【推荐1】Against a background of white snow, a cardinal(美洲红雀) rests on a tree branch. It’s a beautiful sight. But have you wondered how birds stay warm when it’s very cold outside? Besides cardinals, other birds that don’t migrate(迁徙) during winter include chickadees(山雀), owls, some woodpeckers and robins, which use different ways to deal with cold weather.

In autumn, some birds grow extra feathers to prepare for the colder months. When temperatures drop, some birds keep warm by trembling just like us jumping up and down when we feel cold outside. Some species like chickadees and bluebirds often crowd together to share heat. Some species swell(鼓起) their feathers out. By trapping air in their feathers, they create a layer of warmth around themselves. Some species are able to lower their body temperature by as much as 20 degrees. By bringing the body temperature closer to the air temperature and keeping inactive, those birds preserve heat and energy, especially at night. But it’s dangerous: they’re more uncovered by predators(捕食者).

Even with these abilities, birds can still use our help. By providing extra shelter in your backyard, you can protect birds from cold temperatures and predators. Roost boxes are a special type of birdhouse that you can build. Birds enter these thick-walled boxes through a hole at the bottom and can rest on perches inside.

To protect birds from high-speed window collisions(碰撞), place feeders within 5 to 10 feet of your home. You can also consider fixing a heated bird bath. Birds need fresh water — for drinking and to keep their feathers in good shape. According to research, preventing a bird from baths will lead to more untidy feathers and therefore poorer flight performance. They will become clumsier(笨拙的) when flying and easier to catch. So baths might play a role in survival too.

【推荐3】Lucca, a retired US Marine Corps dog, was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal at a ceremony in Wellington Barracks in London on Tuesday. The award is considered the animal equivalent (相等的东西)）of the Victoria Cross and was given out by veterinary charity. People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).

The 12-year-old German shepherd (牧羊犬)）completed over 400 separate missions during six years of service. In 2012, Lucca discovered a 301b explosive (爆炸的）device while on patrol (巡逻），and when she started searching for other devices ，a second exploded . She lost her left leg and suffered severe chest burns, but thanks to life-saving first aid from her handler , Corporal Juan ，she was saved and recovered.

None of the soldiers were hurt in the explosion which took Lucca’s leg. Corporal Juan said, "Through all of her treatment and in spite of the pain she was in, her temperament never changed. Her fighting spirit was still clear to see and I was so proud of how quickly she recovered. "

Lucca is the 67th animal to be awarded a PDSA Dickin Award and the first US Marine Corps dog. The award, started in 1943 by PDSA founder, Maria Dickin, has been previously awarded to 30 dogs, 32 WWII(World War II) carrier pigeons, three horses and one cat.

The medal was awarded to Lucca by PDSA Director General, Jan Mcloughlin, who said, "Lucca's bravery together with devotion to duty makes her a hugely deserving recipient (接受者) of the PDSA Dickin Medal. Her ability and determination to seek out arms and explosives protected human life.”

Lucca attended the ceremony with her current owner, Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Willingham. Willingham said, “Lucca is very smart and loyal, and had an amazing drive or work as a search dog. Besides her unbelievable detection abilities, she was instrumental in increasing morale (士气)for the armies we supported.”

【推荐1】There have been several incidents at concerts and other events in recent years where people died because of unsafe crowd conditions and stampedes(蜂拥). This may leave some people thinking there’s little you can do to survive a stampede. Indeed, it’s a frightening situation to be in and circumstances may make it impossible to escape. But crowd-safety experts say there are several strategies that could help you avoid a potentially fatal outcome.

The key to staying safe in a crowd begins as soon as you arrive at the location, says Randy I. Atlas, a safety consultant based in Fort Lauderdale. Namely, he advises people to take note of where the nearest exits are. It’s a piece of common-sense advice that Atlas applies not just at big events, but even when entering almost any room.

If there’s a sudden panic(恐慌) and crowds begin to push in a certain direction, your instinct(本能) may be to fight back and push the opposite way. But that could be a big mistake, Atlas warns. If you go against the flow, you increase your chances of getting tripped and knocked down. Another risk, according to experts: If you fight the crowd, you will tire yourself out quickly in a situation where you need all the energy you can gather.

Another potential way to handle the situation is to protect yourself and allow the crowd to move past you. Look for “a solid structure to stand behind such as a pillar, a wall, a car or even a lamppost” says Bart Whitaker, an event-management professional.

In many stampede events, people die from asphyxiation(窒息)—they are simply crushed to the point they can’t breathe. But a possible way to avoid this is to place your arms in front of you, almost in a boxer-like posture. That could give you some very valuable breathing room, which is a simple pose, but surprisingly effective and possibly life-saving.

On the whole, the best way is to stay away from the crowd and avoid coming along for the ride.

【推荐2】How to Make a Chinese Hot Pot

Eating a Chinese hot pot is a very common experience. People gather around the pot, dipping their food, waiting for it to cook, mixing their own seasonings (调味品) and enjoying each other's company.    1    .

Firstly, prepare a large pot of soup. There is no right or wrong way to prepare a soup, so feel free to make your own. A simple soup can be made by boiling water with the addition of meat bones or fish heads and a mixture of herbs, seasonings and vegetables.

Then, cut a variety of meats and fish into thin slices.    2    . Choose any food that you enjoy. Some common choices for a Chinese hot pot include thin pieces of beef, pork, lamb and so on. You can make your hot pot using the more traditional method of using the meats and seafood that are local to you. Meanwhile, select, wash and prepare some vegetables.     3     .Mushrooms of all kinds are also common to Chinese hot pot preparations.

    4    . At home, a single hot pot would work well up to 8 people depending on the size of the pot. Make sure everyone is sitting in a circle and has easy access to everything on the table. Prepare a separate small dish for each guest to mix their seasonings.     5    ！

【推荐3】Lu kaigang, a twenty-one year villager from rural Guangxi, China, known for his modeling countryside videos on short-video platform Kuaishou has gained international attention from the world famous fashion houses. He has received invitations to walk at the some of the largest fashion weeks on the global stages.

Lu has over 4 million followers on his Kuaishou account, where he posts videos under the name“Xiao Xianren”. Lu rose to fame chasing his passion for modelling while working as a restaurant waiter and a factory worker in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi. “I have had a supermodel dream since I was ten, while I was still in a primary school. I saw a fashion show on TV when I feel it was so cool to do that on the catwalk, ”said Lu. Since then, he practices the catwalk every day.

Without any professional training, he learned catwalk from fashion show video. He turned everywhere into his runway, from a narrow passage to a deserted factory.

“From clothing designing and making to filming and posting, these were extremely time-consuming but barely received feedback on line in the beginning. But I still enjoyed the process, ” said Lu. “The early dozens of videos I posted even didn’t receive ‘likes’,” Lu recalled. But I believed what I’ve done would be recognized by the world someday.” Lu insisted on posting his fashion works onto Kuaishou where he hoped to be seen by more people.

Many laughed at Lu’s early works as they thought of him as a funny clown (小丑) wearing very strange costumes. Howerver, Lu’s insistence, coupled with Kuaishou’s powerful algorithms (演算法), enable Lu to be seen, which eventually helped him to enter mainstream fame.

Lu’s big break came in August 2019, when Lu’s fans uploaded his videos from Kuaishou to YouTobe. As those videos became acclaimed, more people became curious about Lu and his international career took off from there. As his followers grew on Kuaishou and other social media platforms, mass media started taking notice.