On the morning of July 14, 1960, the young woman Jane Goodall arrived at the Gombe National Park. She had brought a tent, a cup, a pair of binoculars and her mother. A group of local men met the strange pair of women and helped carry their camping equipment. Then, around 5 pm, somebody reported that they had seen a chimpanzee. Straight away, Jane set off into the forest to find her first chimpanzee.
After many months of difficult work she made three important discoveries: chimpanzees ate meat, they used tools to get food and they also made tools, Jane wrote her findings in diaries and she began to publish articles in journals such as National Geographic magazine. After a while, scientists and experts started reading her studies and Jane was offered a place at a university. After more years of research she became Doctor Jane Goodall in 1966.
During the seventies, Jane found that chimpanzees can also be violent. She wrote in one diary,“ I thought the chimps were nicer than we are. But it is proved that they are not. They can be just as awful”
A different problem developed in Gombe in the 1980s. Because of the progress of clearing forests, there were only about a hundred chimpanzees living in Gombe by the end of ten years. Jane realized that something had to be done so that chimpanzees and humans could live together, so she set about helping the local community to grow more trees in the region.
After 1989, Jane left her career in Gombe. Firstly, she started travelling and giving lectures. She protested (反对) about the cruelty to chimpanzees used in medical research laboratories. She also set up reserves for chimps which survived.
Nowadays, she spends about 300 days a year giving interviews, talks and lectures, meeting with government officials and raising money for the Jane Goodall Institute, which continues her research. She has very little spare time left but she still spends part of every year in the forest in Gombe, watching her chimpanzees.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When you think of the Arctic (北极), you imagine an icy land of pure white snow. Others imagine it as the last really clean place left on Earth. We have polluted the deepest oceans with plastic trash, and now, CNN says, “It’s the Arctic’s turn”
German scientists have recently found micro plastics (微塑料) in Arctic snow, the Associated Press reported. Micro plastic are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. Sadly, the scientists found 1,800 pieces of micro plastic per liter of snow.
How is plastic pollution reaching the Arctic? According to scientists, “It’s readily apparent (显然的) that the majority of the micro plastics in the snow comes from the air.” they fall off of plastic objects and are moved by the wind, just like dust. They mix with ice in the air and fall to the ground as snow. Finding these plastics in Arctic snow means that we may breathe them in. An even higher amount of micro plastic was found in the snow around cities.
The high concentrations (浓度) found in snow samples (样本) suggest micro plastics, which contain rubber or chemical used in synthetic fabrics (合成纤维), may cause significant air pollution.
Are they bad for us? Scientists cannot answer this question for now, according to the World Health Organization. We do know that our bodies cannot take in “large” pieces of micro plastics. However, if the plastics are small enough, they can find ways into our bodies and stay there for a long time, which can be bad for our health. What’s more, earlier studies have shown that micro plastics may contributes to lung cancer risk, heightening the need to further assess (评估) the risks of taking them in, the study said.
Micro plastics have also been found in rivers and oceans around the world. Previous research has found that they flow long distances and into tour oceans, damaging ecosystems (生态系统) along the way. They start in our wastewater when we wash clothes with plastic fibers. The waste water then flows into rivers and out to sea, where they are eaten by sea animals. If people then eat these animals, it means that we’re eating the plastic as well.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Great Adventurers to Mt Qomolangma
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the impossible possible.They have been on top of the world.They climbed Mount Qomolangma!Tenzing Norgay is among the world’s famous mountain climbers;he was one of the first two individuals who reached the summit of Mount Qomolangma with Sir Edmund Hillary on May 29,1953.
In 1935, he got an opportunity to join in the Mount Qomolangma expedition. He was employed by Eric Shipton. In 1953 he took part in the seventh expedition to Mt Qomolangma.A member of the team, Edmund Hillary was also there. This expedition took 400 people, of which 362 were porters. The expedition set up base camp in March,1953.Working slowly it set up its final camp at the South Col at 7,890m.On May 26 Bourdillon and Evans attempted the climb but turned back when Evans’ oxygen system failed.The pair had reached the South Summit,coming within 91m of the summit.Hunt then directed Norgay and Hillary to go for the summit.Snow and wind held the pair up at the South Col for two days.They set out on May 28 with a support trio of Alfred Gregory,Ang Nyima and a member called Lowe.The two pitched a tent at 8,500m on May 28 while their support group returned down the mountain.
