1 . Were it not for my mask’s rubber covering over my nose, no doubt his warm, fishy breath would have made the experience complete, as an adult male Atlantic grey seal (海豹) inspected me to the waters that bathe Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This was a close and magical swimming-with-seals encounter filmed for BBC Two’s Springwatch four years ago.

My job is to get people to love and connect with nature, but the experience still left me feeling both excited and conflicted. Is it possible that we get a little too close, and love nature a little too much? Certainly, for anyone working in wildlife media and tourism, the reality is that habitats and many species often can’t handle longtime close contact with humans.

Marine mammals they may be, but seals must regularly return to dry land, hauling (牵引) themselves out of the water to rest, digest, and reproduce. Haul-out sites are typically inaccessible beaches or rocky tiny islands after the tide falls away. These safe places become a terrifying drop when disturbed, particularly by walkers, dogs and boats full of wildlife tourists. When frightened, seals prefer escaping into shallow seas or, worse still, hard rocks, risking broken jaws or bones.

In Scotland in February 2021, a ban came into force that stopped the fisheries industry from shooting seals. Prior to this, seals in Scotland could be shot under licence. Seal groups and charities are revising their policies to no longer encourage people to seek out encounters with seals either in or out of the water, especially during the winter months when the grey seal pupping (产崽) season is in full swing.

No matter how much we love seals, remember they are terrified of us, so we really need to enjoy them from a distance. But that is not to say there can’t be a connection. Joining organised surveys helps monitor seals as well as the health of our waters. The marine mammals have much to deal with, including climate change, and we have a lot to learn from these envoys (使者) from the sea.

2 . The kitchen is not just where we prepare meals. In many places, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where we connect with our family and friends. We have open talks about our pleasures and problems we met during the day while we make dinner or have a bite to eat. So, it can be a very busy room in the house.

Sometimes you need order in the kitchen for things to run smoothly. And sometimes you need one person to be in charge. Imagine you are cooking dinner for your friends. As you are making the soup, your friend Sara tastes it and says, “This needs more salt.” So, she adds more salt. Harlan comes to taste your soup and throws some fresh black pepper into the pot and some dried herbs. Cecilia tastes the soup and pours in some vinegar. What will the soup be like?

You are happy to spend time with your friends. But, quite frankly, all their opinions about your soup are becoming annoying. Worst of all, you taste the soup and it’s awful! And that is where we get the expression “too many cooks spoil the soup”.

This expression describes an age-old problem: If too many people help to complete a task, it may not go very well. But, you may think, “If many people are trying to get something done, the task will get done faster.” After all, American English also has the expression “many hands make light work”.

To answer that point, I will draw your attention to the word “cook”. Now, the cook is the leader in the kitchen. They may have assistants to help them. But the cook has the final say. So, what if a kitchen has many cooks? Who is the leader? Everyone! And that’s where the trouble comes.

5 . Home accidents occur unexpectedly everywhere in and around the house.     1     One of the best ways is to take action ahead to prevent them from happening.

    2     If you find any object lying on the floor, you need to pick it up and keep it on the table. Otherwise, it might hurt anybody in your house. Then, if you find that any of the electrical wires which needs repair, you must do it immediately. This kind of wires or switches can lead to short circuit (短路) in the house.     3     To make your home shock proof, you must check the wires from time to time. This will not only keep you safe, but will also protect other members of the family.

Another way is keeping a first aid kit in your room. When you prepare a first aid kit for your house, you need to decide about the things that you need to keep inside it. First of all, you need band aids. You must make sure that these band aids are of all sizes and they must also be waterproof.     4     The painkillers will help you when you get hurt or if you are in great pain due to some home accidents. You will also need cotton, wool, scissors as well as safety pins (别针). If you have these things inside the first aid kit, then you will surely not have any problem in the future.     5    

Every year, universities    1     ( rank ) by different organizains.On Sept. 2, Times Higher education brought out the World University Rankings 2022 , in    2     Chinese mainland universities wrote a newpage in the rankings history.This year,a record 10 Chinese mainland universities ranked in the world’s top 200 universities.Tsinghua University and Peking University tied for 16th place,     3     ( mark) the first time that two Chinese mainland universities have made    4     into the top 20.

The Chinese mainland has the    5     (four) highest number of universities in the ramkings , behind the United States with 183 , Japan with 118 and the UK with 101.

The COVID-19 pandemic(大流行)has had an infuence    6    the rankings. Universities that did research on understanding and managing the pandemic saw    7     clear rise on the rankings table. 11 Chinese mainland universities , including Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan and Capital Medical University in Beijing, all move up at least two ranking    8     ( band).

“There is a clear change happening across higher education around the world, and perhaps most    9     ( rapid) in the Chinese mainland.”said Phil Baty, chief knowledge officer at Times Higher Education.“It is interesting    10     ( see ) whether the Chinese mainland can challenge the US and UK’s long-running advantage in the global top 10,”he added.

9 . The Enrollment of International Students of Xi’an University of Science and Technology (XUST)

Application Procedure

1. Log in to the website (gjjl.xust.edu.cn) to download and fill in the Application Form for International Students;

2. Provide digital photocopies or scans of valid (有效的) regular passport.

Charge List

1. Registration fee ( not refunded) : ￥200 per person (under 3 months), ￥400 per person (over 3 months)

2. Tuition and other charges

Medical Insurance

According to the regulations issued by the Chinese Ministry of Education, all international students are required to purchase the Comprehensive Insurance & Protection scheme for Foreigners Staying in China on the registration day. Students who do not have valid medical insurance will not be allowed to register.

Medical insurance fee: ￥800 per person per year

Contact Information

Room B202, Admission Division, International Exchange and Cooperation Office, Xi’ an University of Science and Technology, 58 Yanta Road, Xi’ an, Shaanxi, 710054, China.

Tel: + 86-29-85583033

Fax: + 86-29-85583719

E-mail: luc@xust.edu.cn

Website: www.xust.edu.cn