The most exciting storms are the ones with flashes of lightning.Unfortunately,those are scarce,unless you are near the Catatumbo River in Northwestern Venezuela.Here,nature's grandest sound and light show is often seen, because it happens about 160 nights a year.And it lasts for as long as 10 hours at a time.And unlike other lightning storms that cause just one or two flashes,this one is with as many as 280 per hour.It is the highest in the world. Besides,each one of them is so powerful that each can power every light bulb in South America.Not surprisingly,they can be seen for almost 250 miles.Fishermen and sailors often use them to guide them across the waters during dark nights.

    What's even more surprising is that the lightning has been happening above the same spot where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo for thousands of years.The best part is that the show is different every night.That's because the color of the lightning changes,depending on the amount of water in the atmosphere.On dry nights,the lightning appears white.When the air is not dry,it helps split up the bright light into red,orange and even purple.

    Strangely enough,though this has been going on for centuries,scientists have still not been able to figure out the cause of this phenomenon.Some say that the storms are the result of the interaction of the area's unusual topography（地貌）,wind and heat.Others,however,believe that the storms are caused by a kind of gas in the area.The locals simply think that it is the "spirit of Catatumbo" that lights up the night sky.

    China dropped its decades-long, one-child policy last year to allow each family to have two children. This change has put 270 million married women of childbearing age in the position of choosing between family and work. The employers also face big challenges as more female workers will have two maternity leaves(产假) for a total of seven to eight months.

    In a survey published by classified advertising website Ganji.com, career women who might be considering having a second child were asked what kinds of pressure they might expect. More than 76 percent of the women who were questioned mentioned concerns about the financial burden of raising two children, while more than 71 percent said it would be difficult to balance career and family. In addition, nearly 56 percent said that having a second child would definitely have a negative effect on their career.

    Another survey conducted by Chongqing-based human resources website job.cq.qq.com found that over 70 percent of job seekers believe that having a second child would make females less popular in the job market, although two-thirds of the employers said the policy will make no difference in their employment of staff.

    Feng Lijuan, s senior expert on human resources at 51 job.com, a leading Chinese job finding platform, said she would not say “there is prejudice against career women.” Feng said Chinese women shoulder more family responsibility. “It is not only about maternity leave; a female employee might only fully get back to work after three to five years after having her first child.”

    Wang Yixin, a senior employment adviser, said the positive side is that more companies are trying to attract more talents by providing support to career women. “Different from before, it is not only employers choosing employees. Many talents, including professional career women, also choose employers.” said Wang. “According to our survey, many large companies are very open to their employees' choice of having a second child.”

    My teacher, Mr. August J. Bachmann, was the most influential teacher I ever had.

    I had gotten into trouble in his class: Another student had pushed me for fun, and I became angry and began to hit him. Mr. Bachmann stopped the fight, but instead of sending me to the office, he sat me down and asked a simple question,“Penna, why are you wasting your life？ Why aren't you going to college？”

    I didn't know anything about colleges or scholarships. No one had ever considered that a fatherless boy from the poorest neighborhood had a future. That day, instead of rushing off for lunch, he stayed and explained possible education options to me. At the end of our talk, he sent me to see a secretary who had a child at a state college. This was in 1962 at Emerson High School in Union City, New Jersey.

    Well, 55 years have passed, and what have I done with the knowledge he gave me？I gained a PhD from Fordham University when I was only 29.I taught English and social studies and then moved up the chain of command from teacher to principal(校长).

    I've sat on the board for Magnet Schools of America and represented that organization at the United Nations. I've won a number of great educational awards. But where would I be if a truly caring teacher had not taken the time out of his lunch period to speak to me？ It was without question only his confidence in me that helped me forward.

    I have repaid his kindness hundreds of times by encouraging misguided youngsters to aim higher. If I have saved any children, it is because of him. If I have been a successful educator, it is because I had a great role model in Mr. Bachmann.

    Exercise is known to benefit people's mental health, but scientists recently discovered that too much exercise may have a negative effect on it.

    The researchers studied about 1.2 million people in the United States in 2013, 2015 and 2017. The participants, on average, experienced 3, 4 days of poor mental health each month. Those who did exercise experienced 1, 5 fewer days of poor mental health per month, compared to those who didn't exercise at all. The team found that people who exercised for 30 to 60 minutes three to five times a week had the best mental health, but those who exercised for more than three hours had worse mental health than those who didn't exercise at all.

    The scientists think that people who exercise so much may experience poorer mental health because that much exercise can be a sign of obsessive (强迫症患者) behaviors that have been associated with poor emotional and psychological outcomes. However, the only mental health disorder that the researchers looked at was depression.

    Among those who had been diagnosed with depression, people who did exercise experienced 3.75 fewer negative mental health days than those who did not, showing an ever greater difference, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 7, 6 percent of people in the U.S. age 12 and over have depression. While all types of exercise appeared to help with mental health, cycling, gym-based exercise and team sports were the most beneficial.

    The team also looked at more specific factors, like education. People with a college education reported 17.8 percent fewer days of poor mental health than those without that level education Additionally, people in a healthy BMI (体重指数) range reported a 4 percent reduction in poor mental health days thin those whose BMIs were high. Even salary was a factor: compared to people with bower salaries, those with higher salaries experienced a 17 percent reduction in poor mental health days.

    The study showed that exercise can help with mental health, but that in some cases, limiting it may be necessary.

    Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for the London bus. The bus for London would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in lines, others were walking about. There was a group of school-girls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in order. Tom looked around but there was nowhere for him to sit.

    He walked into the station cafe. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down, facing a large mirror(镜子) on the wall. Just then, John, one of Tom's friends, came in and sat with Tom.

    "What time is your bus?" asked John.

    "Oh, there is plenty of time yet," answered Tom.

    "Oh, I'll get you some more tea then," said John.

    They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again.

    "Good heavens! It's going backward!" he cried. "A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven."

    "You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said John.

    Tom wanted to kick himself for being so foolish. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. He has never liked mirror since then.

    If you're feeling overwhelmed by all the features and apps available on smart phones these days and miss the good old days when mobile phones were simple communication tools, you'll probably love Light Phone 2, a stylish " dumb phone" designed to remove time-wasting distractions(使人分心的事物) from your life.

    The original Light mobile phone could only be used to make and take phone calls, but its creators recently decided that in order to improve its usefulness while still keeping users safe from smart phone distractions, it needed a few extra features. They recently announced Light Phone 2 is just as tiny and stylish as the original ones, but also features text messaging functions and an alarm clock.

    Data from company Flurry shows that people in the US spend around five hours a day on their smart phones, while a study from the firm Asurion found that Americans check their phones an average of 80 times per day. Those are some pretty alarming numbers, and to make matters worse, scientists report that too much screen time has a bad effect on our brains, especially those of children.

    Light Phone 2 will never replace your Apple phone, but it can at least help you mitigate the effects of smart phone addiction by allowing you to "go light" every once in a while. You can stay in touch with the important people in your life, but you'll be free from the apps distracting you from the wonders of the colorful world.

    But becoming free of smart phone distractions doesn't come cheap. The Light Phone 2 is expected to be priced at around $400, which is far more expensive than some smart phones. However, a lot of people seem to think the phone and what it promises to do are worth the price, as evidenced by the success of Light's latest crowd funding(众筹) campaign. With 24 days left until deadline, the company has already raised $360,000, blowing past its $250,000 goal.