【推荐2】A total of 34 Chinese cities with a combined population of nearly 300 million took park in a pet adoption day at the weekend, promoting the adoption of rescued stray (流浪的) animals.

The live broadcast of China Pet Adoption Day events in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjin, Qingdao, Tianjin and Xi’an was watched by 562,000 people.

From Urumqi in the far northwest to Fuzhou on the southeast coast, people gathered to raise awareness of animal care and to help stray find loving homes.

Sun Quanhui, manager and senior adviser of World Animal Protection, said, “Planet Earth is not only home to humanity but also a home that we share with other animals. It is mankind’s duty and important to treat animals kindly in a civilized society.”

As China’s population becomes richer, pet ownership has increased rapidly, but problems, such as pet abandonment and cruelty, are also growing.

In recent years, more and more adoption events have taken place all over the country, which indicates an awakening of the Chinese public consciousness to animal protection.

“Adopting a pet instead of buying one has been gaining a wider acceptance.”

American Edward Dumpe, who has been working on designs for stray animal shelters in Beijing, said, “It surely sounds super sweet and I have no doubt that it must have been the result of great efforts.”

“I think it is a good step in the right direction, and should be taken as evidence that Chinese society is becoming more aware of stray animals who should be taken care of and treated with respect.”

In real life, “Rabbit-eating Carrot” is fashion designer who has created clothes embroidered with slogans such has “Please adopt a pet” and images of her cats, with all earnings going to the Qiming Small Animal Protection Center in Sichuan Province.

“I didn’t know that there were events like this in China. This is fantastic. Impressive.” Said George Philippe, a french living in Beijing and father of two, at an event in the capital.

【推荐2】David Hepworth and Eric Whale,two Scottish material scientists,were looking for smart ways to reuse food waste when they figured out how to make nanofibers（纳米纤维）out of leftovers from carrot juice.The cellulose（纤维素）in carrots and other root vegetables,unlike other fibrous materials like wood or cotton,is easy to separate out from the rest of the biowaste.

The scientists call the material Curran,after the Gaelic word for carrot.And they set out to show that it could be used to replace glass or carbon fibers.They say it's nearly twice as strong and slightly lighter than carbon.They would just go to buy in their local grocery store.But they soon realized that the carrot actually worked well and that they could turn to agricultural waste to source their material.They found that the smartest,most ecologically responsible use for the nanofibers was for protective sporting goods.And in particular,motorcycle helmets,which have to be both strong and light.That's right: Motorcycle helmets of the future might be made from carrots,not carbon.

The question here,first of all,was to see what could be a possible market for such a new fiber,from an ecological point but also from the economic and technical angles too,"David Hepworth says.That's where the helmet comes in.They found that protective sporting goods,which need stiff,strong,light fibers and low economic overhead,were some of the best use cases for Curran.David Hepworth and his team are also looking at the possibility of using it in surfboards and insulation（隔离板）for mobile homes.

The challenge now is taking the material from the lab to mass production.And,making sure that it's still ecologically smart on a grander scale.It doesn't make sense to develop a material from biowaste if there's no use for it.Or if turning it into a useable product takes more energy than the non-renewable choice.

【推荐1】The introduction of the iPad, with its touch screen technology, has allowed even very young children to take advantage of a computer. So what if all children in a school were given an iPad to use in class and take home with them?

Anne Laure Bazin works in a school where every child, teacher and teaching assistant is given a free iPad to use in and out of lessons. For her, the main advantage of everyone having an iPad has been the improvement in communication. Documents (文件) can be emailed straight over to workmates during a meeting. Children submit their homework by email, or through the school’ s learning environment. Teachers now take the register using their iPad, which means that there is a centralized record of which children are in school, and which classroom they are in.

The use of iPads has encouraged greater sharing of resources among teachers. All communication with parents is now done by email. Working as a group in class is much easier as children can share documents. The whole class can look at one child’s work by attaching the iPad to the whiteboard. If a child has forgotten the textbook, the teacher can take a photograph of the relevant (相关的) page and send it to the student in class.

While the use of the iPad in schools has revolutionized (变革) the way children are taught, it hasn’t completely replaced more traditional methods of teaching. Worksheets are still used in class as some children prefer the contact with paper.The children all have a textbook and exercise books. In Anne Laure’s school, parents feared that the iPads would replace exercise books and children would lose handwriting skills. Anne Laure says,“ The teachers are not ready to let go of the traditional style of teaching. We have welcomed the iPads in so much as they help communication and widen the resources available (可得到的) but we are not ready to let go of paper yet. The children themselves still value their exercise books anddepend on them for revision. ”

【推荐2】How did the ancient Chinese keep food warm in winter? In fact, ancient Chinese people used their own methods of heat preservation as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

● “Wen Ding”, ancient rice cooker

One of the major functions of an electric rice cooker is to keep food warm. The “Wen Ding”, an ancient cooking container, served the same purpose. The “Wen Ding” unearthed in Nanjing in 1989 is thought to be the oldest of its kind discovered in China, dating back to the Stone Age. The craftsmanship of making the “Wen Ding” was developed in the Bronze Age. The bronze Ding from Shang and Zhou dynasties took on different shapes and structures.

