1 . All human languages use vowels and consonants to express ideas. Most primates (灵长类) communicate almost using vowel-like calls, but non-human great apes, like chimpanzees, produce consonant-like sounds to varying degrees, This raises the question of where consonants came from, says Adriano Lameira at the University of Warwick. To find it out, he studied existing literature to see how common consonants are among the great apes.

He found that orangutans (猩猩), which spend most of their time in the trees: produce a greater number and variety of consonant sounds than gorillas and chimpanzees living. on the ground. “Orangutans have rich sounds like kiss sounds, scrapes and clicks.” says Lameira. hey typically use these sounds while building nests or commencing with their young.

Lameira thinks that living in the trees may explain that Great apes are experts at processing protected foods. Like nuts, which often requires tools. While living in trees however, orangutans must always use at least one arm to maintain stability. They have therefore developed more complex control of their lips, tongues and jaws, allowing them to use their mouths as a “fifth limb” orangutans can peel oranges just with lips, for example.

This advanced motor skill enables orangutans make consonant-like sounds, argues Lameira. This could mean, that our early ancestors developed consonant sounds while hanging around in the trees, too. “ There’s a growing sense that our dependency on trees was much larger and deeper than we think,” says Lameira.

The link between feeding and sounds doesn’t apply to smaller tree-living primates like monkeys, argues Lameira, because their size and tails make them more stable on branches and they eat differently

“This is an interesting assumption worth testing,” says Chris Petkov at Newcastle University, though he questions some aspects. As humans aren’t tree living, there must be other reasons why consonants remain, which could be tested by characterising consonant-like sounds more systematically across species, he says.

Located in Guanghan city of Southwest China’s Sichuan province and covering an area of 12 square kilometers, Sanxingdui Site is the remains of the ancient Shu culture, which dates back     1     4, 800-2600 years ago, and is considered to be one of the     2     (great) archaeological (考古的) discoveries in the 20^th century. This particular discovery is a strong proof of the     3     (exist) of the ancient Shu State and the integrative pattern of the multi-cultures of the Chinese nation.

In fact, as a cultural site, Sanxingdui had come into the notice of archaeologists as early as in the 1930s, and     4     (exploration) were made soon. It all began     5     a farmer called Yan Daocheng dug out a number of treasures     6     (accidental) in the spring of 1929. In the summer of 1986, thousands of rare treasures were unearthed from two large newly-discovered sacrificial pits (祭祀坑). The unearthed objects are unique in shape and superior in techniques,    7     (confirm) the extraordinary creativity of the ancient Shu people and their desires     8     (understand) the universe.

After sleeping for 3, 000 years, their awakening has shocked the world. When our eyes     9     (catch) by the creations of the ancient Shu ancestors, it is     10     encounter with a civilization lost for 3, 000 years.

8 . In January, 2021, the ice-making work on the ”Ice Ribbon“, a landmark venue for the Beijing Winter Olympics, was completed.

In the Winter Olympics, where races can be won or lost by a small time gap, tiny imperfections in the ice can make all the differences. ”It’s not just a hunk of ice like you’d normally think of, like ice cubes sitting in your freezer,“ told Kenneth Golden, a U. S. mathematician who studies the structures of ice. ”It’s a much more fascinating and complex substance than people would normally think.“

The first step for building any ice rink is to purify the water to remove dissolved solids like salts and minerals. Such impurities don’t fit in the regular hexagonal(六边形的)structure of ice that forms as water freezes. The purer the water, the more consistent the ice surface.

In addition to the need for excellence in the raw materials of ice-making, technology is also very important, As one of the most advanced technologies for winter sports venues, a carbon dioxide cooling technology has been applied on a large scale for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. CO₂ , is not new when it comes to ice-making. However, it has been gradually replaced by the man-made refrigerant, like Freon.

With increasing attention toward climate change, the old refrigerant has come into use again. As an element of the atmosphere, CO₂, doesn’t damage the ozone layer. Although CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, its greenhouse effect is much lower than that of other synthetic refrigerants. The Winter Olympics venues adopted CO₂ instead of Freon as a refrigerant in ice-making, which will reduce carbon dioxide emissions greatly.

”We believe these technological innovations will bring Beijing 2022 to spectators all over the world in a more impressive way.“ told Gao Bo from the Media Operations Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.

One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it a secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali’s running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.

Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city.When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.

The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided(碰撞) with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.

Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.

Filled with delight, Ali walked home quickly.

10 . Space Center Houston offers a variety of age-appropriate and inspiring camp experiences with safety top of mind. In the wake of covid-19 we aim to continue inspiring all generations through the wonders of space exploration while maintaining the highest level of safety for all. Our Explorer Camps introduce children ages 4-11 to science, technology, engineering and math through engaging and hands-on learning activities. Discover and explore our Explorer Camps for ages 67 and below.

JOURNEY TO MARS

June 14-18, July 12-16, Aug 9-13 $289.95 5-DAY EXPLORER CAMP

While demonstrating best safety practices, campers are involved in activities that arouse their interest in science along with their sense of adventure. These young engineers learn the basics of rocket, discover coding, and explore hands on science activities.

ENGINEERING BASICS

June 7-11, Juy 5-9 $289.95 5-DAY EXPLORER CAMP

Campers discover what it takes to solve problems related to space exploration in Engineering Basics. Taking LEGO bricks “out of the box and to new and exciting places”, this camp gets your little builders using lego bricks like never before. These engineers-in-training will participate in problem-solving activities, building simple machines, art projects, androbotics.

JOURNEY TO SPACE

June 28-July2, Juy 26-30 $289.95 5-DAY EXPLORER CAMP

How do astronauts work in space? Why is Venus so hot? Will people ever go to Mars? How do robots work? what do engineers do? all these questions are answered as campers explore space through art, science, robotics, and engineering activities This camp leaves all inquiring minds inspired to continue their journey.

EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY

June 1-5 $229.95 5-DAY EXPLORER CAMP

Campers discover what it takes to send people, supplies and spacecraft beyond earths atmosphere. During this five-day adventure, former astronauts will deliver speeches on how they live and work in the space station.