1 . Have you ever walked through a door and thought to yourself, “What was I going to do?” If you have, you are not alone. Psychologists believe that walking through a door and entering another room creates a “mental block” in the brain. This is generally referred to as the doorway effect.

In the early years of brain research, scientists thought that human memory was like a closet, with many sections in which we could store little boxes of experiences from our lives. Boxes would remain there forever, and whenever we had to look into them, we could just go to that particular section and find that box of memory.

Beautiful as this description of human memory formation sounds, it is not true. Our brain is much more complex than that. Psychological studies suggest that our memories are episodic(情节性的)in general. If you think back on anything, you’ll probably quickly realize our memories don’t function as clear narratives. Instead, they’re more episodic and divided into parts.

A new research led by psychologist Oliver Baumann from Bond University in Australia suggests that it’s not so much the doorways that cause a memory wipe, as moving from one location to a significantly different one—it’s the abrupt change of scene that prepares our minds for something new. “A good example is moving around in a department store,” says Baumann, “Taking the elevator between floors may have no effect on our memory, but moving from the store to the parking lot might cause us to forget something that we need to buy.”

Baumann also points out that a busy and perhaps overloaded brain does seem to play some part in this phenomenon. In other words, walking through open doors is thought to reset memory to make room for a new episode.

The good news is that experiencing such forgettable episodes after entering another room does not tell you anything about your memory and intelligence. So when you enter a room and suddenly forget why you are there, you should not think that Alzheimer’s disease is creeping up on you!

3 . Scientists have solved a puzzle about modern humans, after research showed that a famous skull of a human ancestor found in South Africa is a million years older than experts thought. This discovery has changed what we know of human history.

The skull, which scientists have named “Mrs Ples”, is from an ape-like human relative from a species called Australopithecus africanus (南方古猿). It was found near Johannesburg in 1947 and, based on evidence from its surroundings, was thought to be between 2. 1 and 2. 6 million years old. This puzzled scientists, because although Mrs Ples looks like a possible early ancestor of early humans, the first true humans had already evolved by the time she apparently lived. For this reason, scientists had decided that Australopithecus afarensis, a similar species from East Africa that lived about 3.5 million years ago, was our most likely ancestor instead.

To get a more accurate age for Mrs Ples, a team led by Professor Darryl Granger of Purdue University in Indiana, US, used a new method to date the sandy rocks where the skull lay. They measured the amount of certain chemicals in rocks, which form at a steady rate when they are exposed to cosmic rays (宇宙射线) on Earth’s surface. Once rocks are buried, these chemicals stop forming and slowly disappear;the surviving amount reveals how much time has passed since the rock (or bones) were on the surface.

The new study shows that Mrs Ples and other australopithecine bones nearby are between 3.4 and 3.7 million years old. This means they lived at the same time as their East African relatives, so that either group could have given rise to modern humans. However, team member Dr Laurent Bruxelles pointed out that over millions of years, at only 2,500 miles away, these groups had plenty of time to travel and to breed with each other. In other words, the groups could quite easily have met, had children together and both been part of the history of modern humans.

4 . Born on her family’s farm in Ray, North Dakota, Mary Sherman Morgan had been helping her father with farm work before she could attend the small-town schoolhouse. Being a few years behind didn’t hold her back and she graduated from high school with honors. Aware of her intelligence, she ran away from Ray to attend Minot State University as a chemistry major, where her skill was evident.

The outbreak of World War II resulted in a national shortage of chemists and scientists. In spite of the fact that she was still a student and a woman, she was offered a job as a chemical analyst due to her talents, producing explosives(爆炸物)for the wartime effort. She put her degree on hold and moved to Ohio, taking on the dangerous job of analyzing unstable chemicals to produce weapons.

After the war ended there was a fall in demand for explosives, so she made a move to the field of aeronautics, moving to California to work for NAA(North American Aviation). The only woman out of 900 engineers, she was soon promoted to a role which involved calculating the performance of rocket propellants(推进剂)and designing speciality fuels to work with different engines. However, never having returned to complete her degree, she was not afforded the rank or higher pay of an engineer, even though she had all the skills and knowledge of one.

