Welcome to Science News Explores
A new magazine written for curious kids aged 9 and up and their families. We created this magazine to help younger readers explore new discoveries across science, technology, engineering and medicine, and to share how research helps us all understand our world and our lives—all in a fun and accessible way.
What's inside the magazine？
Every issue is full of fascinating facts, astonishing photos, exciting stories and fun experiments and activities. We answer science questions posed by our young readers to help them to explore their own curiosity. And we also profile scientists and engineers who will inspire young readers to explore careers in STEM. 
Who writes the stories in Sclence News Explores？
Our experienced science journalists are some of the best in the world. Though many have PhDs in science, they're pros at describing things in ways kids can understand. We make sure that the science is accessible to all, but we don't dumb it down.
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Eradajere Oleita thinks she may have a partial solution for two of our country's insistent problems: garbage and poverty. It's called the Chip Bag Project. The 26-year-old student and environmentalist from Detroit is asking a favor of local snack lovers：Rather than toss your empty chip bags into the trash, donate them so she can turn them into sleeping bags for the homeless.
Chip eaters drop off their empty bags from Doritos, Lay's, and other favorites at two locations in Detroit: a print shop and a clothing store, where Oleita and her volunteer helpers collect them. After they sanitize the chip bags in soapy hot water, they slice them open, lay them flat, and iron them together. They use padding and liners (内衬) from old coats to line the insides.
It takes about four hours to sew a sleeping bag, and each takes around 150 to 300 chip bags, depending on whether they're single-serve or family size. The result is a sleeping bag that is"waterproof, lightweight, and easy to carry around, "Oleita told The Detroit News.
Since its start in 2020, the Chip Bag Project has collected more than 800, 000 chip bags and, as of last December, created 110 sleeping bags. Sure, it would be simpler to raise the money to buy new sleeping bags. But that's only half the goal for Oleita—whose family moved to the United States from Nigeria a decade ago with the hope of attaining a better life—and her fellow volunteers. "We are devoted to making an impact not only socially, but environmentally, "she says.
And, of course, there's the symbolism of salvaging bags that would otherwise land in the trash and using them to help the homeless. It's a powerful reminder that environmental injustice and poverty often go hand in hand. As Oleita told hourdetroit. com , "I think it's time to show connections between all of these issues. "
People who walk briskly(迅速地) for two and a half hours a week have a 25 percent lower risk of depression, according to a study. Researchers from Cambridge University found that physical activity in line with government guidelines was also linked to better mental health. Their paper, published in JAMA Psychiatry, found that even those who managed half the recommended amount had an 18 percent lower risk of depression than those who did nothing.
Dr Matt Pearce, first author on the paper, said, "The key message of the paper is that risk of depression is substantially lower for individuals who are physically active, and that most of these lower benefits occur at levels below the current health recommendations. Physical activity should therefore be encouraged to improve mental health even in inactive individuals who struggle to reach current recommendations. "
The research combined data from 15 earlier studies, with 191, 130 participants, all looking at the relationship between depression and physical activity. Since the study was observational in nature, it cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
The researchers found" only minor additional benefits" to mental health when people were physically active beyond the recommended levels. Professor James Woodcock, a senior author on the paper, said, "There are two key features of this relationship: firstly, that the biggest difference in the risk of depression was seen when comparing those reporting no activity with those reporting a small amount". "Even ten minutes a day appears to make a big difference. Secondly, that there appear to be minimal additional benefits of doing high volumes of activity."
The researchers said there were likely to be multiple reasons for their findings, including exercise activating certain networks in the brain and body, releasing feelgood hormones called endorphins(内啡肽). Besides, people who are physically active usually sleep better, a key component of protecting your mental health. It might also be that improvements to individuals' body image from being more active, and increases in social interaction during activity played a role. Getting out in green spaces was another likely factor to boost mood, with many studies linking the use of green spaces and lower depression risks.
Every autumn, polar bears living along the edge of the Canada's Western Hudson Bay pass through the sub-Arctic town of Churchill, Manitoba. The yearly movement has helped make the area's bears one of the most studied groups in the world. Bear-watching adds about ﹩5. 3 million to the local economy each year. But a new report suggests Hudson Bay polar bear population has dropped 27 percent during the past five years, with just 618 remaining in the area in 2021.
Polar bears depend on frozen salt water, called sea ice, to help them hunt seals for food. But the Arctic is now warming about four times faster than the rest of the world. Around Hudson Bay, seasonal sea ice is melting earlier in the spring, and forming later in the fall. This is forcing bears to go longer periods without food.
John Whiteman, chief research scientist at the nonprofit conservation group Polar Bears International, called the population drop" totally shocking", and said, "If continued sea ice loss cannot be stopped, it will one day lead to a total loss of the area's polar bear population. Climate-caused changes affecting the local sea population might also be driving polar bear numbers down. If worldwide carbon emissions(排放) are not heavily reduced, most of the world's polar bear populations are in danger of collapsing by 2100. "
The number of deaths in young bears and female bears in Western Hudson Bay is worrisome. "Being one of the southernmost populations, those Western Hudson Bay are the types of bears we've always predicted would be affected by changes in the environment, "said Stephen Atkinson, a lead writer of the government report who has studied polar bear populations for more than 30 years. Young bears need energy to grow and cannot survive long periods without enough food. Female bears struggle because they use up a lot of energy searching for food while caring for young bears. "The ability of polar bears in the Western Hudson Bay to reproduce will decrease, because fewer young bears survive and become adults, "said Atkinson.
