Virtual reality, VR, is a powerful, new technology. VR software programs are being used in many video games. But others have been developed for education, to train doctors and in military training. VR gives the people who use it an interactive(交互式的) 3D experience. They can see realistic images and hear sounds that are almost like those one experiences in real life.

Khora Virtual Reality opened earlier this year in Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen. It may be the first virtual reality store in the world, where people can learn about virtual reality and create and play it. In the company’s VR game “Cityscape Repairman,” players must take care of the city’s roads and public services to continue playing.

Morten Haulik is the company’s event manager. “It’s super important to give people the experience of actually walking around in the world. It could be the Great Wall of China or the space station or things like that, but if you really need to learn something about it, you actually need to see it in real life, and touch it.”

Lajboschitz, CEO of Khora, says that is what students at the University of Copenhagen experience. “My favorite thing is showing people virtual reality and then, when they take off the goggles (护目镜), it’s like, ‘Whoa, I forgot that I was in this space with white walls and with people around me.’ ”

Clara Lykkegaard is a student at the university. “I have read about virtual reality before, and I’ve seen others trying it, but I have never tried it myself. And it is a brand new world. It’s so magical because you almost forget where you are.”

Khora’s leaders believe helping students get interested in this technology might persuade some of them to work in the industry, and gain a share of what is expected to be a more than 3 billion-dollar market by 2020.  

Recently, the Intelligent Transport team at Newcastle University has changed an electric car into a mobile laboratory (实验室) named “Drive LAB” in order to understand the challenges faced by older drivers and to discover where the problems are.

  Research shows that giving up driving is one of the key reasons for the unhealthy and unhappy state of older people, leading to them becoming more isolated(与世隔绝的) and inactive.

  Led by Professor Phil Blythe, the Newcastle team is developing in-vehicle technologies for older drivers which they hope could help them to continue driving into later life.

  These include custom-made navigation(导航) tools, night vision systems and intelligent speed adaptations. Phil Blythe explains: “For many older people, particularly those living alone or in the countryside, driving is important for keeping their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and about without having to rely on others.”

  “But we all have to accept that as we get older our reactions slow down and this often results in people losing confidence in their driving skills. The result is that people stop driving before they really need to.”

 “We hope that our work will help with technological solutions(解决方案) to ensure that older drivers stay safer behind the wheel.”

A

Everyone hopes to have a healthy lifestyle. But do you know what a healthy lifestyle is like? Here are some ways to have a healthy life.

Get active.
This is the most important way of a healthy

lifestyle. Walking, running, playing basketball and other sports will help you keep healthy.

Keep clean.

Keep the places around you clean. Unclean and untidy places can not only make you angry but also make you ill.

Eat healthily.

Our health depends on our food, so everyone should remember to eat healthy food. The healthier food you eat, the healthier you will be.

Live green.

This is the easiest way to live a healthy lifestyle. Plant trees around your house, try your best to use less water, and stop using things if they are bad for the environment.

C

     There is an English saying: "Laughter is the best medicine." Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now, however, doctors have begun to investigate laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people's health.

     Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise.  It increases blood pressure, the heart rate and breathing. It also works several groups of muscle in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.

     Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effects of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated pain for the longest time was the one that listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of natural chemical in the brain which decreases both stress and pain.

      As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.

The way we get about has a deep influence on the way welive－affecting where we set up home, work and holiday. So what changes might come in the way we get around? What big ideas are out there, and do they have any chance of coming true?

Personal Air Travel

The idea: flying cars

Developments in light small plane technology will make it possible for everyone to own what are, in fact, flying cars. They will have closed cabins, heating, stereos and room for two people.

You will take off from a field near your home and fly to towns and cities. After landing, you will take off the fixed wing and continue your journey by road just as if you were traveling by car.

Fuel efficient engines and the advantage of being able to travel in the sky will keep costs and the environmental influence down.

Flying for Fun

The idea: Jet Packs

The idea was a hit when a stuntman (特技演员) flew around on one during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which was very successful.

You’ll be able to use the equipment—roughly the size of two scuba (呼吸器) tanks fastened to your back－for short journeys.

They will be handy for cleaning hard-to-reach windows, arriving in style at a party and shopping.

Taxis

The idea: driverless taxis

These computer-controlled taxis will take you wherever you want along a fixed route, whenever you want to go.

For the price of one person’s bus fare, several people can ride at speeds of up to 25 mph, and there will be fences to guard against accidents.

There will be little, if any, wait for the use of the taxis, which will leave from stations and will be used by prepaid cards.

The taxis, which will travel on a 1.5 m-wide track, will use 75% less energy per passenger than a car and 50% less than a bus.

D

     Imagine if you had no feeling in your hands. Imagine holding a baby’s hand without knowing if you are hurting it or not. This is the problem many amputees (someone who have lost all or part of an arm or leg) face. Recently a team of scientists has come up with a bionic arm: one that allows an amputee to feel as if he is using his natural arm.

