Have you ever thought about why people are ticklish? According to scientists, ticklishness is a defense mechanism humans developed against bugs, spiders, and other critters that may be touching our skin. Feeling ticklish is our built-in response to p
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At first glance, dust storms do not seem very fascinating. Winds pick up fine particles from the ground, and then the air becomes thick with dust. What is interesting, though, is that dust storms can travel across the ocean, sometimes from continent
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Many people assume that women are more greatly affected by alcohol than men because they generally weigh less and have lower rates of drinking. While this is true, researchers have found other ways in which women are more vulnerable to the effects of
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Many of us already know about several American superstitions. Having a black cat cross your path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror are all bad luck. In addition to these, there are many other superstitions that are worth knowing. Underst
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Time to Call the Doctor 爱你爱到毒死你！ In today's world, we rely on computers as never before. They are used for everything from ordering a pizza to running hospitals and military defense systems. Banking and credit card information is stor
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Can a Full Moon Really Affect Our Behavior? 月光光，心慌慌？ You have probably seen it in movies: When the moon is full, a man turns into a hairy, frightening creature and runs around the city, tearing people to pieces. You may laugh at stori
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Larry's Lawn Chair Ride 梦想起飞，别一飞冲天 Larry Walters boyhood dream was not an unusual one: He wanted to fly. What was unusual, though, was the way he fulfilled it. After finishing school, Larry joined the U.S. Air Force, but was rejec
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One of the world's oldest stories, The Epic of Gilgamesh, is a lively tale of heroism and sacrifice from ancient Sumer. It also contains one of the earliest references to beer. In the story, a female friend of the hero changes a wild, primitive beast
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Wheels Around the World 自行车环球梦 Do you have the courage to pursue your dreams? If you doubt your own abilities, perhaps you can take inspiration from the story of two Taiwanese women who made their wish come true. Like many other young peo
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A remarkable woman reasons with her killer - and tapes it. She used the miniature tape recorder for a graduate-school course she was taking. The device, though, would do much more than capture a lecture. It was a microcassette found in Kathleen Weins
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The essential problem of man in a computerized age remains the same as it has always been. That problem is not solely how to be more productive, more comfortable, more content, but how to be more sensitive, more sensible, more proportionate, more ali
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The biggest infrastructure challenge for the United States in the next decade is not the billions needed for railroads, highways and energy. It is the American school system, from kindergarten through the Ph.D. program and the postgraduate education
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The world knows a great deal about apartheid. It knows it as a repressive political system which denies political representation to 14,000,000 South Africans because they are not white; it knows it as a divisive social system which keeps people apart
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How Self-Acceptance Leads to Happiness Within 天生我材必有用 Finding acceptance is a natural desire of most people. When we are young, it is important to us to be accepted by a group and to be seen as cool by our peers. To do this, we will oft
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Destination: JAPAN! 去日本 Have you ever thought about going to Japan? There are many places in Japan worth visiting, but if you only have a little time, you absolutely cannot miss visiting Tokyo. This city is the country's capital and the center
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Plucking Sounds From the Past 拨弦弄乐话泰雅 Many of us have passed through Wulai to view its famous waterfall, but have you ever stopped to appreciate the unique sounds coming from the heart of this ancient aboriginal village? The Atayal trib
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The Making of Isaac Newton 牛顿＋苹果＝万有引力 Anyone who has ever gone to school is probably aware that Isaac Newton formed his theory of gravity after seeing an apple fall from a tree. This story is allegedly true. What is certain, howev
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Laugh for the Health of It 笑能治百病 Patients and medical practitioners alike have long believed in the healing power of humor. It is claimed that humor not only affects patients' moods, but can actually help them recover faster. Several studie
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Where Do Rainbows Come From? 彩虹来自何方 Throughout history, rainbows have been a source of mystery and legend. Rainbows are also important symbols in a number of cultures around the world. In the Old Testament of the Bible, for example, God s
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Cloze: Stingers of the Sea 海中刺客 ── 水母 Given impressive-sounding names like Portuguese man-of-war, jellyfish are certainly respected and feared by humans. Not exactly a fish, and lacking a spine, this creature has a single body cavity
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