Do dogs understand us?

    Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.

    A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩).

    In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.

    In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.

    The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.

    Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品种)known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.

    It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!

    Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead."

    Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt－a mistake 75% of US population makes every day. The big question is why.

    There have been many myths about safety belt ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.

    Myth the Number One: It's best to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident.

    Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to "throw you clear" is able to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield(挡风玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty－five times in cases where people are "thrown clear".

    Myth Number Two: Safety-belts "trap" people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.

    Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situation, not to be trapped in them.

    Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour(mph).

    Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 metres.

    In my life, my grandfather has influenced me a lot. Ever since I was a little kid, I have always loved sports, especially football. My grandfather also enjoys sports and really loves football. He received a couple of awards in football matches. Through my three years so far in high school, my grandfather has helped me become a better player.

    Another reason why I admire my grandfather so much is because of his strong work ethic(道德). Ever since I was a little boy, my grandfather has taught me and shown me what good work ethic means. He is a good example. When he was a young man, his family owned a small store. He often helped his father run the store. He has also done several jobs in his life. He owned his own store when my mother was a young girl; he helped on a farm; he then had his own painting business. Now he is working at a Wal-Mart.

    Responsibility(责任) is something that I have struggled with in the past. My grandfather, on the other hand, is a very responsible person. That's why I am very responsible now, because of him. When he was in school, he was almost a straight A student. I, on the other hand, don't do so well. One day he had a talk with me about being more responsible. He helped me in school and made me realize how important grades are. Now I get almost As and Bs.

    Now you can see why I admire and respect my grandfather as much as I do. He is the best role model I have, and I will always look up to him.

    It's the 3rd Annual Family Fun Fair!

    • Games   • Crafts (工艺品)   • Apple pie contest

    • Food   • Face painting   • Door prizes (门票对号奖)

    … and more!

    What: A chance to celebrate spring, support our community (社区), and have fun!

    When: Saturday, February 8th from 9 a. m. to 3 p. m., rain or shine!

    Where: The big field next to Hopedale Elementary School

    For more information: Contact Peter Halm at 555-0191

    Don't miss the 3rd annual Family Fun Fair!

    This fair promises to be even better than last year's fair—no kidding!

    Last year the game booths (摊位) were a big hit. (Who could forget Principal Snyder winning a toy dog that was so big it took four students to carry it to her truck?) This year we have two new game booths. So get ready to take part in the games.

    Visit our craft tables. They will be better than ever! You can buy items such as clothing, backpacks, and gift baskets.

    Children aged 5 and under can have their faces painted for FREE by Mr. Garcia's third-grade art class.

    No fair would be complete without food. We will be selling hot dogs, ice cream, roasted nuts, and cotton candy at our booths. For those of you who love to bake, why not enter our new apple pie contest? Just bring your pie to the pie table on the morning of the fair. At 1 p. m., our judges, Coach Carter and math teacher, Mrs. Adams, will choose a winner.

    Won't you please support our school by coming to the fair? Tickets are only $2 each. Door prizes will be given. You could win sports equipment, a new camera, or dinner for four at Merino's Restaurant!

    This will be the best fair ever. Don't miss it!

    You have just won ten million yuan in a lottery (彩票) - how would you spend it? Before you know it, ten minutes had gone on daydreaming. There is a time and a place for daydreaming, but we don't have much control over that. Isn't it worrying that an estimated 30 to 50 percent of our waking time is spent daydreaming? What if your dentist is having that lottery daydream while removing your rotten tooth?

    Some studies suggest daydreaming makes us unhappy because we are not focusing on what is around us but are instead thinking about the past or future. However, a recent study published in the journal Neuropsychologica finds that mind-wandering can be of benefit to us. The researchers measured the brain patterns of more than 100 people using an MRI (核磁共振成像) scanner. This data was compared with tests on creative ability and a questionnaire on how much their minds usually wandered. Those whose minds wandered the most scored higher in creative ability tests and had more efficient brain systems measured in the MRI machine.

    Being efficient at mind-wandering means you can zone out and then naturally switch back in without missing any important point or step. Christine Godwin, the lead author of the latest study from the Georgia Institute of Technology, says that if you are focusing on difficult tasks, your performance will drop if your mind wanders. “But when tasks are easy, people who have high cognitive ability can let their minds wander because it does not affect their performance. You may be thinking about upcoming goals or problem-solving. These are some of the positive sides to mind-wandering."

    Mind-wandering can vary between being more practical or more emotional. What mind-wandering seems to be best at, researchers say, is coming up with new solutions to old problems. So, it's not always a waste of time!

    Stepinac has become one of the first high schools in the country to drop all textbooks and replace them with a "digital library". When students started classes on Monday, they were zipping to an app on their tablets or laptops and bad instant access to all 40 texts in the Stepinac curriculum (课程).

    Dennis Lauro, director of an information center which provides technical support to public schools in New York, said neither he nor his colleagues were aware of a similar digital effort in a public school setting. "This is the wave of the future." Lauro said. "I'm not surprised that a private school would beat the public schools to it. They have the ability to just do it. There is so much politics involved in public schools, when it comes to a move like that, needing approval from boards and committees."

    For Tom Collins, Stepinac's president, the commitment to digital source material was not so difficult a decision. In the past, students' families had to spend up to $ 700 a year on textbooks. This year — after the one-time purchase of a tablet or laptop — families only need to pay $ 150. Using the digital library is almost as easy as opening a new book. A student can instantly lap into a digital book and open a map of Egypt or a speech by President John F. Kennedy. A teacher can show a page from a digital book on a whiteboard at the front of the class or send students a link to a particular math problem with notes added in.

    The first few weeks may bring some challenges. Stepinac officials expect some parental discomfort over dropping concrete books. They recognize there may be technical faults at first. And they will have to encourage students to leave space-eating photos and music off their tablets — and to keep their tablets charged.