Among a group of middle-aged men and women，who were discussing bringing about quality education(素质教育)，was a young man dressed in a white shirt．Within minutes, he was called onto the dais(讲台)．Twenty-two-year-old Babar Ali was surrounded by educators from across India．He was popularly known as the world's youngest head teacher．

    The school that Babar started in poor Bhabta village has completely changed．When he was nine years old, he had only eight students in his school．Now the school has 300 students and 10 teachers. The school is called Ananda  Siksha  Niketan. It is recognized by the West Bengal government．

    Today Babar is a student in the morning．He is learning English literature at Berhampore Krishanath College．But he comes home in the afternoon to teach his students．

    Baber was discussing education at the National Summit on Quality in Education(NSQE)．The meeting was held in Bangalore，capital of Karnataka State in southern India．

"It all started as a game when I used to teach my sister, my first student, in my backyard．Later, some children from the village often came to my classes and that was how the school was born," he said．

    His biggest achievement is that six of his students have now started teaching in his school after their college hours．

    In another month, Babar's dream of a school building will soon come true．Many people, a large part of whom are from Karnataka，have helped him realize the dream．They have given his school a lot of money．   

Although he has received so much attention and recognition(认可)，he is still not fulfilled ． "There are people in my village who do not go to school．And there is a long way to go as so many children still need to receive an education，"he says．

    The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.

    Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.

    Air pollution is still the most serious. It's bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.

    Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air.

    Pollution by carbon dioxide is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. It is true that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.

    The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in population at the same time.

Dog parks on Long Island

    For dog lovers, parking dogs sometimes might be a problem. From entertainment facilities to park tips, we've collected everything you need to know before you take your pet for an afternoon of outdoor fun.

    ⒈Amagansett, Napeague State Park

Amagansett, Napeague State Park, Route 27. Dogs are allowed on a leash（狗链）in this undeveloped park, which includes trails, wooded areas and roads. Access to the beach. No water source or public bathrooms.

    ⒉East Meadow, Eisenhower Park

East Meadow, Eisenhower Park, Salisbury Park Drive and Stewart Avenue, East Meadow. In addition to dhaded seating, each run has a water source. Permits are free, but required.

    ⒊Calverton, Isaac Park

Calverton, Isaac Park, on the Grumman Site, within Veteran's Memorial Park. Separated by large and small dogs, this half-acre plot has shade trees, seating and access to the beach. Bring your own water' leashed dog can be walked on some trails; Town of Riverhead residents only.

    ⒋Broolhaven, Robinson Duck Farm Dog Park

Broolhaven, Robinson Duck Farm Dog Park, 2903 Montauk Hwy. This 3-acre park has areas for large and small dogs, but no water source. Large-dog area includes a training course. $18 yearly pass for village residents.

    ⒌Massapequa, Clocks Boulevard Park

Massapequa, Clocks Boulevard Park, off Louden Avenue and Sunrise Highway. At larger than 1 acre, this dog park has lots of room to run and wooded areas for shade. Open dawn to dusk. Water sources are available in both the large- and small-dog areas. It has enough parking and seating. Open to Town of Oyster Bay residents.

Do you believe that things are connected for no scientific reason at all? For example, do you avoid saying the word "four" to avoid bad luck? If so, you have a superstition (迷信). And you're not alone — all kinds of people have them.

For example, Portugal's soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo always steps onto the pitch (球场) with his right foot first, according to The Telegraph. And sports players are not alone in having superstitions. A visitor once asked the Nobel Prize winning scientist Niels Bohr whether he really believed that the horseshoe he'd hung at his country home was lucky. "Of course not," the Danish physicist said. "But I understand it's lucky whether you believe in it or not."

One recent study found that even scientists at MIT and other top US schools tended to look for a meaning in natural events, similar to the connection between stepping on the pitch and playing soccer well, according to The Atlantic. When the researchers gave the scientists little time to answer questions, they were twice as likely to agree with statements such as "Trees produce oxygen so that animals can breathe" as they were when they had more time to think about their reply.

It seems that fear can make people think differently in this way, too. In a British study, students imagined meeting a "witch" who said she would cast (施魔法) an evil spell(符咒) on them. About half said a scientist should not be worried about the spell. Yet each of them said that, personally, they wouldn't let the witch do it to them.

So why are so many of us superstitious? Well, it seems to be our way of dealing with the unknown. "Many people quite simply just want to believe," Brian Cronk, a professor of psychology at Missouri Western State University, said in a 2008 interview. "The human brain is always trying to work out why things happen, and when the reason is not clear, we tend to make up some pretty bizarre (古怪的) explanations."

    And these explanations aren't completely unhelpful. In fact, superstitions can sometimes work and bring real luck, according to psychologists at the University of Cologne in Germany in the May 2010 issue of the journal Psychological Science. They found that believing in something can improve performance on a task like an exam.

    So, what about you? What superstitions do you follow to keep you safe and successful?

    Devon Gallagher, a college graduate from Philadelphia, wants the world to know exactly where she's been while she's on her worldwide vacation in a special way. The traveler, who was born with a bone disease, had her right leg amputated (截肢) at the age of four. Although the amputation caused inconvenience for Gallagher early on, she now sees it as nothing short of inspiration for living her best life.

    To spread that message. Gallagher has gone to social media, where she shares photos of her travels across the world, but instead of simply using a geo-tag (地理位置标签), she writes her location on her artificial leg before taking a picture.

    Now she has been taking pictures across the Continent, which show her cycling over the canal in Amsterdam relaxing on a wall overlooking the city of Barcelona, posing with a waffle in Brussels, taking in the beautiful Parthenon temple in Athens and enjoying a river ride in Budapest, all with the well-known locations written on her artificial leg.

    "I get a new leg every two years and I can choose the design on it. One day I had a sudden thought to get a chalk-board," Gallagher said. "My mum and grandmother didn't like the idea, but my friends thought it was great and told me to go for it, so I did."

    Gallagher said people often stare when she's writing on her leg, but once she shares the photos, she receives only positive feedback (反馈), "My leg hasn't stopped me from doing anything I've wanted to do," she said. "I don't know if it's my determination to prove to myself that I can do it, anyway, I've been able to keep up with people at my age and lead a pretty great life."

    Gallagher shows us that you should never let anything stand in the way of your dreams. And if life gives you an artificial leg, make art.

Study lamps are vital to learning. Finding the best lighting for study is important for everyone. For the sake of maximizing the use of time and energy, and for the very important goal of preserving eyesight, anyone reading for understanding needs not only adequate light, but light that ensures reading with ease. Only when eye strain(疲劳) is not interfering does the learning process move forward.

Desk lamps

You can purchase a large number of stylish desk lamps from lamp stores and online. The products range from precious ones to casual ones, from traditional ones to ultra-modern(超现代的)ones. They feature such desirable additions as dimmer switches and night lights. Some have battery backup in case of power failure and a choice of OttLite bulbs that duplicate natural sunlight.

LED desk lamps

MetaEfficient reviews the most recommended LED desk lamps. These lamps come in many different styles and brand names and are valued for their directed beam of light, lack of heat and exceptional energy efficiency and brilliance. LED study lamps are made in goose neck and swivel(转圈)styles, as well as the more modern Z-bar and the human-like- figure of the Moppel light.

Safest desk lamps

According to Knol, StudyLite is the safest of all desk lamp designs. Not only does it provide LED light, freeing people from UV and IR radiation, but it has been tested to be eye-friendly. It has all the advantages-low cost and long life-of any LED lamps, but it is also equipped with rechargeable battery. Its design and choice of colors make it desirable for more than its efficiency.