Cash Composition Contest
In support of Financial Literacy Month（April）, Michigan State University Extension and 4-H, a youth organization, are coordinating（协调）the Cash Composition Contest. Youths residing in Michigan are encouraged to answer this year's essay question with an essay of 300 words or less. The 5 top-scoring essays will each win a $100 gift card thanks to the generous sponsorship by Extra Credit Union.
Timeline
April 30, 2023: Essay submission due by 11:59 pm
May 31, 2023: Winners notified
Cash Composition Topic
What is the difference between a need and a want? Discuss how you determine if something is a need or a want. How can you make sure you have enough money to get your needs and still enjoy some of your wants? Share how needs and wants might change throughout one's life.
Grading Standards
●Quality of Writing
●Organization and Information
●Grammar
Guidelines
Participants must:
●Between 9—12 years of age as of January 1, 2023 living in the state of Michigan.
●Have knowledge of money management such as saving, spending, borrowing, and planning appropriate for age and grade level.
Requirements
●Youths must have parental or guardian permission to apply and participate.
●The application form must be completed by a parent/guardian.
●Youths must write an essay
（300 words or less）on the assigned topic above.
●Essays must be submitted on the contest registration page.
●The essay must be the work of the student submitting it. It is highly recommended that youths write their essay prior to completing the registration/submission form.
Located among the forests where eagles fly overhead, Jabal Sawda has long been one of Saudi Arabia's best places for mountaineers. At 2,999m, Jabal Sawda had been considered the kingdom's highest peak until twin mountaineers, Matthew and Eric Gilbertson, climbed it in 2018, finding it to be about three meters shy of Jabal Ferwa.
For more than a decade, the twins have traveled to one country after another around the world, rewriting the mountain record books about places across the Middle East and West Africa. So far they have reached the peaks of more than 100 countries and newly identified the highest points in Togo, Guinea- Bissau and Ivory Coast.
Matthew, a research scientist at Lockheed Martin in Palo Alto, California, and Eric, an instructor in mechanical engineering at Seattle University, said their work was motivated by a need for accuracy and love for mountaineering. "If we're going to go through all the effort to visit a country and visit the highest mountain, we want to be sure that we have indeed visited the highest mountain," Matthew said. "We consider it assistance to future mountaineers to have an accurate survey done so that they can focus their efforts on getting to whichever peak they want to get to."
The twins' love of mountaineering began when they were children with family trips to the Great Smoky Mountains in the southeastern United States. When they were students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology（MIT）, they started climbing as many mountains as possible. In 2012, after achieving their goal of reaching the highest point of each US state, they turned their attention to the rest of the world.
When you're bored, you might start playing with a ball or other objects. Such behavior is common in people. Other animals like it too—that's why a dog fetches a stick, or a cat bats at toys. Play is an enjoyable way to pass the time. A new study finds that it's not just mammals that like to play. Bumblebees（大黄蜂）do it too, making them the first insects known to play.
In the study, Hiruni Samadi Galpayage Dona, an insect expert, did an experiment using 200 untrained bumblebees to see if they might play. Of those, 45 would be marked with a number when they emerged as adults.
A pathway was set up from the bumblebees' nest to a feeding area. One side contained small wooden balls that rolled. The other side had the same number of balls, but they were stuck to the floor. Half balls on each side were colored balls. The rest were left unpainted.
For three hours a day over 18 days, Galpayage Dona found bumblebees weren't so interested in the side where the balls didn't move, but they explored the side areas and interacted with the balls. Once they managed to roll a ball, they strongly preferred that side. They returned, climbing on the balls and rolling them around. She also found bumblebees preferred certain colors of balls.
"There's something about the mobility that is more interesting for the bumblebees than just colored objects," Galpayage Dona says. In another experiment, she sometimes left the balls out overnight. "When I came in the next day, I would always find some bumblebees rolling the balls." As with mammals, the bumblebees who played the most were the younger ones. Their play tapered off as they got older.
