It's time to share the winners of this year's Invent It Challenge! Here are our four winners of the first round!
Glo Zone (Ages 5-7 Individual Winner)
Kabir from California came up with this cool invention after a not-so-fun experience. He was hit by four adults on a ski trip! To make skiing and snowboarding safe for nighttime (especially for smaller kids)， he created Glo Zone，a fun glowing(发光的)rainbow umbrella that is attached to skiers' helmets.
ProTech Helmet (Ages 11-13 Individual Winner)
Pooja from New Jersey has created a light, safe helmet designed for playing frisbee (飞盘)!She came up with the idea after getting hit right under the eye at a frisbee competition and realizing she could get blinded if it were any higher. The ProTech Helmet has a lining(衬里) made of a new technology called Spin.
Ace Attachment (Ages 8-10 Team Winner)
Levi and Albert from New York dealt with helping people with disabilities enjoy sports. The Ace Attachment makes it easier for wheelchair users to play golf. Unlike similar inventions, the Ace Attachment is easily adjustable.
Skate Shoes "DOOD" (Ages 14+ Individual Winner)
It's the worst when you ruin your favorite pair of shoes! Fortunately, Rommel from Mexico has come up with new skate shoes. These shoes have exchangeable parts that allow pieces of the shoes to be replaced with new ones when broken instead of getting rid of the whole pair.
Cast your vote!
Which of these fantastic inventions will you choose to win the Cricket Choice Award? While they are all outstanding, only one can win the popular vote! Cast your vote here by May 16!
My family was first introduced to Shirley Hughes when we visited a 50-year-old private library in Bangkok, where there are many of Hughes's books. Hughes's children's books immediately stand out from the rest. Every single page presents a work of impressive artistic quality. In an age when many children's books rely on cheap computer graphics(绘图)，it's refreshing to discover an illustrator who obviously labored, with deep attention to detail, over every page.
It's not just the illustrative talent and distinctive style, using pen and ink and watercolor to "fill ordinary domestic scenes with a mixture of magic", that sets Hughes's works apart. She was also an expert storyteller. That's not because her stories are particularly imaginative. Rather, perhaps, it's the simplicity and normality of the stories that make them so pleasing to kids and parents alike.
Take Dogger, one of Hughes's earlier books, published in 1977, which sold millions of copies and won Britain's Kate Greenaway Medal. Dogger is the story of Dave, a young boy who loses his beloved stuffed dog named Dogger. Much of what makes Dogger and the rest of Hughes's books so engaging is that the stories are told from the perspective of the child encountering everyday events. Hughes has a special skill for drawing wonder out of what we often assume to be boring and uninteresting.
Though I have a graduate degree in education, I never would have expected my children to love these stories. My best guess is that it is because Hughes's books talk to them about the kinds of things they witness and experience daily. By extension, these books tell them in reassuring tones that, yes, their little world with all of its people and curiosities is quite interesting indeed.
Perhaps much of the reason I've so taken to reading Shirley Hughes to my own children is that it reminds me of what the world looked like when I too was a little boy.
Depending on the right combination of currents and wind, a large mass of Sargassum "seaweed"circling the Gulf of Mexico may soon wash up along the US coast near Florida. The bloom (藻华)，which is likely to be the largest ever recorded，is visible from space.
Sargassum is a type of leafy, rootless algae that form large floating mats on the ocean floor. It can be found in the Sargasso Sea and was first mentioned by Christopher Columbus in 1492 when he was afraid his ship would become trapped in it.
Sargassum is an important habitat for marine species because it provides food, shelter, and breeding grounds. It absorbs carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, just like other floating marine vegetation, according to Phys.org. However, when tons of it gathers along coastlines, it sends out a terrible strong smell which can cause headaches, eye discomfort, and upset stomachs. Too much algae on beaches can harm marine ecosystems and make it difficult for people to keep on with their recreational and fishing activities, costing communities millions of dollars.
Scientists have been tracking the formation of large Sargassum blooms. However, this year's bloom could be the largest ever, covering more than 8,800 kilometers from the coasts of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico and weighing 10 million tons.
It is critical to improve Sargassum management. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) not only advocates best practices in Sargassum cleanup and removal, but also cooperates with governments and communities to develop policies, standards, and measures to protect public and environmental health. FAO is also promoting ways to repurpose Sargassum, turning it into products to provide additional employment and income. In fact, small businesses are already using Sargassum to make bricks, shoes, soaps and paper. Larger businesses are considering turning Sargassum into renewable energy, bioplastics, and compost.
Childhood days on the beach or messing around in rivers can have significant lasting benefits for our wellbeing (幸福) in adulthood， according to a study. It found that exposure to blue spaces-such as coasts, rivers and lakes-as a child made revisiting blue spaces in adulthood more likely, as these adults showed greater familiarity with and placed greater value on natural settings.
More than 15,000 participants in 18 different countries were surveyed for the study, published in the Journal of Envirommental Psychology. "Water settings can be dangerous for children, and parents are right to be watchful," said Dr Leanne Martin, co-author of the study. "The research, though, suggests that encouraging children to feel comfortable in these settings and developing skills such as swimming at an early age can have previously unrecognized life-long benefits."
