Thumbs Down to Texting （屈指发短信）

       Do you have a mobile phone? Do you send text messages to your friends and family?

       Text messaging or “texting” is becoming very popular. But, scientists have discovered that texting can give us problems with our hands. Be careful! Too much texting can cause swelling in our thumbs. Our thumbs were not made for pushing small buttons, over and over. Scientists call this problem RSI. We spoke to a doctor called Harriet Wilson, who treats many sick people with RSI. She says we need to see how much time we are spending in typing text messages. If we are spending more than 10–15 minutes at once, we could have problems in the future.

       As mobile phones develop, they are getting smaller with buttons closer together. Texting with a smaller phone is worse than using a larger phone with bigger buttons. Using a computer keyboard and playing video games can cause the same problem. So more and more people could find themselves with RSI. Among them, most are university students and teenagers, as they do not know the risks of spending so much time using computer, video games and mobile phones. If we don't do something about this, too many young people could grow up in terrible pain.

    The Internet is generally(通常) considered to be the world that belongs to young people. But some old people in Shanghai don't think so. Recently, more than 8,000 people over 50 took part in a web page designing contest in Shanghai.

    The contest lasted for two months and attracted a lot of old people. Among them, the oldest is a 79-year-old retired (退休的) lady. She had learned web page designing for 4 months before attending the contest. She finally got an honorary ( 荣誉的) title of “The Most Senior Participant(参与者)”. About 30 other old people got different prizes such as “The Best Creative Work” and “The Best Fine Arts Work”. Their works' themes included science, technology, Olympics, personal life and so on.

    The organizers of the contest hoped to encourage more and more elderly people to learn more about the Internet world. And many of the participants felt they really got a lot from the contest. “Designing web page enriches my life and makes me feel much closer to the young people,” one participant said.

    The designing of web page is not an easy job. But that doesn't mean it is the patent(专利) of young people. In fact, as the saying goes: “It's never too old to learn.” As for the teenagers, perhaps they should know“It's never late to learn”, whether it is English, piano or others.

    It's important for each of us to be healthy and happy. Do you want to improve (改善) your health and feel better? Here are some ways.

    Eat whole foods. Eat some healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and a little meat. If you have a healthy eating habit, you'll be happier.

    Exercise. Take up a sport you really like. If you want to keep healthy, try to exercise for 30 minutes a day, twice or three times a week.

    Get enough sleep. It is best to get eight hours' sleep a day. A cup of milk before sleeping may help you get a good sleep.

    Keep yourself busy. This is very good because it stops you from having bad habits. To keep yourself busy, you can walk around the house, spend time with your pets, do sports, or do a hobby you enjoy.

    Spend time with your friends. Spend time and have fun with them. Talk with them. But you shouldn't talk about anything bad. You should stay with the people who are healthy and happy.

    Nowadays, reading is becoming more and more important, so teachers always encourage(鼓励)their students to read more famous work like The Little Prince, Charlotte's Web and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and so on .

    Among them, the students like Charlotte's Web best. It's written by American author E.B. White .The novel tells a story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a spider named Charlotte on a farm. When Wilbur is in danger of being killed for his meat by the farmer, Charlotte writes a message to praise（表扬） Wilbur in her web and saves him. Wilbur becomes famous in the village and he is safe in the end. When it came out in 1952, the book was welcomed by adults and children. And it's still very popular today.