The scientists say it's not clear why the bumblebees roll the balls or whether they enjoy it. But the experiment raises important questions about how the insects' minds work and whether they have feelings.
This year researchers expect the world to snap（按快门）1.35 trillion photographs, or about 3.7 billion per day. All those pixels（像素）take up a lot of room if they are stored on personal computers or phones, which is one reason why many people store their images in the cloud. But unlike a hard on drive which can be encrypted（加密）to protect its data, cloud storage users have to trust that a tech platform will keep their private pictures safe. Now a team of Columbia University computer scientists has developed a tool to encrypt images stored on many popular cloud services while allowing authorized users to browse and display their photographs as usual.
Malicious（恶意的）attempts to access or leak cloud-based photographs can expose personal information. In November 2019, for example, a bug in the popular photograph storage app Google Photos mistakenly shared some users' private videos with strangers. Security experts also worry about employees at cloud storage companies on purpose accessing users' images.
So the Columbia researchers came up with a system called Easy Secure Photos（ESP）, which they presented at a recent conference. "We wanted to see if we could make it possible to encrypt data while using existing services," says computer scientist Jason Nieh, one of the developers of ESP. "Everyone wants to stay with Google Photos and not have to register on a new encrypted-image cloud storage service."
To overcome this problem, they created a tool that preserves blocks of pixels but moves them around to effectively hide the photograph. First, ESP's algorithm（算法）divides a photograph into three separate files, each one containing the image's red, green or blue color data. Then the system hides the pixel blocks around among these three files（allowing a block from the red file, for instance, to hide out in the green or blue ones）. But the program does nothing within the pixel blocks, where all the image processing happens. As a result, the files remain unchanged images but end up looking like grainy black-and-white ones to anyone who accesses them without the decryption key.
Do you have an important or favorite memory from the past? Perhaps it was clapping for goals. By sharing our memories, we can feel closer to other people and more positive about what we've been through.
How does memory work?
Scientists believe there are two levels of memory. One is short-term or working memory, which stays in your brain for only 15-30 seconds. The other level is long-term or permanent memory, which can be stored for days, months or even years.
Motor-skill memories help you remember how to ride a bike; factual memories help you to recognize faces. These types of memories can be short or long term. Emotional memories recall how you felt about something and can be strong and powerful. Remembering the sadness of missing your friends during lockdown, and being happy and excited to see them again afterwards, are emotional memories.
Why are memories important?
Memories tell you the story of yourself. Information such as which school you go to and who your friends are is stored inside your brain, ready for when you need it."If I miss seeing my grandparents, I remember staying with them in Devon. It makes me feel happy, like when I was there." Heidi, 12, told The Week.
When people think of shared experience, what usually comes to mind is being with close others, such as friends or family, and talking with them. By telling a funny or embarrassing story—perhaps the time the dog stole the Christmas ham—we share feelings of joy or recognition of difficulties overcome, large or small. By sharing similar or not-so-similar experiences, we empathize with and understand one another better.
A. There are many uses for memory.
B. Memories can help you own well-being.
C. Shared memories can connect you to others.
D. Time cannot erase his memories of the past.
E. Memories can also help you manage feelings.
F. Or it was seeing rainbow pictures in the windows.
G. They are long term and can sometimes last a lifetime.
Temperatures in the Norwegian capital regularly drop to -10℃ during winter. 1 in the harsh winter without wearing a coat, a boy wrapped his arms around himself on a bus stop bench.
