Communicating with elderly parents is an important part of making sure they're doing okay.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It's important to set aside time every week to call up or drop by and see how your parents are doing.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Also listen for the things they're not telling you, such as health problems or money worries.

    Your parents might be slower and less active than before.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It's important to respect this. Don't think that your elderly parents can't take care of their needs unless there are clear signs that this is the case. Remember, your elderly parents always care about being treated as someone who matters.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Also you must keep your words simple and often ask your elderly parents whether they've really understood. If you realize your parents need to make a major change, like moving to a nursing home, talk about such future issues early in small steps. Ask them about their plans for the future and what they hope. When you get a feel for what they prefer, you can slowly mention the topic of starting to make such changes.

    Accepting the generation gap (代沟) is also important.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}For most people, making changes to their lifestyles, their opinions and their beliefs gets much harder as they age. Your views might differ a lot, but it's best to agree to disagree.

A. Bring happiness into your parents' life.

B. Be clear when you explain anything to your parents.

C. However, they're still able to make their own decisions.

D. Know their daily happenings and ask them what they're doing.

E. Though life is busy, remember to stay in touch with your parents.

F. Your parents have been doing things a certain way for a long time.

G. Be prepared to find suitable advisers that your parents might need.

    Antarctica, with its seemingly endless icy beauty, is one place where one look is worth a thousand words. My own dream to see it came true last January when I joined the sixth exploration crew(考查队) of the China National Marine Bureau. We spent 10 days connecting flights to reach our goal, but finally arrived at the Great Wall Station on Antarctica on the eve of Chinese New Year.

    There are only two seasons in Antarctica: winter and summer. You get polar nights in winter and polar days in summer. Day is longer than night in summer, and the temperature often reaches below zero. Luckily, there are no snowstorms in summer, which makes it the best season to travel. What I imagined before starting for Antarctica was a world of ice, storms, endless cold and loneliness. When I stopped on Antarctica for the first time, however, I saw rich, energetic and beautiful scenery that was beyond anything I had imagined.

    We only spent 11 days at the South Pole, but every minute was spent taking pictures and losing our heart to the wonderland. Beauty enveloped us as we watched the world around us. The mountains, oceans, ice, snow, sky, earth and people all seemed to have their own stories.

    Rocks from Antarctica are considered valuable. Unfortunately, I didn't bring one back. However, my heavy bags full of films are certainly worth that. It is in these pictures that the true Antarctica comes alive.

    Q & A

    Question: I have recently got a senior position within my company．One of my new tasks is to made monthly progress reports on my department in front of other senior officials. During my first meeting, I presented and the n opened the floor to questions．{#blank#}1{#/blank#}  My first reaction was to answer defensively．Later, I realized that I shouldn't have felt that way．But how can I keep cool and effectively answer questions in this type of settings?

    Answer: Congratulations on your new position! Presenting in front of your peers （同事）is a hard task in itself and it becomes much more difficult when a question-and-answer period is required! Question-and-answer periods are a great way to clarify the message and strengthen key points．{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    When a person is asking a question, show interest and a desire to understand the question by listening and asking for clarification．

    Buy time

When facing a hard question, most people can't give an answer immediately．Buy time by repeating the question in your own words．{#blank#}4{#/blank#} These techniques allow you to quickly organize your thoughts as well as to make sure you will be correctly answering the question．

    Suggest a private meeting.

A one-to-one meeting is a calmer setting than speaking in front of your peers．{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A．Show your true interest．

B．Restate the question with respect．

C．Some ideas can be quite concrete．

D．There were many difficult questions．

E．It can also be more effective in exchanging ideas．

F．You may also ask for clarification on the question．

G．Here are some ideas that can help prepare for your next meeting．

    We are all busy talking about and using the Internet, but how many of us know the history of the Internet?

    Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks didn't work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way computer network system would keep on working all the time.

    At first the Internet was only used by the government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers became cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made "surfing" the Internet more convenient.

    Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students.

    The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people's life.

    Are you a morning person? You might not like the findings in this new research.

    From a lack of air and drinking water to solar radiation, theoretical Mars pioneers face any number of potential obstacles to settling on the red planet. Now, scientists have found something else to add to the list: seriously messed-up biological clocks.

    One day on Mars - which scientists refer to as the solar day, or “sol”- is 37 minutes longer than a day on Earth. A team of European scientists recently demonstrated why that could be a problem.

    Circadian rhythms are the body's natural cycles of rest and waking, which tend to follow roughly 24-hour light-dark cycles. These natural rhythms - which play a role in biological functions including brain wave activity and hormone production - can be interrupted by things like jet lag（时差）and night shift work.

    For the study, the researchers compared mice with healthy, 24-hour circadian clocks to mice with a genetic change that caused them to have shorter, 20-hour circadian clocks. The mice with healthy biological clocks were more likely to survive and reproduce, while the mice with shorter biological clocks were more likely to die off.

    What does this all have to do with space travel? Since the Martian sol is longer than a day on Earth, people with shorter circadian clocks could suffer from health problems as they try to adapt to the rotational speed of the red planet.

    Unfortunately, the body is unlikely to adapt to the new conditions or “learn” to develop a longer clock. As Loudon explained,“ Learning is not a likely option.”

    In other words: Sorry, super-early risers - NASA might not want you for the next Mars mission.

    Thomas Cheatham had planned to study Latin during his time at Hebron High School in Texas. But when he learned that the school district was going to offer a Mandarin(普通话) class, he quickly changed his mind.

    "I thought Mandarin would be more beneficial than Latin," said Cheatham, who is now in his second year of studying the language.

    He speaks Mandarin to order food at Chinese restaurants and can read social media posts from his Chinese-speaking friends. While it's a difficult language to master, the high school junior, who plans to study computer engineering, thinks it will be important for his career. "Chinese is a good language to know, especially with China becoming a growing power," he said.

    Many experts agree that proficiency(熟练) in a language spoken by a billion people worldwide will give American students an edge in the global economy.

    "People are looking at China as our next economic competitor, and interest in Mandarin is growing fast," said Marty Abbott, director of the American Council(议会) on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. "We're seeing it in all parts of the country."

    Abbott predicts that as many as 100,000 students are now studying Mandarin in public and private schools throughout the US. She said the US government has designated (指定) Mandarin as an "important needs" language and provides professional development programs for teachers. "Our government wants to increase our language ability for national security and economic competitiveness," Abbott added.

    At the same time, the Chinese government is spreading knowledge of the Chinese language and culture through Confucius Institutes set up in many US states. For example, the Confucius Institute at the University of Texas in Dallas has been the home of a Confucius Institute for 10 years. It sponsors Confucius Classrooms at 21 local public and private schools, where tens of thousands of students are learning Mandarin.