Volunteer at the EcoTarium! We simply could not offer the programs and special events that make the EcoTarium a unique resource to our community without our diverse and dedicated corps of volunteers. To be considered for a more specific position, look through the volunteer listings below, and submit an application.
Zoo Ambassador Volunteer
Our zoo ambassador volunteers will assist the Zoology Department to connect with guests through engaging educational experiences about our animal residents We are looking for volunteers who are passionate about animals and excited to interact with guests of all ages. Volunteers may also complete behavioral studies on numerous animals within the care of the EcoTarium to help enhance the welfare for our animals!
Animal Care Volunteer
Animal care volunteers will aid in all areas of husbandry (农牧业), including feeding, cleaning, record keeping, training animals, and behavioral observations. They will work with a variety of animals under our care, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. The position is physically demanding and requires working in all weather conditions.
Education Program Volunteer
Through conversations and hands-on activities, education program volunteers help visitors make meaningful connections to our exhibits, encourage curiosity and scientific inquiry, and challenge visitors to dive deeper into the concepts explored at our museum.
Collections Volunteer
The EcoTarium seeks volunteers who are interested in making a contribution to science by uncovering lost specimens (标本) in the EcoTarium collection! Photograph, measure, and take notes on birds, eggs, seashells, or pressed flowers. This is an excellent position for a high school or college student considering a career in biology or lab science. It is also appropriate for citizen scientists of any age. It offers an opportunity to see examples of rare or extinct plants and animals.
On July 28, I retired from my position. After teaching for many years, I looked forward to kayaking (划独木舟) with my grandsons, seeing friends and traveling for leisure with my husband. But my body had other plans for me. A broken spine (脊椎) in my back took me down a path that upended my plans.
I have long had back pain. However, I pushed through the pain to do my work, which worsened my condition. Doctors urged an operation when increased disability meant I could not sit, stand or walk for a long time. But I wanted to see whether physical therapy (治疗) could create an easier option.
Indeed, hard work with a great physical therapist has let me improve my mobility, sitting and standing. But X-rays told a different story. My spine was unstable and bending. After careful consideration and a second opinion from another professional, I agreed to surgery yet in the near term. Needless to say, the past months have been tough and the way ahead will be even tougher. Kayaking with my grandsons in the peacefulness of the lake is all out of reach, for now.
When I met my physical therapist for the first time, I was a mess. He listened to me outline my history with tears and then calmly said, "You have to make friends with your body." I have repeated that line to myself daily and worked to embrace my body. I have focused on gratitude. I'm grateful that I do not have a fatal disease. I'm grateful that the body I have remains alert to the world, loved by family and friends. I'm grateful that I am still myself.
I don't know exactly how the future will play out. The surgeon assures me that I should be able to get in my kayak by summer. But I may have to make friends with a different body, one that is mine regardless of the shape.
Remember Malcolm Gladwell's famous "10,000-hour rule" from his bestselling book Outliers? It proposes that achieving mastery in any field requires roughly 10,000 hours of practice, emphasizing the importance of early professionalization and intensive practice for becoming an elite in a particular field.
This approach, known as "deliberate practice", encourages setting goals from a young age, investing time and specializing in a specific field. On paper, it sounds like a good path to success, but when we look at the lives of elite athletes, musicians and scholars, we find a different story. In reality, many individuals who have risen to the top of their respective fields took a more diverse and winding route. They often explored a wide range of activities, gained a broad skill set, and only specialized at a later stage in life. In other words, the idea that one must know one's specialization from a young age is fundamentally wrong.
Studies have shown that an approach called the "sampling period" is often more effective for achieving success. During this phase, individuals try various activities, gain diverse skills, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and only choose a field to specialize in once they have a clearer understanding of their passions and abilities.
Elite athletes, for example, rarely specialize in a single sport at a very young age. Instead, they engage in a variety of sports during their formative years, which allows them to acquire broad physical skills and discover their interests and talents. These early diversification experiences provide valuable lessons that can be applied to their chosen sports.
Consider the journey of Roger Federer, one of the greatest tennis players of all time. At the age of 6, he dabbled in rugby, skiing and wrestling, only returning to tennis later. The trial period benefited him not just because he found his true passion but also because his experiences in various sports enriched his tennis game with a unique set of skills.
Electrically powered vertical-take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft—flying cars are an idea whose time has not quite yet come, but is fast approaching. Many firms are offering various designs. None of these, however, will be Jetson-like family flying cars. Pivotal, based in Silicon Valley, by contrast has crafted something that people can purchase and pilot themselves. Helix is a single-seat vehicle, so "flying motorbike" might be more accurate. From next year, many people will be able to order one for personal use, though they will not be able to take delivery until June.
Marcus Leng founded Pivotal in 2011, and some back-of-the-envelope calculations he made suggested that electric lift-off of a human-carrying craft, using motors powered by the lithium-ion batteries ought to work. He thus built a model and flew it in the garden of his house in Warkworth, Ontario.
Now, after ameliorating it, the firm thinks it has something marketable. The aircraft has, nevertheless, changed little in its fundamentals over the years. It has two pairs of wings and eight propellers（螺旋桨）, making it slightly resemble a squashed "H" when seen in the sky from below. And there is no undercarriage. Instead, its belly is curved in a way similar to a humpback whale's, so it rocks to stability after landing.
