If you like texting and are trying to lose weight, a new study found that using texting(发短信) to track diet and exercise habits may help you lose weight.

    Previous research has shown that keeping food and exercise diaries improves the likelihood of success when you are using it to lose weight. Using a computer or a pen and paper to record information, however, can be a burden and cause some people to give up.

    Duke University researchers said using text messages to track eating and exercise habits can save time, and increase the chances that people will stick with their weight-loss rules.

    The study included 26 obese/fat women with an average age of 38. The women used daily texting as part of their weight-loss program. The text messages focused on tracking personalized goals, such as avoiding sugary drinks or walking 10,000 steps a day. Messages also provided brief feedback (反馈) and tips.

    Every morning, the women received a text from an automated system that said, “Please text yesterday's personal information of steps you walked and how many sugary drinks you had.” Based on the women's responses to the text message, the system sent another text with personalized feedback and tips.

    After six months, the women who used daily texting lost an average of nearly 3 pounds, while another group of women who used traditional methods to keep food and exercise diaries gained an average of 2.5 pounds, according to the study, which was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

    “Text messaging has become popular and may be an effective method to simplify tracking of diet and exercise behavior,” Dori Steinberg, who was responsible for this research, said.

    Steinberg said, “Text messaging offers several advantages compared to other self-monitoring methods. Unlike web-based diet and exercise diaries, data in a text message can be entered quickly on nearly all cell phone platforms so it is very convenient to receive feedback. Besides, because of the limited number of words used in text messages, it saves time.”

    The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means.Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago,but it has brought new problems.One of the biggest problems is pollution.To pollute means to make things dirty.Pollution comes in many ways.We see it,smell it,drink it and even hear it.

    Man has been polluting the earth.The more people,the more pollution.Many years ago,the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people.When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place,man moved to another place.But this is no longer true.

    Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.

    Air pollution is still the most serious.It's bad for all living things in the world,but it is not the only one kind of pollution.Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water.Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.

    Many countries are making rules to fight pollution.They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city,and from putting dirty smoke into the air.Pollution by SO₂ is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic.We are sure that if there are fewer people driving,there will be less air pollution.

    The earth is our home.We must take care of it.That means keeping the land,water and air clean.And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time.

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    With beautiful canals, top art museums, and cycling culture I Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. As the capital and most populous city in the Netherlands, it's often referred to as the “Venice of the North” because of its wide system of bridges and canals. Here are some key points for you to keep in mind while planning a trip there.

    Must-See Attractions

    Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre, which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers, and coffee shops. The top museums to visit are the Rijks museum, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum. As a World Heritage Site, the Canal Ring was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and an area for celebrity spotting and nightlife today.

    Transportation

    Travelers should be aware that Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is one of the busiest airports in the world. This airport is located about 15 kilometers southwest of the city center. You can catch a train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Central Station, which has many connecting routes. It's not a good idea to drive a car to the city center. Cycling is popular here, and it's easy to rent a cheap bike around the town. Amsterdam has a flat terrain (地形) and it's a good choice to explore the city on foot.

    Money-saving Tips

    Look for accommodations in Amsterdam's South District where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.

    Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.

    Instead of hiring a tour guide, jump onto a canal boat. They're inexpensive and will give you a unique point of view of the city.

Omar Vazquez grew up in poverty on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. He watched his single mother struggle to put food on the table, and today the memory inspires him to help those in need. When an invasive (入侵的) seaweed called sargassum showed up on Mexico's Caribbean beaches, Omar looked past the matter of it all and saw an opportunity to help others.

Sargassum is not dangerous, but it has an unpleasant smell and can become so thick that it keeps people from entering the water. Mexico has experienced record-setting amounts of the seaweed in recent years, and it has made its way to Florida's beaches as well. Experts say there could be as much as 100 tons of sargassum blocking Mexican shorelines in 2023.

With tourism dollars at risk, officials and locals alike were eager to remove the seaweed, but only Omar saw its true potential. The professional gardener organized a beach cleanup that provided jobs for about 300 local families, but he knew there was more to do. Since people's attitude towards the seaweed reminded him of his own life experiences, he decided to become an agent (推动者) for change.

When sargassum started arriving, everyone was complaining. "I wanted to make something good out of something everyone saw as bad," Omar explained.

In 2018, Omar found a way to turn sargassum into building blocks that he calls Sargablock. He creates these blocks by mixing 40% sargassum with other materials like clay, then putting them in a block-forming machine and baking them in the sun for days. The end result is an organic, sustainable, and ecologically friendly building material that experts say could last for 120 years.

To date, Omar's company, Bluegreen Mexico, has used 700 tons of sargassum to build low-income housing for those in need. Omar said he would take on more projects, and donate more houses to single mothers like his own mom.

Everyone in the Smiths shares the housework. Let's see what they usually do.