The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Minor Snow (小雪) refers to the time when it starts to snow, mostly in China's northern areas, and the temperature continues to drop.
Here are four things you should know about Minor Snow.
Wearing hats and scarves
In China, starting in Minor Snow, the wind blows from the northeast a lot. Because it's still not bitterly cold, many people do not wear hats or scarves yet. In fact, according to an old Chinese saying, "The head is the place where all passages of the body gather". It's sensible to keep one's head warm.
Drinking soup
During Minor Snow, indoor heating begins to work, which means the air indoors is dry and most people might find their nose and mouth feels a bit dry. According to practices in traditional Chinese medicine, this accumulation of "inner heat" in one's body can cause problems, including oral ulcers and breakouts (口腔溃疡和破损). The solution is to drink more hot soup, such as cabbage and bean curd soup, spinach and bean curd soup, and mutton and radish soup.
Making preserved pork
After Minor Snow, the temperature declines sharply and the air becomes dry. It is the best time to start making preserved pork, which by the Chinese Spring Festival would be ready to enjoy. In the past, when storage conditions were poor, people developed many ways to store food and preserved pork is one such example. So even in the bitter winter, the whole family could enjoy meat. Some even say preserved pork tastes more delicious than fresh meat.
Avoiding spicy food
On cold days, people may crave some hot and spicy food to keep warm. Experts say it's wise not to eat overly spicy food, since that will increase your inner heat.
Donald Watson was a man who thought very much about the food he ate. He was born in Yorkshire, England, in September 1910. And he died in November 2005, at the age of 95. That is a very great age. Watson explained that it was because he never ate any food from animals.
When he was a boy, Watson stayed on a farm. He loved to see the animals. He said that they gave so much to people. And all the animals were so friendly. Then, one day, he saw a man killing a pig. He was very sad. From then on, Watson decided that he would never again eat meat. Twenty years later he decided that he wouldn't eat anything from animals, such as milk, cheese or eggs. He became a vegan.
Watson formed a group called "The Vegan Society". In its newspaper, The Vegan Society thought it was terrible and wrong to eat food from animals. At first, there were not many people who agreed with him. They thought it was crazy to do it. Most people thought it was too difficult and unhealthy. However, over time, more and more people began to agree with Watson and The Vegan Society.
People become vegans for many reasons. Watson and his friend stopped eating because they loved animals. They believed that it was wrong to hurt another living thing.
Now, people also become vegans for environmental reasons. Keeping animals takes a lot of resources, including water and food. Also, in some places, people are cutting down trees to create more land for cows. By avoiding food from animals, vegans hope to protect these forest areas.
Finally, just like Watson, some people believe that being a vegan is healthier. They believe that food from animals causes heart problems, a high body weight and many other health problems.
B because he has a lot of health problems
C. because of environmental reasonsD. because keeping animals needed lots of resourcesWild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami, adding weight to the idea that they have a "sixth sense" for disasters, experts said on Thursday.
Sri Lanka wildlife officials have said the waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island's coast seemingly missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found.
"No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a ‘sixth sense'. They know when things are happening," H.D. Ratnayake, director of Sri Lanka's Wildlife Department, said on Wednesday.
The waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km (2 miles) inland at Yala National Park in the southeast, Sri Lanka's biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants. "There has been a lot of evidence (证据) about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But it has not been proved." said Matthew van Lierop, an animal behaviour specialist at Johannesburg Zoo. "There have been no specific studies because you can't really test it in a lab or field setting," he said. Other authorities agreed with this conclusion.
"Wildlife seems to be able to pick up certain signs, especially birds. There are many reports of birds detecting coming disasters," said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife.
Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger such as predators (掠食动物). The idea of an animal "sixth sense" is a lasting one that the evidence on Sri Lanka's damaged coast is likely to add to.
Imagine a dog you don't need to train. Instead, you can program it to do whatever you want. Now, you don't need to imagine it. Meet Spot, a dog-like robot from US company Boston Dynamics.
In March, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii (庞贝考古公园) in Italy gave Spot a new job. Pompeii is a famous "time capsule (胶囊)" from the ancient world. Thousands of years ago, a nearby volcano covered the city in ash. Many people died, but the ash kept buildings safe until someone found it in 1748.
