How to Care for Your Ears?

        Ears not only let us hear, but they alsoplay a role in maintaining our balance, which is vital to our ability to function in daily life. Yet, we ignore them. We can't even see our ears, exceptin a mirror. We take for granted what they do for us day in and day out－untilwe notice something's wrong, such as when an earache strikes or when we starthaving to ask people to repeat what they say.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

◆ Clean your ear with a washcloth－coveredfinger only.

      Never put anything inside your earcanal, including cotton swabs (药签).{#blank#}2{#/blank#}．

◆ Leave earwax(耳垢)alone.

      Wax is your ear's way of eliminating(消除)anything foreign that gets into the ear canal.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}If you find you have too much earwax,use a few drops of earwax remover(去除剂) in the canal. After a few minutes,wash the ear with warm water.

◆ Avoid noisy places.

      Rock concerts and construction sites are just a few places that frequently have noise levels that can damage hearing.Any place where you have to shout to be heard should be avoided.

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      Be careful not to play MP3 too loud, especiallyif using earphone.

◆Be careful with illness andmedications.

      Respiratory (呼吸的) illnesses should be treated to avoid their spread to the ears. Certainmedications can damage hearing, so follow the directions carefully beforetaking them.

      See your doctor if you suffer fromsudden hearing loss or hear noises in your head.   

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A. Most people don't need to clean waxout of their ears.

B. In such case, go to see a doctor assoon as possible.

C. These can be symptoms of a seriousillness which needs to be treated.

D. This article will show you how tocare for your ears.

E. Turn the volume(音量)down

F. Avoid using earphones while listeningto MP3.

G. Your ear canal is very narrow, and aswab can damage it.

    “A good book might clarify something you knew little about, transform your world view, or move you in ways you didn't think possible. The Soul of an Octopus(章鱼)delivers on all three, ”the magazine New Scientist commented.

    After writing about birds, pigs and tigers, US naturalist Sy Montgomery decided to choose these many-footed animals as the subject of her latest book, The Soul of an Octopus: a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness.

    “Here is animal with poisonous liquid like a snake，a beak(喙)like a parrot，and ink like an old-fashioned pen. It can weigh as much as a man and extend as long as a car, yet it can pour its baggy; boneless body through an opening the size of all orange. It can change color and shape. It has a tongue covered with teeth. It can taste with its skin.” Montgomery explained to the National Geographic on why octopuses inspired her.

    What Montgomery is able to show in The Soul of an Octopus is that octopuses are creatures who exhibit personality, intelligence and emotion, despite having nervous systems completely different from our own. She uses different experiments to show that they possess consciousness as well as individual personalities. For example, based on her research, she finds out that Octavia, an octopus caught in the wild, is friendly and good at multi-tasking. And Kali, another octopus，who has been living at the New England Aquarium, is playful and loves exploring.

    Montgomery is a good storyteller. Through her study of, and communication with, these extraordinary creatures she shares what she learns from both science and her experiences. Her skillful writing presents facts together with personal description, which makes the book very informative but easy to read.

    XXX: The Return of Xander Cage

    Release date: January 20,2017

    Starring: Vin Diesel, Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev, Donnie Yen, Kris Wu

    Rating: ★★★★

    Plot: Xander Cage (Vin Diesel)is left for death after an incident, and then he secretly returns to action for a tough assignment designed for him.

    Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons(妖魔) II

    Release date: January 28,2017

    Starring: Kris Wu, Kenny Lin, Yao Chen, Jelly Lin

    Rating: ★★★★

    Plot: The film is a sequel (续集)to the 2013 film, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, which was directed by Stephen Chow. Tang Sanzang (Kris Wu), along with his three disciples, sets out on the Journey to the West. Although they appear to be harmonious, in reality, they are plotting against each other. After a series of adventures where they capture demons, they start to understand one another's pains and heart, and finally solve their internal conflicts, working together to become the most united demon-killing team.

    Live by Night

    Release date: January 13,2017

    Starring: Ben Affleck, Scott Eastwood, Zoe Saldana, Elle Faning

    Rating: ★★★

    Plot: In the Prohibition Era, Joe Coughlin, the prodigal son of a Boston police captain, becomes a bootlegger and later, a notorious gangster(恶棍).

    The Village of No Return

    Release date: January 28,2017

    Starring: Hsu chi, Wang Qianyuan, Hsiao-chuan Chang, Eric Tsang

    Rating: ★★

    Plot: In a beautiful and quiet village, an uninvited guest and mysterious treasure appear, making a series of funny stories happen.

