Researchers say that nearly two thirds of children don't get enough sleep, and this can make them nervous and slower at school. So how long should young people sleep each night? The answer is between 8 and 10 hours. If you don't get enough sleep at night, you'll have less energy the next day.

    A report shows that children sleep less because they have TVs and computers in their rooms, and busy parents don't read to their younger children at night any more. The traditional "bedtime story" helps children to relax and fall asleep peacefully. Children with TVs and computers in their bedrooms were more likely to sleep badly, and to get less than eight hours' sleep. Even losing one hour's sleep a night can mean that children do worse than usual at school.

    British scientists think that your brain keeps working while you're asleep. To show that they were right, they have done an experiment. They gave two groups of people a problem to work out. One group went to sleep, and the other group stayed awake. You want to know the result? The people who slept worked out the answer more quickly. Researchers explained that their brains were trying to find the answer while the people were asleep. So, make sure you get enough sleep tonight, 'and you'll be at your best tomorrow!

    Mr Smith was ill and he went to see a doctor. The doctor asked him to put out his tongue(舌头), and then he said," OK, You can put your tongue back now. There's nothing wrong with you, but I'm afraid you have a problem. You hardly ever take exercise."

   "But, doctor," Mr Smith said," I don't think so."

   "Don't tell me what you think," the doctor said," I know what you need. I see a lot of people like you. None of them goes any exercise. They sit in offices all day and in front of the television in the evening. You must walk quickly for at least(至少)20 minutes a day."

   "I don't want to hear any excuse," the doctor said." You must find time for exercise. If you don't, you will get fat and have health problems."

   "But I walk every day," Mr Smith said.

   "Oh, yes, and I know what kind of walking that is. You walk a few meters to the bus stop from your house, a few more meters from the bus stop to your office, and a few more meters from your office to your dining—room for lunch and back. That's not a real walk. I'm talking about a walk in the park or by the lake for twenty minutes every day."

   "Would you please listen to me, doctor? Mr Smith said, getting a little angry with his doctor.

   "I'm a postman," Mr Smith went on," and I walk for nearly(几乎)seven hours every day."

    For a moment the doctor was silent(沉默的), then he said quietly," Put out your tongue again, will you?

Information Card

    Researchers from two universities in Britain recently carried out a very interesting project. They aimed to find out what modern family needs from their home. The lucky family chosen to take part in the project was the Joneses parents Paul and Eve and their two sons, Jimmy(16) and Harry(13). They have just spent two months living in a specially designed hi- tech future house, where cameras recorded everything they did.

    TV while you bathe

    So what's in this modern house? It boasts(拥有) five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The sitting area has a huge TV and a digital picture frame- you can decide which photos you want to appear and change the picture as often as you like. The baths all have waterproof TV screens and DVD players. There is a remote control(遥控器) in every room which controls everything in the house from the lights to the cooker. The floors are all made of glass and all have under floor heating. The windows clean themselves and there is even a robot called "Iron Man" to do the ironing. Dirty washing goes into a lift which takes the clothes automatically to the washing machine. The "Iron Man" then does all the ironing.

    So how did it go?

    The Jones family were over the moon to be chosen to spend some time in the house. Here's what they said:

Paul: It was great. The house was so comfortable. One day our friends called round with their dog. The dog felt so warm and comfortable; he even slept on the floor! Oh, but there was one problem. One night we were all in bed and all the lights switched themselves on for no reason. It was a bit frightening!

Jimmy: I loved it, but I wish there had been a robot to help me with my homework.

Harry: Staying in was as much fun as going out!

Eve: I loved the TV in the bath but I never watched it before going to work in the morning. If I did, I don't think I'd ever get out!

    The Jones family are now back in their very ordinary home, but planning some hi-tech additions as soon as they can afford them!

The experts hope that results from their project will help developers meet the needs of a 21st-century family. One of the experts wrote a few sentences about his findings on this project: