Before birth, babies can tell the difference between loud sounds and voices. They can even distinguish their mother's voice from that of a female stranger. But when it comes to embryonic learning(胎教), birds could rule the roost. As recently reported in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, some mother birds may teach their young to sing even before they hatch(孵化)。New-born chicks can then imitate their mom's call within a few days of entering the world.

    This educational method was first observed in 2012 by Sonia Kleindorfer, a biologist at Flinders University in South Australia, and her colleagues. Female Australian superb fairy wrens were found to repeat one sound over and over again while hatching their eggs, When the eggs were hatched, the baby birds made the similar chirp to their mothers—a sound that served as their regular “feed me!”call.

To find out if the special quality was more widespread in birds, the researchers sought the red-backed fairy wren, another species of Australian songbird. First they collected sound data from 67 nests in four sites in Queensland before and after hatching, Then they identified begging calls by analyzing the order and number of notes. A computer analysis blindly compared calls produced by mothers and chicks, ranking them by similarity.

    It turns out that baby red-backed fairy wrens also emerge chirping like their moms. And the more frequently mothers had called to their eggs, the more similar were the babies' begging calls. In addition, the team set up a separate experiment that suggested that the baby birds that most closely imitated their mom's voice were rewarded with the most food.

    This observation hints that effective embryonic learning could signal neurological(神经系统的) strengths of children to parents. An evolutionary inference can then be drawn.“As a parent, do you invest in quality children, or do you invest in children that are in need? ”Kleindorfer asks. “Our results suggest that they might be going for quality. ”

    China is known as a state of manners and ceremony. Many proverbs have been passed down from generation to generation such as "polite behavior costs nothing" or "showing respect each other" and so on. For instance, there is an interesting short story. Once upon a time, a man went on a long tour to visit his friend with a swan as a gift. But it escaped from the cage on the way. Though he tried hard, he got hold of nothing but a feather. Instead of returning home, he continued his journey with the swan feather. When his friend received this unexpected gift, he was deeply moved. And the saying "The gift is nothing much, but it's the thought that counts." was spread far and wide.

    Chinese used to cup one hand in the other before the chest as a greeting. This tradition has a history of more than 2, 000 years and nowadays it is seldom used except in the Spring Festival. And shaking hands is more popular. Bowing, as to show respect to the higher level, is often used by the lower like subordinates(下级), students, and attendants. But at present Chinese youngsters prefer to simply nod as a greeting.

    When you start a talk with a stranger, the topics such as weather, food, or hobbies may be good choices to break the ice. For a man, a chat about sports, stock market or his job can usually go on smoothly. Similar to Western customs, you should be careful to ask a woman private questions. However, relaxing talks about her job or family life will never put you into danger. Though Chinese are said to be implicit(含蓄的), they are actually humorous enough to be pleased about the jokes of Americans.

    There was a time in the 1960's and 1970's when some people believed that coffee would replace tea as Britain's favourite drink, but that did not happen, and today, tea remains Britain's favourite drink.

    To say that the British are fond of tea is something of an understatement. From the Royal(皇室的) Family down to the homeless and the out-of-work, tea is more than just a pleasure. It is an important part of life!

    The popularity of tea in the United Kingdom has a long history. It was in 1657 that Thomas Garway, the owner of a coffee house, sold the first tea in London. The drink soon became popular as another choice besides coffee.

    In those days, however, tea was not something for anyone. For a century and a half, it remained an expensive drink. Many bosses served a cup of it to their workers in the middle of the morning, thus inventing a lasting British tradition, the “tea break”. But as a social drink outside the workplace, tea was served for the nobility(贵族) and for the growing middle classes. Among those who had the money for tea, it became very popular as a drink to be enjoyed in cafés and “tea gardens”.

    It was the 7th Duchess of Bedford who, in around 1800, started the popular “afternoon tea”, which took place at about four o'clock. At about the same time, the Earl of Sandwich popularized a new way of eating bread with something (e. g. jam) between them, and before long, a small meal at the end of the afternoon with tea and sandwiches had become part of a way of life.

    As tea became much cheaper during the nineteenth century, its popularity spread right through British society. In working-class households, it was served with the main meal of the day, eaten when workers returned home after a day's labour. This meal has become known as “high tea”.

    Today, tea can be drunk at any time of day. Most people in Britain drink tea for breakfast. The mid-morning “tea break” is an institution in British offices and factories. Later in the day, “afternoon tea” is still a way of life in the south of England and among the middle classes, while “high tea” has remained a tradition in the north of Britain.

