A “virtual (虚拟的) cocktail” glass that lets you change the flavor (味道) of your drink using your Smartphone has been developed by scientists.

    Offering a customizable (定制的) range of drinks and tastes, the Vocktail can change a glass of water into a cocktail at the press of a button. The world's first technology tricks your brain into thinking it is experiencing a specific flavor by fooling your senses of sight, smell and taste.

    Developed by researchers at the National University of Singapore, the glass' three sensory components are controlled via a Smartphone App. Because the software can combine a number of smells, colors and tastes, the Vocktail can create almost any flavor.

    Developer Nimesha Ranasinghe said: “Our approach is to increase drinks flavor experience by overlaying outer sensory stimuli (刺激物). For example, in the Vocktail we overlay color, taste and smell sensations to create an adjustable flavor experience. Flavor is mainly how we feel food and that is achieved through the use of these senses. Therefore, by changing the color of the drink, using different smells and changing the taste through electricity, we are able to copy the flavor of a drink without it actually changing the liquid.”

    The glass houses three fragrance containers connected to micro-air pumps. The pumps release smell that change your feeling of the drinks, flavor. For example, a lemon fragrance will trick your brain into believing it is tasting lemon-flavored drink.

    On the outside edge of the glass are two electrode strips (电焊条) that send electric pulses into your tongue to stimulate your sense of taste and flavor differs with different pulses.

    A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that's not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn't matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves— the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.

    We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We're usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn't be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.

    This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

    Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh (刻薄的) and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.

    Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn't pass this test, then it's better left unsaid.

    Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem (自尊) and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.

    In my class in middle school, there was a girl who was considered the outcast of our class. No one actually knows how this exclusion originated, but we all followed it for no reason at all. One day after lunch, we girls sat on the track field, talking about little things that happened in our little lives. Someone brought her up, and soon the topic transformed to mocking the funny texture of her hair, the awkward way she walked and… I felt extremely uncomfortable but kept silent, because I didn't want to be the one “supporting” the common enemy. After all, it's just a mild ranting session among a trusted group of friends, why should I bring unnecessary tension?

    Suddenly, one of my friends pointed her finger towards somewhere behind me. All of us turned around and saw that exact girl, hand still in the air, with a twisted look on her face. She lowered her hand in slow motion, blinked really hard for a few seconds, then turned around and ran off. For a second I wanted to stand up and chase her down to tell her that no one meant what they said, and that she is an amazing person being who she is. But my legs felt so heavy: I didn't want to make a fool out of myself—why bother taking care of the class clown（小丑）? People would think that I was crazy as well!

    No one spoke a word for a long time; we were all so caught up in our thoughts. I tried opening my mouth but couldn't—no words were coming out. Then one person started talking about the weather, and all of us were more than glad to follow this flow.

    A few weeks later, the teacher told us that a classmate dropped out of school—it was that girl. Her parents told the school that it was the peer pressure that made her want to leave. The teacher wanted to know who the bully was. Again, no one spoke a word. Perhaps it was exactly this cold, hard silence that drove her away. I certainly did not raise my hand—I had never even said anything bad about her; it was my friends who loved to make fun of her awkwardness every day.

    Surely, I didn't bully her physically or with my language, but I kept silent when others did. By failing to stand up for her and offering her support, I was giving tacit（心照不宣的）agreement. This agreement made others think that it was okay to mistreat her, because “no one cares anyways”. Perhaps I did realize I was bullying her—but by convincing myself that I had nothing to do with her leaving, I wouldn't have to bear the burden of heavy shame on my shoulders.

    Real life is not like a Hollywood movie, and the protagonists don't always have the courage to compensate for our mistakes. In that classroom, my feet were glued to the ground once again, thinking of all the possibilities that could embarrass me in front of the whole class. What if she doesn't appreciate my effort and just walk off? What if she misunderstands my actions as sympathy and gets upset? Worst of all, what if my own group mates disapprove of my decision? Am I really willing to risk my friendship just to help out one girl that I've seldom spoken to?

    To be honest, I still don't have answers to these questions. I don't know if the answers to those questions even exist. However, what I do know is that nothing will change if I keep thinking and never take actions. Talking to someone in need of support would mean the world to them, while it takes little to none effort for me. So what if those actions are under appreciated? At least I will be satisfied knowing that I did the right thing.

    Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England on 8th January, 1942. He went to school in St Allbans, a small city near London. Although he did well, he was never top of his class.

    After leaving school. Hawking went first to Oxford University where he studied physics and then went to Cambridge University where he studied cosmology(宇宙学）. As he himself admits, he didn't work hard. He was a very lazy student, and did very little work. However, he still got high marks.

    It was at the age of 20 that Hawking first noticed something was wrong with him. He started to bump into things. When he visited his family at Christmas time, his mother was so worried that she made him see a doctor. Hawking was sent to hospital for tests. Finally, the result came back. Hawking had motor neuron disease (运动神经元病）, an incurable illness which would make him unable to speak, breathe or move without the help of a machine. Doctors said they had no way to help him. He would die before 23.

    At first, Hawking became very depressed. After a while, though, he began to see his life in a different way. As he later wrote, "Before my illness was diagnosed(诊断), I had been very bored with life. There had not seemed to be anything worth doing. But shortly after I came out of hospital, I suddenly realised that there were a lot of worthwhile (值得做的）things I could do." Then Hawking got married and found a job at Cambridge University as a professor, He strongly believes that his story shows that nobody, how bad their situation is, should lose hope. "Life is not fair." He once said. "You just have to do the best you can in your own situation."

    We love the sea. We swim into it, live near it, build beside it, and even imagine about living under the sea. But we're terrified of it, too. For much of our history, we have turned to "hard engineering" to control the marine (海洋) environment and manage its influence on us. We build dams, sea walls and channels. But all these efforts seem to fail. The sea has a habit of taking back its own. And we suffer.

    Johnston, a marine ecologist, is advocating for "blue engineering" — the marine version of the "green engineering" movement on land that has seen nations like Singapore building the walls and roofs of the concrete jungle with plant life.

    We are expanding further into the marine environment. This practice does harm lo marine ecosystems. We're loving the sea to death, but we've not been thinking about design of structures (建筑物) with respect to ecology. Some coastal structures create shade, which reduces the growth of seaweed. Bright lights at night contuse species such as turtles. That's why blue engineering comes in.

    Throughout the world people are starting to turn things around. Researchers with the World Harbour Project are creating tiles (瓦片) similar to the natural structures found on rocky shores with 3D printing technology. These make more attractive homes for marine creatures. Researchers are also actively seeding these tiles with local seaweeds and creatures such as the Sydney rock oyster, which is particularly good at improving water quality. Twelve harbours around the world are taking part in this marine tile experiment, each working with their own unique marine life.

    It's a far cry from, he days when huge number, of old tyres were thrown, into the sea to build "artificial reef" (礁石). Those clumsy early attempts are now costing millions to remove, showing just how far we have yet to go in understanding how best to co-habit with the underwater world.