Some people seem to have extraordinary (非凡的）memories. Zheng Aiqiang, a “memory athlete” on TV show Super Brain, can remember 2,660 numbers in just one hour!

    You would think people like this have special brains. But according to a recent study by researchers from the US and the Netherlands, the brain structures（结构）of ordinary people and 23 of the world's leading memory athletes show no difference.

    That's because good memories can be trained. New research in the journal Neuron (神经元期刊) suggests that you can become a super memorizer with just six weeks of hard training.

    Researchers found that technique (技巧）called loci, invented by ancient Greeks, can greatly help improve memory. By using loci, you are using your imagination to improve the brain's memory networks. You can link（关联）something you need to remember with a place that you know very well. For example, to remember a list of numbers, imagine yourself walking through your house. Each thing is linked to a number. For example, zero could be handle（把手）on the door and five could be the painting on the wall.

    In one study, some ordinary people were given 20 minutes to remember 72 words. First they could only remember 26 of them. But when they were taught loci, they could remember 62 words.

    “Not everyone can become a memory champion. But everyone using the technique can improve a lot from the level they're at,” said Boris Konrad, one of the researchers in the study.

    Internet has become one of the most important parts in our life. The Internet is a large, worldwide collection of computer networks. A network is a small group of computers put together.

    Internet is many different networks from all over the world. These networks are called the Internet. Once you have learned to use the Internet, you can have a lot of interests in the World Wide Web. The same time you will find it is helpful and your life is more interesting than before.

    Tyler opened the door to his house and went inside. His mother was in the kitchen. She felt surprised when she saw his sad face. “Tyler, what happened? Is everything okay?” “Nothing is okay, Mom.” “Is there anything I can do to help?” “That's just the thing, Mom. We can't help. There's nothing we can do.” Tyler kept talking,“Today, the teacher talked about Earth Day and the environment. Earth Day is a day when every person promises to do something to help take care of our world. Mrs. Green said that our world is getting dirtier and that many animals and plants are dying. She wants us to think of something we can do to help and I thought all the way home and there is nothing I can do. I can't stop people from polluting our air and water and I can't save all of the animals. There is not anything that I can do to make a difference.”

    His mother listened and after thinking for a minute said,“Of course you can. There are lots of things you can do. For example, you can walk to school. You can use both sides of your paper to save trees. You can plant a tree every year. You can clean up rubbish from your neighborhood park. Everything you do to help the planet makes a difference. The most important thing to remember is that Earth Day should be every day!” “Oh, I see. Mom, we each can make a difference to the world. Thank you, Mom.”

    Students in Japan are trying a new kind of travelling. In the past they could only go to the museums. That was boring for the teenagers. They often went by bus. Many of them felt sleepy in the museum. But now they can go out of doors. They can go to factories, villages and many other places they like.

    Experiential education (体验式教育) is now very popular in North America. It is also becoming more and more popular in Japan. Just look at the JTB, Japan's biggest travel agency. It has more than 300 different travel programs for students and schools. More than 25 schools have taken part in the programs.

    Where are the students going? They travel to fishing villages in Kyushu and farming villages in China. Some even go to English classes in England. Wherever they go, they enjoy helping the disabled(残疾的). By doing so, they learn how to take care of others. It's an experience that students will never forget.

    Travelling in Japan also does the farmers and fishermen good. Now there are many people visiting their villages. Visitors' coming every year brings them a lot of money and a better life.

A.

Cutting up the chicken Heating up the oil Putting in the chicken Adding some salt

B.

2 kg of chicken 0.5 kg of carrots 1 bottle of cooking oil 1 bottle of cooking wine

C.

Taking pictures Doing interviews Making a report…

D.

Starting a discussion

Making a decision

Telling group members what to do

...

E.

Washing the dishes

Cleaning the table

Sweeping the floor

Taking away the trash

...

    Mr. Black lives by the sea. He has a big family and has to work hard, or his wife and children will be hungry. After breakfast he leaves for the sea by a small boat every day. He always hopes to catch more fish.

    One morning, the man got to a good place for fishing. He threw a long rope (绳子)with many hooks(钩子) into the water. He found it heavy and pulled the hooks out of the sea. He saw there was a gold chain(金链) on the hooks. He was of course very glad. "I′ll sell the gold chain for much money, "he thought to himself. "I'll build a new house and buy lots of expensive things. 我将成为世上最富有的人".

    His boat began to sink. But Mr. Black went on thinking and didn't notice what was happening. As he was pulling the gold chain, the boat sank( 下沉) into the sea.

    He lost not only the gold chain, but also his boat and life!