Hampton Court Motor Cruiser

16 Hampton Court Road        TEL:208-977-1728

    Hampton Court Motor Cruiser is a boat docked on the River Thames. Facilities(设施) include heating, Smart TV and Wi-Fi. The price per stay also includes the free use of a 4-seat electric boat and barbecue facilities. There is no staff at all on board during your stay.

Hilton London Green Park

4-6 Half Moon Street        TEL:207-629-7522

    Hilton London Green Park stays in the heart of London. It features modern rooms with air conditioning. Wi-Fi is available in public areas and is free of charge. There is also a cocktail bar on site. All children are welcome.

Arbor City

12 Osborn Street            TEL:207-247-3313

    Arbor City Hotel is just next to the Whitechapel Art Gallery. It offers free Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service. Air-conditioned rooms feature a TV, a safe and a shower. Parking is available on site and costs GBP 24 per day. For an additional charge, the hotel offers various breakfast options: English breakfast, Continental breakfast, Vegan and Dairy-free breakfast. The hotel is 10 minutes' tube ride from the West End.

Abercorn House Hostel

28-0 Bute Gardens            TEL:203-696-0215

    Abercorn House Hostel is located just a 3-minute walk from Hammersmith Underground Station, with a 24-hour front desk. Guests can stay in rooms or dormitories fitted with a wardrobe. Some come with a shower, while others offer access to a shared bathroom. They can also use a shared kitchen to prepare their meals. Wi-Fi is available and costs GBP 1 per hour. Non-smoking throughout.

    More than loo genes are related with increased risk of developing schizophrenia（精神分裂症）,bipolar disorder （躁郁症）and alcoholism（酗酒）,confirms a large study published in the recent issue of the British scientific journal Nature.

    The world's largest study into the genetic basis of mental illnesses was led by researchers from British universities,including University College London (UCL),Cardiff University and King's College London (KCL).

    Researchers believe that they are now much closer than before to understanding the complex biological causes, which make some people being at high risk of developing mental illnesses.They also believe that these findings could lead to new treatments.

    The researchers analyzed the DNA of about 37,000 patients with schizophrenia,bipolar disorder or alcoholism, and compared the smallest genetic changes to those found in about 113,000 healthy people.They then identified about 128 independent genetic variants（变体）at 108 locations on the human chromosomes（染色体）that contribute significantly to developing schizophrenia—83 of these sites have never before been linked to the illness,according to scientists.

    For example,people with the variant of the GRM3 gene,thought to be important in brain signaling,are around 2 to 3 times more likely to develop schizophrenia or alcohol dependence.The variant,which is found in approximately one in every 200 people,is also associated with a three times risk of developing bipolar disorder.

    "We could be looking at the next big drug target for treating mental illness,"Professor David Curtis from UCL, co-author of the paper,said."The work opens up new ways to prevent and treat mental illnesses by revealing the mechanisms involved in their development."

    Washington—Wild applause broke out at the Parent Teacher Association national offices when several government spokespeople announced a decision to return the subject of civics(公民学) to high school curricula nationwide.

The decision is symbolic of the new agenda to restore(恢复) the United States Constitution to its pre-Bush-era status. In a joint statement, Senators Harry Reid, Republican of Kentucky, said that the decision proves the two parties can work together on an issue of national importance.

    The announcement came following a series of school strikes organized by parents angered by a recent study by the National Opinion Research Center. The findings showed a total ignorance of government structure and citizens rights by graduating high school seniors.

    Some of the fallacious opinion and beliefs mentioned in this cross-country study included: the president has the power to interpret treaties(条约); the president is not bound（约束） by law; the vice president is independent of all three branches of government; torture（刑讯） is not a punishment and therefore cannot be considered “cruel and unusual”.

    The study noted that many students' political consciousness dated back only three years — in other words, their awareness of constitution rights had been entirely formed during the Bush administration.

