【推荐3】Everyone's at it, even my neighbors. I thought I might be the only person left in the world who hadn't done an eBay deal. So, I decided to try my hand at online Auction（网上拍卖）.

Sign up on www.eBay.co.uk. Most items （e.g. tables, computers and books）ready for auction will come with a picture and a short description; others may be marked with Buy It Now and have a fixed price. You can buy these right away.

If the item is being auctioned, you offer the highest price you are prepared to pay and eBay bids（出价）for you. The bid will be increased little by little until it goes beyond your highest bid, then you are emailed and asked if you would like to bid again. Auctions last up to 10 days and when they finish, you get an email telling you whether you have won the item.

How to Pay

Sellers decide how they would like to be paid and you need to check this before placing a bid as you might not want to post a check or postal order （邮政汇票）. The easiest way is through PayPal, an online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card.

If you plan to sell on eBay, it helps to include a picture of the item. I followed my friend’s advice and put up the items I wanted to sell for a 10-day auction, starting on a Thursday. This   way buyers had two weekends to bid.

It's easy to post a small item, but furniture is a big part of eBay and this has to be collectively sent by deliverymen. Check the ways of delivery before you bid.

【推荐1】How do oceans affect you? If you live far from the coast, you might think they don’t. But life on this planet depends on the ocean. It covers almost three-quarters of the planet and holds 97% of Earth’s water. The phytoplankton (浮游植物) that live on the oceans’ surface produce half of the oxygen in the atmosphere. Oceans are a vital source of food and other resources and an economic engine for many communities.

For all the ocean provides us, we haven’t always been so responsible in our stewardship (管理). “The ocean was considered as a dumping ground for so long,” says Caitlyn Toropova of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). “There was a sense that there was no way we could harm it because it is so vast.”

But human activities are having a negative impact on many of the world’s oceans, jeopardizing marine life, habitats, and ecosystems. These threats include overfishing or destructive fishing, coastal development, pollution and water runoff, and the introduction of non-native species. Climate change is also having a big effect by causing warming seas and ocean acidification.

Realizing that something needs to be done to stem or reverse the damage has led to the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs). There are approximately 5,000 designated (指定) MPAs around the world but many more that are not officially recognized. That may sound like a lot, but less than 1% of the world’s oceans is protected. “Countries around the world have committed to protecting 10%. But even though there’s been an increase in the past ten years, at the current rate, it would take 100 years to reach that goal,” Toropova says.

【推荐2】As students return to school this fall, many of them— perhaps especially those from historically disadvantaged student groups will be starting the academic year with achievement levels lower than where they were at the beginning of summer break. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as summer learning loss. We review what is known about summer loss and offer suggestions for schools looking to solve the problem.

The recent studies on summer loss have been rather comprehensive. One study found that students, on average, lost between 25-30 percent of their school-year learning over the summer; additionally, black and Latino students tended to gain less over the school year and lose more over the summer compared to white students.

However, an analysis of the national study found little evidence of overall loss over the summers after grades K and 1, and the summer loss gaps widened in some subjects and grades but not others. Von Hippel and Hamrock re-analyzed two earlier data sets and concluded that gaps “do not necessarily. . . grow fastest over the summer”. Thus, it seems summer loss occurs, though not universally across geography, grade level or subject.

Schools want to address the issue of summer learning loss not only because it may widen achievement gaps, but also because it “wastes” so much of the knowledge students have gained during the school year. Summer loss also undoubtedly increases the amount of time teachers have to spend “re-teaching” last year’s content.

Traditionally, educators and policy makers have relied on conventional summer school programs to solve summer learning loss. Not surprisingly, research suggests that programs are more effective when students attend consistently and spend more time on task academically. Regardless of the design, these policies should offer engaging options for students over the summer so that summer learning programs do not feel like punishment for students who would rather be enjoying summer vacation. Doing so would set more students up for success as the school year gets underway.

【推荐3】In summer, millions of people will head for the beach . And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way .Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity.

“Have you ever been on a boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. “There is certainly a lot of energy in waves.”

Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity.

Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. “The winds start out by making little ripples ( 波纹 ) in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves,” Taylor said. “Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.” The wave energy can be used to make electricity.

The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland.

We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal.

Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface. That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world . There are some drawbacks, however.

Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money . He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown .     What is more, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic .   

With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said.” Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world. Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day. ”

In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!