Have you ever played the video dance game? Now such games are used to help lose weight!

Like many other teenage boys, Jones loved sports. But at 5 feet, 175 pounds, he found his weight a trouble. His doctor wanted him to lose 50 pounds so that he may catch up with the football game by the end of summer.

Jones chose the popular dance revolution video game at home to increase his activity. He had lost about 10 pounds by changing his diet. Now, after two weeks playing the game, he has lost another 10!

The health study is being done by an insurance company, which hopes that game will lead to better health and lower costs. “Obesity claims(肥胖索赔) last year cost us $77 million. We have to cut those costs”, said a member of the insurance group. The company provides a game console(游戏主机), a dance mat and software for the six-month, $ 60,000 study.

The study is more than commercial thing of an insurance company. It is widely supported by physical education and health professionals.

In West Virginia, 43% of the nearly 6,000 children examined for heart disease risk were considered over-weighted; more than 25% were too fat. “We are in a crisis of childhood obesity not only in West Virginia but in America,” said a researcher.

Researchers are looking at the potential for improving effects by using the game. A teacher in West Virginia has been using the video game in her classes since last fall. She reported that the game does improve heart health as well as eye-hand coordination, and her students take the video game as a great alternative to jumping rope or ball games.

The US Education Department is putting the game in 20 schools to control childhood obesity. Well, are you going to try such a game to dance away your extra weight?

When we don’t understand each other’s language, we can talk with the help of signs.

A Frenchman was once travelling in England. He could not speak English at all. One day he went into a restaurant and sat down at a table. When the waiter came, he opened his mouth, put his fingers in it, and took out again. He wanted to say . “Bring me something to eat.” The waiter soon brought him a cup of tea. The man moved his head from side to side. The waiter understood him and took the tea away. In a moment he came with a cup of coffee. But the man again refused it. He shook his head whenever the waiter brought him something to drink, for drinks are not food. When the man was going away, another man came in. This man saw the waiter , and he put his hand on his stomach. That was enough. In a few minutes there was a large plate of meat and vegetables on the table in front of him.

So you see, we cannot understand the language of signs as well as we can understand the language of words.

The latest fashion in Japan is posing for photos with your hand pressed against your cheek as if you have toothache. The “cavity(牙疼) pose” is said to make the model’s face appear attractive, slimmer and smaller, which is considered more beautiful in Japan. The craze is sweeping Japanese social media, as well as fashion magazine front covers.

Just recently a model of a popular culture magazine, NYLON, did a pose which looked as if she had toothache. Twitter user, Okoge, spotted it among a range of similar magazines, with front cover models all doing the same pose. Okoge posted photos of the front cover models all with the exact same toothache pose, on the social media site, writing, “Does everyone have cavities?” The image has since been re-tweeted more than 35,000 times, but this is anything but an isolated incident(单一事件). Twitter and Instagram are going crazy for the pose, too.

The name, which means cavity pose, is called “mushiba no poozu” or “mushibapoozu” in Japanese. Some people also refer to it as the” mushibagaitaipoozu”, the “cavity hurts pose”, “mushibamitainapoozu” or “looks like a cavity pose”, or even, “mushibaninattapoozu” or “I got a cavity pose”.

According to the magazine, Kotaku, such photographs first appeared on Twitter last year in Japan. Many Japanese people said they are doing the cavity pose. And in only a few weeks, the trend has spread to art, popular cartoons and even national magazines.

There have been more and more photos cropping up online from earlier this year, but whether the trend will stand the test of time remains to be seen.

The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.

In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an enough working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.

The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.

The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics．At this time, many colorful stamps are published to mark the great Games．The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics．From then on, publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule．

During the 4th Winter Olympic Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936．The five rings of Olympics were drawn on the front of the sportswear．It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics．

In the 1950s, the stamps of this kind became more colorful．When the White Olympics came, the host countries as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those Games．China also published four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sportsmen began to take part in the White Olympics．

Japan is an Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics．Altogether 14,500 million stamps were sold to raise money for this sports meet．

Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps．People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen．

One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?

Listen — Listen when they are talking. Don’t say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it’s not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.

Help them — If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don’t do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra pencil or pen with you to classes in case they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.

Be there for them — Try to make something for your friend to help make them feel better in hard times. Making cards and encouraging them are among the nicest things you can do for a friend. Marilyn Monroe, a famous U.S. actor, once said, “I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control. But if you can’t stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve to be with me at my best.” Always remember this! If you don’t want to stay with your friends when they’re in hard times, then you don’t deserve to be with them when they’re having a good time!

Make plans — Try to make plans with your friends. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you’ll remember these things when you’re all old!