How to Leave Your Comfort Zone
The comfort zone is a behavioral state within which a person uses a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady level of performance, causing their progress to cease. But life is full of opportunities to step outside the comfort zone. Here are some ways one might try to do so.
Do everyday things differently. In everyday life, there are plenty of opportunities to challenge yourself. Turn off your smartphone and television while having dinner, decide what to wear more quickly, or just slow down to take in the surroundings on a walk.
Try a new diet. Many people want to improve their diets and stop relying on" comfort foods". Shifting to a healthier diet can be as challenging as it is rewarding, with self-trust growing as you hit milestone goals along the way.
Many people are longing for this goal. For some, it can mean running their first 5 K. But for others, it might be completing a marathon. Aiming higher with exercise is representative of leaving the comfort zone and a great way to get the ball rolling.
Get creative. Creativity-anything from writing a poem to building a business-usually involves an element of risk. Therefore, failing and accompanying learning are expected outcomes. Exercising creativity is a good way to train yourself to have a growth mindset and let go of a need for perfection from the outset.
Challenge your beliefs. It's easy to get stuck in our ways, but this can lead to self-satisfaction—a feature of being in the comfort zone. While this can be uncomfortable, it enables growth and insight by challenging deep-rooted beliefs. This might take several forms, such as reading varied book genres, diversifying who you talk to, and visiting new places.
A. Take workouts to the next level.
B. Motivate yourself with a new sport.
C. Doing so often means trying something new.
D. Creative efforts are about stepping into the unknown.
E. Therefore, we need to explore alternative perspectives.
F. These changes break you out of old, comfortable routines.
G. Benefits of leaving the comfort zone won't happen overnight.
At my heaviest, I weighed 370 pounds. I had a very poor relationship with food：I used it to1bad feelings, to make myself feel better, and to celebrate. Worried about my health, I tried various diets but nothing2. I came to believe that I could do nothing about my3.
Then something enlightening(启迪的) happened when I was 50. That year, I attended a seminar(研讨会). One participant4 me with her project, where she not only lost 125 pounds, but also raised﹩25, 000 for homeless children. What a perfect5 of healing oneself and healing the world!6by her story, I created the As We Heal, the World Heals project. My goal was to lose 150 pounds in one year and raise ﹩50, 0007a campaign to end hunger.
As I began my program, I was afraid that I would8the same difficulties that beat me before. But there were also signs that I was on the right9. I sent letters to everyone I knew, telling them about my project. It turned out perfect. Donations began to10 from hundreds of people.
Of course, I also took some11 steps to lose weight. I12 a physician, ate healthy meals, and most importantly, exercised13.
A year later, I14my goal! I feel that I've been given a second life to devote to something that is 15and enormous.
China's movie box office earnings reached nearly 6. 76 billion yuan (about ﹩998.5 million) during the 2023 Spring Festival holiday, making for the second- highest total figures for the holiday to date sending a signal of the strong recovery of China's film industry this spring.
The top earners (be) the twist-filled hit Full River Red and the sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth II, which harvested about 2. 61 billion yuan and over 2. 16 billion yuan, respectively. This signaled that Chinese movies embedded(嵌入) with traditional values and culture were (increase) appealing to domestic audiences, with the trendy rise of (culture) confidence.
(cover) diverse genres(体裁), this year 's holiday films were professionally made and fully met the particular demands of the audience. In terms of movie- goers ' (satisfy), domestic films screened during the week- long holiday scored 87. 1 points, year- on- year increase of 1. 8 points, according to a survey conducted by China Film Archive.
" Film consumption (anticipate) to continue to grow after the holiday, as people who were busy travelling during the Spring Festival holiday get an opportunity (watch) films now, " said Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association. He also predicted that people's passion cinema- going might last for several weeks.
Steve grabbed his bat and glove. "See you later, Mom. I'm going to Paul's. "With these words, he raced out the door and slammed(砰地关上) it behind him. Summer vacation just began. The boys planned to play baseball every day, so they could make the freshman team.
Seeing Paul waiting outside, Steve lifted his bat onto his shoulder and asked, "What are you doing？Where's your stuff？"Paul shook his head, "I have to clean Mr. Thimpson's garage before I can go. With his broken arm, he can't do it himself. My mom always volunteers me to help the Thimpson's. They're kind of old. ""Okay, "said Steve. "I'll help you. We'll get done quicker working together. "
The boys went down the block to the Thimpson's and got started. They put boxes that were scattered(散落)around the garage floor on shelves before they swept. As Paul lifted a big box onto a shelf, it fell off and with it fell an envelope. He picked up the envelope and found it wasn't sealed. He opened it, inside which were lots of one hundred dollar bills. Gasping in astonishment, Paul pulled out a handful of bills and showed them to Steve.
"Where did you get that？"asked Steve. Paul pointed to the shelf, explaining, "It just fell down when the box fell. There's got to be a couple of thousand dollars here. "He looked past Steve to the opening garage door. "Nobody is around. If I take some, I bet no one will ever know, "added Paul, uncontrollably picturing the bat and glove in McGroger's Sports Store that he had longed for.
Steve frowned and shook his head. "Are you crazy？That's stealing. ""Well, I do a lot of chores for them and don't get paid. It's not really stealing；it's kind of payment for my hard work. "Paul defended himself. "Forget about it. You're better than that. "Steve grabbed the money from Paul's hand, stuffed it back in the envelope and put the envelope back on the shelf. "Come on! Let's get done and go to the park, "Steve urged.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
"Hello, boys. Mrs. Thimpson baked you a chocolate cake. "Mr. Thimpson appeared and invited them in.
……
As they wolfed the cake and were about to leave, Mrs. Thimpson stopped Paul.
