US City Bans Texting while Walking

    Parents usually teach their children how to cross the street safely, by looking both ways for cars. But do they also teach them to put away their cell phones?

    The city of Honolulu, Hawaii wants everyone to learn that lesson{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Beginning on October 24, you could be fined from $15 to $99 if you step into a Honolulu street while looking at your phone. Honolulu is the first major U. S. city to ban what is called "distracted (分散注意) walking. " It recently passed a law in a seven to two vote. The law says; “No pedestrian shall cross a street or highway while viewing a mobile electronic device. "{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The law's creators hope it will lower the number of people hit and killed by cars in the city. Mayor Kirk Caldwell told Reuters news agency, "We hold the unfortunate distinction (区别) of being a major city with more pedestrians being hit in crosswalks, particularly our elders, than almost any other city in the country. "

    The law includes all electronic devices with screens: cell phones, tables, gaming devices, digital cameras and laptop computers{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Pedestrians may use such devices in the street to call emergency services and rescue workers, such as firefighters and police officers.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The Governors Highway Safety Association, or GHSA, says pedestrian deaths in the United States increase 25 percent between 2010 and 2015. That trend continued in 2016 with the number of pedestrian deaths rising to almost 6000, 11% higher than in 2015.

    If you still want to text while walking, you could avoid being fined in Honolulu (and be safer, in general) by using a voice-controlled digital(数字的) assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. The law does permit an exception.

B. Or you could just wait until you are again, safely, off the street.

C. You will be sentenced to prison while using cell phones in the street.

D. Pedestrian deaths have been increasing as the use of cell phones rises.

E. Texting while crossing the street will soon be banned in the city.

F. The law permits people to watch TV while crossing the street.

G. In other words, do not look at a screen when you cross the street or you could be fined.

    Homesickness is a feeling that we all have probably experienced at one time or another.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Remember the following strategies before you get ready to leave.

     {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Knowing more about homesickness will provide insights into how common it is for people to have feelings of missing home. This will surely help make you feel less stressed or embarrassed about missing home.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can ask someone who is knowledgeable about where you'll go to describe the daily routines or activities you should expect. If it's practical, you could plan a preliminary(初步的)visit with family or friends to the place you'll go to.

    Make plans for when you arrive at your new location. When you know what some of your routines and activities will be when you get to the new place, you'll feel more comfortable.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} One study found that vigorous exercise and purposeful social interaction while away helped to avoid feelings of homesickness.

    Bring something from home. Sometimes homesickness can be difficult because you never know when it might hit you. Bring along a favorite book, a pair of slippers, or a picture.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They can be helpful to comfort you when you're homesick.

A. Adopt your previous habits and routines.

B. Explore your new location.

C. Become familiar with the place you will go to.

D. The experience will seem a little more familiar, making homesickness less likely.

E. Preparing to move away from home helps prevent homesickness.

F. Know that homesickness is totally normal.

G. These items might help make home feel a bit closer.

    Every animal sleeps, but the reason for this has remained foggy. When lab rats are not allowed to sleep, they die within a month. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One idea is that sleep helps us strengthen new memories. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We know that, while awake, fresh memories are recorded by reinforcing (加强) connections between brain cells, but the memory processes that take place while we sleep have been unclear.

    Support is growing for a theory that sleep evolved so that connections between neurons(神经元) in the brain can be weakened overnight, making room for fresh memories to form the next day. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Now we have the most direct evidence yet that he is right. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The synapses in the mice taken at the end of a period of sleep were 18 per cent smaller than those taken before sleep, showing that the connections between neurons weaken while sleeping.

    If Tononi's theory is right, it would explain why, when we miss a night's, we find it harder the next day to concentrate and learn new information — our brains may have smaller room for new experiences.

    Their research also suggests how we may build lasting memories over time even though the synapses become thinner. The team discovered that some synapses seem to be protected and stayed the same size. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} "You keep what matters," Tononi says.

