What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any especially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.

    Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.

    Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.

    As young students gain independence, they can take on science and engineering projects that require more special knowledge. The followings are the best educational toys for middle school students.

    Terraforming Mars

    The goal of the Terraforming Mars board game is to make the Red Planet fit of human habitation. Players, representing a person sent to the planet to warm it create oceans and build up the oxygen levels, compete for victory points awarded for building cities or introducing animals. The goals are based on real science—for example, players must found greenhouse gas production to warm the planet.

    Recommended ages: 12 and up

    Price: $69.99

    DIY Cell Phone Equipment

    Are you kids begging you for the latest for the latest iPhone? Tell them to build up their own. DIY Cell Phone Equipment will teach young teens about the technology behind their beloved mobile equipment. Kids can turn this Phone equipment into a real working phone.

    Recommended ages: 12 and up

    Price: $58.99

    OWI: 14-in-1 Solar Robot

    Kids can experience 14 different robotic models with this solar robot. The robot can move on land and water, and there are two skill levels, which means more experienced builders will still be challenged. The robot is powered by the sun, so you don't have to buy batteries（电池）.

    Recommended ages: 12 to 15

    Price: $24.99

    Compound Microscope

    Compound Microscope is great for home or classroom explorations. It helps kids get an eyeful of solid samples, such as insects, coins and plants. The microscope also comes with a microtome, dyes, test tubes, a handbook and cleaning tools.

    Recommended ages: 12 and up

    Price: $89.95

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    The idea of spending a year away from home is something that attracts nearly everyone. So why is taking a gap year still considered the wild card（百搭牌）?

    Choosing to take a year out can help you gain valuable experience as well as give you the opportunity to save up some funds to help you with accommodations when you go to university.

    For a teenage student, the prospect of providing for yourself, miles away from home, can be discouraging. But with an increasing number of gap year companies providing travel and trips abroad to suit any need, it is becoming easier to tailor a dream trip.

    You can also find gap year companies that cover everything from internships（实习）abroad to paid work and volunteering. Such companies offer ideas and inspiration to kick-start your travelling dream.

    But gap years don't have to be all about travel. You can have a beneficial year out of education and stay right where you are. Stephanie Wood wants to be a mental health nurse, but with related health courses being some of the most exclusive and competitive around, she is taking a year off from education in order to gain an edge through work experience: “My plan is to get a job that directly relates to my course for the next few months. Working there over a stretch of time will both give me an impression and insight into the working world of nursing—knowledge to help me through university when I choose to go.”

    Gap years aren't for everyone. Readjusting to an academic timetable after spending time abroad can be a shock. You also need to consider the practicalities, from financing your gap year to surviving without home comforts.

    As a result of pollution, Lake Erie, on the borders of the USA and Canada, is now without any living things.

    Pollution in water is not simply a matter of “poisons” killing large numbers of fish overnight, Very often the effects of pollution are not noticed for many months or years because the first organisms（生物体）to be affected are either plants or plankton. But these organisms are the food of fish and birds and other creatures. When this food disappears, the fish and birds die too. In this way a whole food chain can be wiped out, and it's not until dead fish and water birds are seen at the river's edge or on the seashore that people realize what is happening.

    Where do the substances which pollute the water come from? There are two main sources of sewage（污水）and industrial waste . As more detergent（洗涤剂）is used in the home, so more of it is finally put into our rivers, lakes and seas . Detergents harm water birds, dissolving the natural substances which keep their feathers water - proof. Sewage itself, if not properly treated, makes the water dirty and prevents all forms of life in rivers and the sea from receiving the oxygen they need. Industrial waste is even more harmful as there are many highly poisonous things in it, such as copper and lead（铅）.

    So, if we want to stop this pollution, the answer is simple: sewage and industrial waste must be made clear before flowing into the water. It may already be too late to save some rivers and lakes, but others can still be saved if the correct action is taken at once.

    You may find yourself wondering: do blind people dream? Dream sleep is generated deep within the brain. As it is a function of the brain, and not the eyes, blind people dream as much as a sighted person would. It is interesting that the timing of the blindness in life may in fact influence the content of the dreams, however.

    Research has evaluated the sensory experiences of blind people while dreaming for decades. These findings have been interpreted (解释) within the context of sighted people's experience of dreams. It is useful to consider the content of all dreams to better understand where it differs among the blind.

    Most dreams contain features that are both visual and kinesthetic (related to movement, such as falling). More than half of dreams contain a sound. It is rare for people to describe other sensory experiences, such as those related to smell, taste, and pain. It is estimated that these latter three elements occur in less than 1 percent of dream reports. Interestingly, women more often experience smell and taste in their dreams while men more often report sound and pain.

    Blind people are more likely to report feelings of touch, taste, and smell in their dreams compared to sighted people. This likely corresponds to their waking experience which relies more on these senses. They do not have dramatic differences in dream content, except that they seem to have less aggression in their dreams.

    Despite these subtle differences in dream content, can blind people see when they dream? Some blind people actually can see in dreams, but it depends on when they lost their vision. Individuals who are born blind or those who become blind at a young age (typically by the age of 4 or 5 years) do not have visual imagery in their dreams. On the other hand, those who become blind after 5 or 6 years of age are able to see in their dreams. Therefore, there seems to be a window in the development of the brain in which the capacity to have visual dreams is established.

    Almost none of us have the time to read everything we'd like to read. Yet we lose countless hours to daily activities that bring us little joy like taking buses and waiting in line. What if we could turn these little blocks of unoccupied time into precious and rewarding moments for learning and thinking?

    Established in 2012, iReader, a micro-learning app on mobile phones, brings the biggest ideas from best-selling books through 15-minute audio (音频) and text. So far, more than 3,000 books have been included, ranging from psychology and parenting to management and economics, with new titles added every day.

    iReader is pioneering a new method of reading, with over 9 million users enjoying the benefits already. According to the Pew Research Center (PRC), the British read just 4 paper books a year and over 25% haven't read a single paper book this year, but reading isn't dying. There are now more ways for the British to read than ever before, due to the widespread use of e-books and audio books.

    The books in iReader are rewritten to ensure it is easy to remember the main content. The way the content is edited has been specifically designed to ensure it is useful in practice. Besides, the content is rewritten with related examples in real life, which means users are more likely to remember and apply what is helpful to them.

    Holger Seim, German co-founder of this app, declares, "iReader gives you the biggest ideas in the shortest possible time. It transforms great ideas into little packs you can listen to or read in just 15 minutes."