Her experience with propellants meant that when NAA was tasked to find a fuel capable of lifting the redesigned Redstone missiles into space, Mogan was appointed technical lead on the project. National pride was on the line, so Morgan set about investigating fuels. After countless trails, she finally designed her own mixture, which was named Hydyne.

Hydyne tested well with the Redstone missiles and subsequently other aircraft(飞行器), such as Jupiter-C rockets, proving to be a quick solution to getting to space without a total rocket redesign. The fuel made the first successful US satellite launch possible, even if Morgan silently slipped away from her success, retiring to focus on her family and leaving her chemistry career behind.

5 . Sports are important in our family. Both of our sons were high-school ______ . So I shouldn’t have been ______ when Lauren announced she was going out for the girls’ basketball team. But I was because she has Down syndrome (唐氏综合征).

My wife and I never told Lauren that she was ______ . We treated her like our other children. We didn’t want her to feel disabled.

I discussed Lauren’s ______ with my wife that evening. She thought Lauren would make the team and she was right. Lauren did make it ______ not all the girls wanted to play.

The season’s first basketball game ______ . It got off to a good start, but soon Verden, Lauren’s team, was behind. Lauren ______ followed the movement on the court and reacted to every ______ . Even though Lauren wasn’t playing, she looked as if she were having the time of her life. I felt ______ for my daughter.

Just less than two minutes were left, and Verden was down by seventeen points when Lauren was called in for the game. Lauren ______ the others fairly well. Then they passed Lauren the ball. She ______ it. She shot. She scored! A few minutes later, Lauren ______   us in the stands. “Did you see? I scored! I made a ______ !”

For sixteen years, I’d tried hard to ______ Lauren from feeling like she was different. But watching Lauren in the game, I saw that she really was different—not physically or emotionally, but ______ .

6 . Sitting in the classroom, I felt confused.

Our teacher pointed at the blackboard and gave us instructions. Looking around, I watched as my classmates _______ their heads and started writing. A wave of _______ washed over me-I couldn’t read the board, for I couldn’t see clearly. It didn’t _______ at primary school because my teachers always read aloud what they were writing. But now, I was expected to read by myself.

Mum took me to a(n) _______. I was diagnosed with a terrible sight problem. I was _______ blind.

However, despite all the difficulties, I’d amazingly _______ to reach the age of 13! As a kid living on a farm, I was always falling over objects. I could only _______ the outlines of things and contrasts between different shades. I was given reading _______ but they didn’t help much.

_______ to let my diagnosis hold me back, I continued doing everything I loved, including milking the cows. Over the years, I’ve ________ lovely family holidays, but sometimes felt like my families were being too ________ to me. So I was thrilled when I heard about a travel company that takes those who are blind or have poor ________   Aussie adventures without families’ company. ________, I booked myself onto a trip to the ________. It was amazing to appreciate places, such as the beach and seaside theme parks, with ________ who were just like me. And the incredible guides were great at ________ us through all the way while making sure we had a fun and ________ time. Since then, I’ve travelled with them a lot. While we can’t see the sights like others, our ________ take us to awesome places. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. I’m so lucky to have a wonderful family and lots of ________.

Life is ________-you don’t need vision to “see” that.

7 . BACK TO SCHOOL BOOK GUIDE

Going back to school can involve lots of new things, including uniforms, topics, teachers, and friends. So why not try some new books as well and maybe find your new favourite author too. Whether you want to learn about protecting wildlife, discover some amazing weather facts, or dive into an action-packed spy mission, this back to school book guide has something for you. Click here to get a discount.

A page-turning adventure to make you laugh and cry. Noah and his friends fight to save animals from being put down at the outbreak of WWII. An exciting wartime novel that packs an emotional punch from the bestselling author of When the Sky Falls.

A funny and silly new Grimwood adventure! Fox cub siblings Ted and Nancy love their new life in Grimwood. But the cruel mayor of Twinklenuts is on a mission to take it over and kick everyone out. Can Grimwood’s treebonking skills save the home they love? A must-read for Dog Man and David Walliams fans.

Baker by day, spy by night—Alice Eclair leads an exciting double life! A mysterious message sends Alice on a mission aboard France’s most fascinating train. She must uncover an enemy agent while baking desserts, armed only with her whisk, wits, and will to succeed.

