Everyone has moments of forgetfulness from time to time, especially when life gets busy.

【小题1】, having a poor memory can be frustrating. However, research has shown that there are ways to improve your memory.

Sleep on it

Sleeping well helps make episodic memories stronger. 【小题2】, especially relating to learning motor skills, such as learning to play a musical instrument or ride a bike. Having a full night’s sleep soon after gaining a new skill helps strengthen the processes involved.

Believe to remember

Positive thinking appears to improve memory performance. Researchers found they could improve the performance of people aged 60 and above in memory tests by presenting them with positive age-related words such as “wise”, and “sharp-witted”. 【小题3】. Brain scans have shown differences in activity levels in brain regions, according to whether or not individuals believe they have good recall abilities or not.

【小题4】

Memories can be weakened if the brain doesn’t have enough downtime to strengthen them. More than a century ago, German scientists showed that people performed almost twice as well in memory tests if they took breaks.

Stay social

【小题5】. US scientists who asked people in their 50s and 60s to do memory tests every other year found there is a slower decline in recall abilities of their most so ciable persons. Having good friends, volunteering and other forms of social engagement also protect memory.

   Virtual reality is no longer a concept of the future. 3-D technology can now change a desktop computer into an interactiveworld of adventure, fashion, fun and entertainment.

Using the Internet as an entry platform, the new technology is blurring the lines between the real and virtual worlds.

In contrast to a traditional two-dimensional（二维的）interface, the 3-D environment provides a very large and highly social world, enabling access to people and places that would be impossible in the real world.

Through the use of avatars（虚拟替身）, a virtual replica of yourself, or whoever you want to be, life can take on new dimensions in cyberspace.

Shopping online is not such a new world to most people, but the 3-D experience is completely different. Via avatars, shoppers can pick up, try on and test out products in virtual shopping centres. The avatar, set with real-life measurements, can try on a new pair of jeans, get a trendy haircut and see if certain accessories suit.

Avatars can also join with like-minded people as they travel, take on adventures and socialize.

From a businessman’s point of view, interactive 3-D experiences allow him to exactly judge consumer demand via instant feedback and requests.

Buying property and taking a holiday in the real world also presents great virtual opportunities. Before buying a home, renting an apartment or booking a hotel, you can walk through a digital version of the property, making sure that it meets all your needs.

For people short of time and money in the real world, virtual tourism allows adventures in a virtual dimension. A virtual tourist can step inside the Louvre, trek into the Sahara, or go bungee jumping in New Zealand.

“3-D technology will influence many aspects of human life in that we can entertain ourselves from similar cyber games and experience exciting 3-D tourism,” explained Martin Tong, marketing director of The 1st Virtual Business and professional creator of a vitual world.

“Our understanding of the virtual world is to give customers a strong interactive experience; it is not only a game, but also life itself,” he added.

The new way of traveling will not necessarily meet everyone's satisfaction. Dong Lifen, an engineer in China Unicom commented that while the virtual world gives the freedom of traveling to popular destinations, it is not the same as the real thing.