How to Water Plants

All plants need water. The watering of plants plays a major role in helping plants grow healthily. It seems simple but actually requires many considerations.

Let’s take a close look at the water plants need first. Plants     1     grow in places with low rainfall require more water. And plants     2     ability to adjust themselves to dry conditions is strong can live with less watering.

When it comes to tools, a garden pipe (管子) long enough to reach the furthest part of the garden     3     (prefer). This ensures enough water is provided for the plants and helps to make watering much     4     (easy).

An inexperienced gardener may water a little each time but several times a day. This is undesirable     5     it does not help roots to grow deep. Besides, we’d better avoid watering in full sun     6     the leaves won’t lose water quickly from the surface.

Go Recycling

No one looking at the state of Earth in 2023 can be in any doubt that we are facing three serious environmental problems: climate problem, loss of biodiversity (生物多样性) and pollution of air, soil and water. To solve the problems, we increase the use of electric cars,     13     greener eating and reduce plastic use. However, sometimes these solutions can be opposite to the expected goals. For instance, creating space for biofuel crops to give off fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases can, in fact,     14     increase the cutting down of trees. That means in most cases solutions aiming at one problem each time are     15     to be effective. And, what is perhaps lacking is a(n)     16     of how interlinked these problems are.

We should realize that a key     17     linking all the three problems is waste. The root cause of global warming is CO₂, a waste gas. The seas are polluted by plastic and other waste products. We     18     forests, among other things, to grow more food — much of which goes to waste.

A shocking figure lies at the heart of our special report on our world — of the more than 100 billion tons of things that humans use each year, hardly 10% is recycled. That makes it obvious a full-range war on waste should be paid     19     attention. The situation requires our speedy moving away from the way of thinking — “take, make, throw” — towards a more recyclable one, which means we should begin     20     the products and when they reach the end of their useful lives, they can be recycled.

Solving the three problems calls for a huge transition with joint efforts. Governments must take the lead by introducing laws with the purpose of rewarding green practices, such as the     21     of waste. Industries can reduce, re-use and recycle wherever possible, and     22     themselves with suppliers and the like-minded to realize recyclable business models.

I’m a huge fan of the Pacific Northwest and its bright green forests, rough coastline, and beaches decorated with wood, but visiting a top national park in summer often brings the opposite of what I come for — being alone — as huge crowds try hard to park and take photos. So, my last visit to Olympic National Park was in mid-September. I ended up bathing in the peace and quiet of forest among ancient trees and staying close enough to nearby communities to feel safe.

I thought that taking the jump from my comfortable hotel room in the park into the great outdoors was unpleasant at first. However, once I began walking slowly and aimlessly along the Hoh River Trail there and slowing down to observe beautiful sunlight and tiny mushrooms that looked like colorful umbrellas, I felt my breath deepen and my nervous system begin to relax for the first time in a long time. What I want to say is that just because the world seems obviously set up for twosomes doesn’t mean you have to let such a standard keep you from living your dreams right now. Solo travel has made me stronger and braver than I ever thought possible. It has opened up my worldview by throwing me out of my comfort zone again and again.

When it comes to living conditions, the national park not only offers 15 campgrounds across its huge area, it’s also home to five other choices for guests who would prefer not to sleep alone inside a tent — the small national park houses. Although I enjoy being alone, I have to admit that one of the coolest things about these small houses is that they are there to strengthen connection among strangers, and as such, there is usually a big fireplace next to excellent armchairs and sofas where guests can move around and make small talks at night. In one small house called Lake Quinault, I talked with grey-haired seniors about the best old-growth forest walks and asked hotel workers about the Roosevelt Dining Room (so named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the president during 1933-1945, came to visit), right next door.

The connection we have to cats is so strong it feels almost as though they can read our thoughts, study our moods, and even judge how to behave based on our needs. But what really goes on in their sweet, furry heads?

Research suggests that cats don’t necessarily see us as any different from them. While cats understand that their human caretakers are larger than they are, they continue to behave around us in the same way as if they were around other cats. The only key difference is that cats meow to humans, not other cats.

Owners wondering about what the cats are thinking about should turn to cat body language. Since these are the ways your cat primarily communicates with you, studying their body language can help you understand then on a deeper level and you may start with tails:

We may think we have great insight into “cat thinking”, but we may never fully understand them. There exist lots of misunderstandings about cats, most notably:

*Cats try to be alien and prefer to be alone. No! They are actually social animals who hope for close relationship.

*Purring (making a low continuous sound) only means happiness…In fact, it can also suggest pressure, fear, or pain.   Keep an eye out for illness, and be prepared in the case of an unexpected accident.

*Cats scratch (抓) to anger people. Wrong again! Cats need to act out this to give themselves great pleasure and comfort.

A recent study concluded that cats, when given a choice between playing with certain toys or having interactive fun with a human being, decisively choose to play with a person. For us here at Cat Care of Vinings, it’s two-sided!

