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　　A child sits at his desk waiting for the teacher to hand back his test and praying that it is not sprayed with red marks．Fellow students in the classroom know a paper that has several red markings on it will usually receive a lower grade．The child with many red markings on his test will quickly fold the paper and stuff it into his desk in the hope that no one will see his test．

　　There is an education movement to retire the reds for softer colors of purple, green, and blue pens to mark students’ work．Many educators understand the psychological harm the constant red markings on the paper do to a child’s self-esteem．After a child receives his test back with countless red markings there is a rare chance that he will bother to find out his errors．It is too embarrassing in the classroom to examine his errors and also many children do not want to show their parents their red stained test．

　　The purpose of grading a paper or test is to identify the child’s weakness and offer suggestions to improve their ability in a specific subject．Red markings are too bold for the student to calmly understand their errors; instead they become upset and begin their self-critical dialogue．No student wants to fail; they just do not know how to excel．

　　All colors have an influence on our state of mind．Red is a powerful color that gives us energy．Colors such as blues and greens are calming colors to the body．Hospitals often have doctors wear blue or green scrubs because it relaxes the patient on a subconscious level．I have never seen a doctor wear red scrubs because it will stress the patient．Remember this when you decide to mark a child’ paper with red, the color of blood．

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　　A wallet that looks like a piece of newspaper, an atlas, or an express parcel receipt? Or a business card that looks like a notepad? No kidding．

　　Bai Minghui, a Beijing-based designer, creates his artwork using Tyvek, a synthetic(合成的)paper material which is difficult to tear, waterproof and, more importantly, totally recyclable．

　　Born to a worker family in 1983 in Tangshan, Hebei Province, Bai worked as a graphic designer at a financial magazine in Beijing after graduating from Minzu University of China．

　　In the spring of 2008, Bai visited an exhibition about Tyvek in Beijing’s 798 art zone, and then worked with the material, trying to bring his designs to life．The first thing that came into his mind was the paper wallet, a must-try handicraft assignment(手工作业)that most Chinese students do in elementary school．

　　“A paper wallet is definitely more useful than a paper crane or frog,” Bai told Beijing Review, smiling．“At first, many people have no idea what it is, because it looks like a piece of newspaper or an express parcel receipt, and feels like real paper．But it’s hard to tear．”

　　“The completed, folded wallet is seamless(无缝的), which creates so much fun for a designer．To be honest, I didn’t think about profits at all,” he said．

　　After months of research and development on printing and designing, the first generation of his paper wallet made a stunning debut(上市)in May 2008．The second generation, which offers a greater range of pattern options, was put on the market at the beginning of 2009．

　　“You can have graffiti(涂鸦)or write down phone numbers on it, or paint whatever you like．I would like people to be able to use it easily,” he said．“I don’t want to do things without creative ideas．Now my focus is on how to create better design rather than the wallet itself．”

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　　U．S．President Barack Obama said on Friday he can make the case for a second term, and voters will come to see him as the candidate best prepared to serve as president by next year’s elections, according to an interview he gave to the U．S．media．

　　In an interview he gave the Associated Press, Obama admitted that the state of the economy could be his biggest obstacle to win reelection(连任)．

　　“I think the economy’s going to continue to improve, and I think I’m going to be able to make an effective case that… I am the person who is best prepared to finish the job so that we are on track to succeed in the 21^st century．” Obama said in the video interview conducted in Chicago, where he attended money-raising events the previous night．

　　“I think I can make that case, and I think that, in the debates that take place over the next 18 months, the American people will feel that I deserve(值得)a second term,” he said．

　　He made the reelection announcement on April 4．According to a survey on Friday, Only 41 percent of people support him, lower than his competitor．Someone said the figure was influenced by economic dissatisfaction．

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　　Do you suppose Darwin, one of the greatest scientists of all time, really did fools’ experiments? Or did he do experiments that were so simple and basic that other people just thought they were foolish?

　　Sometimes, people think they already know the answer to a question or the solution(解决办法)to a problem．Sometimes, they really do know an answer or a solution, but without thinking they are important．

　　Charles Darwin didn’t settle for(满足于)just thinking he knew something．And, he believed all things could be important however simple they seemed to be．

　　Suppose you drop sheets of paper that are of exactly the same size and shape．If you drop them at the same time in the same place, they will fall in the same way．Now make one of the sheets of paper into a tight(紧的)little ball and let it drop along with the other sheets．What happens? You have done an experiment that is so simple that you might think it couldn’t be worth anything．

　　But this simple experiment is important．It explains part of our present day understandings of physics ideas that were worked out long ago by Galileo and Newton．And these understandings set aside some of ancient Greek physics．

　　Scientist sometimes stops to look at very simple things and to think very hard about them．Even the simplest idea, which we might think is foolish, can shake the foundations of science．

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　　The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card(信用卡)fraud．Your card information can even be on sale on an illegal website．Websites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care．Online shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they had bought．

　　The thieves then go shopping with your card number－or sell the information over the Internet．Computer hackers(黑客)have broken down security system, raising questions about the safety of card holder information．

　　Several months ago, 25,000 customers of a CD universe, an online music retailer(批发商), were not lucky．Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Website after the retailer refused to pay ＄ 157,828 to get back the information．

　　Credit-card firms are now fighting against online fraud．Master-card is working on plans for web-only credit-cards, with a lower credit limit．The card can be used only for shopping online．However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated．

　　Ask about your credit-card firm’s online rules：under British law, card holders are responsible for the first ＄ 78 of any fraudulent spending．And shop only at secure sites：send your credit-card information only if the website offers advanced security system．

