The Meg

age 14+

PG-2018 113 minutes

Parents need to know that The Meg is an action movie about a big prehistoric shark and a team of heroes led by Jason Statham trying to stop it. Violence is surely the biggest matter here: Many characters die, and there’s some blood. Shark fans are likely to be interested, but be warned: It’s slow and lacks real fears.

Hope Springs Eternal

age 10+

PG 2018 88 minutes

Parents need to know that Hope Springs Eternal is a dramedy (情景喜剧) about a teenager named Hope who’s been living with terminal(晚期的) cancer for years and then discovers she’s recovering. But she pretends to still be sick to keep the identity and special consideration she’s become used to. Hope surely accepts the results of her dishonesty and learns how lucky she is to be able to plan for a future she never thought she’d have.

Dog Days

age 12+

PG 2018 112 minutes

Parents need to know that Dog Days is a comedy(喜剧)about people in L. A .whose lives are improved by dogs. Some of the storylines are sweet, such as a new family being formed through adoption (收养) and the development of an intergenerational friendship. And while the film is full of smiles, there may be some sad sobs(啜泣), too, since a dog dies.

Shawn Dromgoole is a 29-year-old black man who has lived in the same neighborhood his entire life. His family has been in the neighborhood for 54 years. But Dromgoole said that since he was a child, he felt an unease in his hometown, strongly aware that few people looked like him.

“Growing up in my neighborhood, I could always feel the eyes, the looks and the cars slowing down as they passed by me, ” said Dromgoole, who was recently told to stay away from his job temporarily because of the epidemic (疫情) .

As a young man, Dromgoole watched from his window as the neighborhood gradually changed before his eyes: Black families moved out and white families moved in. With each passing year, he felt more and more unwelcome, he said.

Those feelings grew in recent weeks when he heard about Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was out jogging in Georgia when he was shot to death, and then George Floyd, a black man killed while in police custody (羁押) in Minneapolis. “What happened to these men could easily happen to me,” said Dromgoole. “I became scared to walk past my porch.”

There were also frequent postings on Nextdoor, an app that connects neighbors, warning residents to look out for “suspicious black men,” he said. Filled with fear, Dromgoole took to Facebook and Nextdoor, deciding to finally share his own post. “Yesterday, I wanted to walk around my neighborhood but the fear of not returning home to my family alive kept me on my front porch,” he wrote.

Unexpectedly, responses from his community started pouring in. Neighbors, none of whom Dromgoole had ever spoken with, asked if they could join him on a walk. “Neighbor, after neighbor, after neighbor started reaching out, telling me they wanted to walk with me,” he said.

Last Thursday afternoon, Dromgoole notified his neighbors that he was going for a walk at 6 p. m, and anyone who wanted to join him was welcome.

Dromgoole tied his shoes, ventured (冒险) off his porch and walked to the meeting spot in a nearby parking lot.

There he found 75 people waiting for him.

In a country known for high-tech ambitions and giant state-owned firms, the plight of street hawkers may seem insignificant. But in China these days, people like Shui Jin, an old lady riding a wooden cart filled with fruit, are in the spotlight.

Faced with rising unemployment, officials have concluded that pavement stands can help solve the economy’s problems. Shui Jin, who used to face the danger of heavy fines, may sell her fruit with more confidence as she slowly makes her way through the narrow lanes of Suzhou. Her family needs the money. Both her daughters-in-law recently lost their jobs, among the tens of millions in China hurt by the coronavirus outbreak.

The government’s support for street hawkers is something of an about-turn. For years Municipal authorities pushed out hawkers, trying to tidy up the colourful chaos that once characterized China’s cities. In the name of “civilizing” urban life, they wanted to see dumplings, plastic toys and T-shirts bought inside shopping malls, not sold from the back of carts. But on June 1st Li Keqiang, the prime minister, signalled a change. Stopping by a snack stand in the city of Yantai, he declared that street hawkers and small shops were vital to the economy. “Only when the people are in good shape can the nation be in good shape,” he said.

Mr. Li’s compliment has produced a feeling of excitement about the revival of China’s “street- stand economy”. At least 27 provinces and cities have announced that they will create markets for hawkers or, in some cases, let them move their things being sold onto the pavement in front of their shops. The shining example is Chengdu, a busy and noisy city in Sichuan province in the south-west, where businesses started setting up street stands in March. The local government there claims that more than 10000 jobs have been created in the process.

Elephants are truly incredible animals. August 12 is World Elephant Day which means to help save elephants. What do you know about elephants? Here are some facts you may not know.

We know that elephants are large. But did you know that elephants often avoid eating a type of acacia tree(金合欢树), because it is home to ants and an elephant doesn’t want to get the ants inside its trunk. Its trunk is full of sensitive nerve endings(敏感神经末梢).

Female elephants live in groups of about 15 animals. The oldest in the group is the leader. She decides not only when and where they move but also when they rest all the year. Male elephants leave the female groups between age 12 and 15. But they aren’t loners. They live in all-male groups.

Asian elephants don’t run. Running requires lifting all four feet at once. But elephants filmed in Thailand always kept at least two on the ground at all times.

Elephants have passed the mirror test. They recognize themselves in a mirror. According to tests, great apes(巨猿), and dolphins(海豚) also have this ability.

Elephants can get sunburned so they take care to protect themselves. “Elephants will throw sand on their backs and on their head to keep them from getting sunburned and to keep bugs off,” said Tony Barthel, working at Smithsonian’s National Zoo. How do elephants protect their young? Adult elephants will put them in sand and then they will stand over the little ones as they sleep.

Some farmers in Kenya protect their fields from elephants by lining the borders with beehives(蜂巢). Not only are their crops saved, but the farmers also get more money from honey.