1 . Banff National Park is home to an amazing wildlife population. But the busy Trans Canada Highway that cuts through the park is a hazard to the lovely animals. To address the problem, Banff first put-up wildlife fencing on either side of the highway to discourage animals from entering the busy road. Then, since 1996, they’ve opened six wildlife overpasses and 38 underpasses to help the animals cross the highway in safety. I was fortunate to visit Banff’s Red Earth Overpass with Trevor Kinley, the project manager with Parks Canada. He told me that so far, they have documented 10, 000 safe animal crossings on this overpass alone. “ Some animals have learned how to use the crossings much more quickly than others. Black bears are the fastest learners, followed by deer. Wolves and lions take the longest to work out how to use them, ” Kinley said, laughing. “ But those animals that are slower to adapt are usually more capable and determined at figuring out the safest way to cross those overpasses and underpasses. ”

There is some criticism (批评) that channeling so much wildlife into a few bridges and tunnels is like making a trap for the animals, offering big animals an easy meal on either side. “ But research has shown that this is not the case, ” Kinley assured me. “ There are no more killings around the crossings than there are anywhere else in the park. ”

Walking over the Trans Canada and then walking underneath through one of the tunnels, I was amazed to see the fresh tracks of black bears, wolves, deer and many kinds of smaller animals. Somehow, all these animal footprints made me so happy, knowing that all this wildlife was passing safely under and over the longest road in Canada.

Hopefully, the success of the wildlife crossings in Banff will continue to inspire similar solutions around the world, where human pressure on wildlife continues to grow.

3 . A professor was teaching his class. All the students were listening to his _______ with great interest. But there was one student whose_______ of mind showed he was in a bad mood.

The professor took notice of this student on the first day but did not say anything. But when this _______ for a week, he asked. “You are _______ in spirits all the time. What is the matter? Have some trouble?”

“Sir, that...” the student said. “... something has happened in my past, _______ which I remain troubled. I don’t know what to do.”

The professor was a(n) _______ good person. He called the student at his house in the evening.

When the student _______ the professor’s house, he was greeted with a _______ welcome. The professor went to the kitchen and started making lemonade for his student. He _______put more salt in the lemonade.

__________ the student had a taste of it, his mouth became sour. __________ this, the professor asked, “Did you not like the lemonade?”

“No, sir, this is not the __________. Just a little more salt in the drink,” the student said. “Now it’s useless. I will throw it away.” The professor __________ his hand to get the glass of drink from the student. But the student refused, saying, “No, sir. If you add more__________, the taste will be fine.”

Upon hearing this, the professor became serious and said, “You are right. That’s what I want to__________. Just as salt cannot be taken out of the lemonade, those bad experiences also cannot __________ life. Adding more sugar can change the taste of lemonade. In a(n) __________way, sweetness has to be dissolved (溶解) in life to forget bad experiences. I want you to take the sweetness in your life into __________ now.”

To his relief, the student __________ him and decided from then on he would not be troubled by the __________.

4 . Japanese researchers placed electronic devices(装置)on seals(海豹)in Antarctic waters to collect surprising information about the environment there. Japan’s National Institute of Polar Research started the research project in 2017. The team recently reported its results in a study in the publication Limnology and Oceanography.

Eight Weddell seals were fitted with the devices,which have antennas(天线)to send electronic signals.The 580-gram monitoring devices were attached(缚上;系上)to the animals’heads. They were designed to measure data such as water temperatures and sea salt levels.

Investigative teams on ships have difficulty reaching important research areas in Antarctica. These include areas along continental shelf formations where ice is attached to the shore, the National Institute of Polar Research said in a statement. Nobuo Kokubun led the project. Since the seals are active year-round, Kokubun added, “I thought we should have them collect the data.”

He told Reuters that the research also helps scientists follow the seals’ behaviors and learn about their relationship to the environment. “During the summer, we can go to Antarctica on icebreakers to conduct actual research activities, so that we can collect data there.” Kokubun said. ”But during the winter. such things cannot be done in so many places.“

Information gathered from the seals showed that one of the animals traveled as far as 633kilometers from Japan’s Showa Station in Antarctica. Another dove to a depth of 700 meters.Kokubun said the scientists learned from the data that warm seawater from the upper levels of the open sea reached Antarctica from March through the winter of 2017. The water flowed below the ice, bringing in sea creatures like Antarctic krill, an important food for seals.

