Stephen Hawking is perhaps the world's most famous living physicist. To the public, he's best known as an author of bestsellers such as The Universe in a Nutshell and A Brief History of Time, which have brought an appreciation of theoretical (理论上的)  physics to millions. He is regarded as having one of the brightest minds on the planet. But outstanding astrophysicist (天体物理学家) Stephen Hawking has admitted that he did not learn to read until he was eight years old.

    In a public lecture at the Royal Albert Hall, Professor Hawking also admitted that he was not active in studying while at Oxford University, where he studied physics, and that only the news that he might die young from motor neurone (运动神经元) disease made him focus on his work.

    Professor Hawking said, “My sister Philippa could read by the age of 4 but then she was brighter than me.” He said that he was common at school and was never further than halfway up his class. “My classwork was very untidy, and my handwriting was very bad in the teachers' eyes,” he said. “But my classmates gave me the name Einstein, so probably they saw signs of something better.”

    But he said that it was when doctors told him that he probably only had a few years to live at the age of 21 that he began to focus on his work, which resulted in some of his early achievements. He said, “When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and there are lots of things you want to do.” Hawking serves as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, where he continues to contribute to both high-level physics and the popular understanding of our universe.

    London has many beautiful parks and gardens, but Kew Gardens and Richmond Park are your best choices.

    Kew Gardens is a Botanical Research Center and it possesses the largest plant collection in the world. With its beautiful lawns（草坪）, formal gardens and greenhouses, it is such a tourist attraction for anybody visiting the capital. Probably the Chinese Pagoda is the most recognizable structure, but the Alpine house, Chokushi-Mon, Kew Palace, Queen Charlotte's Cottage or Shirley Sherwood Gallery are beautiful and interesting attractions as well. Richmond Park is an area of natural beauty and wild life. Like Kew Gardens（just 2 miles away）, Richmond Park has a wonderful variety of plant and animal life.

    If you are planning to visit either of the two parks, you will be thrilled to know that the area has six main car parks, all costing small fees. The disabled, providing a disabled badge（残疾证）, though, can park for free.

    Kew Gardens is open 9:30 am to 3:45 pm during the winter months, and 9:30 to 5:00 pm in the summer months. Richmond Park, however, is open from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm in summer while 7:30 am to 4:00 pm in winter.

    Richmond Park is free of charge, while you need to pay to get into Kew Gardens. The price is fairly small though, with children under the age of 17（when accompanied by an adult）visiting for free.

    More information about Kew Gardens:

    Address: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Rd, London

    E-mail: info@kew.org

    Phone: +44 020 8332 5655

    Website: http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/

    Price: £11.50

    Note: Kew Gardens is one of the most popular visitor attractions in London area and can therefore be extremely crowded during summer months, particularly on summer weekends.

    On Friday, Germany's telecom regulator(电信业管理者), the Federal Network Agency, announced that a number of children s smartwatches, designed for ages 5 to 12, can allow someone to remotely tap into the watch s microphone and secretly spy from remote places. The regulator isn't just worried about the potential of people spying on children-it's worried the devices(设备) can be used to spy on anyone.

    And in Germany, it's illegal to record private conversations without permission. "According to our investigations, parents were using the watches, for example, to listen in on their children during class, said Federal Network Agency President Jochen Homann in a statement.

    Smartwatches that make phone calls, like the Apple Watch, are legal in Germany. The problem with many of the children's smartwatches, however, is that the devices have a classic spying function, similar to a baby monitor, which can be easily activated (激活) just by using an app.

    The German regulator is so serious about destroying these devices. It's asking citizens to document the watches' destruction and file evidence online. Once the watches are destroyed, the regulator will provide a "certificate of destruction," confirming the deed was done.

    This isn't the first time the Federal Network Agency told German citizens to destroy a consumer device. The regulator once prohibited the doll "My Friend Cayla", which was fitted with radio transforming technology that could allow children to be spied on.

    Remind tech producers: The German government won't just ban devices that can spy on anyone, they'll demand the devices be destroyed with hammers (or whatever means of destruction one prefers) — even if they're dolls.

    The University of Waikato is a good choice for those who want to be a success. The university is internationally recognized for its excellence and achievements. It will help you develop advanced research skills. As a university student you can get first-class research facilities (设施) with trained teachers to help, support and advise you in your study. We pride ourselves on our high standards, our research success and our international recognition. For further information: inf@waikato.ac.nz.

