【推荐1】Climate change can happen naturally or in response to human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests. Burning fossil fuels creates gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. In fact, about 90 percent of the heat is absorbed by the ocean. So it’s really important to track the oceans’ warming, says Jörn Callies. He’s an oceanographer at the California Institute of Technology. Tracking how that heat affects the ocean is difficult because of its depth and size, though. This makes it hard for scientists to understand long-term changes in temperature.

In September 2020, Callies and other scientists reported a new way to check the temperature of the ocean. As temperature affects how fast sound travels (sound travels faster in warmer water than colder water). Scientists originally proposed using sounds produced by machines to measure ocean warming, but it would affect marine animals. Whales, for example, use sound to communicate. Finally, Callies and his team showed they could use the natural sounds produced by earthquake instead.

For their study, the scientists looked at data for 2,000 pairs of earthquakes. Each earthquakes pair happened in the same place but at different times. What did the scientists find? The sound waves traveled a few tenths of a second faster in more recent quakes than in older ones. This difference suggests a warming trend of 0.04 degrees Celsius (about 0.08 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade. A tiny amount of a degree may not sound like a lot. But it represents a huge of heat that the ocean absorbed. It takes a lot of heat to change the temperature of a body of water almost 3,200 kilometers (2,000 miles) wide and several kilometers deep.

However, Callies says it’s not the time to worry about that yet. They don’t know if the warming is only specific to the one region (East Indian Ocean) or if it’s happening elsewhere. “We just don’t have the data yet.” he says.

【推荐3】Sales of small cakes have overtaken (超过) big ones for the first time, according to researchers at Mintel — but is the cupcake bubble starting to burst? Size, they say, matters. And when it comes to cakes, we Brits have for years desired for the biggest, richest, gooiest creations we could lay our sticky fingers on. Towering chocolate gateaux dominate bakery windows.

But thanks to the latest baking phenomenon, big is no longer best. Figures released today show that, for the first time, sales of small cakes have overtaken those of large cakes, with bite-sized baked goods growing in popularity by 19 per cent since 2011. According to researchers at Mintel, our taste for large cakes has declined, with sales dropping 3 per cent in two years.

So what’s behind our passion for miniatures — and is it the end of the traditional, full-sized sponge? It all started with the cupcake. When the Magnolia Bakery opened in New York in 1996, the nice iced sponges were seen as treats for children’s parties. Then, in 2000, Carrie Bradshaw, star of the city, ate a pink cupcake on TV — and everything changed. In the months and years that followed, demand for the tiny cakes exploded — and in 2005, Sprinkles, the world’s first cupcakes — only bakery, opened in Beverly Hills. The trend soon spread worldwide.

“Cupcakes became so popular because people wanted an individual treat,” explains Edd Ainbet, former winner of the BBC series The Great British Bake Off. “It’s a little something naughty — a small price for a small mouthful. And it’s a mini hobby just for you; not like cutting a slice out of a big cake that you share. They’re cute and playful, like tiny pieces of art.”

Whether you want to stay in a converted beer factory, a luxury hotel on the harbour or an advanced loft-style room, Sydney has a huge range of top-quality hotels.

1. THE OLD CLARE HOTEL

Located in the heart of Sydney’s Central Park district, The Old Clare Hotel, providing luxurious (豪华的) rooms and facilities, takes up a historic Chippendale pub and the nearby former beer factory site. This hotel has been lovingly restored by Peng Loh, a Singaporean businessman with a passion for redecorating heritage properties.

2. HILTON SYDNEY

This is luxury accommodation right in the centre of Sydney, with world-class restaurants, one of the city’s best bars. Just upstairs sits Glass, the award-winning small restaurant by celebrity chef Luke Mangan. Downstairs lies The Marble Bar, a Sydney hotspot for decades and heritage listed due to its extensive use of marble, dating back to 1893. Rooms are simply fashionable.

3. THE LANGHAM

Grand harborside luxury can be expected at The Langham, located in the Sydney centre. The hotel makes the most of its impressive harbour views with a marble-decorated hall that takes your breath away. Don’t forget to check out the art, with a collection of Australia’s most famous painter. Try their famous high tea menu, and be sure to check out the incredible underground swimming pool available to guests only.

4. FOUR SEASONS HOTEL SYDNEY

Another luxury stay with amazing harbour views, the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney sits on the edge of Sydney’s historic Rocks district. A Deluxe Harbour Room will give you a breath-taking view, with dark wood and silk inside in calming colours. Downstairs is Grain, one of the best-known whisky bars in the city.

【推荐2】Cycling in cities with proper biking infrastructure(基础设施) can give people a closer experience of traveling around a place that cars and buses simply can’t. Here are four cycle-friendly cities around the world.

While the Netherlands’most populous city, Amsterdam, is definitely bike friendly, we’re heading southeast to Utrecht, a city that has a fair claim to being the globe’s most pro-two-wheel destination. In its center, up to 50% of all journeys take place by bike and local authorities are building a 12,500-space cycle parking facility advertised as the world’s biggest. Copenhagen, Denmark

More than half the locals in the Danish capital cycle to work or school, and with an estimated bike population of 650,000 there are slightly more cycles than people. City leaders determine not just on increasing bike use further, but promoting safe bike infrastructure that features bike lanes(车道) of up to three meters in width.

Germany has been quietly getting on with boosting bike use in many of its cities. Berlin is the standout example. About 13% of all trips in the city are made by bike, nearly twice the rate of 20 years ago.

In this vast capital city, an amazing 14% of all trips are made by bike. There are practical reasons why many Tokyo residents prefer a bike to a car for shorter journeys. Before you can even buy a car in the city you must prove you possess a (are and usually expensive) off-street parking spot. However, few people cycle to work-distances tend to be long and public transport is hugely efficient. Also, a lot of cycling takes place-legally-on footpaths and sidewalks.

【推荐3】This Spanish city is almost car-free. Pontevedra, a city located in the north-west of Spain, gives pedestrians priority (优先) on city streets. With a population of 80,000, the local government has spent decades redesigning the city so that it is walkable.    1    .

“Everything here is pretty close,” Elena Herroro, who moved to the city from Madrid. “I have the health center almost behind my house. The hospital is also close by. I have several supermarkets right under my apartment.    2    .”

The city’s pedestrian-friendly (对行人友好的) layout has attracted local businesses and shops. And restaurants are flourishing. That’s because the streets are perfect for strolling and shopping.

“Every city has its main commercial street, which defines its character,” said city official César Mosquera. “    3    , you are transmitting an image: what’s modern, what’s cool, what’s contemporary.” He said that restricting cars does just that.

The first area to be closed off to cars was the old town in Pontevedra, which was transformed in 1999. That’s because in the 1990s, the city was choked by traffic.    4    .

“This city was basically a giant warehouse for cars, full of private vehicles that filled our public space, generated noise and emissions, and stopped our citizens-especially children and the elderly-from having true autonomy in the place where they lived,” said Pontevedra’s mayor Miguel Anxo Fernández Lores.    5