【推荐1】For as long as they can remember, Jynne Martin and April Surgent had both dreamed of going to Antarctica. This winter, they each made it to the icy continent as guests of the National Science Foundation (NSF). But they didn't, as scientists. Martin is a poet and Surgent is an artist. They went to Antarctica as participants in the NSF's Artists and Writers Program, which makes it possible for artists, including filmmakers and musicians, to experience Antarctica and contribute their own points of view to our understanding of the continent.

“It's important for scientists and artists to work together,” says Surgent, who spent six weeks at Palmer Station, the smallest of the U.S. research bases. “You need a lot of different ways and points of view to explain the world.”

Martin followed four scientific teams on the ice and wrote articles and poems inspired by her experience. “Each day was the new ‘best day of my life’.” said Martin, who said she also loved spending time in the library at the McMurdo Station reading the journals of early explorers.

Today's scientists write articles for scientific journals. Unlike the early explorer's journals, scientific papers can now be very difficult for non-scientists to understand. Writers in Antarctica work to explain the research to the public. Peter Rejcek is editor, writer, and photographer for the Antarctic Sun, an online magazine devoted to news about the U.S. Antarctic Program. He goes to the South Pole every year, interviewing the scientists about their research.

Antarctica is full of stories and wonders that are scientific, historical, and personal. People such as Martin, Surgent, and Rejcek are making an effort to bring those stories to as many people as they can.

“Some people are going to be scientists, some people are going to be artists, some people are going to be journalists, but we can all work together,” says Surgent, "to celebrate this extraordinary place.”

【推荐2】When you swim in the sea, have you ever accidentally drunk the seawater? How did it feel? It must have tasted salty. So, why is the seawater salty?

Seawater is water that comes from the ocean. Seawater is salty because it contains an average salt content of 2.5%. So the ocean is a place for the salt farmers to produce cooking salt and other salt.

Some theories explain that seawater comes from rainwater that falls and flows through rivers and estuaries (河口) and then the seawater fully fills the sea and again forms clouds because of evaporation (蒸发). When we talk about this, we talk about the rainwater cycle. But when the rainwater cycle occurs, the water that passes through the river carries mineral salts. These mineral salts are obtained from various places of the land starting from rocks and soils that the rainwater flows through. These mineral salts make seawater salty, so the salinity of seawater is different in each part of the world. But it is certain that seawater is salty or has high salinity.

The saltiest sea in the world is the Red Sea. There the temperature is extremely high so that evaporation happens frequently. High evaporation coupled with little rainfall and little input of water from the river causes its highest level of salinity. There is also the Dead Sea, which is about nine times saltier than the Red Sea. Due to the high salinity, when you swim there, you can float. However, the Dead Sea is not a sea at all, which is a lake geographically.

【推荐3】In 1872, the first national park was set up in the US. It's the Yellowstone National Park, which was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1978. Today the country is home to 59 national parks. Here is a list of some of the best received ones.

This park is a part of the Smoky Mountains. It lies at the border between the US states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It's the country' s most visited national park. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1983. Tourists visiting the park can enjoy different activities like biking, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, etc.

Almost every international tourist to the US visits this national park, making it the second most visited national park in the US. It lies in northwestern Arizona and is home to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1979. Covering an area of 4. 920. 08 square km, the park offers many activities to the visitors like driving and walking tours, hiking biking, etc.

This national park lies in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of Northern California. It's known for its waterfalls, mountains, lakes, and wildlife. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1984. The 3 ,026. 87-square-km-harge park is home to different animals such as black bears, red foxes, etc.

The national park lies in northeast Ohio. Set up in 2000, it offers a lot of activities like bicycling, hiking, wildlife watching, etc. The waterfalls, caves, hill, farmlands, and more make the experience of visiting the national park a memorable experience.