【推荐1】Do you know any left-handers? Their special day is on August 13th. It is the International Left-Handers Day! Only about 10 percent of people are left-handers.

Why are some people left-handed?

Scientists are still looking for the answer. DNA might be one reason. The second reason is how people hold and throw things at an early age. This can also affect (影响) people’s later hand use. Another reason may be that some people might hurt their right hand. Then they begin to use their left hand more often.

Some people say left-handers are smarter than right-handers. Is it true?

Scientists say that left-handers don’t have higher IQs than right-handers. They just use different sides of their brain. As study shows, the left side of our brain is good at language and writing. While the right side of our brain is good at creativity and feelings.

Some Dutch scientists did over 30 studies which included over half a million people. They found there was no connection between handedness (用手习惯) and language ability. Moreover, right-handers do have better space ability than left-handers.

Another recent study on tens of thousands of people. Actually found that left-handedness was more common among people with very low IQ.

【推荐3】There are some famous buildings that everyone can recognize (识别). When you see a picture of a sports stadium that reminds you of a bird’s nest(鸟巢), you probably know it is the Olympic stadium in Beijing. When you see a picture of a famous concert hall that reminds you of a sailing ship, you probably know it is the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Buildings like these are easily recognized worldwide. They were designed to look like other things if people use their imaginations.

Other buildings do not need any imagination. They are made to look exactly like other things. Sometimes, these buildings are offices, restaurants, or even houses. Three buildings built in this way are actually museums. The shape(外形) of the building is a clue (线索) to the objects that people can see inside.

In Guizhou, China, people can visit the Meitan Tea Museum, built in the shape of a huge teapot. There is also a second building next door that is shaped like a tea cup. From far away, the nine-storey teapot shaped museum looks like some kind of huge work of art. But as one gets closer, the windows make it clear that this is a building.

People who are interested in guitars might want to visit the Guitar Museum in the USA. The three-storey building is shaped like a guitar lying on its side. Inside, visitors can see all kinds of guitars as well as learn about famous guitar players.

One of the newest funny-shaped museums is a pottery (陶器) museum in Korea. This museum, built in 2011, is shaped just like a real pot. Along with seeing examples of pots and tools used for making pots in the museum, visitors can try to make their own pots there.

【推荐1】We can make mistakes at any age. And most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke my leg?” “When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy(嫉妒) my luck?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.

① Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. ② Suppose（假设） someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog.” That’s being friendly. ③ But “lucky dog”? There’s a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck. ④

“Just think of all the things you should be thankful for” is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving（挨饿的）people in the world when you haven’t got the new bike you want.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

【推荐3】Shanghai is trying to bring new life to the old phone booths (电话亭). Six new types of booths are going to be built. One type will each offer 60 books to read or borrow. Another type will have users listen to audio books (有声书) and even record their own voices.

Shanghai is not the only city trying to save the old phone booths. The British care about them even more. The world’s first phone booth was built in the 1880s in Germany. But in the 1930s in UK painted them red and made them special in cities.

In recent years the country has thought of many ideas to help phone booths stay useful. The UK company British Telecom has added screens (屏幕) and wifi to some booths. Users can use them to surf online. Also, users can change the booth as they want to after renting (租) one from the company. Up to now, more than 1,500 phone booths have been turned into flower shops, mini-cafes, and even shower rooms.

Maybe in the future phone booths will become popular once again.