2 . Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night? If so, here is a piece of advice for you: Listen to some soft music.

Scientists have found that soft music can help to improve sleep quality(质) and quantity(量). This works for sleepers of all ages, and even for those with sleeping problems. Soft music can help us fall asleep faster, wake up less during the night and feel more rested in the morning. You may not notice the effects(效果) overnight, though. It could take as many as three weeks to see some improvements.

Why can soft music help us sleep better? The reasons aren’t clear yet. It may have something to do with the relaxing effect of a good song. Music can have real physical effects, too. Soft music can lower our heart rate(心率) and slow down our breathing. This prepares us for sleep.

Scientists say that for most people, music that has 70 beats(节拍) per(每) minute (bpm) works best. Classical, jazz and folk music are usually more effective than other musical styles. Familiar songs work well, too. You may need to make your own playlists. If you are not sure how many beats a song has in a minute, you can find out by entering its title into songbpm.com. And remember to get the volume(音量) right. Make sure that the final piece is one that fades out. Or, you may be woken up by the sudden silence.

It is very important to get enough high­quality sleep. Before you go to bed tonight, play some soft music. Then, just prepare to fall asleep.

3 . How do you feel when you have to make a speech in front of the class? What about when you go to a birthday party? Do you get really shy?

Shyness means feeling nervous or frightened when you’re around other people. Experts found that more than 80 percent of middle school students feel afraid to be the centre of attention. Some kids are born shy. Some become shy later because of their life experiences.

It’s OK if it takes you a while to feel yourself again when you go to a new place or meet new people. In fact, everybody gets a little shy sometimes. It’s just a case of how much.

Most people have red faces and talk in broken sentences when they get shy. But some become so shy that they won’t go to a restaurant because they are too nervous to order and pay for their food. Some are afraid of meeting new people, so they seldom go outside. This kind of shyness can be bad for a person.

If shyness doesn’t stop you from doing something you want to do, being shy isn’t a very big problem. Some experts say shy people are cleverer because they think more and talk less. Shy people are also good at working with others because they think more for other people. Some great people in history were shy, too.

You see, being shy isn’t all bad. But remember not to let good opportunities(机会) pass by just because of it! If you have to sing a song at a birthday party or practise your spoken English in front of others, just do it! There’s nothing to be afraid of.

4 . Fifty-three years ago Barbie Millicent Roberts first appeared in the world of toys. Since then, Barbie doll, as everyone called her, has become the most successful toy doll in history. Her parent, the Mattel Company, said that 90% of all American girls between 3 and 10 have at least one Barbie at home.

However, Barbie is facing some trouble at present(现在). There are many similar dolls on the market in competition with her. Another doll named Bratz, for example, came to life thirteen years ago. She looks more like today’s pop stars with heavy makeup(浓妆) and miniskirts. And her company offers more kinds of clothes too.

It seems that Barbie has lost her magic among older girls. “For younger girls, playing with a Barbie is much fun. But when you get older, you want something smarter and more modern,” says Vera Shepherd, a shop assistant in a New York toy store.

It is good news that on the international market, Barbie is still No.1. Although Mattel is selling fewer Barbies in the United States these years, sales in other countries are still going up. In January 2009, Mattel opened its first Barbie store in Shanghai, where girls can shop, eat, drink or even become fashion designers for their own Barbies.

Mattel is planning big celebrations for Barbie’s 53rd birthday. Fashion designers from all over the world have been called to make new dresses for Barbie. How long will Barbie stay popular in the world of toy dolls? It is hard to say, but 53 is surely not the age to retire(退休).

5 . Beep! Beep! Barcode (条形码) makes it faster and easier to buy things in stores. This year, it is 50 years old!

On a Sunday afternoon in 1971, IBM engineer George Laurer thought of a code that could be printed on food labels(商标). Later it developed into the Universal Product Code, which was used by many grocery companies starting in 1973, according to The New York Times. Before this, cashiers (收银员) had to ring up prices by hand.

Today, barcodes are scanned over 6 billion times every day and used by 2 million companies worldwide. What information does a barcode hold? Where the product comes from, where it has been, its price... you name it. It can also help stores keep track of(追踪) their products. For example, if there are 10 boxes of milk and a customer buys one, it will be recorded so that the store owner knows there are nine boxes left. In the 1980s, libraries started using barcodes to keep track of books in this way.

The next generation of barcodes, such as QRcodes, can hold more information. They can tell customers if product has allergens (过敏原) or if it is organic (有机的). This provides customers with a greater level of trust in the products they buy.