Pilot's licence or not, buyers will still need some training to fly a Helix. Pivotal insists on this. For the same reason, the craft's software will stop the pilot doing anything that does not fit its safety rules. And if, despite this, something does go wrong, it is fitted with a parachute（降落伞）.
The Helix's top speed is a respectable 100 kph, but its range is only 30 km. And refueling it is a bit of a pain. Filling up from the mains takes four and a half hours, though a special high-power system similar to those employed for electric cars can bring that down to 75 minutes. While Helix still doesn't compare to the flying car from the Jetsons, it could be a step forward.
While socializing comes naturally for some, it can be a struggle for others. Shyness is a normal, common personality trait (特征). . If you're often hesitant to engage in social situations, you may interact with those around you in a more comfortable way. We outline four strategies for overcoming shyness in life.
Get Excited About A New Adventure
You may have been shy most of your life. . Working through shyness and developing increased confidence may seem like a discouraging task for you, but viewing the journey as an exciting adventure to parts unknown can be exciting and, in turn, may boost your self-esteem.
Pay Attention To Your Words
. Talking to yourself in a negative way when describing yourself can damage your self-confidence. Consider replacing phrases like "I am shy" with "I am learning to be more comfortable" in social situations. This can go a long way toward moving from shyness to confidence.
Practice Mindfulness (正念)
Mindfulness involves drawing your attention to the present and being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. . In one study, participants in a mindfulness program experienced an improved view of their self-worth.
Take Small Steps
Getting started can be the hardest part of learning how to be more social for those who are shy. . You can start out small. Try chatting with the teller at the bank or the person ahead of you in the checkout line. This can help you build confidence and work your way up to more difficult challenges.
A．If so, that's a part of you that you're used to
B．Sometimes the best path toward addressing a fear is exposure
C．Mindfulness can help reduce symptoms of social anxiety disorder
D．Taking time to tend to your appearance can make a big difference
E．How we communicate and characterize ourselves can be powerful
F．However, shyness can make it hard for people to connect with others and achieve their goals
G．But engaging with people doesn't have to be practiced as an important work presentation
Packing up my luggage, I felt a wave of fear. Maybe tomorrow's flight would be 1 and I didn't have to go after all — I 2 hoped. It was May 2022, and I'd 3 my job in London to begin a year-long journey around the world.
I loved to travel and had been 4 to visit many countries with friends and family. This time, I'd be travelling alone, which was pretty 5 for a woman with a disability, though I have learnt to 6 life in a wheelchair since I was 7.
Accessibility isn't much of a(n) 7 in some countries, but my first 8 on my solo trip was Bali. Although I'd ensured my hotel wouldn't be a problem, I couldn't 9 any risks.
"If it doesn't 10 , you can always come home." my parents 11 me. But I wasn't going to give up without a 12 .
In Bali, the hotel where I stayed was 13 by a kind woman who made sure I had 14 to the shower and anything else I needed. With her help, I made it to a mountain 15 and saw most of the island's sights. As 16 , the view from the top was thrilling.
After that, I made the trip up as I went, staying in a country until I got 17 and moved on to the next. Wherever I went, such as Africa and Asia, I was greatly impressed by the 18 of strangers helping me.
19 , I'd visited a total of 66 countries on my own by February 2023. Now, I'm fully 20 that a disability doesn't have to stop a person from getting out there and seeing the world.
The 78th United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution (决议) on Friday, officially (announce) the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, as a UN floating holiday. Experts said the move shows the (significance) influence of Chinese culture and will contribute the promotion of the Global Civilization Initiative.
The Lunar New Year not only bears the ideas of peace and harmony (value) by Chinese civilization but also carries the common values of humanity such as family harmony and harmonious coexistence between humans nature.
The reason why the Lunar New Year can pass national borders and is increasingly welcomed by many countries (lie) mainly in the rich cultural heritage of China and the driving force of globalization. As the world's second-largest economy, China's cultural elements have spread alongside its economic influence. In the trend of globalization, people's interest in diverse cultures is (gradual) increasing, and the Lunar New Year has become a major means for people (communicate) and connect.
Therefore, the official (recognize) of the Chinese New Year as a UN holiday fully reflects an emphasis on the inheritance and innovation of civilization, will promote exchanges and mutual learning among diverse world cultures and actively embody the UN's values of diverse and inclusive cultural ideals.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(/)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该下面写出修改后的词。
注意：
1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分
This morning I went to my favorite restaurant for breakfast as usually. Touched by an elderly couple next to me, so I offered to pay for them. Knowing their request, the owner there told me one of her unforgettable day. It was a cold morning that she went with her baby to the store. Her baby was screaming and crying, and she said sorry to all the other people try to shop in peace. Then, when she got the bill, she realized that someone else have paid for it. It touched her so much that it brings her to tears. After she saw me doing this, it reminded her that moment which meant so much to her.
1．活动的时间和地点；2．活动的内容；3．期待参与。
注意：
1．写作词数应为80左右；2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Notice
The Student Union