As always, please call us with any questions or concerns. Or, let us know what you believe cat thinking is all about!

Nothing compares with the joy of coming home to a lovely pet. Besides keeping one company, pets may also decrease stress, improve heart health, and even help children with their social skills. Over the past 10 years, researchers have been looking at what the possible effects are.

Animals can offer comfort and support. Dogs are especially good at this. They’re sometimes brought into hospitals or nursing homes. Ann Berger, a researcher at the NIH Clinical Center, teaches the patients with serious diseases about mindfulness to help decrease stress and manage pain. “Mindfulness includes attention, awareness, etc.,” Berger says, “all those are things that animals bring to the table. People kind of have to learn it, while animals do this innately.” Researchers are also studying the safety of bringing animals into hospital settings because animals may bring people more germs (病菌). A current study is looking at the safety of bringing dogs to visit children with a certain kind of illness. Scientists will be testing the children’s hands to see if there are dangerous levels of germs brought by the dog after the visit.

Dogs may also help in the classroom. One study found that dogs can help children with ADHD, a disease related to attention. Researchers divided children with ADHD into two groups. The first group of kids read to dogs once a week for 30 minutes. The second group read to toys like dogs. After 12 weeks, kids who read to the real animals showed better social skills. They also had fewer behavioral problems. “Animals can become a way of building a bridge for the social communication,” says Griffin, a child development expert at NIH. He adds that researchers are trying to better understand these effects and whom they might help.

While pets may bring many health advantages, an animal may not work for everyone. Recent studies suggest that living with pets at an early age may help protect young children from developing allergies (过敏), but for people who are allergic to certain animals, having pets in the home can do more harm than good.

Researchers will continue to explore the many effects of having a pet. They are trying to find out what’s working, what’s not working, and what’s safe.

Club Activities in Japanese Schools

In the after-class activities of Japanese high schools, there are various clubs. Participation depends on students; however, most students choose a certain club.     49     And there are various kinds within each type.

A recent survey showed activity participation rate (比率). In junior high schools, participation rate was around 70% in sports clubs and around 20% in culture clubs. In senior high schools, participation rate in sports clubs dropped to about 50%, and in culture clubs, rose to around 25%. One reason is that there are more kinds of culture clubs in senior high schools than in junior high schools, so there is a wider range of choices.     50    

The rate of junior high school students not choosing any club was less than 10%. However, that number more than doubled in senior high school. In recent years, the number of students not joining in any clubs is increasing. Stronger individualism, which causes unwillingness to participate in group activities, is one factor behind this change.

    51     Japanese clubs are considered “a part of education” and are different from club activities overseas. Learning teamwork is a common factor; in particular, sports clubs have a strict hierarchy (等级制度) and are useful in leaning to be polite. This is said to have influenced the way Japanese companies work, for example, with respect for seniors. Compared to sports clubs, the hierarchy in culture clubs is not as strict.     52     Besides, clubs which practice traditional Japanese martial arts and culture offer a valuable chance to learn the traditional arts firsthand. By experiencing such arts in teenage years, the chance of passing traditional culture to the next generation is large.

Interesting Traditions Around the World

Traditions are passed down from generation to generation to inform us of our history. Some are widespread and taken on by one and all, like celebrating New Year and birthdays, and then there are some that are quite strange or interesting and practiced only by a small group of people.

Famadihana, also called the turning of the bones, is a festival in Madagascar that honors the dead and celebrates family ties. Every seven years or so, families who can afford rich dinners for guests and new clothes for the living families and the dead, celebrate the festival. They give out gifts for the dead and crying is discouraged during the celebration.

Bali’s Day of Silence, or Nyepi, as they call it, is a holiday celebrated with eating little or no food as well as meditation, the practice of thinking deeply in silence. The whole island shuts off all sounds, lights, and all other activities, so there is peace all around. Days before the actual celebration, Balinese people make the ogoh-ogoh (dangerous animals) statues (雕像) that will be used and paraded through the streets the day before Nyepi. The statues are then usually burnt after supposedly attracting dangerous animals.

Having started in Middle Ages, flag throwing has long been popular in Tuscany. As the Italians love a good celebration, army parades were held with marching bands and flag bearers. Since flags are considered sacred, the flag bearers have to make sure that they do not fall to the ground. Today, flag throwing is not just popular in Tuscany but also in the whole of Italy.

Some traditions may sound strange, yet people hold them close to their hearts and still practice the age-old rituals to this day. These rituals are part of their culture and history and are able to shape and describe people.

As a form of historic culture, some traditions are shared altogether and others are     53     and celebrated by only a few.

People in Madagascar celebrate Famadihana to honor the dead and     54    .

During Nyepi in Bali, people eat little or no food and     55    ; days before the festival, statues are made and later they will be burnt.

Flag throwing features army parades and gains popularity in Italy.

People still hold fast to some age-old rituals, because these traditions can     56    .