If you're ever apart from your children, a new study says just talking on the phone will help just as much as a hug(拥抱).

    If you're a parent who spends long hours on the job, you probably feel sorry for spending so much time away from your kids. But the results of a new study show that a mother's voice alone can be just as comforting to an anxious child as physical contact(接触).

    In an experiment, researchers from the University of Wisconsin Madison asked a group of girls between the ages of 7 and 12 to solve math problems in front of judges—a stressful situation for anyone. Before the girls were set to give their answers, the researchers measured their levels of two hormones(荷尔蒙): cortisol, which goes up during stressful periods, and oxytocin, the "love" hormone, which goes down at the same time.

    After the girls finished the problems, some of them got to meet up with their mothers right away. The moms came in and hugged the girls. Another group of the girls didn't see their mothers, but received phone calls from them, in which their mothers told them how well they'd done. The final group had no contact with their mothers, but instead watched an animal movie, March of the Penguins.

    Finally, the girls' hormone levels were measured again. Although the movie was interesting, it did nothing to reduce the children's anxiety—but, surprisingly, both the physical contact and phone calls from their mothers had the same effect on reducing the girls' stress levels.

    So, no matter how old you are, if you're feeling stressed about something in your life, a phone call to Mom might be just the key to help you feel better.

Everyone has different ways of getting their kids to do housework. Here are some ideas which I think would work.

Start young. Of course, when your kids are babies, you can just talk to them, but at the same time, letting them see you at work might help especially if your kids are toddlers (学步的儿童).

You can give them some easy housework to do like washing vegetables, handing you things, and taking out the rubbish. And when they do a good job, you can reward them with some candies or ice-cream.

You can get them to clean or tidy their things. For example, you can let them clean their own room and put away their own toys.

Do the housework together. Let them help you while you are folding clothes. They can pass you the clothes. When you get back home from shopping, they can help you to put away your items (物品). They can pass the items to you while you put them in order.

Remember: When you get your children to help you, you should make them feel as if they're doing a great thing by praising them .You can say something like "What a strong boy you are!" or "You're so helpful." It will make them feel happy and be ready to help you next time.

What will the schools be; like in-the future? Smart schools will be the schools of the next generation. These future schools will use high technology to help students-learn more quickly, as well as bring convenience to teachers.

A university in Canada has built the first 5G smart-campus（校园）in the country. A high-tech company helped to build a 5G network across the schoolyard. This made it easy for everyone to use the smart system.

In the UK, Stanffordshire University made an AI robot called Beacon. It. is like a personal helper for students and it's very popular at school. The-students can ask it questions and it can answer as a real teacher.

The smart system can be a big help in the classroom. It can change the brightness according to the environment. When it's bright enough, the smart system will turn the lights down a bit. When it's dark inside, it will turn the lights up. In this way, the students can learn in a better condition.

Experts believe that more and more schools will welcome the smart system to better facilitate the school and serve the teachers as well as students. So, is your school also a smart one?

 When I was a teenager, my parents were never interested in the music I liked. They always said to me,"David, the music you listen to is noisy. Why do you like listening to it so much?" At the same time, they described the music that they liked as"beautiful".

 In fact, they are not the only ones who have this opinion. As I' ve grown older, I' ve often heard my friends say, "Today's music is terrible." Many older people just don't like new music. But why is that?

 The exposure effect(曝光效应) may explain this. It means the more familiar(熟悉的) we are with something, the more probably we will like it. When we are in our early teens, we usually spend a lot of time listening to popular music and discussing it with our friends. We come to understand the new songs and artists during this time really well. After we become 30 years old, we are busy working and raising our families. We don't have much time to look for new music. Instead, we like to listen to our old favorite songs that bring us back to our happy and simple days. According to studies, when we are 33 years old, most of us will completely stop exploring new music.

 But I think there is another reason why older people dislike new music. Most popular music, after all, is not written for them. It is made for young people. Some kinds of music began by young people as ways to fight against out-of-date things. These kinds include punk, rap, hip-hop, heavy metal and more. Younger people love them naturally.

 Do your parents hate the music you like, too? Now, after reading this article, you know there is nothing wrong with that.

 How much do you know about the 24 solar terms(节气)? The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year {#blank#}1{#/blank#} 24 solar terms(节气). Major Snow(大雪), the {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(twenty-one) solar term of the year, began on Dec. 7 and ended on Dec. 8 in 2024. During Major Snow, the snow becomes heavy and begins to accumulate(堆积) on the ground. The temperature drops {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(quick). Here are some things you should know about Major Snow.

Snowy winter

 The snow in North China may last a whole day, breaking tree {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(branch) and blocking the road. The natural scenery is"hundreds of leagues ice-bound go; over thousands of leagues flies snow(数百里冰封, 千里飞雪)". In the south, snowflakes fall and the world turns white.

Enjoying plum blossoms(梅花)

 Plum blossoms usually flower in mid-to-late December in some southern cities of China, and sometimes bloom even{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(early). Along with the pine(松树) and bamboo, the plum blossom {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(consider) one of the Three Friends of Winter.

Eating lamb

 Lamb is {#blank#}7{#/blank#} favorite food for Chinese people during Major Snow. It's excellent for {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(nourish) the body and providing protection against the cold. People in Chongqing like to have potted lamb soup with their families and friends.

Preventing respiratory illness(呼吸道疾病)

 During this period, Chinese people wear a warm scarf {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(protect) the neck and drink enough water. During Major Snow, it is drier and colder, so people should drink more water. {#blank#}10{#/blank#} , you shouldn't drink too much water at once and don't drink cold water after exercise.