【推荐1】Fungi(菌类) are a group of organisms that have no leaves or flowers. In fact, fungi do not even share the green color that most other plants display. Scientists say that there are over 1.5 million different species of fungi in the world. One interesting thing is that they often interact with other organisms in order to survive. These relationships are at times beneficial to both organisms. Other times, the fungus benefits without causing harm to the other organism.

At first, many gardeners would be concerned to know that their plants were colonized (聚居) by a fungus. This is because some fungi can cause plants to die. In fact, the Irish Potato Famine was caused by a fungus that killed entire crops of potatoes. However, many plants actually depend on certain types of fungi to stay fit. The reason for this has to do with how fungi gain food. Unlike green plants, fungi cannot make their own food. They must absorb minerals from the soil, and when they do this, they draw the nutrients closer to the roots of the plant, so the plant is able to use them as well. The fungus also benefits from this relationship. Using the minerals from the soil, as well as sunlight, the plant is able to produce sugar and other nutrients: Then the fungus absorbs the nutrients from plant roots and uses them to survive.

Still, for some fungus species, contact with other organisms is essential. And though the fungi do not provide any benefits for the other organism, they do not harm it either. One example of this is a species called pilobolus. This fungus relies on other animals to help it reproduce. The pilobolus grows in animal waste. When it becomes mature (成熟的), it shoots its spores (孢子) away from the waste pile. The spores land in the grass where there are cows. The spores are eaten by the animal but do not grow while inside the stomach. They travel through the body of the animal until they are passed in another area, where they continue to grow.

【推荐2】People think that smartphones and laptops are evidence of progress. A certain amount of online searching, for instance, can be good for your brain, and there are apps that can promote brain functions. Yet technology advancements also come with some unintended consequences.

Studies have shown that blue-enriched light from electronic things like smartphones can disturb the body’s internal clock and make it impossible for you to stick to a proper sleep schedule. Losing sleep has negative effects on your brain, such as bad moods, decreased attention and problems of memory.

Technology makes it much easier to get distracted. For example, you step away from an important project to check your smartphone. Teens, in particular, are more distracted than ever. A recent survey of 2,400 teachers found that most educators feel students are more distracted than previous generations. Some 64 percent agreed with the idea that today’s digital technology does more to distract students than to help them academically.

And technology makes people much more forgetful than they used to be. The new generation are actually more likely to forget what day it is or where they put their keys than people over the age of 55, according to a Trending Machine survey. In a press about the survey, Jo Patricia, a doctor, said technology was to blame. “This is a generation that has grown up multitasking by using technology and is often accompanied by lack of sleep, which results in high levels of forgetfulness,” she said.

People who rely on GPS to get around have less activity in the hippo campus, an area of the brain involved in both memory and direction. A study from the University of London even found that taxi drivers had a more developed hippocampus (海马，大脑记忆核心部分) than non-taxi drivers — because they are so accustomed to using spatial (空间的) memory, rather than relying on GPS.

Now that you’re probably terrified of the effects of technology, let us remind you that you do have the power to prevent it. Just log off every once in a while!

【推荐1】One often hears that children should arrive at school “ready to learn.” For most children, the acquisition of reading and maths skills starts in the first grade. In states where kindergarten is compulsory, it begins even earlier.

Many parents, teachers, and politicians maintain that preschool is the best way to prepare children to learn. There is no real consensus (一致), however, about how this preparation should be achieved.

For some, early childhood education relates to the development of the whole child. They think that preschool should encourage exploration and discovery. Group activities teach positive social behaviors such as sharing, kindness, and patience. Time spent alone encourages independence. Learning letters and counting is important only for children who show an interest in them. Advocates of this approach stress that each child is unique and should learn at his or her own pace.

Other people refer to research showing that children are ready to absorb basic academic concepts by age 3 or 4. They claim that early introduction to letters and numbers lays the foundation for later academic excellence. Since the 1980s, many people have stressed the value of preschool and point to the success of programs—such as Head Start—that target low-income children.

Is there proof that an academic curriculum in preschool will lead to academic success? Studies have not been conclusive. In the short term, evidence suggests that middle-class children who attend preschool are ahead of their peers in maths and language skills, as well as in social skills, when they enter school. However, the same studies show that the gap narrows considerably by the time children reach age 8.

Children living in poverty are a different matter. Those enrolled in programs such as Head Start seem to do better than impoverished (穷困的) children who do not attend a preschool. For instance, youngsters in one group enrolled in the program, tracked until the age of 21, earned higher scores on intelligence tests, were more likely to graduate from high school, and demonstrated more interest in higher education.

The idea of public preschool raises many issues. Providing Head Start for all children would be a financial burden on communities that already struggle to fund current school programs. Also, where would a sufficient number of teachers trained in early childhood development be found?

【推荐1】READY or not, the college application season has begun. There are two main kinds of early admissions programs: Early Action and Early Decision.

Early Action is a great choice for the well-prepared student. Students apply early, and are allowed to apply under an Early Action program to as many colleges as they choose. The biggest advantage for students is that colleges let them know early – in most cases, before Jan 1. Roughly 15 percent of colleges and universities offer an Early Action option(选择). Oct 15 is now the first deadline for many colleges and universities. This movement toward earlier deadlines is especially popular in the Southeast, with many of the large public universities leading the way. North Carolina State University, the University of South Carolina and the University of Georgia all have an Oct 15 Early Action deadline.

Early Decision is a promise that cannot be reversed. Students who are accepted must take back their other applications and should attend that school. Students are allowed to apply to just one school under an Early Decision program. Early Decision deadlines are in early November, with colleges letting students know by mid-December. Many students believe that they are more likely to be accepted if they apply for Early Decision, but it actually depends.

In some cases there is big increase in students being accepted, and at other colleges it is not that big at all. Generally, the strongest students are applying early. Athletes and students with focused interests are encouraged to apply for Early Decision

Choose the best answer:

【推荐2】Every parent knows it’s important to have good communication with their teens — actual conversations with plenty of back and forth. The problem, of course, is that most teenagers don’t like to talk to their parents. Usually, we’re at fault. We can’t just let them talk. There are far too many important life lessons to impart (传授).

It might go something like this: Jacques and his father are riding in the car. Out of the blue Jacques starts talking. I’ve been thinking. I don’t know, maybe I’m going to become an airplane pilot. Or maybe I’ll work at Burger Barn and always live at home with you and mom. Or maybe...

“You know, Jacques, you’re going to have to start thinking seriously about what you want to do. You’re going to be out of high school in a couple of years. ”

“What is his problem?” Jacques says to himself. “I was trying to tell him what I’m thinking about, but all he wants to do is to give me another lecture.”

Jacques and his father sit without speaking for the rest of the drive.

Our comments, worries, warnings and lessons — they seem important. We want to guide our kids down the best possible path. And if we hear something from them that seems to beg for our important guidance, how can we not give it? But often the only thing that our advice accomplishes is to kill the conversation.

When they talk freely, it is like a tiny flame that we should try to keep alive, fanning it gently to keep it going. When they were little kids, we couldn’t stop them talking, but not much skill is required to get a second grader to tell you about his day.

The solution seems so simple. All you have to do is shut up. Stick to innocuous comments like, “You think so?” or “Really?” or repeat a brief version of what you said.