【推荐1】When most people go to the famous amusement parks in Orlando, Florida, they miss some of the natural wonders the State has to offer. It was in Citrus County on the beautiful west coast of Florida that we went to see the manatee (海牛), which occupies coastal waters and rivers.

Our days started early in the morning at Homosassa Springs. We boarded a boat with Captain Traci Wood from Native Vacations. Having spotted two manatees just below the water, Captain Traci stopped the boat as they slowly swam toward us. They used their tails to drive themselves, steering with their flippers(脚蹼), gracefully moving their bodies through the water in our direction. Our boat was soon surrounded by other members of this gentle species.

Soon we continued our journey. Within a few minutes Captain Traci stopped the boat again and we were given instructions. Whatever you do, she said, remember the three golden rules: minimize splash (拍水) noise; act with very slow movements; and when you touch one of these friendly, gentle grey giants on the back or stomach, never touch with more than one hand at a time. The Endangered Species Act forbids touching a manatee unless it touches you first, and they will let you know. The protection of this endangered species is taken very seriously. But this won’t affect the experience in the least. Most Homosassa manatees are very social and will come to you.

Manatees feed strictly on plants, and they eat a great variety of species, including hyacinth and water lettuce. They’re very big, measuring 3 to 5 metres and weighing as much as 1,600 kilos. Despite this, they look very cute. Manatees are of course wild creatures, although when face to face with them, you’re unlikely to feel any fear.

From December to March, groups of manatees escape the cold winter ocean and bathe in the warm waters near power plants and coastal springs that stay about 23 degrees year-round. Divers and swimmers come to Florida from all over the world for a chance to swim or interact with the manatee in its natural environment, rich in marine vegetation. This rich source of food makes this area an ideal place for the manatees. So the manatees arrive every year by the hundreds to find warmth, nourishment(营养) and maybe, just maybe, to visit us, the curious humans.

【推荐1】Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, beginning in the 1970s, pioneered a method of planting young native species close together to quickly create tiny forests on urban wasteland. He found that protected areas around temples in Japan contained a huge variety of native plants that co-existed to produce adaptable and diverse ecosystems. The forests were layered together from four categories of native plantings: main tree species, sub-species, bushes, and ground-covering herbs. Using this four-category system, along with his explorations of the vegetation in Japan, Miyawaki designed his own system for planting forests.

Miyawaki forests can grow into mature ecosystems in just 20 years-about 10 times the growth speed of a traditional forest, explained Kazue Fujiwara who worked with Miyawaki. According to Fujiwara, the planting should center on the primary trees of the location. Native species require no maintenance (养护) after the first two years and are more likely to survive and grow well in the local environmental conditions. What's more, they provide an ideal home for endangered species.

When Shubhendu Sharma learned about Miyawaki's forest creation technique in 2009, the botanist created a forest at the Toyota factory in India where Sharma worked as an engineer. Shortly, he started a company to create similar forests, researching the method and trying it in his own backyard. He described his work in a 2014 TED Talk, and released his version of the instructions so anyone could learn how to create their own small native forest. Since then, Sharma's company, Afforestt, has helped plant forests in 44 cities.

Now, Miyawaki-style urban forests have been springing up across Europe. Cities in Asia are embracing the idea, with Pakistani minister announcing plans for 50 Miyawaki forests in Lahore, and Indian officials setting a target to plant 1,000 in Chennai.

【推荐2】Wind energy provided 7% of the total electricity in the United States in 2019. Since 2008, the number of coal-fired power plants has declined, as the use of renewable energy and natural gas has increased. Wind energy is an excellent way to reduce carbon emissions, but what will happen when the wind turbine blades wear out? Is there a waste management issue?

The design life of wind turbines is about 20 to 25 years. The longest wind turbine blade to date is 350 feet. Although certain parts of wind turbines can be relatively easily recycled, others are not designed for recycling. Many spent turbine blades are piling up in landfills. However, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are making progress in this area.