It's a 2 scene, but the actions of the ordinary people who witnessed the 3 of 11-year-old Johanne are both joyous and inspiring. A young woman sitting next to the boy noticed him rubbing his arms. She immediately asked him: "Don't you have a 4 ?" "No, someone stole it," he replied. She 5 and learned he was on a school trip and was told to meet his teacher at the bus stop. She asked him the name of his school and where he was from as she 6 draped（披上）her own coat around his shoulders. Later, another woman gave him her scarf and then 7 him in her large overcoat. Throughout the day, more and more people 8 to give him gloves and even the coats off their backs as they waited for their bus. 9 , Johanne's experience was an experiment by Norwegian charity SOS Children's Villages. Carried out by a 10 camera, it was part of their winter campaign to gather 11 of much-needed coats and blankets to help Syrian children through the winter. Many of the refugees have left their homes 12 winter clothing. "People should care as much about children in Syria as they are 13 about this boy," Synne Ronning, the information head of SOS Children's Villages Norway, told The Local. She also 14 that the child was a volunteer who was never in any danger during the 15 .
A new adaptation of Chinese mythological stories has won the heart of audiences with its distinctive style. The animation series, Yao—Chinese Folktales, （gain）more than 110 million views online since it was released.
The series, co-produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and Bilibili, is collection of 20-minute short films, consisting of eight separate stories （feature）monster-like characters, or yao in Chinese. The collection, ranges from ancient stories to science fiction, from emotional connection with hometowns to romantic love from life themes to questions for humanity, presents Chinese culture and philosophy. For example, the first episode, named "Nobody", tells a pig monster's story （base）on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. The creative team put the perspective on the little monsters who used to have blurry faces and didn't even have names in the story.
Li Zao, general producer, said it was impossible （predict）what the eventual outcome would be at first. Now, the （favor）comments exceeded the expectations of the creative team. These contained both the audience's （recognize）of the work and their hopes of Chinese animation. Besides adapting the taste of the masses, the team also wanted to guide them to appreciate different types of work.
1. 象征物名称;
2. 推荐理由（如象征物特色, 价值, 意义等）。
注意：
1. 词数80左右;
2. 可适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯。
I was a vet in Yorkshire. One day I received a call from Mrs Tompkin asking me to cut the beak（喙）of her budgie's（虎皮鹦鹉）. I armed myself with a pair of clippers and stepped onto the narrow strip of pavement which separated the door from the road. A pleasant-looking red-haired woman answered my knock. "I'm Mrs Dodds from next door," she said. "I keep an eye on the old lady. She's over eighty and lives alone."
She led me into the cramped little room. "Here's Mr Herriot coming to see Peter for you," she said to the old woman who sat in a corner. Mrs Tompkin nodded and smiled, "Oh that's good. Poor little fella can hardly eat with its long beak and I'm worried about him. He's my only companion, you know."
"Yes, I understand, Mrs Tompkin." I looked at the cage by the window with the green budgie perched（栖息）inside. "These little birds can be wonderful company when they start chattering." She laughed, "Yes, but it's a funny thing. Peter never has said that much. I think he's lazy! But I just like having him with me."
"Of course you do," I said, "but he certainly needs attention now."
The beak was greatly overgrown, curving away down till it touched the feathers of the breast. I would be able to revolutionize his life with one quick snip from my clippers. The way I was feeling this job was right up my street.
I opened the cage door and slowly inserted my hand. "Come on, Peter," I wheedled（哄骗）. As I lifted him out, I felt in my pocket with the other hand for the clippers. Then I stopped. The tiny head was no longer poking cheekily from my fingers but had fallen loosely to one side. The eyes were closed. He was dead.
Mrs Dodds and I looked at each other in horror. When I turned my head towards Mrs Tompkin, I was surprised to see that she was still nodding and smiling.
I drew her neighbor to one side. "Mrs Dodds, how much does she see?"
"Oh, she's very short-sighted but she's right vain despite her age. Never would she wear glasses. She's hard of hearing, too."
"Well, look," I said. My heart was still pounding. "I just don't know what to do. If I tell her about this, the shock will be terrible. Anything could happen." Mrs Dodds nodded, stricken-faced. "Yes, you're right. She's that attached to the little thing."
注意： 续写词数应为 150 左右。
I decided to do something for her instead of telling her the truth.
It was a long time before I went to see how Mrs Tompkin got along with the bird I bought for her.