　　If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen．The website address may also start with https：//--the extra “s” stands for security．If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone．

　　Keep your password safe：most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order．Treat your password with care．

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　　This 7,000-square-foot museum aims to entertain and educate children up to age 9．In its Global City exhibit, people can go shopping for groceries, order lunch at a diner, pretend that they’re doctors or construction workers, and more．In other fun exhibits, they learn about Austin’s history, explore the world of water, and experience life on a large Texas farm．

　　Open time：From Tuesday to Saturday, 10∶00 a. m.～5∶00 p. m．

　　On Sunday, 12∶00 a. m.～5∶00 p. m．

　　Address：201 Colorado St, Austin, Texas 78701

　　Phone：512-4722499

　　Founded in 1899, it is the world’s oldest children’s museum, featuring interactive exhibits, workshops, and special events．The Mystery of Things teaches children about cultural and scientific objects and Music Mix welcomes young virtuosos(名家)．

　　Open time：From Wednesday to Friday, 2∶00 p. m.～5∶00 p. m．

　　On Saturday and Sunday, 10∶00 a. m.～5∶00 p. m．

　　Address：145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn, New York 1213

　　Phone：718-7354400

　　This museum’s hand-on exhibits explore the relationships between the natural and the created worlds, and among people of different cultures and times．Exhibits include Streets, a 5/8-scale copy of an actual city, with streets lights, and waterworks, which shows how pumps can move water through a reservoir system．

　　Open time：From Monday to Saturday, 10∶00 a. m.～5∶00 p. m．

　　On Sunday, from noon．Closed on holidays．

　　Address：180 Woz Way, Guadalupe River Park, San Jose, California 95110

　　Phone：408-2985437

　　This museum is the largest of its kind．Exhibits cover science, culture, space, history, and explorations．Among them are the Space Quest Planetarium(additional fee), the 33-foot-high Water Clock, the Playscape gallery for preschools, and the Dinosphere exhibit, along with hand-on science exhibits．

　　The largest gallery, the Center for Exploration, is designed for ages 12 and up．

　　Open time：From Tuesday to Sunday, 10∶00 a. m.～5∶00 p. m．

　　Closed on Thanksgiving Day and December 25．

　　Address：3000 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208

　　Phone：317-3343322

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　　A man accused of failing to return more than 700 children’s books to five different libraries in the county was released from prison after a book publisher agreed to post his bond(保释金)of ＄1,000．The publisher said．“There’s a story here．This is a man who loves books．He just can’t let go of them．He hasn’t stolen a single book．So what’s the crime? We think that Mr．Banish has story to tell．We plan to publish his story．”

　　When asked why he didn’t return the books, Mr．Banish said, ”Well, how could I? They became family to me．I was afraid to return them, because I knew that kids or dogs would get hold of these books and chew them up, throw them around, tear the pages, spill soda on them, get jelly on them, and drown them in the toilet．

　　He continued, “Books are people, too! They talk to you, they take care of you, and they enrich you with wisdom, humor and love．A book is a guest in my home．How could I kick it out? I repaired torn pages．I dusted them with a soft clean cloth．I turned their pages so they could breathe and get some fresh air．”

　　“Every week I reorganized them on their shelves so they could meet new friends, My books were HAPPY books．You could tell just by looking at them．Now they’re all back in the libraries, on the lower shelves, on the floors, at the mercy of all those runny-nosed kids I can hear them calling me．I need to rescue them．Excuse me．I have to go now．”

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　　In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bikes to work every day．In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City．They declare that if more people rode bikes to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air form car engines．

　　For several years, this group had been trying to get the city government to help bike riders．For example, they want the city to draw special lanes(车道)for bikes on some of the main streets, because when bike riders must use the same lanes as cars there are accidents．Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes．

　　But no bike lanes have been drawn．Not everyone thinks it is a good idea－they say it will slow traffic．Some store owners on the main streets don’t like the idea－they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business．

　　The city government has not yet decided what to do．It wants to keep everyone happy．On weekends, Central Park－the largest place open ground in New York－is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bikes only．

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　　Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers．But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son：suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents．“The door to his room is always shut．” Joanna noted．

　　Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter．“she used to cuddle up(拥抱)with me on the sofa and talk．” said Mark．“Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something．Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady．The problem is figuring out which time is which．”

　　Before age 11, Children like to tell their parents what’是 on their minds．“In fact, parents are first on the list．” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers．“This completely changes during the teen years．” Riera explained．“They talk to their friends first, and then maybe their teachers and their parents last．”

　　Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them．To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them．And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young．Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with children is a better way to know them．

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　　Many English learners have difficulty deciding what kind of English accent they want to have．A US accent, perhaps modeled on the way a Hollywood star speaks? Or maybe you want to imitate(模仿)the British accent of a BBC news reader?

　　Young British people find the US accent attractive while young US people like a British accent．Especially when the person speaking is of the opposite sex! Let’s listen to what they have to say．

　　A US accent is cute, especially when a girl speaks it．Whether it’s Jessia Alba speaking or the girl- next-door, the way US girls speak has a sweet tingle that is really sassy(时髦)．A girl from Texas recently moved into our neighborhood．Her Texan twang(鼻音)had all the boys here on their knees within seconds of meeting her．

　　To me, accents reflect the attitudes, characteristics and lifestyles of the people．

　　From watching English actors like Daniel Radcliffe, my friends and I have developed a soft spot for British men．Some are attracted to the qualities of English males, while others admire their sense of style．

　　Everyone, however, agrees that the most appealing aspect of an English man is his accent．For example, many American girls watch Harry Potter movies over and over again just to listen to the actors speak．

　　The English accent seems almost like art．