1 . Dan Scarfe, the boss of a new company that has found a way to unlock conversation for deaf people, says the idea hit him over Christmas with his family last year.

Scarfe’s grandfather was 97 years old with hearing problems, so he had great trouble communicating with others in the family. This inspired (激励) Scarfe to find a solution so that his grandfather could “talk” with others. “My grandfather either sits in silence or watches TV all the time with subtitles (字幕),” said Scarfe.

Now, just six months later, his company, with the help of Augmented Reality Classes, has invented XRAI Glasses.

The XRAI Glasses are connected to a mobile phone. Our software receives a sound from the microphone on these glasses and sends it down to the phone. Then the phone turns the sound into subtitles. Finally the deaf people can understand it.

“As a deaf person myself, I think it brings us much convenience,” said Steve Crump, Founder and Chair, DeafKidz International. “When I tried on the glasses, the real time subtitles make me join others in their “talk”. I have never done it before. It’s perfect”.

Though XRAI Glasses haves been considered by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People as a game changer with the ability to change lives, the invention is not without its disadvantages. It can’t understand group conversations well when many people talk together. Scarfe said, “we are doing research to make the glasses serve deaf people better. Hopefully, they are available (上市) by September”.

3 . In late June of this year, Kristi came across a gray fox. Here is the retelling of her _______.

While driving on the freeway yesterday, I saw an animal rushing around with what _______ to be something on its head. When I could _______ my car over, I ran down some distance and there it was, a gray fox with a white plastic thing on the head. After I _______ I could not take the plastic container (容器) off by myself, I used a small knife to make breathing _______ because the fox was breathless. Soon its breathing became more _______, but still not smooth.

_______ in my overcoat, the fox was carried to the car. It was so _______ and thin but now and then it _______ with its claws (爪子). Unable to solve the problem ________, I had to call my friend Rebekah. When she arrived, we found a safer place to try to ________ the fox. Luckily, we managed to take off the plastic container. ________, it ran under our cars and then into a forest nearby.

When it ________ this experience, Kristi said, “The task is ________, but we must TRY.” Thank you, Kristi and Rebekah, for your love of this planet and its creatures, and for going above and beyond to ________ and care for others.

“Radish knives” have become a hot-sale product in shops near schools. They are also a hot-sale product online. So far more than 400, 000 “radish knives”     1     (sell) online.

The rising popularity of these toys has raised worries among parents about their possibility to lead     2     violence (暴力) among teenagers, reported a local news outlet called Shunwang in Jinan, Shandong province.

A radish knife is a colorful plastic toy that looks just like a radish. It is made of plastic, and usually 5 centimeters in     3     (long). If a radish knife is pushed against the skin too hard, kids may get     4     (injure). Parents are confused about its popularity. “My daughter brought one home yesterday. She told me that it helped     5     (she) to reduce stress,” a parent told Shunwang.

“Playing with a toy knife may have     6     bad effect on children’s health,” said Yang Si-fan,     7     is an official at Chongqing Normal University. Children may pretend     8     (use)a toy knife to cut others after watching similar actions from movies and TV shows. Parents should be responsible for     9     (choose) suitable toys for their kids. If people find nearby stores selling these dangerous toys, they should report it to the government     10     (immediate). Toys like radish knives shouldn’t be allowed to be brought into schools.

5 . One cold morning in early 2015, Lauren Passell was on her way to work. Suddenly, she fell down on the sidewalk. As she tried to stand up, a stranger appeared from the crowd and knelt (跪下) beside her.

The woman introduced herself as Sharon Evans. As Evans helped Passell up, all Passell could think about was that she needed to get to work. But she was in terrible pain, and could hardly stand. Seeing this, Evans told Passell to stay still while she called a taxi.

“And I said, ‘No, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure you have places to be, I can do it.’ And honestly, the second time she said, ‘No, I’m getting you a taxi’ I thought, ‘Oh, thank you. I don’t think I can do this alone.’ ”

Once the taxi arrived, Evans got in with her. Passell tried to tell her that it wasn’t necessary. But Evans stuck to it. Once again, Passel was secretly relieved (如释重负) to have Evans’ help.