    Degree

    We offer a wide choice of bachelor's degrees(学士学位) for international students, which includes: Arts, Communication Studies, Social Sciences, etc. Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education are only for New Zealand citizens, for further information: deg@waikato.ac.nz.

    Tuition Fees(学费)

    Tuition fees are different from department to department, generally from $5,000 to $6,000 a year. For further information: tui@waikato.ac.nz.

    Accommodation(住宿)

    You can have a room in a 4-bedroom flat, which will cost about $100 a month with other regular living costs of about $150 a month for one person. For further information: acc@waikato. ac.nz

    Health

    The Student Health Service provides excellent medical services for students. The Medical Centre is open five days a week, including student holidays with four doctors and nurses to meet your medical needs. For further information: heal@waikato.ac.nz.

    Sports

    The Centre is a great place to have sports activities. Trained exercise teachers can help you work out a training plan and keep you active. The sports hall has volleyball, basketball and indoor football courts and a swimming pool as well. There are also a large number of sports clubs at Waikato. For further information: sport@ waikato.ac.nz

    People have grown taller over the last century, with South Korean women shooting up by more than 20cm on average, and Iranian men gaining 16.5cm. A global study looked at the average height of 18-year-olds in 200 countries 1914 and 2014. The results show that while Swedes were the tallest people in the world in 1914, Dutch men have risen from l2th place to claim top spot with an average height of 182.5cm. Larvian women, meanwhile, rose from 28th place in 1914 to become the tallest in the world a century later, with an average height of 169.8cm. James Bentham, a co-author of the research says the global trend is likely but once you average over whole populations, genetics plays a less key role," he added.

    But while height has increased around the world, the trend in many countries of north and sub-Saharan Africa causes concern, says Elio Riboli of Imperial College. While height increased in Uganda and Niger during the early 20th century, the trend has reversed in recent years, with height decreasing among 18-year-olds.

    "One reason for these decreases in height is the economic situation in the 1980s," said Professor Alexander. The nutritional and health problems that followed the policy of structural adjustment, he says, led to many children and teenagers failing to reach their full potential in terms of height.

    Bentham believes the global trend of increasing height has important implications. "How tall we are now is strongly influenced by the environment we grew up in," he said. "If we give children the best possible start in life now, they will be healthier and more productive for decades to come."

    A study published in the journal Science reveals that since 1970, bird populations in the United States and Canada have declined by 29 percent, or almost 3 billion birds. The results show tremendous losses across diverse groups of birds and habitats - from iconic songsters such as meadowlarks to long-distance migrants such as swallows.

    "These data are consistent with what we're seeing elsewhere," said coauthor Peter Marra, former head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. It's urgent to address ongoing threats, both because the domino effects (多米诺效应)can lead to the decay of ecosystems that humans depend on for our own health and livelihoods and because people all over the world cherish birds in their own right. Can you imagine a world without birdsong?"

    Evidence for the declines emerged from detection of migratory birds in the air from 143 NEXRAD weather radar stations across the continent in a period spanning over 10 years as well as from nearly 50 years of data collected through multiple monitoring efforts on the ground. Citizen-science participants also contributed a lot, for the analysis included citizen-science data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey coordinated by the Canadian Wildlife Service- the main sources of long-term, large-scale population data for North American birds.

    The study noted that the largest factor driving these declines is likely the widespread loss and degradation of habitat, especially due to agricultural intensification and urbanization. Other studies have documented death from predation (捕食)by domestic cats; collisions with glass, buildings, and other structures; and pervasive (普遍的)use of pesticides associated with widespread declines in insects, an essential food source for birds. Climate change is expected to compound these challenges by altering habitats and threatening plant communities that birds need to survive.

    "It's a wake-up call that we've lost more than a quarter of our birds in the U.S. and Canada," said coauthor Adam Smith from Environment and Climate Change Canada. But the crisis reaches far beyond our individual borders. Many of the birds that breed in Canadian backyards migrate through or spend the winter in the U.S. and places farther south - from Mexico and the Caribbean to Central and South America. What our birds need now is an historic, hemispheric effort that unites people and organizations with one common goal: bringing our birds back.