Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street? Perhaps they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new "species" of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name — phubbers（低头族）.

    Recently, a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities bury themselves in their phones. A doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die, a pretty woman takes selfie（自拍照）in front of a car accident site, and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone. A chain of similar events eventually leads to the destruction of the world.

    Although the ending sounds overstated, the damage phubbing can bring is real. Your health is the first to bear the effect and result of it. "Constantly bending your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck," Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying. "the neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching." Also, staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.

    But that's not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. At reunions with family or friends, many people tend to stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.

    It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cell phones in broad daylight.

    Gabriella's family immigrated to the US from Peru when she was two years old. As a compound bilingual (双语使用者), Gabriella develops two linguistic codes at the same time, with a set of concepts, learning both English and Spanish. Her teenage brother, on the other hand, might be a coordinate bilingual, working with two sets of concepts, learning English in school, Spanish at home. Finally, Gabriella's parents are likely to be subordinate bilinguals who learned a second language by translating it into their mother tongue.

    Regardless of accent and pronunciation, all types of bilingual people can become fully proficient in a language. It seems that the difference may not be apparent. But recently brain imaging technology has given a glimpse into how specific aspects of language learning affect the bilingual brain. It's well known that the brain's left hemisphere (半球) is in charge of logical processes, while the right hemisphere is more active in emotional and social ones. Language involves both types of functions. "Critical Period Theory" says children learn languages more easily because their developing brains let them use both hemispheres in language learning, while in most adults, language relies on one hemisphere, usually the left.

    Before the 1960s, bilingualism was considered a handicap that slowed the children's development by forcing them to spend too much energy distinguishing between languages. But a recent study did show that bilingualism may make you smarter. It does make your brain more complex, healthier, and more actively engaged, and even if you didn't have the good fortune of learning a second language like a child, it's never too late to do yourself a favor and make the linguistic leap from "Hello" to "Hola" "Bonjour" or "nihao" because when it comes to our brains, a little exercise can go a long way.

    For Western designers, China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative.

    "It's no secret that China has always been a source(来源) of inspiration for designers," says Amanda Hill, chief creative officer at A+E Networks, a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion(时尚) shows.

    Earlier this year, the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China-inspired fashionable clothing alongside Chinese works of art, with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics(美学) on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. The exhibition had record attendance, showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences.

    "China is impossible to overlook," says Hill. "Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion — they are central to its movement." Of course, not only are today's top Western designers being influenced by China—some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese. "Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galliano, Albaz, Marc Jacobs—and beating them hands down in design and sales," adds Hill.

    For Hill, it is impossible not to talk about China as the leading player when discussing fashion. "The most famous designers are Chinese, so are the models, and so are the consumers," she says. "China is no longer just another market; in many senses it has become the market. If you talk about fashion today, you are talking about China—its influences, its direction, its breathtaking clothes, and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways."

    The Best Way to See Singapore. See More for Less!

    City Sightseeing

    $33/A, S23/C, FREE/T

    24 hrs of Unlimited Touring — 9 am to 6 pm

    Duration: 1 Day (unlimited rides)

    Attractions: Civic District Orchard Road, Botanic Gardens, Little India, Chinatown & along the City & Heritage routes

    It is easy to enjoy Singapore with the City Sightseeing open-top touring system Spot an interesting place or sight? Simply hop off and walk around and you can continue the tour later by hopping on the next bus. With I bus arriving every 20 minutes, the City Sightseeing system links you to major sights attractions and hotels!

    Guests Helpline: 6338-6877

    DUCK

    S33/A, S23/C, S2/T

    Daily: 9:30 am — 5:30 pm

    Duration: 60 minutes

    Ride the original DUCK! Hop on this amphibious(两栖的)craft for a sightseeing tour which covers both land and sea!

    Free bus transfer, most popular tour; 1st and original DUCK; unique land & sea adventure

    For More Information, call 6338-6859

    Night Safari(旅行)

    S49/A, $33/C, FREEST

    Tour Time: 6:00 pm — 10:00 pm

    Duration: 4 hours observe the night activities of the 1,000 over noctumal(夜行的)animals in the Night Safari – the world's first wildlife night park, for an adventure you'll never forget. |

    Free & Easy with 2-way bus transfer

    For More Information, call 6338-6826

    Flyer

    $53/A, $37/C, FREE/T

    Open HoursoursHow: Daily 9:00 am — 9:00 pm

    Duration: 30 minutes

    Feast your eyes on Singapore's magnificent cityscape from a height of 165m on the world's largest observation wheel. Get your cameras ready as you experience a 360-degree panoramic view of the city and the Manna Bay area.

    Free bus transfer free river transfer

    For More Information, call 6338-3311

    A — adult, C — children (3- 12), T — toddler (2 & below)

Many families take their children on vacation. They will usually travel for a few days or weeks during school breaks. But Julie and Tim Smith planned a longer vacation with their two children. The Smith family is on a one-year trip around the world. They plan to visit 30 countries in all. Right now, the four travelers are about halfway through their trip. Ms. Smith says they are trying to see as much of the world as they can.

Mr. Smith says one of the most interesting experiences of the trip has been meeting new people. He says people have been extremely friendly, very welcoming and love their kids. Eleven-year-old Tyler says he has enjoyed learning about the people they have met. He said, "I learned in Africa that people have very different lifestyles than in America. "His sister, 9-year-old Kara, discovered that she liked Thai food. Ms. Smith says that the trip teaches the children a lot.

It took the family a year to prepare for the trip. They had to sell their house and cars. Ms. Smith left her job and her husband is using unpaid leave. They carry small bags filled with lightweight clothing and whatever else they need. Ms. Smith says she enjoys being able to carry everything she needs on her back. She says she does not miss the things she has back home. "What has become more important is making these memories as a family and taking those with us instead."

The Smiths will continue to head east for the next six months.

Raynor Winn and her husband Moth became homeless due to their wrong investment. Their savings had been 1 to pay lawyers' fees. To make matters worse, Moth was diagnosed(诊断) with a serious disease. There was no 2 , only pain relief. 

Failing to find any other way out, they decided to make a walking journey, as they caught sight of an old hikers'(徒步旅行者) guide.

This was a long journey of unaccustomed hardship and 3 

recovery. When leaving home, Raynor and Moth had just ￡320 in the bank. They planned to keep the 4 low by living on boiled noodles, with the 5 hamburger shop treat. 

Wild camping is 6 in England. To avoid being caught, the Winns had to get their tent up late and packed it away early in the morning. The Winns soon discovered that daily hiking in their 50s is a lot 7 than they remember it was in their 20s. Raynor 8 all over and desired a bath. Moth, meanwhile, after an initial 9 , found his symptoms were strangely 10 by their daily tiring journey. 

11 , the couple found that their bodies turned for the better, with re-found strong muscles that they thought had lost forever. "Our hair was fried and falling out, nails broken, clothes 12 to a thread, but we were alive." 

During the journey, Raynor began a career as a nature writer. She writes, "13 had taken every material thing from me and left me torn bare, an empty page at the end of a(n) 14 written book. It had also given me a choice, either to leave that page 15 or to keep writing the story with hope. I chose hope."