1 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

2 . Artificial intelligence (AI) is showing promise in earthquake prediction, challenging the long-held belief that it is impossible. Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, have developed an AI algorithm (算法) that correctly predicted 70% of earthquakes a week in advance during a trial in China and provided accurate strength calculations for the predicted earthquakes.

The research team believes their method succeeded because they stuck with a relatively simple machine learning approach. The AI was provided with a set of statistical features based on the team’s knowledge of earthquake physics, and then instructed to train itself using a five-year database of earthquake recordings. Once trained, the AI provided its prediction by listening for signs of incoming earthquakes within the background rumblings (隆隆声) in the Earth.

This work is clearly a milestone in research for AI-driven earthquake prediction. “You don’t see earth-quakes coming,” explains Alexandros Savvaidis, a senior research scientist who leads the Texas Seismological Network Program (TexNet). “It’s a matter of milliseconds, and the only thing you can control is how prepared you are. Even with the 70% accuracy, that’s a huge result and could help minimize economic and human losses and has the potential to remarkably improve earthquake preparation worldwide.”

While it is unknown whether the same approach will work at other locations, the researchers are confident that their AI algorithm could produce more accurate predictions if used in areas with reliable earthquake tracking networks. The next step is to test artificial intelligence in Texas, since UT’s Bureau TexNet has 300 earth-quake stations and over six years worth of continuous records, making it an ideal location for these purposes.

Eventually, the authors hope to combine the system with physics-based models. This strategy could prove especially important where data is poor or lacking. “That may be a long way off, but many advances such as this one, taken together, are what moves science forward,” concludes Scott Tinker, the bureau’s director.

3 . My mother changed my life. She had her own way of _________ children. If we complained about not having what another kid did, we’d hear something like, “I don’t care what so-and-so got for his birthday, you are not getting it.” We had to earn our allowance by doing chores around the house.

It was a summer day, my mother drove me to the bike shop to get a tire fixed—and there it was in the window. White, shiny, plastic and decorated with flowers, the _________ winked at me and I knew I had to _________ it. “It’s beautiful. Mom, can I please get it? I’ll do _________ chores for as long as you say. I’ll do anything, but I need that basket. I love it. Please, Mom.” I was _________. “You know,” she said, “if you save up, you could buy this yourself.” “By the time I make enough, it’ll be _________!” “Maybe Roger here could hold it for you,” she smiled at Roger, the bike guy. “He can’t hold it for that long, Mom. Someone else will buy it.” “There might be another _________,” she said.

And so our paying plan _________. My mother bought the beautiful basket and _________ it safely in some place I couldn’t find. Each week I __________ counted my growing savings increased by extra work here and there. And then, weeks later, I counted, re-counted and jumped for joy. Oh, I made it! I finally had the exact amount we’d __________.

Days later, the __________ happened. A neighborhood girl I’d played with millions of times appeared with the exact same basket fixed to her shiny, new bike. I rode hard and fast home to tell my mother about this __________. This horrible turn of events! And then came the __________ I’ve taken with me through my life. “Honey, your basket is different,” Mom said, gently wiping away my hot tears. “Your basket is __________ because you paid for it yourself.”

7 . Time was introduced to us when we were just kids and only knew the playing hours; but when we grew up we got our own senses about how important “The Time” is. There is a story on time management which can give you some guidance.

A philosophy professor, once, decided to teach the students a valuable lesson about Time Management, so he stood before his class with some items on the table. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a big and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in size. He then looked towards the class and asked the students if the jar was full. They all agreed that it was full. Therefore, the professor then moved to pick up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar gently. The pebbles, of course, rolled through the gaps between the rocks.

He then again looked up to the students and asked if the jar was full. They all again nodded their heads. For the last time, he turned towards the jar, this time, picked up a box of sand, poured it into the jar and shook it lightly. Of course, the sand moved into the gap s and filled up everything else. He then asked students for the last time if the jar was full or not. The students were surprised but gave a unanimous response “Yes.”

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to realize that this jar actually is your life. The rocks are the important things — like your family, your children, your health, your partner. If nothing remained but only these. your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter — like your job; your career, your house. The sand is everything else, the unimportant stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first.” he continued, “there is no space for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you keep on filling the jar with the sand, it means that you keep on spending all your time and energy on the pity things and you will never have room for the things that are crucial for you. First and foremost, focus on-the rocks — the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

8 . Here are four books for you and your children. Pick anyone you like!

After watching the big game on TV every Sunday, a boy and his dad head outside to throw around a football like their favorite players. With its focus on playing safe and having fun. Football With Dad is the perfect way to introduce your little reader to the game of football.

Mayer Fear of the dark often brings people another fear, like having a monster (怪物) under your bed. This story uses clever thinking to show children how to do with their fear during the night. And it does have helped lots of children overcome their fear of the dark.

The story has a great message of friendship. A witch (女巫) is happily flying around on her broom when the wind blows away her hat, then her bow, and then her wand. Luckily, a helpful animal finds her missing belongings each time.

Jerron, A. J., and Cha are so excited about ice cream day! But sometimes, the ice cream car drives down a different street. Can they work together to control their car right to their house? This fun, easy-to-read story also shows us problem-solving and hands-on activities that your children will love!