On the following morning Hillary discovered that his boots had frozen solid outside the tent.He spent two hours warming them before he and Norgay attempted the final ascent wearing 14kg packs.They finally reached the summit but only spent fifteen minutes there.Hillary took the famous photo of Norgay posing with his ice-axe, but since Norgay had never used a camera,Hillary’s ascent went unrecorded.Additional photos were taken looking down the mountain in order to reassure that they had made it to the top and that the ascent was not faked.
The two had to take care on the descent after discovering that drifting snow had covered their tracks,complicating the task of retracing their steps.The first person they met was Lowe,who had climbed up to meet them with hot soup.Then they climbed on down the mountain.
After a lot of struggles they stood on the top of Mount Qomolangma.They have been on top of the world!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Have you ever really thought about the effects television has on your children? 98% of families in the US have at least one TV, according to TV-Free America, and the TV is on for an average of 7 hours and 12 minutes a day. On average, a child aged 2-11 watches TV for 1, 197 minutes a week! It is pretty surprising that the same age group of children only spend 38.5 minutes a week on a meaningful conversation with their parents.
As children start watching TV at a younger age, their behaviors and relationships with their family can be affected more drastically. When a group of 4 to 6yearolds were asked to choose between watching television and spending time with their fathers, 54% preferred TV. But what if you don’t let your small children watch TV? You may not. But if your toddler (学步的小孩) goes to daycare, you may not know, 70% of daycare centers use the TV during a typical day. Shouldn’t they be playing with each other and learning, not doing something they can do at home?
Parents do not have to feel completely helpless. As of 2, 000, all TVs now have a chip that helps parents control and even block certain shows. So if you feel TV is not as wonderful as it seemed before, just think you have at least a little power over what your kids watch.
But what is even more shocking is how much violence is shown on television. Some kids do enjoy that but most don’t. The percentage of children surveyed who said they felt “upset” by or “scared” of violence on TV is 91%! I think that shows containing violence or scary scenes should be broadcast at a later time, so smaller children will not be exposed to them.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, the attitudes to dirt are always changing.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, and washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. The king of England did something similar in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. France’s Henry IV was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief above was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbour ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War II. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea; clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist(免疫学家) , encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As a guest in a beautiful country-China, I have been treated with great love and respect. I consider myself as a grandfather to my class, and that is a great honor for me.
Two years ago, I was in my Chinese classroom waiting for my students, when a lovely young girl entered the room. Suddenly the room was warm and cheerful. I was surprised at the change from a dull somewhat classroom to a bright and happy classroom so quickly. To seek the answer, I looked more closely at the Chinese girl who stood before me. By all accounts, she could be described as ordinary except for her smile.
She had the most beautiful smile I think I have ever seen. I was so impressed by her smile that I told my wife about the experience when I arrived home after the class. Since then when I saw this young lady, she had the same beautiful smile. She and I have become very good friends. I know there are at times when she has reasons not to smile. Nevertheless, her smile is always there and never fails to warm my soul.
Many times I have wondered the effect a smile had on others. I have decided that a smile is one of the greatest powers we possess. Nothing can better melt an angry heart more quickly or make people all around feel instantly better than a warming smile.
I have decided that as I walk along the lovely pathways of our beautiful campus, I will smile and say hello to those I meet. The smile makes all of us instant friends. A smile makes instant friends and is the magic ingredient that makes us all brothers, sisters and friends.
I would like to invite all to look up and smile at everyone they meet on our campus and streets. I decided to do so and know I will feel great pleasure being there in a strange land far away from my family because of you and the power of your smiles. Thank you for being my beloved grandchildren.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Wearing Helmet
Some kids ride through city bicycle lanes like a professional, and others set out alone down quiet country lanes. However, every day, an average of more than 500 children with bike-related injuries are treated in U.S. emergency departments, according to an analysis of injury data from 2006 to 2015. Those wearing helmets were significantly less likely to have head and neck injuries, the study found. And although children tend to wear helmets more consistently than adults, many still ride without one.
Along with calling for safer, more bike-friendly streets, it’s important to choose a helmet that will help protect your child from injury in a fall or a crash. When you’re choosing a helmet, focus primarily on ensuring the correct fit. “A poor fit will impact the protection a helmet can provide,” says Angela Lumba-Brown, an emergency medicine physician at Stanford Health Care.
The best way to find the right size is to take your child into a bike shop and have them try on helmets with a sales associate who’s familiar with the options, says Brad Bowman, product manager at Gregg’s Cycle. If you choose to buy online, Bowman suggests measuring your child’s head with flexible measuring tape about an inch above the eyebrows before choosing a size.
