C

    Thousands of bats(蝙蝠)in the Northeast are dying, and no one knows why. Scientists are conducting investigations(开展调查) to find out the cause and stop the spread of deaths, which have been most heavily reported in New York, Vermont and Massachusetts.

    "Most bat researchers agree that this is the most serious threat to bats they have ever seen, " says Alan Hicks, a bat expert who works in the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.

    There are few clues about the cause of the deaths. Bats are easy to catch the contagious disease(传染病) because they hibernate(冬眠) together. In some caves, there are 300 bats per square foot. Environmental officials are asking people to stay out of bat caves to avoid spreading the mysterious(神秘的) sickness while they are working to find out what it is.

    Clothes are traditionally made of natural materials, such as cotton, leather and wool. They are all from plants or animals, but that doesn't mean they're friendly to the earth. For example, farmers have to use a lot of chemicals to grow cotton plants.

    Scientists are now looking for new ways to make clothing materials. They hope the new materials are both comfortable and good for the earth. Scientists have worked out how to make materials out of corn husks(棉籽), chicken feathers and rice straws.

    "They used to be useless things. We always have a problem of how to deal with them," Yang, a scientist says, "Now, we can turn them into beautiful materials. Chicken feathers are better than other things. They have small air pockets like honeycombs. That means it will be very warm if you use them to make a jacket or sweater, and I think more and more people will like to buy these kinds of clothes."

    Scientists found that moderate (适度的) noise can make people more creative, The New York Times reported.

    Scientists did tests on students. They divided them into four groups. They then asked the students to do certain tasks involving creative thinking. But each group did the task with different volumes (音量) of background noise. They found that students did best when working under moderate noise—70 decibels (分贝). This is about the same volume of background noise in a cafe. Students did worse in low noise (50 dB). This is the volume of a quiet room. They did the poorest when in a high-noise (85 dB) environment. This is the noise level in a factory.

    Moderate noise can distract (分心) people just enough so that they think more creatively. "It helps you think outside the box," Raci Mehta, a lead researcher in the study, said to the Business Standard. On the one hand, working in a very quiet place can strengthen our focus. But it also stops

    us from thinking abstractly (抽象).

    "This is why if you are too focused on a problem and you can't solve it," said Mehta, "you leave it for some time and then come back to it and you'll get the solution."

    However, the scientists said that when you need to do detailed things, like proofreading (校对) a paper, a quiet place is better than a noisy one.

    Technology is everywhere. In fact, almost all of us carry a certain piece of technology with us every time we leave the house. What I always forget, though, is just how useful and powerful technology can be when we want to help others.

    There is not a single room in my house that does not have some electronic devices(设备).Whenever I am at home, I am almost always using at least one electronic device. If you walk into my living room on any given day, you will find that, first, I have the television on. At the same time, I usually have my laptop resting on my knee, or I am using my mobile phone. Even when I'm not at home, I am always using my phone, and at work or in cafes, I sit down and connect to the local wireless network on my laptop.

    I must say that I waste a lot of time on the computer and the time I spend on it could be much better spent if I were to take up a little online volunteering.

    Recently I discovered just how much online volunteering there is to do in the world. From using your language skills to do translations, to developing and managing projects and helping with IT work, there is so much that so many people can do to help people in their own countries and across the world. The United Nations, in fact, has a huge page with "Volunteers Recruited" on its website.

    This work can support the poor and help charities who cannot pay for staff members. Many organizations only require you to work an hour a week, some even less. And the support provided by online volunteers can really help make a difference to those in need.

    Do you think the people who use smart phones all the time are relaxed? A research shows that too much smart phone use in spare time can make people more stressed out.

    So what can we do in order to really take advantage of our spare time? We have collected the following activities that also take a few hours to complete, but you'll improve your health in the process (过程).

    Whether you're at home or on holiday, it's important to disconnect from the Wi-Fi. Walking in nature can do good to your health. As a professional(职业的)traveler, Samantha Brown put it in a recent passage, "I put my map in my back pocket, put down my phones and take a good, long walk. Just walk around."

    Go to bed earlier. What can help improve your mood? Extra sleep, naturally. Getting the right amount of sleep is very important to our health and studies show that we don't get enough of it.

    Read a book. And let yourself get lost in a good story. Research shows that reading can reduce(减轻) stress, keep your brain sharp and can even help you sleep better. Everyone should spend at least 30 minutes reading every day.

    Putting pen to paper is a good exercise. Try writing down your thoughts. Writing has a lot of health advantages. Besides, writing down your thoughts may even help clear your mind.