They developed a blade out of thermoplastic resin that is low-cost, lightweight, and seems to be recyclable. If the new blade also proves to be strong, this will be a game changer for the offshore and onshore wind industry. Lower costs also could help improve wind energy efficiency, reducing the use of fossil fuels. A lightweight blade is easier to transport and uses less fuel. It also seems easier to recycle and uses less energy in the production process. “With the traditional material, it’s almost like when you fry an egg. It’s finished and you can’t undo that,” said Derek Berry, a senior engineer at NREL. “But with a thermoplastic resin system, you can make a blade out of it. You heat it to a certain temperature, and it melts back down. You can get the liquid resin back and reuse that.”

Although the research looks promising, progress will be slow. Most wind farms being constructed today will stop working in a few decades. The benefits of recyclable blades are still decades away at least. The associated environmental impact has largely been a blind spot for the industry. Hopefully, recent progress will help make wind power even greener.

【推荐1】Once you get past the fact that it has no skin, the new robot from Disney Research is an impressive success in robotics. The new robot can imitate human facial movements, specifically blinking (眨眼睛) and slight head movements. A sensor in its chest area alerts the robot when to turn and face a person in front of it, and its eye movements shift from direct eye contact to rapid eye movements. It also moves slightly up and down to imitate breathing.

While most such robots generally focus their eyes on a human face and stay there, that’s not how people interact with each other. The Disney Research team explained: Gaze (注视) has been shown to be a key social signal, shaping perceptions of interaction partners. For example, people who make more eye contact with us are perceived to be similar to us, as well as more intelligent, sincere, and trustworthy. Furthermore, gaze appears to convey complex social and emotional states.

Given the importance of gaze in social interactions as well as its ability to communicate states and shape points of view, it is obvious that gaze can function as a significant tool for an interactive robot character. Thus, the aim of the team’s work is to develop a system to imitate a human-like mutual gaze.

It’s not hard to imagine how Disney might use this technology for animatronic (电子动画的) characters at its theme parks. The company’s research team has been working on making more lifelike robots for some time; in 2018 it showed its Stickman robot that could do backflips (后空翻) in mid-air to almost the height of a human performer with arms raised over his or her head.

They’ll just need to add something that looks like skin over the eye-tracking robot’s head. In this way, it will look more like a human.

【推荐2】Spend six nights working with rangers (护林员) while helping to preserve Yosemite National Park!

Yosemite is one of the world’s most beloved national parks. As volunteers in Yosemite Valley, we help rangers fix trails and repair fragile natural resources. No previous experience necessary, our leaders provide the training we need to complete the work at hand.

Activities

Volunteers should be comfortable hiking up to two miles each day. To assess your fitness, you are required to hike stairs for 2-3 miles with a daypack weighing 10-15 pounds at the fitness test.

What’s Included

All meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on Day 7; campground reservations; group tools; transportation from campground to work sites; orientation and training; park entrance fees.

Accommodations

Camping, 6 nights (bring your own tent).

Your Adventure Itinerary(日程)

▶Day 1

Meet for orientation and enjoy a welcome dinner. An orientation meeting will be conducted to provide volunteers with an overview of the scheduled work projects as well as training in proper tool use and safety.

▶Days 2-5

Working with park rangers, assist in trail maintenance and restoration. During these three days, we plan to work from 9 a. m. - 4 p. m. with an hour scheduled for lunch. We return to Yellow Pines Campground each evening for dinner and relaxation.

▶Day 6

Explore Yosemite National Park on your much deserved rest day. Challenge yourself on a hike up the Mist Trail, relax by the Merced River, or read a book in a peaceful meadow — this day is all yours.

▶Day 7

Depart Yosemite for home. Volunteers wishing to stay longer may make reservations at other campgrounds or lodging in the park.

【推荐3】Welcome to Student Success. The radio programme (节目) can help students study. This morning we will talk with Jenny, John and Anna, the three top students (尖子生) in English from No.1 High School, about how they study.

Jenny: I study by reading the textbook every night. I make lists of words I don’t know. Then I make flashcards (抽示卡) from the lists and go over them. I like to study by myself at home. It’s quiet there.

John: I study best with my friends. We get together in the park after school. Sometimes we use flashcards. At other times, we practise talking in English. It helps me a lot.

Anna: I ask my teacher for help. She always gives me tapes to listen to. Sometimes I read aloud to help practise pronunciation. And I listen to radio programmes like this one too! You can say that I learn by listening.

So they have three different ways to study and they all work (起作用). Our next programme is about language learning.