They say that Mexico is a country no one ever leaves. Every year, millions of tourists pass through, and Mexicans happily warn that a part of them will remain behind forever. Most visitors are vacationing North Americans who end up on the brilliant beaches of Cancun, Acapulco, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. The beaches, of course, are among the world’s best – but those who venture inland are rewarded with the true soul of Mexico.

And it is a big soul. The Republic of Mexico is vast, consisting of nearly two million square miles of coastline, desert, rain forest, mountains and fertile plains. From the American borderlands of the wide, agriculturally rich north, the country narrows gently as it sweeps south and east. The two main mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental, hug the west and east, finally merging into the volcanically active central highlands and the capital, Mexico City – the most populous city in the world. Further south, the country narrows to only 100 miles, then broadens again before reaching the Guatemalan border. There are two major peninsulas (半岛) in Mexico: the Baja Peninsula to the west and the Yucatan peninsula to the east.

The population is about 106 million, and the generosity (宽宏大量的) of the Mexican people is unsurpassed. Knowing a few simple sentences in Spanish will win hearts.

Mexico has been graced with an unusually temperate climate all year round. The most important thing to remember is that the Mexican summer is also the rainy season, although the rain rarely lasts more than a few hours, and typically arrives in the late afternoon. Extremes are present only in the north and in Baja, both of which have deserts where the temperature leaps above 100℉. Mexico City has a year-round temperature in the high 80s, while the coasts usually stay in the mid-90s. Night time temperatures fall somewhat, but rarely break down below a comfortable 60℉.

Biologists in the United States are sounding an alarm about a deadly disease that has been attacking a quiet, intelligent animal: the bat. The disease, called white-nose syndrome, is an infection caused by a fungus (真菌) that attack the nose, wings, and other skin areas on the bodies of bats while they are hibernating (冬眠) in large groups in their caves. The disease was first discovered in a New York cave in the winter of 2006, and it is spreading quickly. Infected caves have been discovered in 19 states and in Canada.

Scientists have discovered that the source is a strain of a cold-loving fungus usually found in polar regions. They are not sure how the fungus kills bats. One theory is that the fungus causes discomfort. The bats began to become upset and partially wake up from hibernation. This activity causes them to burn precious stored body fat and die of starvation. Experts estimate that over 5. 5 million bats across nine species have disappeared because of the disease. Wildlife experts fear that if the infection spreads to more bat populations in the Southeast and Midwest, endangered bat species, such as the Indiana bat and Virginia big-eared bat, may be in grave danger of extinction.

Why should Americans care about the loss of these creatures? In warm months, bat fly at night, eating up to their body weight in insects. They control the populations of insects that bite, eat crops, destroy forests, and spread disease. Because of this, the United States government is getting involved. It has heard announcements from bat experts and is taking seriously their pleas (请愿) for funding to study the disease. The possibility of what one lawmaker called “an ecological and economic disaster” is very real if the deadly disease spreads further.