1 . Are you interested in working with animals? Now here comes the CHANCE. Kirby Wildlife Park has set up the unique Keeper Experience package. The fantastic experience is available to anyone over the age of 18 who is reasonably fit. We regret that for health and safety reasons, participants who are pregnant, in a wheelchair or suffering from illnesses cannot take part.

A typical day

9:15 Arrival 9:30 Health and Safety Briefing

10:00 Apes and Monkeys

While cleaning out the enclosure (围场) you will find out about how enclosures are enriched with novel items and new smells to stimulate the animals′ senses and imitate their natural environment.

12:00 Lunch 14:00 Big Cats

As one of the highlights of this volunteer experience, you will feed the cats and learn about their nutritional needs. The keeper will give you an introduction to how cat behavior can be read to get an idea of their welfare and health.

16:30 Meet the Team

Meet more of the staff and learn how you can get further involved with work at the park. Learn about our animal adoption plan, what it takes to be a good keeper and where to obtain the right qualifications for a career in animal welfare.

Booking and cancellation

The Keeper Experience is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, and must be booked at least two weeks in advance. Full payment is needed when booking.

Cancellations must be made more than fourteen days before the event. Otherwise, you won′t receive a full refund.

5 . 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.

7 . When I turned 10, I made up my mind to take up swimming. There was a pool at the Y.M.C.A. offering exactly the opportunity. Mother continually warned against it and kept fresh in my mind the details of drowning in the river. But the Y.M.C A. pool was safe.

I had a childhood fear of water. This started when I was three years old and father took me to the beach. The huge waves knocked me down and swept over me.

The pool was quiet. I was afraid of going in all alone, so I sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. Then came a big boy. He shouted, “Hi, skinny! How’d you like to be ducked?” With that he picked me up and threw me into the deep end. I landed in a sitting position, and swallowed water. But I was not frightened out of my wits（机智）—when my feet hit the bottom, I would make a big jump, coming out of the surface. It seemed a long way down. I gathered all my strength when I landed and made what I thought was a great spring upwards. Then I opened my eyes and saw nothing but water. I tried to shout but no sound came out. I went down, down, endlessly.

When I came to consciousness（意识）, I found myself lying on the bed in the hospital.

I never went back to the pool. I avoided water whenever I could. This misfortune stayed with me as the years rolled by. It deprived（剥夺）me of the joy of boating and swimming. Finally, I decided to get an instructor. Piece by piece, he built a swimmer. Several months later, the instructor was finished, but I was not. Sometimes the terror（恐惧）would return.

This went on until July. I swam across the Lake Went Worth. Only once did the terror return. When I was in the middle of the lake, I put my face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. I laughed and said, “Well, Mr. Terror, what do you think you can do to me?”

I had defeated my fear of water.

8 . Is there a place that you have a strong desire to visit before you are too old to travel? If so, you’re in my shoes. The following places are where I desire to visit very much and most probably your best choices.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

The region is famous for its amazing natural beauty. Many 5A scenic areas and geological(地质的)parks are located there. The park not only has natural wonders, such as strange looking peaks and a thick forest, but also rich animal and plant resources. Tourists can feel like stepping into a natural botanic(植物)garden and kingdom of animals. After visiting here, one will realize the great natural beauty of our world.

The Rainbow Mountains

These geographical(地理的)wonders look as if they were painted with a giant paintbrush. The bright colors stand obviously among the surrounding green plants. Wild as it is, these mountains are a part of our world in China’s Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park. This wild variety of color does exist in the real world. No Photoshop is necessary for the natural beauty of these mountains.

Bora bora.

This place offers the chance to live like a native Polynesian. The clear open sky and the calm waters offer you the unique opportunity to observe how the native people lead a life nearby the sea. Many holiday centers are built here and offer different tours and experiences.

The Galapagos Islands.

The islands consist of 13 volcanic(火山的)islands and six smaller islands. Although known for Darwin’s visit, they’re more attractive than you might imagine. There are 900 species of animals found on these islands. 200 of these species are specific(特有的)to the Galapagos. Most travelers come to this lovely place for the specific wildlife here.

10 . The bond between mother and daughter is irreplaceable. One of the most famous women scientists of the 20th century, Marie Curie, worked _______ her daughter Irene in the field of radioactivity, each of them _______ earning their own Nobel Prize. Today, there are more _______ mother-and-daughter pairs showing what happens when _______ works together.

In April 2020, Dr. Cynthia Kudji and her daughter Dr. Jasmine Kudji have become the first mother and daughter to _______ from the medical school at the same time and be placed in the same hospital. Cynthia Kudji put her dream of becoming a _______on hold when she became pregnant (怀孕的) at 23. She worked as a nurse for almost a decade _______ making the decision to attend the medical school at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences. _______, her daughter Jasmine attended Louisiana State University School of medicine.

At first, it was _______ for them to live and study so far apart from one another. “I thought initially it was hard because my mom and I had always been really ________ so I had to get used to the ________,” Dr. Jasmine Kudji explains to Afro Tech. Although the experience was difficult, it also had ________ results. “Sometimes people struggle to find someone who ________ their struggles, so for that person to be my mom was extremely helpful,” she adds.

After years apart, both Cynthia and her daughter earned their M. D. degree. Then on “Match Day” when recent med school graduates ________ the results of their residency (高级专科住院生实习期) applications, Cynthia and Jasmine learned that they were ________ in the same hospital.

This pair of mother and daughter proves that family can do anything together.