Are you shy? If you are, you are not alone. In fact, close to 50 percent of people are shy. Almost 80 percent of people feel shy at some point in their lives. These days, shyness is becoming more and more common. Now, scientists are trying to understand shyness. They have some interesting ideas about why people are shy.

Is it possible to be born shy? Many scientists say yes. They say 15 to 20 percent of babies behave shyly. These babies are a little quieter and more watchful than other babies. Interestingly, these shy babies usually have shy parents. As a result, scientists think that some shyness is genetic.

Family size might cause people to be shy as well. Scientists at Harvard University studied shy children. They found that 66 percent of them had older brothers and sisters. As a result, they became shy. At the same time, children with no brothers and sisters may be shy as well. Growing up alone, they often play by themselves. They are not able to learn the same social skills as children from big families.

You may also be shy because of where you were born. When scientists studied shyness in different countries, they found surprising differences. In Japan, most people said they were shy. But in Israel, only one of three people said so. What explains the difference? One scientist says the Japanese and Israelis have different opinions of failure. In Japan, when people do not succeed, they feel bad about themselves. They blame（责备）themselves for their failure. In Israel, the opposite is true. Israelis often blame failure on outside reasons, such as family, teachers, friends, or bad luck. In Israel, freedom of opinion and risk taking are strongly supported. This may be why Israelis worry less about failure and are less shy.

For shy people, it can be difficult to make friends, speak in class, and even get a good job. But scientists say you can get over your shyness. They suggest trying new things and practicing conversation. And don't forget—if you are shy, you are not the only one.

      What's going to happen in the future? Will robots control our planet? Will computers become smarter than us? Not likely. But here are some things that scientists say are most likely to happen in 10 to 0 years from now, according to the BBC.

 Digital money      

      We used to pay with cash(现金) for everything we bought. Now when we use a credit card(信用卡) to shop online, money is spent without us seeing it. That means we are already using digital(电子的) money. Using a card is much easier than searching our pockets for change. It is also safer than carrying a lot of cash.    

When ATM cards were first introduced, they were not accepted everywhere. But now it's hard to live without them. It's reported that people in Sweden completely stopped using cash last year, and the US might be next.

Bionic(仿生的) eye    

It's no longer something only in a science fiction movie. People who are blind may have a chance to get their sight back—by wearing bionic eyes.

      A blind eye can no longer sense light, but a bionic eye can use a camera to “see” the environment and send data(数据) to the mind. Now the bionic eye only allows patients to see lights and unclear shapes. A high resolution(高清的) image could be just a few years away. 

Self-driving cars     

      Unlike a human driver, a self-driving car won't get distracted(分神) by a phone call, the radio or something outside the window. Sensors (探测器) and cameras on the car would allow it to stick strictly (严格地遵守)to the rules of the road and keep a safe distance from other cars. This would greatly reduce（减少） the number of road accidents. You could even take a nap while the car drives itself. In the future, driverless cars would be widely accepted.

    There are many colours in nature. But do you know if a colour has weight? I think you'll say "no". But I am afraid you are wrong. If you don't believe, you may do a small experiment.

    First, put two objects with the same weight into two boxes. Then, cover the box. Third, wrap(包裹) one box with a red piece of paper, the other with a white piece of paper. OK. Now hold the boxes with your hand one by one. It is certain that you will think the red one is a little heavier. Why do you think so? A scientist found that different colours have different weight in a man's mind. So he did many tests and at last he got the result. That is to say, every colour has its own weight in our mind and their order(顺序) is the same. The heaviest colour is red, then blue, green, orange, yellow and white.

    The scientist told us that colours also have smell. Can you smell the colour? Of course not. Then why did the scientist say so? That is because every colour stands for a kind of light with a certain wavelength (波长). It reaches our brain(大脑) through sense organs(感觉器官).

    According to this discovery, scientists say that people accept the colours they like, and refuse the colours they hate. So your body and mind will be healthy by using the colors you like. Or you'll be nervous or even get ill. For example, if you stay in a room with red windows, wallpapers and furniture for two hours, you'll feel you have been there for four hours. But if the room is blue, you'll feel you have been there for only an hour. Another example, if a person walks out of a red room and into a blue room, his temperature will fall. That means our body temperature will change with different colours.

    Good study habits are important for all students. When you have good study habits, you will learn faster and find you have a good memory.

    Do you usually study in the living room？This is not a good place for study because it's really too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, such as your bedroom. A quiet place will help you learn better.

    Before you begin to study, do not forget to clean your desk. It helps you study well, too. Light is important, too. You will feel tired easily if there is not enough light.

    Of all the good study habits you can develop, asking questions is the key. Just ask. No one knows everything, but we can always learn from each other by asking questions.

    When do you work best？Are you an early bird, a night owl (猫头鹰), or something in between ?Find your most productive work time, and then plan to study at this time.

Different Kinds of Rest

We go to bed when we're tired. But in fact, rest is much more than sleeping at night. Many of us are missing out on the other kinds of rest that we really need.

The first type of rest we need is physical rest. It can be passive (被动的) or active. Passive physical rest refers to sleeping, while active physical rest includes activities like yoga (瑜伽). These activities help your body to relax.

Have you ever heard your parents or anyone else say that they have a hard time focusing on (专注于) their work? Have they ever said that when they lie down at night to sleep, they have trouble "turning off" their brains as conversations from the day fill their thoughts? These people need mental rest. You can advise them to take a short break every two hours throughout their workday. These breaks remind them to slow down a bit.

The third type of rest is sensory rest. Bright lights, computer screens and background noise can make us feel tired. But this problem is easy to solve. You can close your eyes for a minute in the middle of the day or put away your electronic products for a while.

Then comes creative rest. Allowing yourself to take in the beauty of nature—even if it's just at a local park—provides you with this type of rest. You can also place your favorite artwork around your desk. Enjoying art is another great way to get creative rest.

The last two types of rest we need are social and emotional (情感的) rest. Spend some time with positive people. Try to open up to them and share the hard things that trouble you lately.

Now you know we need much more than a good night's sleep to feel well rested. It's time for us to focus on getting the right type of rest we need.

ChatGPT, a smart AI chatbot (聊天机器人) tool, has swept the education world in the past months. According to a US survey of more than 1,000 students, over 89 percent of them have used ChatGPT to help with their homework.

Some schools in the US, Australia and France have banned (禁止) the use of ChatGPT. In the US, for example, New York City public schools banned students and teachers from using ChatGPT on the district's networks.

The move comes out of worries that the tool could make it easier for students to cheat on homework. Some also worry that ChatGPT could be used to spread incorrect information.

Besides bans, teachers are making changes to their classes to avoid the use of ChatGPT. Some college teachers in the US try to include more speaking exams and handwritten papers instead of typed ones.

However, not all educators say "no" to ChatGPT. Some Canadian universities are making laws on its use, for both students and teachers. They have no plans to completely ban the tool so far.

Bhaskar Vira from the University of Cambridge, said that bans on AI software like ChatGPT are not sensible (明智的). "We have to know that AI is a tool people will use. What we need to do is ‘adapt our learning, teaching and examinations'. That way, we can be honest while using of the tool".