Superfast double­decker (双层) trains will be taking passengers from London to six big cities in the UK by 2033. The first phase (阶段) linking London to the West Midlands with a connection to HS1 is expected to open in 2026, and the second  phase to Manchester and Leeds in 2032.

    The government set out a plan for the high­speed rail network in 2012. When the project is finished, it will take less time to get to London from major cities like Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. Traveling at a speed of up to 250 mph, passengers will be able to come and go from Birmingham to London in 49 minutes, reducing the journey time by almost half from one hour and 24 minutes.

    A journey from Birmingham to Leeds will be reduced from two hours to 57 minutes and a journey from Manchester to London will be reduced from two hours and 8 minutes to one hour and 8 minutes.

    “HS2  is an  important  part of transport's  low­carbon future,” Transport  Secretary Justine Greening said. Some people aren't happy about the plan, though. HS2 will cost around ￡33 billion. It will also be built near some towns and villages, disturbing the people that live there.

    But the Chancellor of the Exchequer (财政大臣) George Osborne thinks it will help build the future for Britain. “It's a long­term decision，” he said.

    HS2 is designed for everything around the needs of the passengers. It will provide a new and exciting travel experience. There will be plenty of room, intelligent ticketing, a good service and high quality comfort and access to trains. This is a transport network for the new century and beyond.

It's a popular belief that a fish's memory lasts for only seven seconds. It may seem sad to think that they don't remember what they've eaten or where they've been, and they don't recognize you or any of their friends—every moment in their life would be like seeing the world for the first time.

    But don't be so quick to feel sorry for them. A new study has found that fish have a much better memory than we used to think. In fact, certain species of fish can even remember events from as long as 12 days ago.

    In the study, researchers from MacEwan University in Canada trained a kind of fish called African cichlids to go to a certain area of their tank to get food. They then waited for 12 days before putting them back in the tank again.

Researchers used computer software to monitor the fish's movements. They found that after such a long break the fish still went to the same place where they first got food. This suggested that they could remember their past experiences.

    In fact, scientists had been thinking for a long time that African cichlids might have a good memory. An earlier study showed that they behaved aggressively in front of certain fish, perhaps because they remembered their past “fights”. But until the latest findings, there was no clear evidence.

    Just as a good memory can make our lives easier, it also plays an important part when a fish is trying to survive in the wild.

    “If fish are able to remember that a certain area contains safe food, they will be able to go back to that area without putting their lives at risks,” lead researcher Trevor Hamilton told Live Science.

    For a long time, fish were placed far below chimpanzees, dolphins and mice on the list of smart animals. But this study has given scientists a new understanding of their intelligence.

    Women are friendly. But men are more competitive. Why? Researchers have found it's all down to the hormone oxytocin （荷尔蒙催生素）. Although known as the love hormone, it affects the sexes differently.

    "Women tend to be social in their behavior. They often share with others. But men lend to be competitive. They are trying to improve their social status," said Professor Ryan.

    Generally, people believe that the hormone oxytocin is let out in our body in various social situations and our body creates a large amount of it during positive social interactions （互动） such as falling in love or giving birth.

    But in a previous experiment Professor Ryan found that the hormone is also let out in our body during negative social interactions such as envy.

    Further researches showed that in men the hormone oxytocin improves the ability to recognize competitive relationships, but in women it raises the ability to recognize friendship.

    Professor Ryan's recent experiment used 62 men and women aged 20 to 37. Half of the participants（参与者）received oxytocin. The other half received placebo （安慰剂）.

    After a week, the two groups switched with participants. They went through the same procedure with the other material.

    Following each treatment, they were shown some video pictures with different social interactions. Then they were asked to analyze the relationships by answering some questions. The questions were about telling friendship from competition. And their answers should be based on gestures, body language and facial expressions.

    The results indicated that, after treatment with oxytocin, men's ability to correctly recognize competitive relationships improved, but in women it was the ability to correctly recognize friendship that got better.