    Foxes and farmers have never got on well. These small dog-like animals have long been accused (控告)of killing farm animals. They are officially considered as harmful and farmers try to keep their numbers down by shooting or poisoning them.

    Farmers can do call on the services of their local hunt to control the fox population. Hunting consists of hunting a fox across the countryside, with a group of specially trained dogs, followed by men and women riding horses. When the dogs eventually catch the fox, they kill it or a hunter shoots it.

    People who take part in hunting think of it as a sport; they wear a special uniform of red coats and white trousers, and follow strict codes of behavior. But owning a horse and hunting regularly is expensive, so most hunters are wealthy.

    It is estimated (估计) that up to 100,000 people watch or take part in fox hunting . But over the last couple of decades the number of people opposed to fox hunting, because they think it is cruel, has risen sharply. Noisy confrontations between hunters and saboteurs have become so common that they are almost as much a part of hunting as the hunting of foxes itself. But this year supporters of fox hunting face a much bigger threat to their sport. A Labour Party Member of the Parliament, Mike Foster, is trying to get Parliament to approve a new law which will make the hunting of wild animals with dogs illegal. If the law is passed, wild animals like foxes will be protected under the ban in Britain.

    While the U.S. is still debating about getting rid of the penny, Sweden is rapidly moving towards abolishing currency (货币) altogether. Though this may sound radical(过激的), it is a natural evolution in this digital society.

    Sweden, which was the first European country to introduce banknotes in 1661, has just been working harder to convince its residents that digital payments are a safer alternative to carrying cash.

    Over the years, the idea has gained popularity with residents, especially the younger generation that is much more comfortable with technology. Today many banks don't even have ATMs and some have stopped handling cash altogether!

    Tickets to ride public buses in most Swedish cities can only be purchased via cell phones. Numerous businesses are also moving towards accepting only digital payments. Even the homeless that sell street paper to make ends meet have to start accepting this mode of payment!

    But despite its growing popularity, some people don't like this radical idea. They include the homeless, elderly people as well as those living in rural areas who are still uncomfortable with mobile phones and computers. But the officials are confident that in the very near future, they will be able to convince everyone to move this safe and more cost-effective payment system.

    Sweden is not the only country trying to abolish paper currency and coins. The movement is rapidly gaining ground in Denmark and Finland as well. In 2014, Israel announced a three-step plan to go cashless and just last week the vendors(小贩)of a popular street in Sydney declared they would stop accepting currency from customers. Whether this phenomenon spreads remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure—With increasingly advanced payment systems being introduced every day, pulling out cash is rapidly becoming "uncool".

Biofuels (生物燃料), gained from plants and animal matter, are a key solution to the environmental problems caused by fuels like coal. "Bioalcohol (生物酒精) is the most common biofuel and is produced by sugars found in materials such as corn. With some engine redesigned, it can be used directly by cars, buses, etc. ," says Professor Daniel Tan, "12 percent of transport fuel could come from biofuels, especially bioalcohol, by 2030. "

But a 2016 study of biofuels said, "Bioalcohol presently is mostly produced with food crops. Altogether, the environmentally-friendly biofuels rely on about 2-3 percent of the global water and land used for agriculture, which could feed a large number of hungry people. "

Energy experts have therefore been trying to deal with the problem. Recent research led by an international team found that the agave (龙舌兰) plant might offer a way out. This plant tends to be the right bioalcohol source to supersede others such as sugarcane (甘蔗) and corn.

Daniel Tan explains that the agave can be grown in unfavorable conditions and is not a major food crop. "It can grow in areas that lack water and rainfall without being watered by farmers, and it does not compete with food crops or put demands on limited water. This kind of useful plant is recently being grown in Australia. It can survive Australia's hot summers," he says.

The study finds that sugarcane produces just a little more fuel per square meter each year than the agave. However, the agave outperforms sugarcane in a range of areas, including pollution to the earth, and water using. The agave uses 69 percent less water than sugarcane and 46 percent less water than corn for the same amount of fuel produced. As for corn，it produces less fuel per square meter each year than the agave.

However, Daniel Tan states: "The first generation of bioalcohol from the agave recently faces a big competition from oil, whose recent low price makes it far more attractive to customers. Without some policy support from the government, bioalcohol production from the agave faces big challenges. "