Kokubun and his team plan to keep finding new ways to further examine the effects of climate change on Antarctic coastal areas. Next, he hopes to make the device small enough to fit on other animals at the South Pole, such as penguins,“The advantage with penguins is that they come back to the same place and we can collect data from them immediately,”Kokubun said.

5 . Chen Yuzhu, a 29-year-old young man, opened his first Chinese beef rice noodles restaurant in 2014 in the neighborhood of New York City’s Queens borough. He then took the flavor of his childhood memory to three other states in the US, building a recognized brand.

Actually, he started his own catering (餐饮) business after he lost his job and found noway out. It was at that time that beef rice noodles of his home village flashed in his mind.

However, the early days of setting up his business were not that easy. He frequently worked 18 hours a day, transported food at 2 am and promoted (推销) the restaurant near the New York City subway entrance by yelling, “Special noodles from my hometown, Guizhou!” But it didn’t work well. During the first two weeks. daily sales were only $200 at most, which wasn’t enough to pay the rent. He felt so anxious that he tried every possible means. Two months later, his Chinese beef rice noodles finally gained great popularity. His store has become hot spots for vloggers (视频博主) and he has made himself famous among locals as the“Rice Noodle Prince”.

“At first, running restaurants was for survival, but then I felt a sense of achievements. I became more open, inclusive and made a lot of friends. And the process to learn, make efforts and get inspired was really cool.” Chen said.

6 . Please don't feel singled out, special, or view yourself as a chosen one. She bites everyone. This is just the nature of the beast. There is absolutely no truth to the persistent myths that mosquitoes fancy females over males; that they prefer blondes and redheads over those with darker hair；or that the darker or rougher your skin, the safer you are from her bite. It is true, however, that she does play favorites and feasts on some more than others.

Blood type O seems to be the choice over types A and B or AB. People with blood type O get bitten twice as often as those with type A, with type B falling somewhere in between.

Those who have higher natural levels of certain chemicals in their skin, particularly lactic acid （乳酸），also seem to be more attractive. From these elements, she can analyze which blood type you are. These are the same chemicals that determine an individual’s level of skin bacteria and unique body smell.

Mosquitoes are also attracted by perfumes, soaps, and other applied fragrances. While this may seem unfair to many of you, she also has a desire for beer drinkers.

Wearing bright colors is also not a wise choice, since she hunts by both sight and smell, the latter depending chiefly on the amount of carbon dioxide sent out by the potential target. So she can smell carbon dioxide from over 200 feet away. When you exercise, for example, you emit more carbon dioxide through both breath and output. You also sweat, releasing those appetizing chemicals, primarily lactic acid, that invites the mosquito's attention.

Lastly, your body temperature rises, which is an easily identifiable heat signature. On average, pregnant women suffer twice as many bites, as they have a slightly raised body temperature.

Please don't go on a shower, exercise or give up your beloved beer and bright T-shirts just yet. Unfortunately, 85% of what makes you attractive to mosquitoes is fixed in advance in your genetic circuit board （电路板）.At the end of the day, she will find blood from any exposed target of opportunity.

7 . India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday developed a series of new high-producing rice species, including herbicide-tolerant（耐除草剂的）rice that can be directly planted into the soil, cutting the huge expenses on water and farm workers.

In India, the world's biggest rice exporter, the traditional method of rice growing requires farmers to grow seeds in nurseries, and then wait for 20 to 30 days before transplanting the small plants by hand into the fields that are ankle-deep in water.

With the new seed species, developed by the state-run Indian Agricultural Research Institute, farmers only need to water the field once to moisten（使湿润）the soil before planting the rice. Besides, the traditional method also uses a lot of water to control weeds as herbicides are costly and often do not distinguish between the rice and the unwanted weeds.

Government scientists said the new rice species contains a gene that would allow farmers to use a common, inexpensive herbicide without worrying about any side effects. “Our focus is very high on new seeds that can be adapted to new conditions, especially in changing climates,” Modi said.

Water conservation is likely to be the main attraction of the new rice species in India, where farmers rely heavily on monsoon（季风）rains. “The traditional method uses 3,000 to 5,000 liters（升）of water to produce 1 kg of rice. The new species could cut water use by at least 50% to 60%,” farmers and government officials say. "For farmers like us, the main concern was the management of water, and the new species takes care of that concern," said Ravindra Kajal, who grows rice on his 9-acre farmland in the northern state of Haryana.

