytical Thinking A scientific study shows that analytical thinking is encouraged and improved by reading. Readers improve their general knowledge, and more importantly are able to recognize patterns quicker.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Increase Vocabulary It's no secret that reading increases your vocabulary and improves your spelling.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In fact, even the language in children's books is likely to be more sophisticated(老练，复杂) than your daily conversation.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    I feel like a better writer, as I am burying myself in works from people who are better than me. That's why English classes in High School make you read “the classics". That's why art students learn to copy those masterpiece(态作), so they know the feeling of creating something amazing. The more you read the better of a writer you'II become.

    If you think that you don't have enough time to start reading, you're wrong. Think about the time you spend on TV series and in chatting online. Why not replace reading with those activities.? Well, let's start to read and get improved.

A. Improve Writing Skills

B. Change Writing Habits

C. When I have a stressful day, reading can easily help me relax.

D. Here are a few of my favorite ways that reading has helped me

E. But did you know that reading increases your vocabulary more than talking or direct teaching?

F. If you can recognize pattems quicker, your analytical skills get improved.

G. You will be surprised at the vocabulary you use in your daily conversation.