    Professor Ryan thus concluded: "Our experiment proves that the hormone oxytocin can raise people's abilities to better distinguish different social interactions. And the behavior differences between men and women are caused by biological factors （因素） that are mainly hormonal. "

    There was a time in the 1960's and 1970's when some people believed that coffee would replace tea as Britain's favourite drink, but that did not happen, and today, tea remains Britain's favourite drink.

    To say that the British are fond of tea is something of an understatement. From the Royal(皇室的) Family down to the homeless and the out-of-work, tea is more than just a pleasure. It is an important part of life!

    The popularity of tea in the United Kingdom has a long history. It was in 1657 that Thomas Garway, the owner of a coffee house, sold the first tea in London. The drink soon became popular as another choice besides coffee.

    In those days, however, tea was not something for anyone. For a century and a half, it remained an expensive drink. Many bosses served a cup of it to their workers in the middle of the morning, thus inventing a lasting British tradition, the “tea break”. But as a social drink outside the workplace, tea was served for the nobility(贵族) and for the growing middle classes. Among those who had the money for tea, it became very popular as a drink to be enjoyed in cafés and “tea gardens”.

    It was the 7th Duchess of Bedford who, in around 1800, started the popular “afternoon tea”, which took place at about four o'clock. At about the same time, the Earl of Sandwich popularized a new way of eating bread with something (e. g. jam) between them, and before long, a small meal at the end of the afternoon with tea and sandwiches had become part of a way of life.

    As tea became much cheaper during the nineteenth century, its popularity spread right through British society. In working-class households, it was served with the main meal of the day, eaten when workers returned home after a day's labour. This meal has become known as “high tea”.

    Today, tea can be drunk at any time of day. Most people in Britain drink tea for breakfast. The mid-morning “tea break” is an institution in British offices and factories. Later in the day, “afternoon tea” is still a way of life in the south of England and among the middle classes, while “high tea” has remained a tradition in the north of Britain.

    Every summer, my family and I visit our relatives in India and whenever we travel, my parents always remind me to drink only bottled or boiled water. On one of my trips to India, I saw children drinking water from the roadside. I was troubled to learn that millions of people, most of them children in developing countries, die each year because of water related diseases.

    Living in the US, I am lucky to be able to turn on the tap and get potable water(饮用水), while one sixth of the world's population lacks access to clean water This year, I entered the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. In late June, I learned that I was selected as one of the top 10 national finalists of this famous middle school science competition. Over the summer, I worked with Dr. Jim Jonza, my Scientist mentor(导师 )from 3M, and developed a system that uses solar energy to purify water. My invention is green and cost effective, and I am looking forward to implementing this in places that are affected(影响)by harmful water pollution.

    In October, my family and I flew to 3M Headquarters in St Paul, Minnesota, where the final event was to be held. For the last challenge, each of us had to present the invention we had been working on over the summer. The first place winner would win $25,000, a trip to Costa Rica, and the title of America' Top Young Scientist. At the awards ceremony, all of us waited anxiously until one of the judges, Danny Forester, started announcing "The winner of the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge is…" You could hear a pin(大头针) drop as he opened the paper with the winner' s name, "Deepika Kurup!"

    As America's Top Young Scientist, I was given an opportunity to show my invention on national television and deliver several presentations. One of the most important things I have learned is that communication and teamwork are key to success.

    People living in the country enjoy several advantages that people living in the city cannot enjoy.

    They are in close contact (接触)with nature. They make friends with trees and stones. They breathe fresh air. They fight with strong winds. They listen to the song of birds. This contact with nature is good for health. There are many diseases that are common in the city, but are not to be found in the country. For example, near­sightedness is almost unknown to country people. Because of the absence of cars, one can walk more freely in the country than in the city. There are no rules of the road nor traffic signs to obey. People living in the country can easily get fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and fresh milk, and they get them at lower prices than in the city. Country life is economical (节俭的)in other ways, too. There are practically no temptations to waste money.

    Country people are mostly honest. They say what they mean, and make and keep promises with sincerity (诚意). They do not put on air (摆架子). They do not pretend to have those ridiculous (荒谬的)manners which are necessary in what we call polite society.