Vitamin B could help reduce the effects of the dangerous type of air pollution, according to a new study published on Monday. In the first study of its kind, a team of international researchers looked into the damage caused by one of the pollutants that have the severest impact on health—PM2.5.

    They found that Vitamin B supplement could effectively reduce the impact of the tiny particles     （颗粒）on the human body, although they stressed that the research was in its early stages. According to the WHO, 92% of the world's people are living in places where the PM2.5 level goes beyond the recommended level. So it's urgent to find a solution to the problem.

    According to this study, published in the PNAS, 10 volunteers were initially exposed to clean air and given a placebo (安慰剂）to check their baseline responses. The group then kept on taking placebos tor tour weeks before being exposed to heavily polluted air from downtown Toronto, where an estimated 1,000 cars passed every hour. The bad air was delivered to the volunteers through an "oxygen type" face mask. The experiment was then repeated, with each volunteer taking a Vitamin B supplement daily, made up of 2.5mg of folic acid, 50mg of Vitamin B6, and l mg of Vitamin B12.

    Vitamin B6 can be found in liver, chicken, nuts and other things, and Vitamin B12 in fish, meat, eggs, milk and some cereals. The researchers found that four weeks of Vitamin B supplements — the damage of PM2.5 effects by 28-76%. The results emphasized how prevention at an individual level could be used to fight against the damage of PM2.5, the researchers said.

    Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes. Identity theft is a crime in which your personal information is stolen by someone and is used in an illegal way. When your identity is stolen, the thief often does fraud with that. He may get a credit card in your name and spend it carelessly without paying the bills; {#blank#}1{#/blank#} and you have to be responsible for the traffic accidents he causes.

    Why is identity theft becoming so common? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And the wealth of personal details people post on social networks such as Facebook also makes it easier for identity thieves to obtain personal information.

    Many people are not aware of the problems caused by this crime. They wake up from their carefree attitude only when they become a victim and suffer the damages caused by this crime.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} and this is why it is important that every person should become cautious when using the Internet. The following tips may prevent you from identity theft.

    First, make sure your computer has an updated anti-virus and firewall system installed. Second, only enter your credit card details on secure sites, or websites that you've used before. Third, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Your date of birth, names of schools attended, phone number or the names of your parents are often required to verify an identity, and thieves can use this information too. Fourth, avoid sharing files as this gives other people access to your hard drive. Fifth, never open suspicious e-mails from unknown source. Last but not least, create complex passwords using a combination of numbers and keyboard symbols and {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    The US teenager 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 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 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,” said Marty Abbott, executive director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. “We're seeing it in all parts of the country. ”

    Abbott estimates that as many as 100, 000 students are now studying Mandarin throughout the US, in public and private schools. She said the US government has designated (指定) Mandarin as a “critical needs” language and provides professional development programs for teachers. “Our government wants to increase our language competency for national security and economic competitiveness,” Abbott said.

    At the same time, the Chinese government is spreading knowledge of the Chinese language and culture through Confucius Institutes established 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.

    People who increased the number of times they chewed their food before swallowing ate less each meal, according to a new study.

    Slow eaters tend to be slimmer. Before the study, the researchers didn't know whether asking people to chew more would change the amount of food they ate. But they found meal sizes became smaller when adults chewed more before swallowing——whether they were slim, normal-weight, overweight or obese.

    “The study proves the benefits of taking time to chew food well,” said dietitian Brown Giggs.

    The participants were asked to eat five pizza rolls and count the number of times they chewed each roll. Researchers did not tell them what exactly was being tested in the study. 47 people went on to finish the study. 10 were slim, 10 were normal-weight, 27 were overweight. Those participants attended three weekly lunchtime test periods. Each day, researchers gave them 60 pizza rolls and told them to eat until they were full. Depending on the period, researchers asked people to chew every bite the same number of times as at their test visit, 50% more or twice as many times.

    Slim participants ate more slowly than normal-weight and overweight participants. Overall, people spent more time eating when they increased the number of times they chewed. The participants rated their appetite (食欲) the same after each meal even though slower chewing reduced how much they ate.

    Researchers noted that the study was conducted under lab conditions, so it's not clear whether it would adapt to normal life. The researchers are now looking to see whether how fast people eat, for example, influences how much they eat. “It takes about 20 minutes for the brain to signal your stomach that you're full,” Brown Riggs said.

    “Fast eaters can eat a large amount of food within that 20-minute period causing more calories, which can lead to being overweight or obesity.”

    Imagine an area 34 times the size of Manhattan. Now imagine it covered ankle-deep in plastic waste—a total of about 19 billion pounds of garbage. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    "We're being overwhelmed(淹没) by our waste," said Jenna Jambeck, an environmental engineer who led the 2015 study that determined this astonishing number. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, unless something is done to stop the tide of garbage.

    Plastic—a widely-used material—has in many ways been a benefit to humans but it has also caused a growing problem. Today, plastics are the No.1 type of garbage found in the sea. Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit that organizes an annual coastal cleanup event worldwide, said plastic waste makes up around 85 percent of the garbage collected from beaches and oceans.

    Ocean Conservancy says plastics are believed to threaten(威胁)at least 600 different wildlife species(物种). {#blank#}3{#/blank#}; a growing body of evidence suggests humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat. A research suggests some plastics could be poisonous to humans, and could potentially increase the risk of health problems.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. At the Economist World Ocean Summit this week, ten nations announced to reduce plastic sea liter as part of UN Environment's CleanSeas campaign. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Corporations also have a role, as do individuals. We can start by thinking twice before using single-use plastic products—and when we do use them, we should take care to properly throw them off or recycle.

A. The following is what we should do

B. And it's not just wildlife that's threatened

C. And this figure is likely to double by 2025

D. But it's not just countries that need to do their part

E. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 1000 pieces

F. That's how much plastic waste ends up in our oceans every year

G. All of us have an important role to play in dealing with the problems

Walk in London's cobblestoned streets, cross centuries-old bridges and wander through covered markets — before the morning drizzle (毛毛雨) has given way to afternoon sun, history will become alive before you. The city's old buildings, black taxis and red double-decker buses all have long and complicated stories that are deeply rooted in London's traditions. So do fish and chips. Apart from being a fast-food favourite, fish and chips are also typically served as a Friday meal, in schools for lunch and at home for dinner. Former British prime minister Winston Churchill famously called fish and chips "the good companions".

More than 229 million portions of white fish fillets are sold each year in England, each one coated in a light batter (面糊) and deep-fried, and served alongside fat fried slices of potatoes. For many English people, fish and chips are best served wrapped in newspapers and wolfed down with a combination of a wooden fork and greasy fingers, preferably seaside.

Most historians agree that it was in London, not on the coast, that the first fish and chip shop opened its doors. It was here too that the city's working class pushed the dish into popular cooking culture. And it is in London that one of the oldest surviving chippies still stands today.

This is an understandable source of despair for nutritionists: Fish and chips may contain an abundance of vitamins and minerals, but both main ingredients are also deep-fried in oil that often contains unhealthy saturated fats. For all its traditional popularity, however, according to a 2016 study by the U. K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, fish and chips consumption has lost significant market share in recent years to other takeaway items such as pizza and kebabs.