The damaging effects of shift work on the body are well known. This study shows the impact on the mind as well.

Three thousand people performed tests of memory and speed of thought. Those with more than ten years of shift work under their belts had the same results as those who didn't do shifts but were six-and-a-half years older.

The good news is that when people in the study stopped shift work their brains didrecover, although it took five years.

The researchers said shift work was a necessary evil in modern society, but more needed to be done to improve the health of those toiling through the night.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukchina/trad/elt/english_now/2014/11/141103_tae_538_pay_for_your_bag

authorities - 當局，政府

mandatory -required by law or rules; compulsory 強制性

 charge - 收費

今日短語
To bite someone's head off 的意思是對某人嚴厲斥責、大發脾氣，而且往往是在對方沒有凖備的情況下。
例句
I'm very sorry I lost my temper, I didn't mean to bite your head off.
Don't bite my head off, it wasn't my fault, I was just explaining the situation.

Jean-Claude Juncker's dismissive assessment of David Cameron's promise to fix EU migration proved the issue will be an uphill battle for the prime minister. Yesterday, the incoming Commission president said rules around the free movement of people could not be changed.
But the Conservative MP Edward Leigh said he thought the EU is desperate to keep Britain in, and there was a very good chance EU migration could be renegotiated. Responding to Mr Juncker's remarks, a Downing Street source said proposals would be brought forward before Christmas and deserved and would get a fair hearing.
At today's summit, EU leaders will try and agree a target of cutting greenhouse gases by 40% by 2030. The prime minister is also expected to raise the issue of EU expenditure.
This week, the European Parliament asked for a budget of 146bn euros next year, 6bn more than EU leaders agreed at an earlier summit. The final deal will be hammered out next month, but the government sources said the MEPs' bid was too high and unrealistic.

It might be difficult to find anyone who hasn't seen one of these ice bucket challenge videos or pictures. And every day there's a new one with a celebrity in it. Justin Bieber's(小賈斯汀) video got more than one million 'likes'. Former US President George W Bush took part in one and so did actor Tom Cruise, internet billionaires, footballers and my neighbour Sophie. But has it achieved anything?
The challenge's objective was fundraising and bringing awareness to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association in the US. The figures say it did. During the month of August, when the campaign was in full swing, ALS received over $98m – a big jump compared to the $2.7m donated during the same period last year.
Other charities have benefitted from it too, including the UK's Water Aid. It seems to have got money from some people who thought the ice bucket challenge was a waste of precious liquid.
But the initiative has its critics. Shannon Murray, a British writer who campaigns for disability rights says: "It's been very celebrity-orientated and it plays into our culture of putting everything about ourselves out there on social media. Some people have obviously done it to raise their profile and that's up to them. Personally it makes me a bit uncomfortable."
Veteran BBC radio presenter John Humphrys isn't happy either. "I have mixed feelings about persuading people to support a charity with stunts," he says. Humphrys believes charity should be about giving because it's a worthwhile cause that we want to help.

Optical Illusions - 錯覺 幻覺

perceive - become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand. 感知

sharp - 分明的

fuzzy - 模糊的

messing -make untidy or dirty. 弄亂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W_rB9xWfYk#t=38

throw
(vt.)投,擲,拋,發射,摔下,匆匆穿,拋棄,擺脫,施加(vi.)丟,擲,拋投擲,擲骰子
sarcastic

http://goo.gl/U5D2Zb

Can science fiction help us?  

What will the future be like? Good or bad? A lot of science-fiction writing imagines a world which is dark and scary. In Blade Runner, Harrison Ford hunts robots in a chaotic Los Angeles. Planet of the Apes shows a bleak future for humankind. And what about The Hunger Games? Don't get me started.
There's a word to describe the kind of future world which often appears in science fiction: dystopia. It means an imagined place where things are unpleasant or bad. The opposite is utopia. But does tomorrow's world have to be so depressing?
No. A new project wants to use the power of science fiction to inspire people to create a better future. Project Hieroglyph brings together writers, scientists, engineers and artists to create optimistic stories about things which really could happen in the next 50 years.

Now here's something worth making a song and dance about...
At 13 metres long, this is the world's biggest playable guitar.
It's taking centre stage in an exhibition in the US about the instrument.
Who can resist strumming it?

Climate-the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.   氣候

Gravity-萬有引力

neat-巧妙

constant - 衡長不變

whether (adj

是否... 是不是... 無論...

http://goo.gl/4a38qo

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukchina/trad/elt/english_now/2014/09/140930_are_277_food_for_thought

canteen 

-a restaurant provided by an organization such as a military camp, college, factory, or company for its soldiers, students, staff, etc.. 食堂

afford 

-have enough money to pay for.負擔的起

http://tw.voicetube.com/videos/17375?ref=new

• 

  minimal

  (a.)最小的,極微的,最小限度的
   

http://tw.voicetube.com/videos/16330#video-container

• 

  breeze
   

http://goo.gl/vmWwEp

If you had a strange, buzzing sound in your ear, what would you do? One man in Wales who thought he had a fly in his ear called 999, the emergency services number in Britain.

And so did a woman who was worried about her green potatoes. Could she make chips with them? Were they poisonous? She had no qualms about calling the local ambulance service to ask.

According to a recent report, more than 31,000 non-urgent calls were made to the Welsh Ambulance Service in the last year.

http://goo.gl/kHdvzb

For many people commuting is a necessary evil. Most see going by car or van as the 'least worst' option. This study by the researchers at the University of East Anglia challenges that assumption.

It suggests walking, cycling or travelling by public transport can lift the mood. Crucially, it suggests those who switch from the car to an active commute feel better across a range of psychological measures, including concentration, decision-making and the ability to face up to problems.

The researchers say policies encouraging people to leave their cars at home could have a dramatic impact on public wellbeing

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukchina/trad/elt/english_now/2014/09/140917_sotw_message_in_a_bottle.shtml?

Nobody likes junk mail…

But this pile of rubbish might contain just what Nicola White is looking for.

She hunts for messages in bottles on the banks of the River Thames in England.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/05/world/gallery/week-in-photos-0905/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fedition_world+%28RSS%3A+World%29&utm_content=FaceBook

volcano -n, a mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are being or have been erupted from the earth's crust. 火山

thick -厚

ash-灰

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukchina/trad/elt/english_now/2014/09/140910_sotw_snails.shtml?

Slimy and squishy, they might not be to everyone's taste.

But snails are growing in popularity as a delicacy, according to British snail farmer Helen Howard.

She started breeding them in her spare room seven years ago, and feeds them a special meal of cereals, powdered chalk and dried milk.