The kids in this village wear dirty clothes. They sleep beside cows and sheep in huts (棚屋) made of sticks and mud. They have no school. Yet they all can sing the English letters, and some can make words.    

    The key to their success: 20 tablet computers (平板电脑) dropped off in their Ethiopian village in February by a U.S. group called One Laptop Per Child.

    The goal is to find out whether kids using today's new technology can teach themselves to read in places where no schools or teachers exist. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers analyzing the project say they're already amazed. “What I think has already happened is that the kids have already learned more than they would have in one year of kindergarten (幼儿园),” said Matt Keller, who runs the Ethiopia program.

The fastest learner—and the first to turn on one of the tablets—is 8-year-old Kelbesa Negusse. The tablet's camera couldn't save memory, yet within weeks Kelbesa had figured out its workings and made the camera work. He called himself a lion, a marker of accomplishment in Ethiopia.

With his tablet, Kelbasa rearranged the letters HSROE into one of the many English animal names he knows. Then he spelled words on his own. “Seven months ago he didn't know any English. That's unbelievable,” said Keller.

The project aims to get kids to a stage called “deep reading,” where they can read to learn. It won't be in Amharic, Ethiopia's first language, but in English, which is widely seen as the ticket to higher paying jobs.

Book: No Looking Back

Author: Shivani Gupta

Shivani had thrown a party one evening and awoke the next morning in hospital because of a car crash. It took Shivani years of pain, struggle and determination to regain control of her life and her body. Then tragedy struck again. As the newly-married Shivani drove to Manali with her family, a truck crashed into her car. Shivani refused to give in—she wouldn't let her injury keep her from achieving her ambitions.

Book: Courage Beyond Compare

Author: Sanjay Sharma

The 10 sportspersons in the book are champions in diverse fields like athletics, swimming, and badminton, who have brought glory to the country. They overcame their physical limitations to reach the top of their chosen fields.

Book：Face to Face

Author: Ved Mehta

Blind since the age of four, the author led a lonely childhood in India until he was accepted to the Arkansas School for the Blind, to which he flew alone at 15. America and the school changed his life, leading him to degrees at Oxford and Harvard and a fruitful writing career.

Book: This Star Won't Go Out

Author: Lori and Wayne Earl

Diagnosed with cancer at 12, Esther Earl was a bright and talented, but very normal teenager. She lived a hope-filled and generous life. A cheerful, positive and encouraging daughter, sister and friend, Esther died in 2010, shortly after turning 16, but not before inspiring thousands through her growing online presence.

    Coffee drink is widespread. When people argue about whether coffee is good for health, they're usually thinking of the health of the coffee drinker. Is it good for your heart? Does it increase blood pressure? Does it help you concentrate? However, coffee affects the health of the human population in other ways, too.

    Traditionally, coffee bushes were planted under the shade of taller trees. However, more and more farmers in Latin America are deforesting the land to grow full sun coffees. At first, this increases production because more coffee bushes can be planted if there aren't any trees. With increased production come increased profits.

    Unfortunately, deforesting for coffee production immediately decreases the local wildlife habitat, because native birds nest and hide from predators（捕食者）in the tall trees and migrating birds rest there.

    Furthermore, in the long term, the full-sun method also damages the ecosystem because more chemical fertilizers and pesticides（杀虫剂）are needed to grow the coffee. The fertilizers and pesticides kill insects that eat coffee plant, and then the birds eat the poisoned insects and also die. The chemicals kill or sicken other animals as well, and can even enter the water that people will eventually drink.

    Fortunately, farmers in Central and South America are beginning to grow more coffee bushes in the shade. We can support these farmers by buying coffee with such labels as "shade-grown" and "bird-friendly".

    Sure, these varieties might cost a little more. But we're paying for the health of the birds, the land, ourselves, and the planet. I think it's worth it.

Uncivilized behavior by passengers unacceptable

    For the first time, airline passengers have been blacklisted for uncivilized behavior. Their names will remain on the blacklist for one or two years, according to an announcement by the China Air Transport Association on Saturday. The blacklisting means they will not be able to travel by air until their names are removed from the list.

    Blacklisting passengers who disobey the rules for traveling by air and so place their own interests before everything else, including safety, has long been overdue (迟到的，延迟的).

    There have been frequent reports of passengers making a scene when their flight was delayed or when they believed that they were not treated as they should be on a flight.

    Yet it is natural for some flights to be delayed because of reasons such as bad weather or mechanical problems that need to be solved. However, some passengers seem to take it for granted that their flight must take off at the time stated on their ticket, and they even assume that the members of the cabin crew are simply there to do their bidding(吩咐).

    They forget that they should behave themselves in the first place and that respect is reciprocal (互相给与的).There is no reason for them to be respected when they do not show enough respect for others.

    Observing rules can never be over-emphasized when it comes to flight safety. No one has the right to disregard the rules for any reason. Of course, airlines should provide quality services to meet the needs of passengers. Yet, even if passengers are not satisfied with the service provided, there is still no reason for them to flout the rules that are designed for the safety of all.

    The blacklisting of these three passengers should serve for others to know they have to toe the line (顺从集体).

    Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the “close” button on a lift.

    Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don't have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts' “close” buttons are a complete scam(骗局), at least in the US-the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.

    It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.

    But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren't completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control.

    “Perceived (能够感知的)control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, “having a lack of control is associated with depression.”

    Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don't do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats(温度调节器) because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.

    But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.

    “That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said“Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I've got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”

    There are many reasons why people can't get a good night's sleep and as with any other health conditions, things are not likely to improve until you find a way to break the cycle.

    These are some of the main factors that need to be addressed.

    Worry and stress

    We have all been kept awake by many factors that cause worry and stress in our lives. Money problems, relationship issues and work stresses can have you sitting up all night. A useful habit is to download your thoughts at the end of the day. Keep a pen and paper next to your bed and before you go to sleep, write down your thought and worries, create a to-do list for the following day or set down solutions and ideas that relate to work.

    Diet and eating patterns

    What and when you eat can have a major impact on your ability to sleep. Eating too late or indulging in a rich or spicy meal can keep you awake. These foods take a long while to digest and the after effects of indigestion and heartburn are not going to set you up well for a good quality sleep.

    A research suggests that both calcium and magnesium may be linked to poor sleep. Even low intakes of magnesium found in green vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds have been shown to make it harder to stay asleep. Calcium is found in dairy foods, soybeans and green vegetables and low levels have also been shown to make it more difficult to nod off.

    Alcohol and caffeine

    Tea, coffee and energy drinks contain caffeine that helps to stimulate the nervous system and make you more alert, which is great if you need a pick-me-up. Dosing up on caffeine during the day can affect your ability to sleep later on in the evening. Try limiting your intake of caffeine to the morning and switch to decaffeinated options such as herbal teas. Alcohol is a double-edged sword when it comes to sleep. While a little may help to induce slumber, even in small amounts it can cause fragmented sleep patterns.

    Bedroom environment

    “Your bedroom should be dark once the lights are switched off because melatonin, a sleep-regulating hormone, is very light-sensitive. Maintaining the right temperature can also help with sleep as a room that is too hot may prevent your core temperature from going down, which is essential for switching on the sleep mechanism within the body.