Is there a way to quickly remember information just before taking an exam? Walking backward might be a solution. Scientists said this activity can help people improve their short-term memory.

Researchers asked 114 volunteers to watch a video. After watching the video, they were divided into three groups. One group was told to walk 10 meters forward. The second group walked 10 meters backward. The third group stood in one place. All three groups were then asked 20 questions about what they saw in the video. The scientists found that the backward-walking group got two more answers correct on average（平均）than the other two groups.

This suggests that the connection between time and space is important in terms of（就……而言）how our minds form memories. Time is really expressed through space. So when we walk backward, we see things from a different angle（角度）compared to walking forward. This difference helps people remember things that happened in the past.

And walking backward is not just good for the brain. It is also good for the rest of the body. Compared to walking forward, walking backward is more challenging. This can help us improve our fitness. Walking backward uses more energy in a short time and burns more calories. Besides, walking backward is less stressful for our knees. It could be helpful for people who often have pain in their knees. This might be why many old people like walking backward.

Snow falls on the mountain. It snows and snows. The snow doesn’t melt(融化). It becomes deep and heavy. The snow on the bottom pressed together becomes ice.

The ice is very wide and thick. It begins to move down the mountain. It is like a river of ice. It is a glacier(冰河).

Sometimes the glacier moves only a few inches(英寸) each day. As it moves, it takes rocks and dirt with it. It changes the land. In some places, it leaves hills. In some places, when the glacier melts, it makes rivers and lakes.

A million years ago, there were many big glaciers. Glaciers covered many parts of the world. The glaciers changed the land.

Glaciers are still at work today. A glacier in the north of Canada is cutting a new path(道路) down the side of a mountain. This glacier will change the land, too.

Humans and gorillas (大猩猩) shared evolution (进化) for 23 million years. Their paths separated only six million years ago. New research on how gorillas communicate may help us better understand human language.

Understanding how the brain works helps us see a connection between language development and non-verbal signs. “Gorillas have many kinds of non-verbal communication” said psychologist Sebastian Forrester, from the University of Sussex. He thinks humans may have had the same communication skills.

Non-verbal communication includes the ways we move our bodies and the different expressions on our faces. A new study on gorillas showed that right-handedness may have a connection with communication. The right side of the body is controlled by the left part of the brain, which is also where language develops.

Two cameras were used to watch how one gorilla moved. It was shown that gorillas use their right hands more when they are doing actions with their heads or mouths at the same time. This may show that there is a connection between how our brains work and the reason we use one side of our body more than the other.

Forrester said the results could help us understand how children learn languages. For example, some children have a condition called autism (自闭症) in which they have a hard time communicating with other people. This same kind of study may help doctors find autism in children at an earlier age.