Multitasking(多任务) affects the brain, research suggests, and it could be damaging your career. A new study found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter(灰质) in a key part of the brain.

University of Sussex researchers said: “Using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices at the same time could be changing the structure of our brains.” Worryingly, the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in processing emotion. The finding follows research which has linked multitasking with a poor attention, depression, anxiety and lower grades at school.

The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology. This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking emails, or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the web. The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less of grey matter. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, is the first to make a link between multitasking and the structure of the brain.

Researcher Kep Kee Loh said: “Media multitasking is becoming more common in our lives today and there is increasing concern about its influences on our cognition(认知) and social-emotional well-being.” He added that more research is needed to prove that multitasking shrinks the brain. This is because it is also possible that people with less grey matter are more drawn to using lots of devices at the same time. Scientists have previously proved brain structure can be changed on long exposure to new environments and experience. Other studies have shown that training---such as learning to juggle or taxi drivers learning the map of London -- can increase grey-matter densities(密度) in certain parts.

There is an old story that always brings a smile to my face. One day a man was walking down the street when he saw his friend crawling (爬行) around  (1)  something.“What are you doing on the   (2)  ？”the man asked his friend. His friend said, “I   (3)  my key.” The man felt sorry for his friend and got down to  (4)  . After a long time of searching without  (5)  ，the man asked his friend where he probably lost his key. The friend replied, “Probably in my house.” Feeling   (6)  ，the man asked why he was searching on the street then. His friend said, “Because there is more   (7)  here.”

Though it sounds  (8)  ，it is what a lot of people   (9)  . They want to know the  (10)   of their lives. They want to  (11)   the secret to their own happiness.   (12)  ，they look everywhere except the inside of themselves. Perhaps they think it is too dark and  (13)  to look within for the  (14)  . They keep looking on the outside instead because they think the light is better there.

The  (15)  is if they are willing to look within, they will find a light far brighter than any on the  (16)  . They will find the glow (发光) of their own hearts that has been patiently waiting for their   (17)  . They will find a beautiful fire that will  (18)   their hearts and that they can give to everyone everywhere.

Don’t be  (19)   to look on the inside. The light on the outside is not as bright as the loving light that  (20)   from your own heart. That is the light that will guide you to a joyous life.

That saying perfectly describes Zhang Lei, the 34-year-old champion of the fourth “Voice of China” singing competition, which ended on Oct 7.

Critics thought Zhang’s  success as a victory for folk singers. The Voice of China used to attach great importance to singing skills and vocal techniques, which are not necessarily what folk singers are good at. “Folk songs are more about emotions and storytelling,”said Li.

Folk is one of the oldest musical styles. It dates back to ancient times, when people sang about their everyday lives and the society around them.

Folk music became popular again in the Western world in the 1960s. During social revolutions, many young Westerners turned to the simple rhythms of folk. Pioneers included US singer Bob Dylan, whose songs are reflections of some social issues like the Vietnam War. Singers at that time used traditional folk instruments like the banjo, the upright bass, the mandolin and the piano.

In the late 1970s, folk music was introduced to Taiwan. The rise of singers like Lo Tayu and Chyi Yu popularized folk music, particularly among young Chinese people.

At that time, folk tunes were based on simple song structures, with pleasant chord progression and pretty lyrics, just like during old times. But they focused more on the dreams and sorrow of youth than on politics.

Sadly, it didn’t last long in China. Folk gave way to pop in the late 1990s, when people started living more fast-paced lives. But that didn’t mean folk music had disappeared from the music world entirely.  “The drop in the popularity of folk songs is because the business mode of the music industry is outdated, not because of the music itself,” folk singer Song Ke once said.   He was right. Recent years have seen folk songs gaining popularity, with the appearance of singers like Li Jian and Song Dongye.

 “The popularity of the Internet has shocked the traditional profit model in music industry,” Lu Zhongqiang, manager of 13-Month, a music recording and publishing company, told Tencent Entertainment.  “Not-so-well-known music starts showing its strength when the production of mainstream music is declining,” he added.

A family in Guelph,Ontario is spending a year living “in 1982”. They’re doing it so that their kids can see what life was like before technology like iPads, computers and even coffee machines was part of their everyday life.

They have stopped using all technology at their home and are depending on the things people would have used back in the 1980s. There is a box at the front door where people can put their cell phones in, while they’re visiting the family.

Blair McMillan and his wife Morgan want their kids—Trey, 5, and Denton, 2—to have a year without technology.

Instead of reading e-books, they are reading books. Instead of using a GPS, they used paper maps. The home the family is living in was built in the 1980s. Even the way they dress and style their hair is from the 80s.

The whole idea started when young Trey was called to come outside. He didn’t because he was busy playing on the iPad. That’s why his dad thought of the idea of living “in 1982” for a year. The family plans to live like “it’s 1982” until April next year. To them, one of the hardest things is giving up their cell phones.

  Music can make us feel happy or peaceful, or move us to tears. As an orchestra conductor(管弦乐团指挥), Amy Anderson allows people to experience many   (1)   that music can give.

       Anderson fell in love with   (2)   as a child. She began playing the piano at seven. She bought many videos   (3)   by the world’s great orchestras and conductors and   (4)   listened to them for hours. During a concert, the audiences see the   (5)   of a conductor and the arm movements he or she uses. What audiences do not see is all the work the conductor has done before the   (6)  . However, a few months before a concert, Anderson studies the music by   (7)   it on the piano. She listens to recording, reads about the musician’s life, and reviews some   (8)   events that would have influenced the musician. Her goal is to present the music as the musician   (9)  .

       While conducting, Anderson uses her whole body to   (10)   how the music should sound and feel. Her   (11)   are strong when the music is   (12)   and gentle when the music is peaceful. As she conducts, Anderson listens out for the   (13)   with the balance of different kinds of instruments or voices.

       To   (14)   young musicians to understand how to play the music, Anderson tells them to imagine a   (15)   and relaxing walk or a ship being tossed(颠簸) by waves. “It is music’s ability to   (16)   people that I like most,” says Anderson. She has seen audiences at her concerts clap their hands together.   (17)  , listeners are moved to tears by the music. After one concert in Serbia, the audiences   (18)   around the orchestra’s buses and showed their   (19)   for the musicians. Anderson is happy to be a conductor, because music can   (20)   people’s spirits and bring joy into ordinary days.

Where do you go when you want to learn something?School?A friend?A tutor?These are all　(1)　places of learning.But it may well be that the learning you really want　(2)　somewhere else instead.I had the　(3)　of seeing this first hand on a　(4)　. 

My daughter plays on a recreational soccer team. They did very well this season and so　(5)　a tournament,which normally was only for more skilled club teams. This led to some 　(6)　experiences on Saturday as they played against teams　(7)　trained. Through the first two games, her　(8)　did not get one serious shot on goal. As a parent, I　(9)　seeing my daughter playing her best, 　(10)　still defeated. 

It seemed that something clicked with the　(11)　between Saturday and Sunday.When they　(12)　for their Sunday game,they were　(13)　different.They had begun to integrate(融合)the kinds of play and teamwork they had　(14)　the day before into their 　(15)　.They played aggressively and　(16)　scored a goal. 

It　(17)　me that playing against the other team was a great　(18)　moment for all the girls on the team.I think it is a general principle.　(19)　is the best teacher.The lessons they learned may not be　(20)　what they would have gotten in school,but are certainly more personal and meaningful,because they had to work them out on their own.