Discover hurricanes, dust storms, volcanic lightening and more, all through the camera lens of TV weather presenter and world-famous meteorologist(气象学家)Liam Dutton. This adventure through the atmosphere shows off the splendor of our skies in their wildest and most dramatic states and uncovers the science behind weather events.

8 . Steve Greig lost his dog Wolfgang seven years ago, then his life changed forever. Since that loss, he has adopted more than a dozen dogs, all of whom have been in their last few years of life. He chose to rescue senior dogs because they otherwise wouldn't have had a home.

Greig started posting family photos of his animals on Instagram, and his following has grown quickly to more million Instagram followers. Moreover, he has a pig, two rabbits, two ducks, four chickens, two cats, and a 22-kilogram turkey.

His mission didn't begin with the intention of going viral, but rather simply to honour Wolfgang's memory. He wanted something good to come out of the tragedy, so he went to a local animal shelter and adopted the oldest dog there. After that, he started photographing his daily life with his animals.

He also didn't originally intend to inspire others, but that's exactly what happened. Shortly after he started posting, his inbox filled with messages from people who had also adopted senior dogs. His fame led to a book, which teaches kids about valuing what is old instead of looking for the next new thing. He now keeps nine elderly dogs at a time, and when they pass away, he adopts new ones in their honour and in honour of Wolfgang.

Part of Greig's popularity on social media is from his family portraits and his updates of the animals, but the other part is from the unique names he gives his pets. Besides Bikini and Tofu, which he named “because it was funny”, his other pets have “elderly” names like Loretta and Wilhelmina. He has a new dog named Edsel after the failed Ford model from 1958. He chose the name “because when it originally came out it was worthless, but now it's a collector's item”.   His attitude towards Edsel is his attitude towards all of his pets, and it demonstrates his value for life in general.

Greig's touching experience with older animals has helped him value humanity even more. Whether he's helping an overlooked and forgotten aging dog or homeless person, there's a common point: sympathy. “They deserve attention, conversation, and help. ” he says.

9 . The worry of losing the money had been at the back of my mind all day. That was why I had not _________ myself for a single moment to let go of the yellow plastic _________ that had the money in it. All morning, I had held it _________, and when I suddenly noticed the bag was gone I was in a state of _________.

At first, I didn’t know what to do. I _________ all the people I had seen on the train that morning._________, the face of a tall young man _________ through my mind. He bumped into me after I got off the train! It was him. “I’m going to find you,” I thought, “if it’s the _________ thing I do today!”

I remembered the _________ I had seen the young man take. I ran towards Oxford Street. However, there was no __________ of the young man. I was about to __________ when I suddenly saw a __________ of the tall young man in a shop window. There he was, on the opposite side of the street,__________ a yellow plastic bag!

Without a moment’s thought, I __________ to him. “Give me my money back!” I yelled. I          __________ the plastic bag but he wouldn’t let go of it.

A few seconds later, a police officer __________. I told him what had happened. “I’m afraid you’ve got it all wrong!” the officer said, “You must have __________ the bag when getting off the train. Your __________ is waiting for you at the police station—thanks to a very ________ young person!” I was speechless. I knew immediately the man had found the plastic bag, and had taken it to the police! It was so __________!

10 . Toy industry experts say some people in the United States are turning off their electronic devices to play with classic toys like board games. This is especially true among the so-called millennial generation (千禧一代). One coffee shop in Los Angeles is making profitable use of the increase in popularity of board games.

GameHäus Café opened in November of 2013. The café is dedicated to board games. It has more than 750 games available for its customers. The business does not feature wireless Internet connection. Many customers like Roxanne Lee and her husband Agassi Lai think that is good. Ms. Lee praises the atmosphere of the café. “I think it’s very interesting for spending quality time together so that’s why I like it.”

Agassi Lai used to like playing video games. But everything changed when he discovered board games a few years ago. He likes to play a board game called “Escape the Curse of the Temple.”

You keep rolling the dice and try to move to different places and try to escape the temple.

Twenty-three year-old Weland Bourne is one of those board-game-loving millennials. “I think more with my generation, they’re wanting to take time. They’re wanting to take it slowly and I think, too, video games have kind of lost their attraction”

Adrienne Appell is with the Toy Industy Association, She says the new generation just wants to put down the telephone and Tablet and connect directly with other people.