So, what is Spot doing in Pompeii? It walks around the site with a 3D scanner (扫描仪). There are many narrow, underground tunnels in Pompeii. Thieves used the tunnels to steal things. The tunnels bring safety problems to the ancient buildings. Robot dogs are small enough to go through these tunnels and find any changes to the buildings.
According to Gabriel Zuchtriegel, new director of the site, this is the first time anyone has used a robot to help protect an archaeological site. "It's a breakthrough and it would allow us to protect the ruins with greater speed and in total safety," said Zuchtriegel.
Spot will also work with a 3D-scanning drone (无人机). The two tools will check the site regularly. They will look for any damage that may need a repair. As art magazine ART news said, Pompeii is turning into a "Smart Archaeological Park".
Misunderstandings can happen between friends. If you don't want to lose your friends because of misunderstandings that can be taken care of, you'd better solve them quickly. Below are some tips that you can have a try.
Know the cause of the problem.
The first step in knowing how to solve a misunderstanding between friends is to find the cause of it. But remind yourself that you must be open to the results if the fault lies in you. And you must be willing to apologize and make up for it.
When you want to talk to your friend, make sure you're doing it at a suitable moment. It can help solve the misunderstanding more effectively. For example, you can't talk to your friend about it if he or she has other pressing problems. Finding a private and calm place to talk about it is a must as well.
Control your emotions.
Before solving the misunderstanding with your friend, you'd better learn how to control your emotions. Discussing it with strong negative emotions won't lead to a good result. It may cause the problem to become more complicated (复杂的).
Be a good listener.
As a friend, you should be a good listener. Not only do you have to listen to your friends talk about the troubles in their lives, but you also must be willing to listen to all the things that they may not like about you. It can help you understand them. Then, it will be easier for you to get over a problem together.
A. Change your viewpoint.
B. Find the right time and place.
C. Worse still, it could result in new misunderstandings.
D. This is a good thing as long as you keep an open mind.
E. Once you know it, you can start to look for the right solutions.
F. And avoid dealing with the matter when you're both in high spirits.
G. Your friends will be more likely to realize their mistakes and correct them.
It was nearly dinner time when my 5-year old daughter rushed into the house. Tears rolled down as she 1 her two hurt arms. I tried to persuade her to 2 , as that was the fourth time she had crashed that day. I told her that children of her 3 usually rode with training wheels (辅助轮). But she 4 my advice and as soon as the bandages (绷带) were stuck on her 5 , she headed back out the door.
I watched from the kitchen window as she 6 time after time. I wanted to run out there and make her stop, 7 I couldn't. I would have to let go. 8 , she had agreed to wear her brother's helmet and knee pads (护膝).
Later that very evening, as I was washing the remaining dishes, I heard my daughter shout 9 to me. I rushed outside and sighed with 10 to see that she was riding down the driveway with both her 11 held high in the air. "Look, Mom, no hands!" she said, 12 as she rode by.
I suppose there will be many times to 13 when my daughter will need me to simply 14 Although it won't be 15 , I'll always remember how she taught me sometimes "no hands" is best.
—It ____ be her. She has gone to New York.
—I didn't notice the time. I ____ earlier.
—Sorry to hear that. Take care of yourself!
More than 500 years ago, explorers sailed to the Americas. They (bring) a few four-legged passengers along with them: pigs. Today, there are (near) six million wild pigs, also known as boars (野猪), (run) free in the US.
Boars can cause a lot of damage to crops and soccer fields. They eat baby birds and turtle eggs. Every year, they cause $1.5 billion in damage. People do all they could to stop them, boars keep going strong.
Texas is home to half of the country's boar population. Some (place) offer hunters $5 for every boar tail they bring in. High-tech means are also used (fight) against the wild pigs. The latest is a steel (钢) cage hangs off the ground — officials lay a track of tasty corn leading to cage. Special cameras record the boars approaching. Officials watch from afar. At just the right moment, the officials press a button on an app. The cage drops and traps a dozen boars all at once.
But boars are smart. They've learned ways to avoid being (catch). They know that humans hunt in daylight. Now the animals sleep during the day and eat at night, when it's much (safe). Until we find a way to outsmart them, boars will keep pigging out on farms and gardens.
注意：1.词数为80左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使内容充实、行文连贯。
Dear Tim,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