There has been a growing body of research over the last ten years about the specific beneficial effects of blue spaces on mental health. A review published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health suggested visits to blue spaces could increase people's physical activity levels and lower stress, while improving their mood and psychological wellbeing. Another review published by the Environment Agency, found that blue spaces were linked to the improvement of mood and feelings of restoration to a greater degree than green spaces.
The study's lead author Valeria Vitale said, "We recognise that both green and blue spaces have a positive impact on people's mental and physical health. Also, previous studies examining childhood nature exposure and adulthood outcomes have largely focused on green spaces, or natural spaces in general. However, as we highlighted in our paper, blue spaces have unique sensory qualities (感官特质)(light reflection，wave motion，sounds，etc)and encourage a distinct range of leisure activities (swimming, fishing, water sports)."
Another co-author Dr Mathew White added: "If our findings are supported by long-term research that tracks people's exposure over the entire life course, it would suggest that further work, strategies and plans encouraging more blue space experiences during childhood may be a viable way to support the mental health of future generations."
Achievements require proper goal setting if they are to be accomplished.However, goals don't set themselves, nor do they accomplish themselves. It requires effort from you. So get started, identify what matters to you, set goals, keep going, and achieve your eagerness.
If you don't regard the outcome as being sufficiently worthwhile then you won't have the motivation to see your goal through to a conclusion.
How we think matters, too. You can't achieve much with negative thinking. A positive mind with a genuine sense of direction will take you as far as you really want to go. There are no limits for anyone with enough self-belief and a real sense of what they really want from life. Believe you can and you will.
Dream high dreams. Don't be afraid to have a magnificent prospect for yourself that is truly inspiring. Don't be afraid to have dreams big enough to be just a little bit frightening. Your goals should be big enough to stretch you and inspire the desire within you.Anything easy will not give you a sense of achievement.
Revisit your inner child. Children have no limits to their dreams.The problem is, as we get older we fear losing face if we are seen repeating trial and error. So goal setting starts with pretending you're a kid again and believing that anything's possible.
A. Believe you can't and you won't.
B. Be realistic of course but don't make goals too easy.
C. Accomplishing the outcome must really matter to you.
D. Most children believe they can achieve anything they want in life.
E. What you accomplish will undoubtedly bring a lot to you in the future.
F. You can never turn your dreams into achievements without goal setting.
G. A big goal should be broken down into a series of smaller goals and activities.
Ruben Flowers discovered the photo by accident. It was early 2023 and he was 1 through photo albums at his grandmother's house. Suddenly, there it was: a photo from 1994, taken on an airplane deck, showing him as a kid, sitting next to his 2 dad. In this picture, Flowers is looking at his dad in 3 . His father smiles at the camera, ready to fly the plane.
Flowers had forgotten the photo existed, but seeing it again, he was 4 with memories of growing up, inspired by his father. He loved their trips to the airport, 5 in the training center, taking a go on the simulators (模拟器). He was proud when his dad talked 6 about his job at the school careers day.
Flowers, now 30, was just about to follow in his father's 7 and begin flying as a First Officer for Southwest Airlines. Meanwhile Flowers' father-also called Ruben Flowers-was nearing 8 and readying for his final flight as Captain. Thus, after rediscovering the 9 photo, the two men hoped they'd get an opportunity to fly together to 10 that moment. In March 2023, the older Flowers was flying his final Southwest flight. His son was by his side, as his first officer. He said, "That was an 11 feeling. To look over there and see my son next to me, for my last landing." The younger Flowers echoed this-now that he has 12 his dream of flying with his father, his next goal is to 13 with his younger brother, who has just recently completed pilot training.
The older Flowers always made it his 14 to inspire and encourage his kids to 15 whatever they loved and whatever that might be.
注意：写作词数应为80左右。
Dear Eric,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
Since the age of seven, I had always dreamed of being one of the student leaders who we looked up to. They took responsibility for us, gave instructions, organized school activities, and proudly wore their badges while carrying our school flag and walking on the playground. They represented us and gave speeches on school issues, becoming our role models.
As I grew older, I became qualified to participate in the school elections. I prepared my election speech and on the day of the speeches，everyone balloted(不记名投票).I was hopeful and prayed for a victory. However， the following morning when we gathered on the school grounds for the principal's declaration of the outcome, reality hit me hard. I realized that I had no chance of winning-I was neither well known nor too pretty. Like many preteens facing rejection, I became depressed and felt as though I had no friends supporting me.
Later that day, as I cried in my room, I took a deep breath and decided to change my mindset. I refused to see myself as a failure and made a determination to run for the school elections again the following year-this time, with a plan to win. I sat down at my study table and wrote down my thoughts.
Comparing myself with other competitors, I figured out that I had a lot to improve. With a whole year ahead, I began to play my election strategies.
To gain recognition and demonstrate my ability to represent my fellow students, I started making new friends and helping them in various ways at school. Additionally, I attended a public speaking course to learn how to deliver a great election speech. By the time the election came around, I was well-prepared, and I delivered a passionate speech on the stage.
注意：1．所续写短文的词数应为150左右;2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
The following day, I anxiously waited for the results.
Paragraph 2:
Later, I realized that I had achieved far more than what I had initially set out to do.
