Easter (复活节) is still a great day for worship, candy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures are having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.
Take the Lower Keys Marsh rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer – it lives on the islands! – but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising sea levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0. 9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely.
The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators (捕食者). As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies are being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.
American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the first of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁移) to higher ground – but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can' t go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat heats up.
The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.
Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning, and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resetting your body clock. Here' s how to make one.
● In order to make a change, you need to decide why it' s important. Do you want to get up in time to have breakfast with your family, get in some exercise, or just be better prepared for your day? Once you are clear about your reasons, tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make.
● Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes, and bags. That' s a quarter-hour more you could be sleeping if you bought a coffee maker with a timer.
● Keep your sleep/wake schedule on weekends. If you' re tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating (补偿) on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found.
● Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you' ve tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record. If not, take another look at other methods you could try.
A. Get a sleep specialist.
B. Find the right motivation.
C. A better plan for sleep can help.
D. And consider setting a second alarm.
E. If the steps you take are working, keep it up.
F. Stick to your set bedtime and wake-up time, no matter the day.
G. Reconsider the 15 minutes you spend in line at the cafe to get coffee.
I was on a plane that was about to take off when my phone rang. I felt something 1 had happened. It was my neighbor saying I needed to get to the 2 at once. She explained that she' d 3 my two boys, George, then five, and Mickey, then four, crying. At first, she had 4 it, but when the crying continued for a long time, she 5 something was wrong. So she came round and discovered my wife, Mary, lying on the 6 floor. She had been emptying the dishwasher 7 a live wire fell and touched her.
Mary was taken to hospital. When I arrived, doctors were trying to rescue her, but there was no 8 . I explained to the boys that Mum had died; I felt it was important to be 9 with them. For a year I was in a suffering 10 of mind. I went through the activities of a father but inside I felt 11 .
Later, I felt I had to honor my love for Mary by not breaking 12 . She married me because I was a 13 man and I knew I had to carry on and actively chose to swim rather than 14 .
We moved to another city but two years later, I was diagnosed with cancer (癌症). The anxiety that had been gone came 15 back – would my boys be left with no parents? 16 , the disease was in its early stage and doctors could treat it in time.
17 everything happening to me, I realized merely thinking " why me" doesn' t 18 . We have to learn to accept and adapt to the 19 it has brought about. It is no use thinking about the past or being worried about the future. Instead, just focus on the 20 .
Pets Corner is a company with dozens of pet stores and more than 600 employees around the UK. It is planning (provide) the first-ever pet and human first aid course (课程) for its staff.
To develop the (special) designed course, training teams (organize) by now. The course will begin next month. The full-day course will cover two parts with the first part (deal) with humans and the second with dog and cat first aid. Topics covered will include different (situation) in our daily life which require first aid skills such as minor injuries, shock and unconsciousness.
Lucy Ross, Head of Training at Pets Corner, said, " At Pets Corner, we have always tried to apply an honest and moral approach to everything we do. This includes having the best trained staff in the industry. Every human customer as well as their pet animals (be) welcome in our stores. It' s our duty to provide all of our staff the tools and knowledge they need to feel (confidence) in helping both pets and customers. Therefore, makes sense that our staff' s first aid knowledge is beyond all your expectations. "
In order to realize his dream, Bill Gates, richest man in the world, gave up studying in Harvard University, that is the most famous in the world. He set up a company and researching the computer software. As an old saying go, " Interest is the best teacher. " I quite agree with this idea. I began to be crazy about English when I was a little girl. I got extreme interested in foreign cultures or customs. To meet me curiosity, I read in English stories every day. It seemed to be the best " meal" of a day. As a result, I always did very well in English exam. Interest is the key of success.
Dear Tracy,
How are you going recently? It' s almost a month I saw you off at the airport. I miss you a lot. Please accept my (感谢) for all that you have done to help me with my study.
Whenever I got into trouble, you were always there, reaching out a hand for me to hold. It was your help and encouragement helped me get through all the difficulties and made me what I am today. I couldn' t have made it without your timely help.
By the way, please come back to China for a visit whenever it is (方便的) for you. Anyway, you once told me that you enjoyed your travels across China. I am looking forward to (看见) you again.
Give my best wishes to your family.
Yours,
Li Hua
