2 . Virtual reality is quickly becoming the new technological frontier. Tech companies everywhere seem to be racing to get their foot in the VR door. However, virtual reality has a set of challenges and hurdles that it must overcome in order to work well. It should be noted that VR is heavily dependent on being very fast, very accurate and very good-looking. If it isn’t, the viewer will feel motion sick or disconnected from the world that VR is trying to create.

Now that we can actually build VR headsets that begin to meet these requirements, we are seeing a rising interest in VR. As it rises, so does the interest in creating new media to be experienced in using virtual reality. Journalism is a medium built on relevance. Journalists should always be finding new ways to tell stories and deliver content. It is a goldmine for storytelling. What better ways to tell a story to someone than to put them right in the center of it?

Virtual reality is a powerful tool for journalists. The consumer isn’t just reading or watching something play out; they’re experiencing it. The immersive nature of VR allows for people to connect with the subject matter on a much deeper level than just reading about it. The experience is emotional, speaking more to our instinct than our intellect. The possibilities for storytelling here are legion, and any storyteller wanting to do something more interesting than their peers should surely be considering the sheer power of VR.

The question of virtual reality, though, is not how powerful it is. That is immediately apparent. The question of VR is one of viability and availability. Telling stories must be easy to do, and access to those stories must be readily available. This is the biggest challenge that VR faces. If the tools to tell a story with VR aren’t easy to pick up and learn, VR will fail. If VR technology isn’t both top-of-the-line and affordable, VR will fail.

Accessibility was one concern for Thomas Hallaq, assistant professor of journalism and mass communications, who said that current VR technology, is pretty exclusive right now. Despite that, he said he doesn’t think the exclusivity of this technology will be a problem in the long run.

“I think it’s very promising,” Hallaq said. “We’re seeing more technology become accessible, and more people having access to that technology. Just look at smartphones.” Like radio, TV and the Internet before it, virtual reality will change the way we tell stories.

Tom was one of the rudest boys in the village where he lived. If a person’s clothes were dirty or torn, he would throw stones at him, and annoy him in every way.

One afternoon after school, a stranger with a broad-brimmed hat passed through the village. His dress was old but clean. No sooner had Tom seen the stranger than he winked (使眼色) to his playmates, and said, “Now for some fun!” He then silently went toward the stranger from behind, and knocking off his hat, ran away.

The man turned and saw him, but Tom ran away quickly. The stranger put on his hat and went on his way. Again did Tom approach; but this time, the man caught him by the arm and held him fast. However, he just looked at Tom a moment, and then pushed him away. Instantly the naughty boy found himself free again, he began to throw dirt and stones at the stranger. But he was much frightened when the man’s eye was hit and badly hurt. All the boys now ran back to their home.

As Tom drew near the house, his sister Caroline met him, holding up a beautiful gold chain and some new books for him to see. She told Tom excitedly that their uncle, who had been away several years, had come home; that he had brought beautiful presents for them; that he had been at the hotel nearby, and walked on foot now to surprise his brother, their father.

She said that while he was coming through the village, some bad boys threw stones at him, and hurt his eye badly, which had been treated by their mom. “But what makes you so anxious?” asked Caroline. The guilty boy rushed upstairs into his room without a word. Soon after, he heard his father calling him to come down. Shaking from head to foot, he obeyed.

When he reached the door, he stood, fearing to enter.

But stepping back surprisedly, their uncle cried, “Oh! It’s you!”

4 . The highlights of every World Cup are the impossible goals, especially the arc (弧线) ball goals. It’s breathtaking to watch. Every spin (旋转) of the ball moves air across the surface, pushing it into a bend.

When a soccer ball flies, the air forms a layer around the surface of the ball. As the balls pins, it changes the direction of the air to one side, says John Bush, an applied mathematician at MIT. This air pushes the ball in the opposite direction. The player starts with a strike on the outside of his right foot, which hits the left side of the ball, starting a clockwise spin. It throws the air off to the left, and the force created by the air leaving the ball pushes it to the right, explains Bush. Thus, a ball spinning to the right (that’s clockwise) will also are towards the right. This force is called the Magnus Effect.