Helmet sizes are measured by head circumference (圆周), and helmets usually come with adjustable dials to accommodate a range of circumferences. For example, a 3-to-5-year-old child might wear a helmet with a 50-to-52-centimeter circumference. Bowman suggests choosing one that fits comfortably but also allows for a bit of growth. Once a sales associate helps you identify the right-sized helmet, adjust the dial until the helmet feels tight but isn’t causing the child discomfort. “After you dial in the fit, if you pull up lightly on top of the helmet, it shouldn’t come off their head,” he says.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you’ve ever sent an email that started with the words ”Just sending a friendly reminder to please...“ we have some bad news for you: It probably backfired. Not only are “friendly reminder” emails one of the annoying email habits you have, but everyone also secretly hates them.
To you, reminder email could simply be “a friendly way to ask for something that’s late,” Fast Company writes. But unfortunately, that might not be the message coming across to your coworkers. You need to quit this bad email habit and stop sending them immediately, and here’s why.
For one, if you use “hedge words” such as “kind of,” “maybe,” “probably.” etc., they will decrease your credibility with your coworkers. Although you might insert those phrases for a softer tone, they also make you sound insecure and not confident. Be clear with your choice of words, choosing the straightforward “sending a reminder,“ instead. Trust you’re your employees will appreciate the directness.
But that’s not even the worst part. It’s also easy for those reminder emails to get lost in people’s inboxes, if not ignored immediately. With countless emails flooding in per day, yours could easily get lost in the shuffle. Very likely, your coworkers will hit the ”delete“ button.
Still, you need to get their attention somehow, right? After all, you have a job to do! Once you send the classic reminder email, try scheduling a meeting with the person via calendar invite. Even re-sending the classic reminder email with a red “urgent” flag could do the trick. Doing so is practically guaranteed to get the message across - and still save face with your coworkers.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How your unique story can get you hired?
You’re sitting at your computer to apply for your dream job, but suddenly you’re not confident enough to get it. So you don’t even submit the application. It is natural for you to experience self-doubt at such a crucial moment, especially if you’re people of color, first generation college student, or you don’t have a traditional background. The secret is to transform how you perceive your own story.
Ask yourself two questions. The first one: why do you want to do this work? Maybe you already know the kind of job or work environment that makes you happy, or maybe you haven’t quite figured that out yet. Usually, your personal experiences can help give you clues. For example, your brother had to overcome his dyslexia (诵读困难症), and you helped him with his reading. Gradually, you became interested in education. That motivated you to work as a teacher.
The second question you have to ask yourself: how can you tell your story to exhibit the unique qualities you have? For example, you undertook multiple jobs unrelated to your major while you were in college. When you’re in an interview, go ahead and talk about them, because it will show the employer that you have time management skills and a strong passion for work. Employers are looking for well-rounded individuals that are capable of accomplishing various job tasks.
Go back and reflect on those tough questions that you need to answer. The answers are what makes you you. Reframing your story can remake your confidence over and over again, but it takes time. It’s like running a marathon. You have to train and practice. When you learn to practice your story, tell it with assurance. You’re sure to stand out among all the candidates.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Public speaking is the act of speaking to a large group of people in a highly organized manner. Knowing the art of public speaking is very important. The ability to speak confidently and convincingly in public not only will make you stand out while in college, but also will enable you to play an active role in your workplace and community in the future. There are many occasions where you will likely be asked to give a speech, such as in a classroom presentation, at school meetings, graduation ceremonies, awards ceremonies, receptions, or wedding parties.
Public speaking often involves two major stages of work: preparation and delivering. As for the preparation, you should start with an audience analysis and decide on a speech topic and purpose. The more you know and understand about your audience, the better you will choose a topic and prepare the speech. After you analyze your audience and set a speech objective, you need to gather materials to support your idea. Examples, stories, statistics, and testimony (证明) are four major types of supporting materials. You can gather these materials from the Internet, journals, magazines, books, newspapers, or your personal experience. After you gather enough materials about the topic, you then need to organize them clearly and logically.
The language of a speech tends to be different from that of writing. In a speech, shorter and simpler words and sentences are preferred to long and complex ones so that the listening audience will understand well. Besides, in order to bring emotional responses in the audience, various kinds of rhetorical devices (修辞手法) are often employed to add power to the speech language.
To successfully deliver a speech, you need to do a lot of work as well. For example, you need to make effective use of your voice and body so as to convey your message clearly and vividly. Maybe you also need to prepare some visual (视觉的) aids such as PowerPoint to help your audience understand you well.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