    The study also found that students were growing incapable of telling the difference between living figures, historical figures, and corporate-licensed figures such as cartoon characters.

    The revived civics courses will teach students about the structure and function of each branch of government, the theory of checks and balances, theories of the role of government, and constitutional(宪法的) law.

    "We have so much work in front of us." said Los Angeles area high school teacher Roberta Morales. "Trying to develop students' sense of citizenry and the public good and undo so many self-centered individualistic messages will take great effort."

    Are you carrying too much on your back at your back at school? I'm sure lots of children of your age will say “Yes”. Not only the students in China have this problem, but children in the United States also have heavy school bags.

    Doctors are starting to worry that younger and younger students are having back and neck problems as a result of school bags being too heavy for them.

    “It's hard for me to go upstairs with my bag because it's so heavy,” said Rick Hammond, an 11-year-old student in the US.

    Rick is among students who have common school bags with two straps（带子）to carry them, but many other students choose rolling（有滚轮的）bags.

    But even with rolling bags, getting up stairs and buses is still a problem for children. Many of them have hurt their backs and necks because of the heavy school bags.

    But how much is too much? Doctors say students should carry no more than 10% to 15% of their own body weight.

    Scout Batch, a back doctor, said children under Grade 4 should stay with 10%. But it is also important that older children don't stay with over 15%, because their bodies are still growing.

    “Children are losing their balance and falling down with their school bags,” he said.

    Parents and teachers are starting to tell children to only take home library books they will be reading that night. Some teachers are using pieces of paper or thin workbooks for students to take home.

    One of the best answers is, as some children said, to have no homework at all!

    For years I have had no idea what I have been doing with my life. I was a 30-year-old lawyer in New York. But being a lawyer was never my dream or goal in life. I honestly wanted to be a writer. I have a great imagination and would write amazing stories in my head. But I always knew that being a writer was never possible for me because it was a better financial decision to stay a lawyer.

    Recently, I couldn't fall asleep at my usual time of 10 p. m. and when I did fall asleep I had the same dream over and over again. The dream starts with me in the ocean trying to go for a swim and I'm searching for something, but I start to drown and have no control over my body. Then a light shines through the waters and when I look up all I can see is myself in a bright white room writing a novel. Then I hear a voice say repeatedly, “Now is the time to try something new!”

    It wasn't just a dream; it was my opportunity to make something good out of my life. That afternoon, I quit my job at the law firm and I couldn't have been any happier. My life started at 30, and every day since that point I haven't stopped enjoying life. I started to write and have been on the best-sellers list for the last two months. Things have definitely turned around.

    Change is a good thing; it gives us an opportunity to take a chance. So my two favorite words I live by and so should you are “change and chance”.

    It is hard to say the first day of school in the United States because when the first day of school is and what happens on the first day of school usually are different by districts(地区).

    The first day of school for many school districts in different states is on the day after the first Monday in September. In some other school districts, school begins in mid-to-late August. For example, the Denver, Colorado schools go back in mid-August and schools in Cleveland, Ohio start back usually one week before the first Monday in September. The Boston, Chicago, New York City and San Diego schools start back on the Tuesday or Wednesday after the first Monday in September.

    Schools in Cleveland, Ohio used to start the school year on the day after the first Monday in September, but in the 1976-1977 and 1977-1978 academic years, the school year was affected by several bad snowstorms, extreme cold. In the 1978-1979 school year, the Ohio Department of Education moved the start of the year to late August, one week before the first Monday in September. This went into effect in the 1980-1981 school year.

    In most school districts in Utah, the school year starts between August 25 and August 30, and goes until the last week of May or the first week in June next year.

    In American high schools, the freshmen class usually goes back one or two days before the rest of the school body for an orientation(迎新)period. An orientation period helps the freshmen get familiar with their new school, its rules, and surroundings.

    In some schools, the freshmen classes have their photographs taken for identification purposes. Some high schools have tried to make the first week of school fun for incoming freshmen.