It seems that the old tradition of children getting a bedtime story before sleeping is disappearing in Britain.A new study shows that around a third of parents do not read bedtime stories to their children.The study by Littlewoods.com also finds that up 【小题1】   50 percent of children would prefer to watch TV or play computer games than read a story.Researchers further discovered that five percent of British children under seven do not even own 【小题2】   book.Parents came up with 【小题3】(vary) reasons why they did not read to their little children.The researchers questioned hundreds of parents，thirteen percent of 【小题4】   blamed a lack of time.Besides，some parents said their children were simply not interested.

The researchers 【小题5】 (work) with British pop star Natasha Hamilton to try and change this since last month.They have launched a bedtime story－writing   【小题6】 (compete) for children under seven.Ms Hamilton said，“I'm really excited to see all the different story ideas and can't wait to see   【小题7】   the kids come up with.【小题8】 (choose) a winner is not going to be easy.” She spoke about her own joy .【小题9】   a mother in reading bedtime stories，saying，“I have three kids.I know just how enjoyable reading bedtime stories to my kids is.” A spokesman from Littlewoods.com said，“We appreciate how important   【小题10】   is for parents and kids to spend quality time together，and bedtime stories are a great way to do this.”

With so much information available in books and online, it’s easy 【小题1】 (learn) a few new facts each day. But how much of that do you 【小题2】 (actual) remember? 【小题3】 your answer is ―not much, here is the good news. Scientists at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, recently designed a new typeface (字体) 【小题4】 was invented with read-it-and-forget-it people 【小题5】 mind. Very appropriately, it’s called Sans Forgetica.

The idea behind Sans Forgetica is simple. The typeface is a tiny bit 【小题6】 (difficulty) to read, which 【小题7】 (mean) your brain has to work twice as hard to understand what it says. Because of that deeper focus, you’ll have a better memory for whatever you’re reading. That’s not just a theory, either. The typeface was created by a team of 【小题8】 (researcher) from RMIT University’s School of Design and its Behavioural Business Lab. The group worked with a famous typographer Stephen Banham to test and improve   【小题9】 (they) product.

The typeface uses principles of cognitive psychology to create an effect 【小题10】 (know) as desirable difficulty, the researchers note, ―which causes the brain to take part in deeper cognitive processing. The result is improved memory.