A new study indicates that living in a city makes it harder for people to concentrate on some tasks. The research found that people living in rural areas can focus better than those in urban areas. The study is from Goldsmiths College, which is part of the University of London. Head researcher Dr Karina and her team made great contributions. They studied how two groups of people did the same “thinking tasks”. The team went to a remote (偏远的) part of Namibia, southwest Africa, to study the Himba tribe. Himba people live a very basic life in the desert. They are still doing traditional farming. The team also studied members of the same tribe who had moved to the nearest town. The Dr. said the tribe who lived in the desert did much better on the tests than those in the town. It’s really interesting and shocking.

Dr Karina said their research may lead to changes in the way companies operate. In the future, workers may move from cities to live and work in the countryside. She said there are too many things around us in the city that stop us from thinking about one thing for a long time. This means we do not work at our best. She asked, “What if, for example, companies realized certain tasks would be better carried out by employees based outside of the urban environment? There their concentration ability is better.” The past century has seen billions of people move from the countryside to big cities. In the future, the trend may not continue. If Dr.’s research is true, this century might see many of those people return to the great outdoors. Let’s wait to see what will happen.

When you were a little child, your parents made decisions about everything for you because you weren’t old enough to take care of yourself and make careful decisions. Finally, however, you grow up and become a teenager. You begin to have your own thoughts and opinions about life.

As you change and grow into this new person who makes your own decisions, your parents may have a difficult time adjusting (调整). They aren’t used to the new you — they only know you as a child.

In most families, this adjustment can cause lots of arguments between teens and parents. You want to cover your walls with posters, but your parents don’t understand why you don’t like your wallpaper any more. Then you feel your parents don’t respect you and don’t allow you to do what you like, and your parents get angry because they disagree with your decisions. And some other things — like the type of friends you have — can cause even bigger arguments, because your parents will always be ready to protect you and keep you safe, no matter how old you are.

However, the good news is that there will be fewer arguments as your parents realize that you have grown up and should have your own ideas. Before you get on well with each other again, communication between you and your parents is very important.

Up till about 130 years ago, newspapers in the United States attracted only the most serious readers. They used no illustration (插图) and the articles were about politics or business.

Two men changed that - Joseph Pulitzer bought the New York World and William Randolph Hearst of the New York Journal. Pulitzer bought the New York World in 1883. He changed it from a traditional newspaper into a very exciting one overnight. He added lots of illustrations and he told his reporters to write articles on every crime they could find. And they did. One of them-a woman reporter, even pretended she was mad and was sent to a hospital. She then wrote many articles about the poor treatment of patients in those hospitals where mad men were kept.

In 1895, Hearst came to New York from California. He wanted the Journal to be more exciting than the World. He also wanted it to be cheaper, so he lowered the price to a penny. Hearst attracted attention because his newspaper headings were bigger than anyone else’s. He often says, “Big print makes big news.”

Pulitzer and Hearst did anything they could to sell newspapers. For example, Hearst sent Frederic Remington, the famous illustrator, to draw pictures of the Spanish-American War. When he got there, he told Hearst that no fighting was going on, Hearst answered, “You provide the pictures. I’ll provide the war.”