1 . The Arctic is home to over 21, 000 kinds of animals and plants. Two thirds of it is the Arctic Ocean. From July to August, nearly 50 percent of the sea is ice and the sun sometimes shines in the sky during the summer. However, in November, the temperature drops sharply and the Ocean is completely covered with sea ice during the following 5 months. The Arctic winter is extremely cold. Actually, according to recent studies, the temperature in the Arctic is 18℃ higher than it was 125 years ago. The life of the local people is greatly influenced by climate（气候）change. Read the following chart and get to know more about the Arctic.

3 . Children all like to play with snow at Christmas. But the climate（气候）is changing quickly. The weather in winters is getting warmer and warmer. And it doesn’t snow in some places in southern England. Sometimes it’s hard for children there to have a white Christmas. Many children want to have snow to play with.

But the children in a hospice（收容所）get a big surprise. They have a white Christmas. A rich man called Chris Hopkins bought 10,000 kilos of snow on the Internet for them.

Mr Hopkins said, “The children here are unhappy. They are too young but they have no father or mother to look after them. All children enjoy Christmas with snow and presents. I feel very happy when I find the snow brings smiles to their faces.

5 . Gen Z（Z 世代） is the generation born between 1995 and 2010. As the first generation of digital natives（数码原住民）, Gen Z is influencing and leading cultural trends（潮流）on social media.

After interviewing 1, 200 social network users aged between 13 and 24 in the US in October, Instagram, a photo and video sharing platform, has discovered some trends in 2022. Let’s take a look at two of them.

Second hand takes centre stage

According to the report, 23 percent of the people interviewed plan to shop on second-hand fashion sites in 2022 and nearly 24 percent of them are going to sell their clothes on websites or other social networks this year.

Instead of thinking that buying or using second-hand items is embarrassing（尴尬的）, more and more young people consider it as a cool and fun opportunity for “hunting something special”, reported NPR. Growing up with more negative information about environmental pollution, young people have learned that it is important to live a green life.

Hunger for kitchen skills

The food hashtag（话题标签）has a bright future in social media in 2022. According to Instagram, Gen Z expects to find new recipes（配方）to test and improve their cooking skills.

One in six express their love for cooking at home. For them, enjoying life and improving its quality are on top of their life agenda. Instead of ordering so-called popular dishes, they’re more likely to custom-design the flavor and personalize their meals. So, improving cooking skill is a must to them.

7 . Where are you in your family? Are you a big brother or sister, the baby or somewhere in the middle? Or maybe you’re an only child? Wherever you are, psychologists(心理学家) believe your position in the family has an important effect on your personality.

Only children are people who are pro-active: they are grow-up early. They are energetic and organized and they love facts and details. On the other hand, they hate to be punished and they can seem far too sensitive to other people. They can become angry if they don’t get their own way.

Eldest children are often ambitious(有野心的) and hard-working, and usually score higher marks on achievement tests. On the other side, eldest children often feel jealous of their younger siblings(兄弟姐妹), who often seem to get better treatment from their parents.

Middle children can see both sides of an argument and so they are often peace-makers in the family. They are usually easy-going and good listeners, but they can be unambitious and they are often unsure what to do with their lives.

Last-borns are often their parents’ favourite, and their personality proves this. Parents are often less strict with the youngest child, which can cause anger from older children. They also have the least responsibility. However, last-borns have good people skills: they are sociable and love pleasing others. On the other hand, youngest children often have a short attention span and can be self-centered.

8 . Hiking is something we often do with our kids. One summer when the boys were 3 and 5, we spent several weeks in the mountains. And we took a bus back. It was wonderful for little kids. Do you love hiking with kids? A few tips (建议) will help you a lot.

Drinking water—No matter where you go, bring along drinking water. In the hot weather, it’s easy to get thirsty. Streams (小溪) may look clear, but don’t drink from them, even in the high mountains.

Snacks—Bring out snacks and enjoy them when you need to take a rest and then get going again. Good hiking snacks are “goldfish”, boxed juice and crackers.

Proper footwear—Make sure everyone has comfortable shoes even on short hikes. Nobody likes to hike if their feet hurt. Closed-toed (不漏脚趾的) shoes are best.

Hats—It’s easy to get sunburned. Wear a hat to cover your face and neck.

Mosquito repellent (驱蚊剂)—If you’re hiking near streams in spring and early summer, mosquitoes may be out. Bring along mosquito repellent for kids.