● “Ran LU”, ancient small hot pot

The “Ran LU” is a small size cooking vessel (器皿) made of bronze, which can be divided into three parts. A charcoal stove forms the main structure, with a bottom tray to hold charcoal ashes, and a movable cup at the top. Some experts have concluded that the vessel’s structure suggests it may have been used as a small hot pot and that these vessels became popular in the Warring States Period (475—221 BC).

●Bronze You, ancient kettle

The Bronze You was one of the most common wine containers during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The Bronze You can also be used to warm wine. For example, the Bronze You with beast mask design, unearthed in Jiangxi province, has an opening where charcoals could be placed. Just as people today can’t do without an electric kettle, the Bronze You allowed people to enjoy a hot drink

●Bronze Yan, ancient steamer

Although the “Wen Ding” was effective at keeping food warm, the ancient Chinese people later found that its burning produced pollution. As a result, the Bronze Yan was made with a two-tier structure and used to steam rice and other grains. After the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-AD 220), further improvements to the Bronze Yan led to the modern-day steamer.

If you are arriving at London Heathrow Airport and are not transferring another flight outside Britain or Northern Ireland, you must pass through Passport Control and Customs immediately after leaving your plane. If you are not British or a citizen of the European Community, you must fill out a special form before your passport is examined. This form is called a landing card and should be given to you during the flight to London. After landing, follow the ARRIVALS signs. Make sure you are in the right channel when you reach Passport Control. There is one channel for holders of European Community passports, and a second channel marked “Other Passports”.

After passing through Passport Control, follow the signs to the Baggage Reclaim Area. If you have luggage which was carried in the aircraft along with other cargo, it will be delivered to you in the Baggage Reclaim Area. Look for the sign with your flight number. If you have only hand luggage, go directly through the Baggage Reclaim Area to Customs.

All passengers must pass through Customs after Passport Control. There is a choice of two channels, Green and Red. If you have nothing to declare, go through the Green Channel. If you are not sure about your Duty Free allowances, or if you have something to declare, go through the Red Channel. Information about Duty Free allowances can be found on special notice-boards in the Baggage Reclaim Area. You should study this information carefully whether you are going through the Red Channel or not. Please note that if you go through the Green Channel, you may be stopped and asked to open your luggage for inspection.

【推荐2】The Guide to Film Festivals

Top prize: Palme d’Or

History: The first Cannes Film Festival took place in September 1939, but it didn’t happen again until after World War II. The Palme d’Or prize was introduced in 1955. The festival became established during the 1960s and is now known as the world’s most important and influential film festival.

Did you know? About 20 feature films compete each year for the Palme d’Or. Previous winners include Michael Moore and Quentin Tarantino. Unlike the Oscars, the top prize is frequently shared between two films. Famous films that have won the Palme d’Or include Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, La Dolce Vita and The Third Man. The festival attracts more than 40,000 people every year.

Top prize: Golden Lion

History: The Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival still in existence. The film festival was in 1932 and it attracted over 25, 000 people. The festival did not appear again until 1934, when there was a competition between 19 countries. The festival was held three times during World War II and has been held almost every year since then.

Did you know? Films at the 61st Venice Film Festival in 2004 were nominated for 16 awards at the Oscars — the highest ever for the festival. These films included Vera Drake, Shark Tale, Collateral and Finding Neverland.

Top prize: Non-competitive

History: The London Film Festival started in 1956 when a group of film critics led by the famous Dilys Powell, the film critic for The Sunday Times, got together over dinner. They discussed the festivals at Cannes and Venice, and they agreed that London needed one, too. They wanted to give people the opportunity to see films from around the world that were not being shown in the cinemas. The first festival showed 20 films at the National Film Theatre on the South Bank.

Did you know? The festival is one of Europe’s largest public film events, screening about 280 films from 60 countries. Although it is non-competitive, the British Film Institute awards the Sutherland Trophy to the most original and imaginative first feature film screened at the festival.

【推荐3】All countries have their own characteristics that make them stand out. One thing that visitors to the UK always notice is how good British people are at waiting, especially in queues. Everywhere in the UK, it’s common to see queues. People wait in long lines at bus stops, in shops and in cinemas.

Speaking to BBC News, Kate Bradley, a lecturer at the University of Kent, explained that queuing in the UK isn’t simply about having goodwill toward other people. Indeed, British people also like everything to be in perfect order, so being shouted at for skipping ahead of someone in a line is something that most British try to avoid.

The British obsession (痴迷) with queuing goes back to World War II. When the amount of food that people are allowed to have is limited by the government due to wartime, people had to wait in line to get important goods in shops, particularly food. The government at the time was worried that trouble and disorder would break out, so it made a point of telling people that queuing was civilized and a British thing to do. And that message is still alive today.

There’s probably only one factor that will affect a Briton’s willingness to stand patiently in line — the weather, which can change quite quickly in the UK. One minute it can be fine and sunny, and the next it can be wet and windy. If people are queuing in bad weather, their main hope is that the bus arrives soon, or the people in front of them waiting to use the ATM give up and decide to leave.

But if the weather is good, queuing can be fun. Although people are waiting, they may be excited about the thing they’re waiting for. There’s an air of expectation when people are standing in line for a pop concert, for example. This can create a great atmosphere, which can make queuing for something an enjoyable experience all of its own.