6 . Thousands of years ago, Britain was covered by thick forests, home to many animals which no longer live in the United Kingdom. There were wolves, bears, many different kinds of deer and large wild cows. There were less than four million people. They lived in small villages protected by wooden walls from the animals outside.

All this has changed, of course. Now the population of the United Kingdom has increased to over sixty-five million. Three quarters of Britain is covered with fields, towns or cities. Although 25 percent of land is countryside, new methods (方法) of farming mean that there are fewer birds and small animals living in fields than ever before. The United Kingdom is one of the few countries in the world that does not have a large wild animal that eats meat. In Scotland there are only 400 wildcats, but these are much smaller than wolves.

Some people would like to change things, however! Some organizations (组织) and writers say that Britain needs to become more natural again. They suggest that trees and plants that grew in the UK before towns and cities were built should be allowed to grow again. They even say that large wild animals which have not lived in the UK should be helped to return and live wild. They call this “rewilding”.

Not everyone agrees. In the last twenty years, over one million trees which at first grew in Scotland have been planted and there are plans for more—but wild animals? Some people ask if wolves will attack sheep or even humans. They are also angry that rewilding might mean an end to walking in the hills which so many people enjoy. So far there are no wolves or bears in Britain’s forests—but soon there might be!

A desert(沙漠) is a difficult place for animals to live, and some have unusual ways of making a living. The Texas lizard has a strange way to keep itself safe. When a predator(掠食动物) gets too close, blood goes out from the lizard’s eyes. Then it breathes in much air to make its body look bigger. Another interesting desert animal is the javelina. To make a predator afraid and run away, the javelina bravely faces the animal. It makes a big noise with its teeth. It raises the hard hairs on its back to make itself look bigger. The javelina also gives off a strong smell as a warning when it is afraid. This smell is so strong that javelinas are also called “smelly pigs”. Javelinas keep safe by staying close to their family, so there’s a good chance they can make a predator change its mind!

You might think a rain forest would be easier to live in than a desert. After all, there's plenty of food and water in a rain forest. But that also means a lot of animals live there. Being able to climb trees is a useful skill in the rain forest. It allows an animal to keep away from predators. The sloth spends most of its life in the treetops. Its strong, curved claws(爪子) help it climb and hang upside down from branches. The sloth also moves very slowly. It does this so it’s not noticed. The aye-aye lives only in the rain forest of Madagascar, near Africa. The aye-aye is a night animal. This helps it to stay safe from daytime predators. However, the number of the aye-aye keeps going down and they may die out. People have hunted it because they think it brings bad luck. Also, much of the rain forest in Madagascar has been cut down, which has destroyed the aye-aye’s home. Today there are laws(法律) to keep people from killing it.

All around the world, people drink tea. But in different countries, people have very different ideas about drinking tea.

In China, for example, people always serve (提供) the tea when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at home or in teahouses. They like to drink plain tea (素茶) best.

Tea is very important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called the “tea ceremony (仪式)”. It is very old and full of meaning. People do everything in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.

Another tea drinking country is England, and the late afternoon is people’s “teatime”. Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The British usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with milk and sugar. They also eat cakes, chocolate and a few candies at teatime.

In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. It is fast and easy to use tea bags to make tea. In summer, many Americans drink “iced tea”.

Have you ever heard of netball? It is a team sport which is similar to both basketball and handball.

Netball was first played in England in 1895 at Madame Ostenburg’s College. In the first half of the 20th century, Netball’s popularity continued to grow, with the game being played in many countries, it is particularly popular in Australia and New Zealand. In 1995 Netball became a “recognized” sport of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and one of the International Netball Federation’s goals is to encourage the IOC to include netball in the Olympic Games Programme in the future.

There are seven players on each team and they each wear a bib (号码布) which shows the name of the position they play. Players must throw the ball to one another and the aim of the game is to pass the ball to the “Goal Shooter” or “Goal Attack” who can shoot the ball into the net to score a goal. However, the key rules of netball are that you cannot bounce (拍) the ball and you cannot move your feet when you have the ball. This is called the footwork rule and it can be quite difficult to grasp (掌握) for young children playing the game! A full match lasts for one hour and in a single match often about 100 goals are scored which shows what a fast-paced and exciting game netball is!

Netball is typically played by women and girls. However, at many universities, there are mixed netball leagues (联赛) in which teams must have both male and female players.

In the UK, there are many different ways to try to attract women to play netball. One such plan is called “Back to Netball” which encourages women who have not played netball since they were at school to rediscover their love for the sport and get back on the court! Walking Netball is another variation (变化形式) of the sport aimed at older women and those who want to exercise in a gentler way. So, why not watch a video of netball online and then have a go for yourself?