8 . I'd shared my home with scorpions（非洲蝎子）in Africa before. But when we moved to Costa Rica which was an insect center, there were scorpions under the fridge, a stick insect and a tarantula（狼蛛）, the size of a dinner plate, wandering around the courtyard.

To begin with, I was scared to death, and got away from them as quickly as possible. But slowly things changed. With no TV, no radio and often staying at our house for days in this rainforest, I started to get used to these uninvited visitors. It was for a long time that I was gradually used to them. Then I kept an eye out for them and finally was delighted to see them no matter what they were.

Soon when a creature came to visit, I'd call the kids over, take photos and even pose with them. We'd try to work out what these creatures were doing, see where they were going and pick them up if they seemed safe. Not all the wildlife was traditionally frightening. We gently held panic-stricken hummingbirds that were trapped in the house and set them back in the wild. We listened out for the woodpeckers（啄木鸟）that decorated our garden. We practiced shouting like howling monkeys. Those feathered and furry creatures were easy to love, and we also grew to love the seemingly unlovable when traveling in Costa Rica.

Sweeping away the terror from this fresh new love, I started emailing photos of my new insect friends to human friends and family overseas. I was as proud as any new mother with my latest discoveries. Then when their replies came back saying “Disgusting!", “Ewww” or “Nasty”, I was saddened, and I could hardly remember that not so long ago I would also have been disgusted by the sight of a ten-inch cricket（蟋蟀）on my dining table.

Travel changes you in ways you never expect, and changes things you never want to change. You may not imagine you could find beauty in an insect, if you look closely at it there. You may not think you could love the unlovable. And if you take time to wonder and open your heart to the possibility, love can spread in anywhere.

9 . The Bridge Home

By Padma Venkatraman

Runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive in the Indian city of Chennai, and it isn’t what they expected. The girls must depend on each other to survive until they meet two homeless boys, Muthi and Arul. As a team, they search around the city for food and shelter while making the most of a terrible situation.

Otherwood

By Pete Hautman

Best friends Stuey and Elly Rose share a birthday and a love of the woods near their homes. When playing in their favorite place deep in the woods, Stuey tells Elly Rose a story—a secret he has learned about his great-grandfather and hers. Something unexpected happens, and Stuey must work out how to repair the damage that was caused long ago.

Where the Watermelons Grow

By Cindy Baldwin

Della’s mama has been sick before. She has an illness that cause her to hear voices that aren’t there. But this summer, her mama seems worse. With daddy working hard to save the family farm from bad weather, Della believe that she needs to fix what’s wrong with mama.

Planet Earth Is Blue

By Nicole Panteleakos

Nova loves astronomy(天文学), an interest she shares with big sister Bridget. The space shuttle Challenger is days from launching(发射),and Bridget has promised to watch it on TV with Nova. But Bridget left their last foster (寄养的)home, and Nova is with a new family. Nova, who is autistic(患孤独症的)and doesn’t use words, hopes that Bridget—the only one who truly understands her—will find her way to Nova in time for liftoff.

10 . Lapland's reindeer (驯鹿) grow well in winters of -30℃ and even colder. So when rain falls instead of snow during the coldest months in the Arctic,it makes food hard to get for them. Now one of the best-loved symbols of Christmas is probably dying out. Numbers have fallen by over half in the last two decades as the place warms at four times the global average rate.

The animals are used to pull sleigh (雪橇) rides for tourists. The rides are part of Lapland winter wonderland experiences in thousands of British tourists each year. But this year the working herd had to be moved 60 miles further north due to the absence of snow. As a result, they can't be provided in some areas, making it hard for people to earn a living.

Lapland is often described as Europe's last great wilderness, home to lynxes, brown bears, wolverines and golden eagles. Tourism is a big part of the economy, and the town of Rovaniemi is also the "official home of Santa Claus". But changing climate (气候) is threatening its tourism industry. A report by The Finnish Climate Change Panel warns of flooding and increased rainfall, with Rovaniemi most at risk. Firms that rely on snow "will have great effects on visit levels" and these industries may be forced further north.

Erkkila of the Arctic Husky Park in Rovaniemi says: "Tourists see pictures of the Santa Claus village covered in snow and when they get here they think, 'Is this the winter wonderland?'." The Husky Park bought a wheeled cart (车) six years ago as a replacement for sleigh rides when the snow fails.

In the past it was thought the Arctic was warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. But a report published last week by scientists showed the rate is actually four times the global average.