4 . The most valuable thing I ever lost was a pair of diamond earrings I won many years ago at a charity auction (拍卖会). I wrote about the lost earrings in my new children’s book, The Christmas Pig. When they reach the Land of the Lost, where the hero must go to rescue his most beloved toy, my earrings are angry that they aren’t treated with the respect they think they deserve. They soon find out that being made of diamonds counts for(有用) very little in the strange world where human-made objects go when lost, because a thing’s importance there depends on how much it’s truly loved.

The Christmas Pig explores a deep attachment to an old object. It’s about the journey of a boy, Jack, who is a little lost himself, but who discovers his bravery and ability to love in a strange new world. Of all the books I’ve written, this is the one that made me cry the most, because I was dealing with emotions that run deep in all of us. Loss and change are hard for children, but acceptance of these unavoidable parts of life isn’t much easier for adults. The Christmas Pig shows how human beings — even small, lost ones — are capable of wonderful, heroic acts.

A very strange thing happened on the day I finished editing The Christmas Pig. After emailing the final version to my editor, I set about clearing out a cupboard. One of the last objects I picked up was a small box. I opened it. There were my long-lost diamond earrings. I’ve decided to sell them and give the money to a charity. I think it was a nice ending for my earrings’ story to have them do some good for children in the Land of the Living.

How many times have I been asked whether I believe in magic? On the day I finished The Christmas Pig, for a few shining moments I really did.

In a Japanese city Otsu, AI will be used to analyze some 9,000 historical bullying cases reported by local elementary and junior high schools over the six years to this month. The system will also assess cases in which the bullying was only suspected. The Mayor of the city said this was the first time it     1    (use) in this country.

The city signed     2     agreement with Tokyo-based Hitachi Systems Ltd. on Friday to collaborate on the project.

The AI is expected to assist schools in detecting aggression in bullying cases,     3     can be triggered by a minor issue between students, even when some teachers lack knowledge or experience in identifying warning signs, according to the local education board.

The Mayor of the city Naomi Koshi said earlier she expects local schools to “act     4    (firm) against bullying     5     being dependent only on teachers’ experience, by having AI theoretically analyze past data.”

Among the factors to be looked at via the AI are the grade-level of students     6    (impact), their gender and the number involved, the timing of the bullying     7     where it occurred, as well as the students’ academic records.

The education board believes the analysis,     8    (expect) to be completed by October, will make known the characteristics of bullying to help teachers identify cases in their classrooms.

In Otsu, the suicide of a 13-year-old boy in 2011 was determined by a third-party panel two years     9    (late) to have been caused by bullying.

Since then, the city’s education board     10    (require) each school all the time to report bullying cases within 24 hours.

7 . As you can imagine, there are numerous types of advertisements in different mediums, on different channels, and have different goals for their business.

1. Print Advertising

The first print ad ran in England in 1472. Since then, this type of advertising has become available in newspapers, magazines, and similar methods of carrying a brand’s message to its ideal end user. In this ad method, the advertiser pays the publisher to place their ad in the publication.

2. Radio Advertising

Radio advertising dates back to 1920, when the first commercial radio stations were launched in the United States. In this ad method, the advertiser pays the radio station to play their ad during selected breaks between music or a radio show.

3. Television Advertising

Television ads originated in the 1940s with the promotion of practical items and political campaigns. In this ad method, the advertiser pays the local or national TV network to show their ad during selected breaks in the network’s regular programming.

4. Internet Advertising

Internet advertising took root in the mid 1990s. In this ad method, the advertiser pays the website owner to place their ad in exposed spaces that are minor to the website’s own content. Internet advertising has gone on to include video, search engine marketing, and more.

But, as you know, the advertising types above have developed dramatically since their respective (各自的) origins. Some ads have been memorable years after they first ran.

So how do you create an advertising strategy that works fine? This blog post is devoted to the ads and campaigns we can learn from.

8 . Near the edge of the Arctic region of Canada, the short summer is rapidly disappearing. The sun is pale, and the brief days of fall are being chased away by a constant cold wind from the north. It’s an icy cold region in which few animals or plants can survive.