Madrid, capital of Spain, is a city with large numbers of historic sites resting in the shadows of modern skyscrapers.

This city of over 3, 23 million people, up from 2,88 million in 2000, is proud of Western Europe’s royal palace, considered by many to be Madrid’s most beautiful building. Inside the Royal Palace 2,800 rooms are decorated with museum-quality furniture and artwork.

The internationally loved Prado Museum is the largest and most impressive art gallery in Spain. Opened in 1819, it is filled with works of art that include the world’s most comprehensive collection of Spanish paintings.

Spain is famous for its delicious ham, and there’s no better place to try it than at Museo del Jamón, which has five branches around the city. Hanging from the ceiling of each branch are dozens of hams of different types and flavors. Taste them in the bar.

Madrid had some of Europe’s best shopping. For 500 years, shoppers have gathered to a large outdoor flea market (跳蚤市场) known as the Rastro, where they find everything from antiques (古董) to CDs.

Get a great view of the city from Teleferico de Madrid. This cable car (缆车) takes you on a 2.5kilometer trip 40 meters above the Manzanares River and Casa de Campo park. For a refreshing choice, relax beside the swimming pool on the roof of the Emperador Hotel. Enjoy delicious desserts and drinks while viewing the city, or take a dip in the cool water.

No trip to Madrid is complete without seeing a performance of Spain’s famous art form, flamenco. Every day, flamenco performers sing, dance or play the guitar in small cafes and grand theaters alike.

Something that makes sense is happening in Washington, D.C! Public school kids surrounded by museums and monuments are putting the ready-made learning tools to use — and actually learning.

A trip to see painter Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series is one of almost 200 trips that Wheelock will organize this year through the nonprofit group Live It Learn It. “For many kids, school is disconnected,” says one of four full-time workers and tour leaders. “With the program, they see how what they are learning is connected to their communities.”

Seven years ago, Wheelock changed a job as a lawyer for one as a four-grade teacher. When he learned that D.C.’s public schools ranked behind those of other cities in many ways, he knew he had to do something different. He took his class to Capitol Hill for a lesson on the three branches of government — and saw his students’ interest develop quickly.

With seed money from a local couple, Wheelock developed detailed lesson plans for trips to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Lincoln Memorial. The group also has classes for trips to the Anacostia River, boat rides to historical forts. Word spread, and now fourth, fifth, sixth graders from the neediest public schools in the District participate.

“I’m not brave enough to take my class to a museum for over an hour!” says teacher Cathy McCoy, gesturing toward her students. “But look With Live It Learn It, what the kids learn today they’ll remember for a lifetime.”

A scientist turns out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she deals with it. Some children reach eagerly for the treat they see. Some last a few minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait until the last moment. By the time the children reach high school, something remarkable has happened. A survey found that those who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation(诱惑) early on were more likely to be lonely, easily frustrated(沮丧)and inflexible(固守己见的). Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn't show up on an IQ test.

The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists' concerns. But brain theory can't explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant soul. Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people's success, brain ability as measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as "character".

EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together; how one's ability to handle stress, for instance, affects the ability to concentrate and put intelligence to use. Among the ingredients(要素) for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about 20%; the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.

While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.

This could be the perfect gift for the partner, who embarrasses you on the dance floor. Smart socks, which can teach to dance, may be the answer for anyone with two left feet.

The socks have been developed as a running tool to help runners improve their skills. Thanks to the socks, users can accurately（精确地）record not only know far and fast they run but also how well. It means the user maximizes(最大化)theirperformance, and reduces damage to body and prevents hurt. The hi-tech socks are made of special fibers(纤维) that watch the movements of your feet. They look, feel and can be washed like normal clothes.

Sensorsrecordeach movement and send it by an ankle transmitter (脚踝发射器) to a smart phone. Then a “virtual coach” application shows the information and can tell the user what they are doing wrong, and help to improve skill in any task with feet.

The socks should be useful to athletes and weekend joggers. “People think running is so easy and of course everybody can do it but not necessarily safely and well,” Dr Davide Vigano said. A recent study showed that between 60 and 80percent of runners got hurt per year. This is pretty much more than any other human activity. Researchers say the technology can also be developed to teach people how to dance, play sports such golf, or even to help to teach women to walk better in high heels.

Mr. Vigano said, “People could all benefit from the idea. We have had interest from all sorts of sports, like skiing, football, cycling and golf. Anything where you have to use your feet can use it. It could even be put in high heels to help women walk in them safely.”

Socks are just the start, and the technology could be used in gloves, hats and boots. The socks, anklet and software package, are expected to be sold for around￡120, which will go onsalein March.