Most of us have quite good memories, butour memories are limited. For example, we cannot remember everyone we have evermet or what we did on every single day of our lives. However, there are some people who do have prodigious memories. These people have a rare condition known as savant syndrome (学者症候群). Savants suffer from a developmental disorder, but they also exhibit great talents that contrast(显出差异) sharply with their physical and mental disabilities.

    Kim Peek (1951-2009) was a savant wholived in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. He was born with damage to parts of his brain, but it seemed that other parts of his brain, particularly those relating to memory, became over-developed.

Peek's unique abilities appeared at avery early age. When he was just 20 months old, he could already remember every book that was read to him. Peek could read two pages of a book at the same time—one page with the right eye and one with the left—in less than 10 seconds and remember everything he read. By the time he died, Peek had memorized more than 9, 000 books. He could remember all the names and numbers ina variety of telephone books. He could remember thousands of facts about history, literature, geography and sports.

    Dr. David Treffert, an expert on savantsyndrome, once described Peek as “a living Google” because of his astonishing ability to memorize and connect facts. However, at the same time, Peek was unable to carry out simple tasks, such as brushing his hair or getting dressed, and he needed others to help him. In 1989, the movie Rain Man won the Oscar forbest Picture. The main character in the movie, played by Dustin Hoffman, wasbased on Kim Peek's life. He started to appear on television, where he would amaze audiences by correctly answering difficult questions on different topics. Peek became world famous, and he and his father began touring widely to talk about overcoming disabilities. He inspired a great many people with his words.“Recognizing and respecting differences in others, and treating everyone in the way you want them to treat you, will make our world a better place foreveryone. Everyone is different.”

    What might the future be like? Here are some predictions: things to come, things to go.

    Spring Festival, the most important Chinese holiday when everyone returns home has caused headaches for millions of Chinese. More than 2 billion people travel at the same time, making getting travel tickets and the journey difficult. But in 28 years, Spring Festival travel may not be a problem at all. China plans to build more than 120,000 kilometers of railway and a fast transportation network that will serve 90% of the population by 2020.

    And because most of China will be cities, people will not have to go to other places to find a job, so it will no longer be a problem.

Newspapers will come to an end in 2043. In the future, digital newspapers will be sent to personal web tools through Internet. Readers can discuss topics with journalists and editors. Information will move faster.

    Oil is running out faster than expected. But scientists have found something else for oil as fuel. Coal, natural gas, solar power, nuclear power and even water can take the place of oil as sources of energy.

    Schools will go electronic. Computers will be important and popular among the students. Everything will be in the computer and students will not need to bring books to school. They will find information on the Internet. A computer will be the students ‘library, schoolbag and connection to the outside world. There will be robot teachers, who will check homework on computers and communicate with the students' parents through e-mail. And school buses will be like spaceships, comfortable and safe.

    Social media is one of the fastest-growing industries in today's world. Your friends' lives may look more exciting than yours on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but a new research shows it is because they are faking(伪造) it.

    A recent survey has found around two-thirds of people on social media post images to their personal information to make their lives seem more adventurous. And more than three quarters of those asked said they judged their peers based on what they saw on their Instagrm, Snapehat or Facebook pages.

    The British survey, by smart phone maker HTC, found that, in order to make our own pages and lives appear more exciting, six percent also said they had borrowed items to include in the images in order to pass them off as their own. More than half of those surveyed said they posted images of items and places purely to show off, causing jealousy among friends and family.

    Behavioral psychologist Hemmings said the trend was unsurprising due to the rise of social media. "We're living in a world instant communication." she said. "Fashion and style used to live and die in magazines; now people are in search of authentic, peer-to-peer recommendations as well, making social media an equal power house to magazines and newspaper."

    "With images being shared in an instant, we desire to know what our friends are wearing, or what super stars are buying, as soon as they have got them." Such is the influence of social media sites like Instagram, 76 percent of those asked also said seeing items on social influences them to buy them, with men more likely to take style advice and buy what they see.

    Shyness May Be Partly Inherited(遗传)

    About 92 million Americans are shy, and according to recent research about half of them inherited the trait.

    The studies were discussed at the American Psychological Convention.

    One study, by Harvard University, was of babies 21- 48 months old. It concluded that these babies had a high heart rate when shown unfamiliar people or different toys.

    Although shyness is not new, it has only recently become of interest to researchers. The first study on the genetic connection was in 1979.

    According to Warren Jones of the University of Tulsa, social relations these days are more complex. "With less ritual(仪式) and more complex situations," he said, "shyness is a national concern."

    Not all shy people are anxious and fearful, according to another study. Evidence shows that only half of shy people are tense, worried, and fearful in social situations.

    Many men use shyness as an excuse for failing in social situations, according to C.R. Snyder of the University of Kansas. "This is not true of females. Perhaps, American men are pressured to be assertive(自信的) and successful. So they would rather say they're shy than admit they're incompetent."

    Shy people may do very well socially after the first meeting with someone. In fact, shy people tend to be more stable.

    The psychologists said shyness seems to be cultural. Japan has the highest rating. China and Israel have the lowest rating. The United States rated in the middle.

"Someone once asked me, 'What's the tool you would want to give any student'? And I said, 'A mask and snorkel （潜水通气管） set, "' the ocean biologist Thys says in a video. And Thys explains, "Ninety-eight percent of the living space on this planet is the ocean. It's worth a view. "

Thys has devoted her career to seeing the ocean and to helping others watch the great diversity of the underwater world. A big part of what motivates her work is the chance to let people develop a sense of respect for the grandness of the ocean, and to get people to participate in efforts to protect endangered ocean ecosystems. 

Since studying ocean biology, Thys has focused her research on how sea animals live. One animal she particularly studies is the ocean sunfish. "It's so different from any other fish, "says Thys. "It looks like a mistake. Where does the tail go?" Thys adds. "The sunfish provides an entry point to understanding more about the behavior of creatures in the ocean, and about how environmental changes impact underwater ecosystems. "

Thys's work also takes her above ground, where she's looking at ways to create new connections between human populations and natural environments to help address social and environmental challenges. For instance, she's working on nature's effects on mental well-being. 

Thys's passion for her work is evident in every lecture, video, and public appearance she makes. Using the media, Thys encourages people to learn about the ocean and love it. Due to many ocean research projects and activities from the media, Thys is up to her neck in work every day. She could hardly spare plenty of time for a good rest. Thys's devotion to her work as an ocean scientist and ecological warrior is infectious. She's a role model and an inspiring guide to ocean life. 

You are what you wear. Clothes are important and necessary to us, but do you know how to choose suitable clothes in a correct way?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. 

 When you go shopping and want to buy some clothes, you should think about which kind of clothes you really need and decide how much money you can spend on them.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}They tell you how to take care of the clothes. The label(标签) for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water. A sweater label may tell you to wash it in cold water. The label on a coat may say"dry cleaning only"and cleaning in water may destroy this coat.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. 

 Many clothes today must be dry-cleaned.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}When buying new clothes, you had better check if they need to be dry-cleaned. You can save money if you buy clothes that can be washed or that are well made. Well-made clothes last longer. They still look good after they have been washed many times. 

Clothes that cost more money don't always mean they are better made.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}On the other hand, less expensive clothes may sometimes look better and fit you well.

A. Dry cleaning is expensive.

B. Here are some suggestions for you.

C. They may not fit you, either.

D. We need to know how to look after the new clothes.

E. If you do as the directions say on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best.

F. Then look at the labels that are inside the new clothes.

G. The quality of clothes should be considered.