One animal, though, actually grows strong in these freezing, lonely surroundings: the polar bear. Winter has the perfect weather for the huge white bear. According to Cam Elliot of the governmental group called Manitoba Conservation, polar bears are built for winter. These warm-blooded mammals spend most of their life on frozen seas, so they have adjusted to be able to handle the cold weather. Their thick fur protects them from the freezing winds. They have short tails and tiny ears, both of which help reduce heat loss. The heavy layer of fat helps to protect the animals from the cold and allows them to live for long periods of time without eating.

What is especially attractive in polar bears in terms of conservation (保护)is that it is an umbrella species. No other animal hunts the polar bear. Because of their status as “top killers”, scientists feel that the health of polar bears parallel (平行的) directly with the health of the environment. Global warming may be affecting the ice patterns, which are critical for the survival of the polar bear.

Anything in the global climate that would affect the stability or the length of the time that the ice is on Hudson Bay or the Arctic waters, is going to have immediate impact on them.

When the ice melts early, the bears may lose one month of hunting opportunities, which can have major effects on their ability to find enough food. Another issue with the situation is that when we develop any consideration for measures for polar bears, we are also protecting the entire ecosystem. That is to say, by making the changes needed to keep this umbrella species alive, the world will save any number of animals that have the same environmental requirements.

9 . Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, has been around for thousands of years and integrates Taoism(a nature-based philosophy) with elements of Buddhism and Confucianism. Centered around the core belief is that qi is the essential energy that flows through our bodies and powers all human life.     1    

The first suggests that everything about a person is interrelated.     2     And they affect one another because of this interconnection.

The second assumes that every person is part of the natural world, and in so being, is affected by everything from the time, the place, the season, to one’s age, genetic disposition(组成), and physical condition.

The third states that, like all things in nature, we are regenerative(再生的) and have the inborn ability to heal our bodies.     3    .

The fourth is that prevention is the key to staying well.     4     Do not ignore the warning signs. In this way, you can prevent a more serious condition from developing.

    5     They include herbal medicines and diet, foot reflexology (反射论) massage, tai chi, acupuncture, and acupressure (针压法) — to name a few of the more well-known ones. These methods are used to promote the unrestricted flow of qi throughout the body, which is said to promote health. They are also used to balance the opposing forces of yin and yang, believed by Taoists to be found in all things.

10 . In the autumn, Buck started to see moose (驼鹿) in the forest. One day he met a group of about twenty. The largest was two meters tall, and his antlers were more than two meters across. When he saw Buck, he got very angry. For hours Buck followed the moose; he wanted the big one, but he wanted him alone. By the evening Buck had driven the big old moose away from the others, and then he began his attack. The animal weighed six hundred and fifty kilos — he was big enough and strong enough to kill Buck in seconds. Patiently, Buck followed him for four days, attacking and then jumping away. He gave him no peace, no time to eat or drink or rest, and slowly the moose became weaker. At the end of the fourth day, Buck pulled the moose down and killed him. He stayed by the dead animal for a day and a half, eating and then turned towards camp and John Thornton.

Five kilometers from the camp, he smelt something strange. Something was wrong. He started to run. After a few hundred meters he found the dead body of Blackie, with an arrow through his side. Then he found another sledge-dog, dying, with an arrow in his neck.

Buck was near the camp now, and could hear voices singing. Then he saw the body of Hans, lying on his face, with ten or fifteen arrows in his back. Buck was suddenly filled with a wild, burning anger. He must take his revenge (报仇).

The Yeehats were dancing around the camp, when they heard a deep and terrible growling. Buck came out of the trees faster than the north wind, and threw himself on the Yeehats like a mad dog. He jumped at the first man, and tore out his throat, killing him at once. He jumped onto a second, then a third man, going each time for the throat. The Yeehats could neither escape nor use their arrows. Buck moved like a storm among them, tearing, biting, destroying, in a madness that he had never known before. Nothing could stop him, and soon the Yeehats were running, wild with fear, back to the forest. Buck followed for some time, and then returned to the camp.

He found Pete, killed in his bed. He followed Thornton’s smell to a deep pool, and found Skeet lying dead by the edge. Thornton’s body was somewhere under the water. All day Buck stayed by the pool or walked restlessly round the camp.