    OK, so it's not a real war but the U. S. and China are at the beginning of a trade war thanks to President Trump's policy. The Chinese government raised $34 billion in new duties on goods exported from the U.S. last week in answer to President Trump's unwise tariffs(关税) of $34 billion on Chinese goods.

    Farm and seafood-producing states are going to be hit hardest by China's new tariffs on U. S. goods. States where cars are made and shipped to China are on the hook as well.

    In terms of value, some 38 percent of products on the tariff list are agricultural, including soybeans, sorghum, tobacco and meat. That's nothing like good news for farm-belt states, primarily in the Midwest like Iowa.

    A wide range of seafood is on China's tarifflist. That could hurt fishery workers in Alaska and lobster(龙虾) harvesters in Maine. Alaska, for example, exported nearly $lbillion worth of seafood to China. "China is a major market for Alaska seafood," said Alexa Tonkovich, Executive Director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. "The seafood industry directly employs nearly 60,000 workers in Alaska each year and directly employs more workers than any other private industry."

    And automaking States, particularly in the South, are also at risk. Some 24 percent ofproducts on the list- in terms of value-are cars, trucks and other vehicles. Michigan alone exported $1.7 billion worth of motor vehicles and vehicle parts to China in 2017. Other states being affected include South Carolina, where BMW makes SUVs for both the U.S. and export, and Alabama, home to Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai factories.

    This round of tariffs spares some industries, like commercial aircraft. Washington State could breathe a sigh of relief, which is home to Boeing. It also, for the moment, skips tariffs on chemical products.

    Alexa Tonkovich has warned the U.S. government that the trade war could risk jobs, reduce industry profits, and cause higher prices for consumers in the U.S!

    "I will need to open your neck to remove the tumor," the surgeon told me on a hot summer day. The words turned into white noise. "So, an ugly scar across my neck, then?" I asked. The nurse said: "Don't worry. The closure is like his signature. Just like you want a perfect scar, he wants to give you one. You'll barely see it." I found some comfort in that.

    I googled "cancer surgery scar" and was presented with neck images: necks with red and purple lines, closed with stitches or glue; necks with multiple scars....It was enough to make me shut my Macbook, as anxiety pulsed through my body. In the mirror, I admired my neck, running my finger across a gold chain I wore. Then a tiny voice said:" Mummy!"

    My then fie-year-old son. Jack, appeared in the mirror behind me. Our reflection was a big reality check. See, my son didn't know I had cancer and was having surgery. I'm a single mom. Jack lives with me and doesn't have a relationship with his father. I'm his hero. I'm the homework helper, nurse, chef, taxi driver, and every other variation of parent. I knew I couldn't lose heart over cancer or some scar on my neck --I'm this kid's life!

    So I did the next best thing I could think of: I made an appointment to get my hair done a few days before the first surgery. My goal was simple: golden hair to frame my scar. If I couldn't hide it, I might as well show it off. I never had any intentions of hiding the scar. I didn't want my son to think my scar was something to be ashamed of. I'm his role model and I needed to set a good example. Bad things can happen, but it's how you deal with them that matters.

    The scar proves I faced my fear and won. If I got through that I can get through all the hardships, land on my feet and live boldly.

Art Contest-Technology &You!

Technology is everywhere these days. Automation has pioneered innovation. Your phone is probably in your pocket or your hands at all times, and now it's easier than ever to communicate with anyone in the world. What are your thoughts on technology, social media or your phone? Do you feel excitement every time you get a notification message, or do you feel tied down by these digital "chains"?

However you feel, we want you to put that into artwork-paintings, digital art or photography. One winner and several honorable mentions will be featured in the December 2024 magazine, and the winner will receive a $25 gift card! You may even see your art work in future issues of Teen Ink magazine.

Deadline: Nov. 1, 2024

Details and requirements:

Entrants must have a Teen Ink account and be aged 13～19.

Inappropriate content will not be accepted.

Submissions must relate to the topic（technology）.

Entries must be a piece of artwork created by the entrants themselves.

Entrants can submit as many pieces of art as they wish.

How to submit:

Entries can be submitted through the Teen Ink website. All entries submitted will be reviewed and considered for the contest. See our submission guidelines for more information.

Make sure to submit your art work to the appropriate art category（technology） on Teen Ink. You can do this by using the "additional tags（标签）" field in your submission form.