       Now the biggest difficulty lies in connecting it to the nerves. We experience feeling because of our nerves, which send electrical signals to our brains. When the arm is cut off and fitted with a prosthetic arm (假臂), the peripheral (末梢的) nerves can no longer send a signal to the brain. The lack of signals makes amputees unable to feel objects that they pick up. The most important aspect of the bionic arm is its connectivity to the nerves on the end of the arm. Sensors (传感器) on the bionic arm detect and receive signals from any object it comes into contact with. Then, a computer program created by the scientists transforms the signal into an impulse (脉冲) that can be translated by nerves. Wires (金属丝) from the sensors are connected to the nerves in the patient, allowing the signal to be sent to the brain.

       Early tests of the bionic arm have been successful, but it is not yet ready for wider use. The team of scientists wants to continue improving the instrument. An important advancement would be to make it easy to carry; it now works with many wires outside, preventing amputees from using it outside of the lab. In addition, the scientists want to improve sensitivity and the feeling of finger movements. Being the first prosthetic instrument to connect to the nerves, the bionic arm still needs to undergo further tests. So only time will tell if it will be the next breakthrough in prosthetics.

a. Nerves translate the impulse.

b. A bionic arm touches an object.

c. Signals are transformed into an impulse.

d. Nerves send electrical signals to the brain.

e. Sensors on the arm detect and receive signals.

Some people do not get a medical check-up in their life. It is often too late when health problems arise. Is “health above anything” a watchword (口号) in our modern busy lives? When was the last time you had a check-up?

The National Health Association (NHA) suggests having your physical health checked at least once a year. We, at the School of Physiology (SP), invite you to come to our clinic for your next check-up. Our 200 well-trained students are offering discounted services in exchange for opportunity to practice and improve the quality of their medical skills.

However, potential patients should be aware that a general check-up includes evaluations, but there will not be X-rays, medication suggestions, long-term health consultations, or treatment planning. That you should see a doctor for more specific needs is recommended. A list of health care professionals in the area can be seen outside the reception area.

If you wish to take part in this offer, please contact our reception desk to make an appointment. People may be charged at different prices according to their insurance conditions. Ask the reception desk for more information about the charges. All new patients will first have to be screened by a medical assistant. Please arrive at least twenty minutes before your scheduled visit. Assistants are on staff from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. A professor of medicine is also on staff full time in case of difficulties or questions. In addition, comment cards are available at the front desk for patients to evaluate our services. Take advantage of this great opportunity and let us help lead you to a healthy life!

B

Is price a barrier to eating more fruits and vegetables for low-income families? A few weeks ago, my readers voted on whether healthy foods are more expensive and if that’s one reason why so many people don’t keep a healthier diet. Some of the comments were very good, but there were plenty of readers who had no reason for not buying healthy foods.

      We have a little more information to go on now thanks to a new study. Here are some of the interesting facts from the study:

     ·The dietary guidelines recommend nine servings of fruits and veggies a day.

    · People with higher incomes are more likely to meet these dietary recommendations.

     ·People who make less than $ 25,000 a year eat only about five servings a day.

     ·Low-income neighborhoods often have higher food prices, as these neighborhoods often have fewer and smaller supermarkets, which charge more.

     ·It costs about 17-19% more to eat healthier choices (e.g., whole-wheat instead of white bread, nonfat dairy products, etc.).

    · On average, low-income families would have to devote 43-70% of their food budget to meet the fruit and veggie dietary guidelines.

       From these facts, it’s easy to see why choosing healthy food isn’t always an option. So what’s the answer? Would lowering prices solve the problem or would people still keep eating the same way? Should we tax unhealthy foods to make them less appealing? Should we educate people on how to budget their money so they can afford healthy foods? Leave a comment and tell us what you think below.

C

Nearly one billion of the world’s people do not have an“adequate (足够的)”supply of water, and most of these people are in the world’s developing nations. The lack of water services is the cause of much disease and illness in the developing nations. Increased demand and greater use of water (caused by population increases) often create the need for extra water treatment because water from new source areas tends to be of lower quality. Water services would be improved if the construction of facilities (设施) were not so costly.

      Water pollution in the developing nations is sometimes caused by overuse of fertilizers and a general lack of pollution prevention laws. Access to good wastewater treatment facilities in these countries is very limited. As a result, water bodies in the developing nations are often open to human and animal waste products. Besides, the waste chemicals of factories are also poured into these water bodies.

       In the developing nations, floods account for about 40 percent of all deaths caused by natural disasters. For example, 3.7 million people were killed in a 1931 flood on China’s Yangtze River. However, floods also carry sediment（沉积物）and nutrients into flood plains. This natural process is important for agricultural production. Programs for flood management should consider and find a way to balance the harmful and beneficial aspects of floods.

      Throughout the developing countries, deforestation (滥伐森林) is being caused by a combination of overpopulation, improper land use practices, and a lack of environmental laws. Soil erosion (侵蚀) is a natural process, but deforestation and other human activities have led to a five times increase in the average levels of sediment carried in the world’s rivers. Too much sediment in rivers can damage ecosystems and fisheries, affecting the people who directly depend on them.