It helps the goalkeepers, because they see uniform curvature (曲度) when players are taking bending shots at them. If they can pick up the spin right, it’s going to be the same amount of curvature, and they know where to put their hands. This is partly why players are much more likely to take bending shots during free kicks when goalkeepers can’t see their kicks quite as well because of the wall of defenders. If a ball isn’t spinning, it does something called knuckling, where the air turns the ball to one side in random directions, causing it to bounce in the air unpredictably. “It’s usually achieved when a player manages a sharp, fast touch of the ball, typically right on the air valve where the ball is most firm.” says Bush. Its lack of spin kept the goalkeeper from being able to predict where it was going until it was too late. All the goalkeepers tremble before the kicker that can shoot this kind of soccer ball.

There was a girl named Emily. Although her singing was pleasant to hear, lacking of courage, she never sings in front of strangers.

One summer, the neighborhood would hold a singing competition. Her best friend, Lucy, came to invite her to participate in the competition, but Emily said, “I’m afraid to take part in it.” Her mother said, “It’s okay; just do it bravely.” Emily followed her mom’s ad vice and decided to have a try. The day came. Emily and Lucy went to the competition site. But she was too timid (胆小的) to walk onto the stage. She had been waiting until others finished singing. She shakily forced herself to stand on the stage. She started to sing, but her voice was so low. What’s worse, she was so nervous that she forgot the lyrics (歌词) after singing a few words. Being laughed at by others, embarrassed and shy, she ran away from the stage.

Some boys ran after her and said, “Emily, coward (胆小鬼)! Emily, coward!” Emily didn’t argue with them. What she wanted was to go back home as quickly as she could. Finally, she rushed into the house, hugged her mom and cried sadly.

“Well, my poor girl, don’t cry. Tell me what happened to you,” asked her mom. Emily told her mother what she had experienced.

Listening to her, her mom cupped her face and said, “It doesn’t matter, girl. As long as you practice singing more in front of strangers, you will become braver little by little. So, my girl, don’t be beaten by a failure. You can go out to practice singing every day. No matter who is listening to you, go on singing and never stop. I believe there will be a harvest for you.”

Emily listened to her mother carefully and followed her mom’s suggestion.

Going on singing, she walked into the park.

6 . Before I started high school my parents gave me the greatest gift any teenage boy could ask for: a cell phone. I______ that phone all summer. To me, being connected was more important than being present. So, you can imagine my ______ when I learned what my dad had ______ for my family vacation that year. “This year,” my dad said, “We are going camping!” His excitement was met with a disappointing sigh（叹气）. ______, he wasn’t upset.

The views during the trip were amazing, but none of those mattered to me. My mind was on my phone. I remembered the first time I looked up was for something shocking—my phone had no service. My dad said that it would be ______ until we returned home. I would be ______ in the forest for four days with no way to contact the outside world. I went to bed angry that night. But something ______ when I awoke in the morning. ______ immediately burying my head in my phone, I ______ something else: my surroundings. As my dad and I walked the trails（小路），I felt the weight of tons of stress off my shoulders.

I realized being ______ to nature made me focus more on myself. I let my mind speak to me and listened to my feelings. I had been so focused on staying connected that I hadn’t been hearing my own ______. That was 15 years ago, and I carry that ______ to this day. When I received my first work email. I ______ the reason why my dad chose a campsite with no access to technology. In a world that asks for more connectivity, the need to check up your cell phone becomes stronger. Having my own time is nearly ______ when I can be ______ at any time of day or night. So, I need to work harder.

Whenever I feel my inner self is slipping away, I follow my dad’s guidance. I pack up the tent and drive until my phone shows those two magic words: “no service”.

8 . If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?

According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter density (灰质密度). This is the area of the brain which processes (加工) information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles. The study also found the younger people learn a second language, the greater the effect is.

A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London (UCL), took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.

Scans showed that grey matter density in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was.

“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists. It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.

Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible.” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”

The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learnt English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.

The full moon lights up the sky on the evening of the Lantern Festival. The festival, which falls     1    the 15th day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar, marks the end of more than two weeks of Chinese New Year     2    (celebrate)each year.

Solving “lantern riddles(灯谜)” is among the many popular traditional activities for the festival, which include eating sweet dumplings, enjoying the full moon, and     3    (lose)in colorful lighted lanterns. These guessing games     4    (refer)to as lantern riddles because they involve riddles     5    (write)on lanterns. They often contain messages of great     6    (wise)and good fortune, and give children and others of all ages the opportunity to have fun while     7    (practice) language and problem-analyzing skills. People must guess the answer by thinking about the     8    (vary)meanings of the words and phrases that make up the riddle.     9    (basic), a tip may be provided, such as indicating     10    the answer is a person, a place, or a thing.