【推荐1】When you say the word donkey, what things come to your mind? A few people might say they’re cute, but the majority think they’re stubborn, dumb and all-round less capable than their horse relatives.

However, this wasn’t the case for a recently unearthed ancient Chinese noblewoman who was unexpectedly found buried with her donkeys. Published in the journal Antiquity in March, Chinese archaeologists (考古学家) first discovered the tomb in Xi’an, Shaanxi, in 2012. The team examined the remains and identified the body as Cui Shi, a Tang Dynasty high-born lady who died in 878 AD.

Speaking to Science Magazine in 2012, the study’s co-author, Fiona Marshall, said the finding caused confusion as “donkeys … are not associated with high-status people”.

However, following years of further research, the team discovered artworks and artifacts that showed a sport known as “Lvju”. This was similar to modern-day polo (马球) and was popular among noble (高贵的) women at the time. They preferred to use donkeys instead of full-sized horses for safety reasons, due to their smaller size and slower speed.

Speaking to CNN, Marshall later said, “Historical documents also showed that ladies of the late Tang court loved to play donkey polo.”

At that time in Chinese history, animals were often placed in tombs so that they could be used for a specific purpose in the afterlife. The study determined that Cui Shi likely requested that her beloved donkeys be buried with her, so that she could continue her favorite sport after death. In total, three donkeys were found inside her tomb with riding gear (装备), including stirrups (马镫). “This context provides evidence that the donkeys in her tomb were for polo, not transport,” lead author Hu Songmei of the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology told Science Magazine.

Before the study, it was believed that donkeys were only used to carry loads, but now it may be time to see them as a sign of achieving high social status(地位), well, in ancient times.

【推荐2】“Why did the fox steal my shoes?” sounds like the start of a brain teaser or an annoyingly hot. But for people in Berlin, it was a real question that a local fox was behind a series of shoe thefts.

About two weeks ago, Meyer, a resident of Berlin, noticed that one of his new running shoes had disappeared from his porch and he decided lo examine the theft, German news site reported.

Meyer quickly found out that he was not the thief’s only victim, and a tip helped him catch the fox. Days later, Meyer spotted the fox again; he followed it and discovered the fox’s secret place of more than 100 shoes.

Meyer got a photo of thieving fox and its ill-gotten shoes,which he shared on Twitter. The shoes contained sneakers, and slippers in a range of colors, shapes and sizes, though the most numerous shoes by far were Crocs.

This isn’t the first time that an urban fox has demonstrated a seeming shoes fetish(恋物). In August 2019, a fox in Melbourne, Australia, repeatedly visited a woman’s porch and stole three boots over the course of a week. In a small town in Western Germany, a female fox stole about 110 to 120 shoes in just one night, possibly “for her babies to play with”, according to Reuters.

It’s unknown whether all of these foxes were acting independently or whether their actions were linked, perhaps as part of an international shoe-stealing group with a bad purpose that humans can only imagine.

【推荐3】Bats quickly eat the insects that bite us and ruin our crops. They pollinate (授粉) flowers and they replant forests by spreading seeds around. But as agriculture overtakes rain forests and jungles, humans have come into conflict with one bat species: the common vampire bat (吸血蝙蝠).

Well, vampire bats are ugly little animals. They’ve got these wrinkly noses that have infrared (红外线的) heat sensors so they can detect warm blood flowing beneath the skin. They’ve got ears that can pick up the sound of low frequencies. That’s the sound of big animals breathing. And they have super sharp teeth. So when you’re bitten by one of these bats, you don’t even feel it. They also have amazing movement skills. They can fly, but they can also run with their wings,

And vampire bats mainly interact with humans who are raising livestock. They’ll drink the blood of cows and pigs and chickens. You can find newborn cows with bites from vampire bats, chicken coops that are covered in drips of blood. Children will regularly wake up with vampire bat bites on their feet. Actually, the bites aren’t that big of a health problem. The main problem is that very rarely these bats are sick with rabies (狂犬病). And they can spread this fatal disease to cattle and people.

Gerry, a scientist, does experiments where he keeps one of the bats away from food for a night. And that’s something that actually happens in the wild all the time. The bat will go out and it can’t find anything to eat. And if that happens two nights in a row, the bat could actually starve to death. But what happens is that another bat will come in and they’ll rescue that hungry bat. They’ll let out a little blood to feed it. And this behavior is seen between mothers and their children and between siblings. But surprisingly, it’s also seen between bats that aren’t related at all.

【推荐2】More than £5,500 has been raised after a plea (请愿) last Monday by a vet Dr Scott Miller. Scott said: “I would like to say a massive thank-you to Express readers from myself, from Australia and from the koalas. It’s amazing that people from across the world can see how significant the catastrophe has been. I do appreciate that people are being very supportive and reaching into their pockets.” An area, a third of the size of Britain is estimated to have been ravaged(毁坏) since the blazes(火灾) began in September.

On Friday a state of emergency was declared in the capital Canberra, with residents told to prepare to evacuate as fires on the outskirts (市郊) threatened to spread. A billion animals are feared to have died, including 25,000 koalas.

Last week Scott told how he had visited his homeland, helping to save wildlife on Kangaroo Island off the coast of Adelaide. While there he rescued a mother and a baby koala who were stuck in a tree. The pair were rushed to a field hospital on the island to be treated. The mum had severe burns to her paws and was badly dehydrated(脱水的), while her baby son had an eye injury and was underweight.

Scott, who has appeared on ITV’s This Morning and BBC’s Blue Peter, said the mother is showing “great signs of improvement” and her wounds are starting to heal. The baby has undergone surgery to his eye and is “recovering from the anesthetic (麻药) and doing well”.

But he added: “The mother remains dehydrated so isn’t producing enough milk to feed the baby. At the moment they’re being housed severally but there is the hope that when the baby is a little stronger he will be able to be returned to his mother.”

Even after they recover, the pair will probably spend their lives in an enclosure while the bush takes years to recover. Scott said: “Sadly patients are still coming in thick and fast. Each of these animals is requiring to be housed and fed, and regular medical treatment to their injuries.”

【推荐2】Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents’ home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement and have strong opinions about everything.

Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.

But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.

That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They’d get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.

We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons.

We eventually arrived at my parents’ doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.

Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey—and the best part of yourself.

Old John has worked as a school keeper in Hill Ford School. After walking into the school building every day, he cleans rubbish bins and bathrooms.

Last Friday, after he arrived at the school, instead of finding rubbish to clean up, he found almost 500 students lining in the hallway(大厅) with handmade cards and singing a happy birthday song to him. It was his 80th birthday. As he walked the long hallway, someone rushed to him and gave him a hug. They handed him so many cards as well and the cards filled several large boxes. Old John was touched by their expression of affection (关爱). He thanked them all. “It's the sixteenth year in this school. They're like my children,” Old John said.

On a regular day, students sometimes come up to find him and say they're not feeling well or other times to tell him about something that happened at break time. He knows most of he students at the school, but can't name each one. Some of them make him know them, like Faith, who often leaves her schoolbag in the canteen, and Lucy, who just wants a hug.

Carrie, a reading teacher said,“He won't brag(夸耀) on himself, but it doesn't matter what he's doing or where he is, he will stop what he's doing at any time to give all his attention and take care of a child if that child is having a bad day. "

He works circles around all the students, cleaning up the mess others don't want to touch. He doesn't expect a lot. Old John said he hadn't planned to do much for his birthday, so he was touched as the students had prepared the surprise celebration.

Over the weekend, he worked through the handmade cards at his house. One card from a student stood out to him. It read “Old John, you are the most loved one in our school…”.