1 . Every April 22 people come together to take action that will protect the environment. One theme of Earth Day is “Invest (投资) In Our Planet”. So how is investment in eco-innovation helping to deliver a more sustainable future?

When it comes to the environment, it can be argued that the technology industry is both the problem and the solution. Tech is responsible for between 3.5% and 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions (排放物). And the EU believes the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is responsible for10% of all electricity consumption. On the other hand, we all want a sustainable future for the planet. Yet we also want the convenience and fun of modern living. Obviously, only eco-innovation can deliver the solutions.

Eco-innovation is the key to doing more with less. All over the world, and across many different industries, innovators are working to reduce the human footprint while improving productivity. Innovative farming is a good example.

Until recently, most agricultural improvements focused on the development of machines. Now digital tools are causing a new wave of efficiency. Innovative farming companies look to increase farm efficiency and reduce input waste through farming techniques. And they are using real-time devices located in the field or in equipment. The data collected by these devices help farmers make better decisions about where to provide effort and resources while reducing the environmental footprint.

As people’s awareness of environmental protection continues to increase, the tech industry needs to keep working on the inventions like those described above. These breakthroughs will help us all to do more with less. Also, tech companies are facing calls to keep their own houses in order. Lawmakers and consumers want them to use fewer materials in the production process and rethink their approach to recycling and waste. The good news is that governments and eco-innovative companies have already carried out a major clean-up mission.

Many people are     1     (confuse) about the meaning of the names: the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain and England.     2     (solve) this puzzle, it is necessary for people to know a little bit about British.

In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales     3     (join) to the Kingdom of England, followed by the country Scotland in the 18th century. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the     4     (south) part of Ireland broke away from the UK,     5     resulted in the full name we have today: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, meaning the UK is also often referred to     6     Britain or Great Britain.

Even though the four countries     7     (belong) to the United Kingdom work together in some areas, such as using the same flag, sharing the same currency and military     8     (defend), they also have some differences. Anyhow, the United Kingdom has     9     long and interesting history to explore     10     it can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions.

4 . In an ideal world, we would be able to devote as much time to sports as we feel we need. But in reality, with growing demands in both work and family, we can only jump at the chance for our physical exercise when we can. Making the most of that time to practice Yin Yang yoga, which mixes the dynamic and slow-paced elements of yoga, helps keep you active and relaxed.

Yin and Yang are the Taoist concepts representing a balance of opposite forces which are also interconnected. Yin is inactive, cooling, and negative, associated with the female force. Yang is active, warming, and positive, associated with action and movement. They are complementary to one another, as one cannot exist without the other.

Yin Yang yoga is a combination of high-energy movement which builds energy, increases strength and promotes stamina (耐力), followed by the more restful practice of Yin to give us a deeper stretch (拉伸) and calm the nervous system.

If you have a busy and active life you may feel more in Yang, so taking some cooler, slower Yin yoga practice into your routine may help you feel calmer and more balanced.

If you are practicing for an hour, divide the time in half, Warm up with sun salutations (拜日式瑜伽), continue into a dynamic flow and then move on to some standing postures. After half an hour your heart will be pumping, muscles tighten up and you are hopefully feeling energetic, but ready for a rest. Then pick five Yin postures to hold for 3-5 minutes, or even longer if you are enjoying them!

As ever with yoga, if you are a beginner or have health issues, always attend a class with a trained instructor first to guide you safely through the yoga practice and avoid injury.

8 . People disagree about meaningful and small matters on a daily basis. Sometimes you know if you speak your mind you will upset someone. However, you often must express your opinion even if you know others will disagree. By choosing your words carefully you can avoid a long-term offense(冒犯) .

“Ask people about their perspective(观点). Before being honest about how you feel, it’s important to know their perspective. This gives you a chance to show genuine interest and have a conversation.    1    They may even end their explanation with a request to hear your perspective.

·Put yourself in their shoes. One of the simplest ways to avoid hurting feelings is to imagine how they will respond to your statements.    2    Practise imagining how they view their own opinion and yours. Just because their perspective is different doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

·    3    Be careful with your honesty. You want to speak the truth in kindness. That means avoiding obvious negative behaviors such as making a face or making fun of their ideas.

·Be polite in your responses. Whenever you try to avoid hurting others it is best to speak with kindness. Simple acts of kindness can make a big difference. They convey respect and show that you value the other person. This situation isn’t all about you speaking your mind.    4    

·Express your perspective as opinion, not fact. This shows you value their perspective, even if you know the facts back you up. If they have an open mind, facts will change their perspective. If they do not have an open mind, facts will feel like personal attacks.    5    Allow them to discover the truth in their own way, not yours.

The Internet in My Life

10 . Black taxis have been a common sight in London for many years. Now these taxis and their drivers have become the focus of a new study into Alzheimer’s (阿尔兹海默症). For those on the outside, it may seem that behind the wheel of these black taxis are just common people who help move us to our places. But hidden within their brains is a map of London’s streets that has put GPS technology to shame for many years.

“The knowledge”, the test for London’s taxi drivers, stands among the hardest tests one could ever experience. It includes remembering information repeatedly from the memory of minute details about between 25, 000 and 56, 000 streets in London, depending on who’s taking the test, from the Trafalgar Square to the tiniest residential lanes (居民巷).

Usually, the hippocampus (马体) feels the influences of Alzheimer’s most. The hippocampus controls the brain’s short-term memory and spatial memory (空间记忆) systems. University College London and Alzheimer’s Research UK are coming together to study these taxi drivers’ brains. And the taxi drivers’ hippocampi continue to grow as they go on doing the job for more years. This suggests that perhaps there’s something we can do to reproduce the influence on the general population.

Lead researcher Hugo Spiers was part of the team which 20 years ago found that, like birds’, the taxi drivers’ hippocampi slowly got bigger. In fact, research has found for years that any animal that requires detailed spatial knowledge of their land experiences growth in the hippocampus.

Spiers’ team hopes to deal with Alzheimer’s by studying the taxi drivers “brains, since the hippocampus becomes smaller with the development of Alzheimer’s. To collect more information, Spiers has asked thirty London’s taxi drivers connected to an MRI machine to drive around. The machine will allow the researchers to keep a real-time watch on the workings of the hippocampus. “It’s been a joy to help scientists fight the disease,” said taxi driver Robert Lordan.