Evans didn’t just go to the hospital with Passell. She helped her fill out the paperwork, and even took Passell to the bathroom. Each time, Passell tried to advise Evans to leave, to get to work. And each time, Evans refused.

Once it was time for Passell to be seen by doctors, Evans left. It turned out that Passell’s condition was serious. The doctors told her she needed to have an operation (手术) — if not, she could have died due to the blood clots.

Passell not only recovered (恢复), but ran a half marathon the next year. “I might’ve died if Sharon hadn’t shown so much kindness. So thank you, Sharon, for saving my life. And I hope one day I can pick someone off the sidewalk, just like you did for me.”

6 . Open Lands Day

Join us at the Rogue River Preserve for a very special Open Lands Day!

The preserve includes two miles of riverfront along the Rogue River, a large forest, and some woodlands. It is only open to the public during special events, work parties, and youth education programs. So, come and take advantage of this special opportunity and explore the trails at your own pace, attend a guided hike, bring a picnic lunch to enjoy by the river, or all three.

To limit crowding, registration is required for hikes or self-guided exploration for the day.

9 . Most of us can’t start our day until we’ve had our morning coffee. However, the production of coffee makes large amounts of agricultural waste, about 50 percent of the actual weight of the coffee produced. Agricultural waste was a huge environmental issue for coffee producers and didn’t have any other purpose for it.

In the past, when coffee beans were roasted to make coffee, husks and pulp (外壳和果肉) were eventually turned into a powerful greenhouse gas. Now a company called Woodpecker mixes recycled plastic along with the coffee husks and pulp to create a new material that’s being used to build houses. The idea was not just to create any material but build one that was both affordable and lightweight. The material could change the way people build houses in hilly areas and remote destinations, where it’s usually harder to transport the traditional material such as bricks, and concrete.

Woodpecker experimented by combining various natural fibers with recycled plastic including rice, palm, and grass fiber. Through trial and error, the company came to the conclusion that the best natural fiber to combine with recycled plastic was coffee husks and pulp which lent the material strength and durability (耐久性). Most importantly, the material would be easily available. The material is also fireproof and prevents insect problems.

The company sponsored (赞助) two complete houses after a hurricane destroyed more than a thousand homes in Colombian. “The system worked perfectly considering there was no power supply, the ground was muddy, the airport was damaged, there was no food, etc., all the problems you can imagine. We believe that our houses are an excellent solution to the housing crisis there,” said Alejandro Franco, CEO of Woodpecker.

10 . Do you know what Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama, and Christopher Nolan all have in common? They wear the same kind of clothing every day. The greatest scientist, Albert Ein-stein, had five similar gray suits in his wardrobe (衣柜). What’s with geniuses and their limited clothing choices?

When asked about why they do it, many successful people cite a phenomenon called decision fatigue (疲劳). So, what is decision fatigue and how can we overcome it? Will wearing the same thing every day do the trick?

Like it or not, decision-making is a part of our everyday lives. From the moment we wake up, we deal with an endless stream of choices — when to get up, what to eat, what to wear, and so on. The human brain makes about 35,000 decisions per day, most of which we may not even be aware of.

Decision fatigue is a state when the mind becomes tired after making too many decisions within a short amount of time.

What should you do when you’re tired of making decisions? Einstein himself said that he chose the same gray suit every day, “So that I don’t waste any brainpower in the mornings deciding which set of clothes to wear.”

Please remember: having fewer choices means less time and energy wasted—a simplified life! The best way to achieve this is to stick to regular tasks on a daily basis. That way, your brain doesn’t have to sweat those little decisions every day. While shopping or doing any kind of cognitively demanding activities, try to make a list, and cross things off as you go. This will reduce decision fatigue and help you make choices more rationally (理智地), fairly, and objectively.