2 . ①How good are you at remembering names, dates, and telephone numbers? It is not easy for all. Remembering things is one of the most interesting functions (功能) of the human brain. That’s why scientists spend so much time studying how it works.

②Studies show that when we learn something new, it stays in our memory for 20-30 seconds. This is our short-term memory. Remembering a phone number long enough to find a piece of paper is an example. The opposite of short-term memory is long-term memory, which is where things are stored in the brain for a long time. The brain can turn short-term memory into long-term memory. For example, when studying for an exam, instead of just reading the information once or twice, you might go over your notes again and again until you can remember the important information.

③Dave Farrow is known for his excellent memory. He has been listed twice in Guinness (吉尼斯) World Records for Greatest Memory. As a student, Dave had great difficulties in learning. He found some ways to improve his memory in order to do well in school. Here are some you can try.

④One way is to look at the first letter of each word you want to remember. Then, make your own word or sentence using all of those letters. For example, if you want to remember all the colours in a rainbow, try remembering the name Roy G. Biv. Each letter in this name matches the first letter of a colour: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Another way is to remember information in groups. For example, when you remember a telephone number, remember three numbers as a group, the next four numbers as a group and the final four numbers as a group. This way, your brain only has to remember three things instead of 11.

⑤If you are interested in improving your memory, apart from using some ways to remember things, there are lots of simple things you can do, like eating healthily, sleeping well and exercising daily. Challenging your brain also helps you keep it healthy and active. So, why not start playing mind games, learning a musical instrument or studying a new language?

3 . 27-year-old twin sisters Zhao Wenjing and Zhao Yajing plan to open their first self-built public library in late spring 2024. This may be the first public library opened by Spinal Muscular Atrophy (脊髓性肌萎缩症) patients in China.

Because of their SMA, the twins only spent two years in the school. However, they didn’t think of this as a big loss. Since they had each other as study partners at home, it wasn’t lonely.

The twins’ father encouraged them in reading and travelling. He believed that reading and experiencing the world were more important than grades. From 2017 to 2019, the family went on trips across China. Their vehicle was modified (改进) so that they could lie down and sleep during the long trips.

During the family’s trips, they gave away books to children living in poor areas. They hope to share their love for reading. But they felt it wasn’t enough and wanted to do more and do it better.

The twins had been thinking about opening their own library for several years. Recently, the twins decided to put their plans into action, changing their living room into a mini-library.

Two years ago, the twins’ father passed away and they have been carrying on with his words and memories. “Living with SMA hasn’t been easy, but we are full of hope and never give up when facing any difficulties in life. We want to pass this hope on to others,” said Zhao Wenjing.

“Just like healthy people, we have rich feelings and big dreams too. We're different, yet the same,” said Zhao Yajing.

4 . A new video series (系列) called Escape from the British Museum came out on August 30th, 2023. It has caused heated discussions in China’s social media recently.

The three-part series was created by two Chinese video vloggers. It features a woman who plays the role of an ancient jade teapot, a beautiful piece of China’s history. Her partner is a reporter who helps the jade teapot return to China. Together, they tell a tale of how the teapot, a symbol of Chinese artistry, escapes from the British Museum and finds its way back to China.

The videos were inspired (赋予灵感) by an Internet friend. He suggested making a video to record the hard way of Chinese cultural relics (文物) returning home from the UK to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year and to raise awareness about the importance of cultural heritage (遗产).

To bring this story to life, the two loggers travelled all the way to the UK and spent three whole months shooting the videos. The story they created is based on real events and facts, and aims to draw attention to the Chinese relics that are kept in museums far away from their home country.

The British Museum is known to have a total of 23,000 Chinese relics, while about 2,000 Chinese relics are on long-term display. The Chinese objects, from the New Stone Age to the present, include paintings, prints, jades and so on.

For long, the British has said that the cultural relics are safer and better protected at the British Museum, to refuse their return. But the British Museum was reported to have lost some cultural relics, which has caused a lot of concern around the world.

The videos are not only fun to watch but also serve as a reminder of the rich history and culture of China. The creators of the series hope that their work will inspire a love for Chinese heritage.

Though there is still a long way to go to return the cultural relics, China’s search for the lost cultural relics abroad will not stop.

The pupils and teachers at Fairfield School think it’s necessary to protect the environment! This is what they’ve been doing.

Growing vegetables

Fairfield School pupils started their own vegetable garden. Both children and teachers grow vegetables, then they pick them. In this way, school dinners are more delicious than ever before.

Recycling

The Fairfield pupils don’t just bring their books to school —they bring their rubbish too! There are recycling bins (回收箱) in the playground for cans, plastic bottles and paper. The teachers give a prize every month to the pupil who’s tried the hardest to recycle.

Finding cleaner ways to get around

Everyone walks or rides a bike to Fairfield School! “It’s faster to ride bikes than to drive anyway, even the teachers don’t use their cars.” says one pupil.

In our life, we may meet people with different personalities. What is your personality type? Read about the following and find out.

A Dreamer thinks there is a “right” way to do this. This person wants to live in a “perfect world”. Many are good listeners and like to help others. Many work as teachers, and often lead others. Famous Dreamers: Mohandas Gandhi, Angelina Jolie.

A Partner wants to be in a group. For this person rules are important. They consider traditions to be of great value. Partners are often serious, careful people. Many do well as teachers, managers and police officers. Famous Partners: Queen Elizabeth II, Mother Teresa.

For Thinkers, understanding things is very important. They like to deal with problems and make new things. Thinkers can also be active. They like to win. They have very strong opinions. Many thinkers work as scientists, inventors and engineers. Famous Thinkers: Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking.

Artists want to be free. They don’t want to follow the rules all the time. They also like trying new things. Like Thinkers, many Artists have strong opinions. They are creative and do well as musicians and actors. Famous Artists: Cristiano Ronaldo, Madonna.

How does your teacher make you sit—in rows or in groups? How would you like to sit? Does sitting in rows make you feel good or does it make you feel lonely? Do you feel that sitting in a group and discussing things makes you learn more in an easier way?

In the last 30 years or so, experts on teaching methods have thought about these questions. They felt that sitting in rows was not very useful to children, and that they learnt easier and better when they sat around a table in a group. That way, they could also learn to get along with others and exchange ideas easily.

However, it seems they were not quite right. At least Nigel Hastings, professor of Nottingham Trent University, does not think so. He has been researching classroom behavior for the last 20 years in England. His conclusion (结论) is that children work much better when they sit in rows than sitting around in groups.

His study found that students wasted a lot of time talking when they were placed in groups. When children were made to sit singly or in pairs and not in groups as they were used to, they were more attentive (专注的) to their work.

Right now, most primary school students in England are seated in groups of four and six according to Sunday Times. So the report of Nigel’s study could make a big difference to how they will sit and learn.