A. We should also try to sleep well the night before.

B. It's as if the brain is preserving its most important memories.

C. Similarly, when people go for a few days without sleeping, they get sick.

D. The processes take place to stop our brains becoming loaded with memories.

E. That's why students do better in tests if they get a chance to sleep after learning.

F. "Sleep is the price we pay for learning," says Giulio Tononi, who developed the idea.

G. Tononi's team measured the size of these connections, or synapses, in the brains of 12 mice.

    When things go wrong, many people turn to their friends for comfort and support. Are you the kind of person your friends trust to be there for them when they're feeling down? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You might feel awkward or nervous about comforting a sad friend at first, but with a little practice, you won't have to worry about saying the wrong thing or making the situation worse. When one of your friends is upset, help him/her by being there for him/her, finding the right things to say, and avoiding common mistakes.

    ①{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Comfort your friend according to how upset he/she seems to be. If he/she seems to be very troubled, it may take more effort on your part to help him/her. If something is bothering him/her, but he/she isn't too upset, be there for him/her without overreacting.

    ②Find out what's wrong. Before you say anything try to figure out what the problem is. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. If you try to talk to your friend without knowing the situation first, you could end up with putting your foot in your mouth.

    ③Give your friend a hug. A kind touch will do wonders for your friend, even if you don't know what he/she is upset about. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.You can also pat him/her gently on the shoulder.

    ④Let your friend vent (发泄). If your friend needs to get his/her sadness or anger out, let him/her do. Pay attention and don't interrupt. Encourage him/her to express himself/herself fully.

    ⑤Just listen. Your friend needs someone to listen compassionately to him/her right now, so focus on doing that. Be patient and non-judgmental. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Don't act bored or try to change the subject.

How to study for 10^＋ hours a day without getting tired

    Get yourself some good coffee and great green tea. Have a cup of coffee and a cup of green tea beside you while you are studying. The coffee has caffeine (咖啡因), which keeps you refreshed (有精神的), and the green tea has theanine (茶氨酸), which keeps you relaxed and happy. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It helps refresh you and makes you concentrate on your study.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This is important. You need to have a period of relaxation time at the end of the day. Relaxation time is important because it is the time that your mind consolidates (巩固) all the information you receive during the day.

    Tell yourself that you're training for becoming better and better. Keep yourself healthy and happy. Regard this as your purpose. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Be sure that you can do this! This is your task. And you have to complete it.

    Learn to keep the mind quiet. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When you are studying, you will sit down for long periods of time. So make sure you have a good yoga (瑜伽) exercise, which can help quiet your mind.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Every Sunday, write out what you will do over the week. And every day before bed, write out what you will do the next day. Then mark everything as you do it. This will give you happiness because you will feel a sense of achievement every day.

Some Myths You Strongly Keep Believing Are Untrue

    There are varieties of false myths we spread from day to day.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Otherwise, people will continue to believe such ridiculous myths undoubtedly. You will realize some of the most acceptable facts are completely untrue.

    Men get beer bellies from beer.

    We blame the beer for the belly. It is widely believed that men who constantly drink beer end up with a beer belly. However, it is not the beer that's to blame, but the abundance of unhealthy snacks that often accompany the drink. Alcohol in beer irritates the stomach, therefore causing an increased appetite. Dr. Michael Jensen, an obesity specialist in Minnesota USA says that drinking beer makes liver burn alcohol instead of fat, leaving the latter to accumulate in the waist.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, while the one of women's accumulates in the hips and  bottoms, as a result of different sexual characteristics.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    We are told that dogs see the world in black and white. But the truth is that they can distinguish colors just not in the same way we do. Jay Needs from the University of Washington in Seattle proves that our furry friends are able to receive a limited range of colors, which means they can distinguish objects of the same shape. In general, a dog's vision is very similar to that of a person with red-green color blindness.

    Carrots improve eyesight.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. This myth came into existence during the Second World War. The British Army claimed that fighter pilots had excellent night vision as a result of their consumption of large quantities of carrots. Actually, they had radars onboard which made it faster and easier to detect the enemies. The myth about the amazing power of carrots was invented and spread by the media so that enemies would not learn about the fact.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Dogs can distinguish colors

B. Men's fat is stored in their bellies

C. Dogs see the world in black and white

D. Men's fat is not mostly accumulated in these parts

E. Eventually, it spread all over the world and people are still convinced of it

F. We agree with the view that eating carrots plays an essential part in good vision

G. It is high time that scientists created a separate department dedicated to exposing the truth