We usually believe what our brain tells us, but there are some amazing facts which show that the brain tricks us. As a result, we think we can see something that is not actually there or we ignore（忽视）things that actually are there.

 Scientists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris have researched this phenomenon（现象）, which they call “change blindness”. Their experiments show how we sometimes just do not see what is in front of our eyes because           42          .

 Here is one of their most famous experiments. In this experiment, the participants（参与者）were shown a video of two groups of people (one group in white T-shirts and one group in black T-shirts) who passed basketballs around in a hallway. Each group had three members. Simons and Chabris asked the participants to count how many times the white team passed the ball. While the two teams were passing their balls around, a person dressed up as a big bear walked through the group and stopped to look at the camera. Simons and Chabris found that about half of the research participants did not notice the big bear.

    Because earthquakes happen without warning, it's important to take steps now to prepare. Because you don't know where you will be when an earthquake happens, prepare some supplies for your home, workplace, and car.
1. Water.
    A person needs at least 1/2 gallon of water daily just for drinking. Store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day and be prepared for a 72-hour period. It is suggested that you buy bottled water. Keep bottled water in its original container and do not open it until you need to use it. Also, do check the “use by” date.
2. Food.
    It's always a practical idea to keep a supply of non-perishable(不易腐烂的) food on hand. Have an enough supply of canned food, powdered milk, dried fruits, non-salted nuts and canned juices for at least 72 hours.
3. Flashlights(手电筒) and spare batteries.
    Keep a flashlight beside your bed, at your place of work, and in your car. Do not use matches or candles after an earthquake until you are sure that no gas leaks.
    Prepare a battery-powered radio and spare batteries. Most telephones will be out of order, so radios will be your best source of information.
4. Clothes.
    If you live in a cold place, you must think about warmth. You might not have heat after an earthquake. Think about your clothing and bedding supplies.

It's not WASTE until it is WASTED

    With the World Environment Day coming, our school is now requiring every student to form a habit of sorting the waste.

    Here in our schoolyard we lay four different colors of rubbish bins for different kinds of rubbish. The red is for harmful waste; the blue is for waste that can be recycled(循环再用); the green is for kitchen waste; the yellow is for other waste.

    The following are some instructions for you

    Glass: Empty bottles without caps can be recycled to make new glass bottles.

    Warning: Mirrors and light bulbs(电灯泡) must not be included in the glass waste.

    Paper: Newspapers, magazines, boxes must be clean enough to be recycled.

    Warning: Paper tissues (餐纸) and wall paper are not recyclable as paper and should be kept separately.

    PMD waste: Packaging made of Plastic or Metal and Drink boxes are used to make new packaging.

    Warning: Plastic pots(e. g yoghurt pots ), plastic bags must not be included with the PMD waste.

    Harmful waste: out-of-date drugs, used batteries(电池)， paint and oil…

    Besides, if you don't need your old bikes at all, our school volunteers will collect them. We're going to fix them up and then give them away to kids who don't have enough money for a bike.

    To find out more about recycling, you can visit our school website.

    Sometimes people call each other “scared-cat”, but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense (紧张的), and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream. Although the cat doesn't realize this, its body is getting ready for action. If the danger continues, the animal will do one of two things. It will protect itself, or it will run away as fast as it can.

    Something like this also happens to people. When we are excited, angry or scared by other feelings, our bodies go through many physical changes. Our hearts beat faster, and our muscles get tense. All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react. We, too, get ready to defend ourselves or run.

   Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face. If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble. Have you ever said something in anger — or hit somebody — and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told somebody you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn't always clever to express your feelings freely.

    Does this mean that it's smarter always to hide (藏) our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger, sadness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense. Physical illness can develop. It can actually be bad for your health. (It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either; all feelings need to be expressed.)

    Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away. It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard. You might not be able to see them, but before long you'd smell them. And if you opened the cupboard, chances are you'd see little fruit flies flying all over them. They'd be rotten (腐烂).

    You can try to treat feelings as if they were bananas in the cupboard. You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist, but they'll still be around. And at last you'll have to deal with them, just like those bananas.