Family Day 2024
Here are some exciting happenings at Ontario Parks this Family Day Weekend:
Family Day—Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
February 19
Join park staff at Sleeping Giant this Family Day to enjoy some outdoor activities including ice skating with neighbor campfire, winter hiking or walking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. The visitor centre will be open from 8:30 a. m. to 4:00 p. m.
The park gate will be closed and locked at 4:40p. m. Don't forget to reserve your vehicle permit in advance!
Family Day—Bronte Creek Provincial Park
February 17
Spend an enjoyable day exploring the park trails, barns（仓棚）, and outdoor play equipment. The play barn（for children 10 years and under）will be open from 9:00 a. m. to 4:00 p. m. Visit the children's farm with a variety of animals, search for the park's Gnome Road, or climb to the top of the hill and enjoy the views from the canyon scenic observation deck!
Fire and Stars Hikes—Sibbald Point Provincial Park
February 16&17
Visit Sibbald Point this winter for an evening journey along the Maidenhai r Fern Trail, lit only by fire and the stars.
Hike between the hours of 6:30-9:30 p. m, on your own or join in a guided hike led by Discovery staff beginning at 6:30 p. m. This journey takes 1-1.5hours to complete dependent on your hiking pace.
Staff recommend bringing your own snowshoes, but they are optional depending on amount of snow fall. Be sure to check the Snow Report before you arrive!
Family Fishing Weekend
February 17-19
Do you know Canadians can fish licence-free from February 17 to February 19? What a great time to introduce your family to ice fishing! Find an event near you.
Safety should always be number one. Remember: Ice does not freeze at a uniform thickness. Always dress for the weather and layer up. Make sure you obey the rules and regulations of the body of water you're fishing on too!
Juleus Ghunta is a published children's author and award-winning poet. But growing up, he could barely read. Ghunta's family lived in a rural part of Western Jamaica. His mother often had to make tough choices about how to use their limited resources, including a decision to send his oldest sister to school, and to keep Ghunta at home.
When Ghunta finally went to school, he couldn't catch up on his reading skills. Not only had he been kept home from school as a child, but he had not been exposed to books. By the time he entered the sixth grade, he could spell his name, but he still couldn't make out words. spell, or read with understanding.
When Ghunta was about 12, a young teacher decided to start a special reading program for struggling students. Ghunta was the first student to sign up. The teacher was incredibly kind to him. She did not ask anything of Ghunta, except that he worked hard and believed in himself.
Under her guidance, Ghunta's reading skills finally started to improve. He started to feel more confident. "She had left me with the gift of literacy," he said, "and with the value as a human being." His life took a new direction. He graduated from elementary school with a number of academic awards, including one for "most improved in reading". He went on to college. Today, he is the author of two children's books, about overcoming difficult experiences in childhood. He's now working on his first full-length collection of poetry.
"I would love her to see the significant impact that she has made on my life, and the ways in which I have carried this memory of her—the hope and the light—with me and how it continues to be a source of joy."
The world's oceans, lakes and rivers are under increasing pressure from climate change, growing demand, urbanization, and pollution, threatening their ability to sustain life.
"Without better data to understand the health of increasingly stressed waterways, the fight to save these most precious resources will be ineffective," said the co-founder of a technology company. "Virtually every waterway is polluted to an extent where the ecosystem just can't balance back anymore," he explains.
The company is aiming to fill that information gap using fishlike robots that collect data from underwater environments. Powered by batteries, they are designed to look and swim like fish. The standard version is about 1.3 meters long and weighs 30 kilograms and can be equipped with cameras and sensors to measure oxygen, salinity（盐度）and pH levels.
The founder was motivated to build the robots after his eight-year-old daughter learned about the ocean crisis and asked him to help protect the seas. He says it's important that the robots can integrate into natural habitats—swimming among other creatures without disturbing them and moving around obstacles smoothly.
The company has put its technology to use in different regions. It has operated in both fresh and saltwater, near dams, and in harbors and fish farms, checking things like water quality and fish health and collecting data wherever they go. The CEO of the company said its technology could be used in the region for water management, sustainable aquaculture（水产养殖）operations, and monitoring the health of corals.
Still, the company has some blocks to clear before its fishlike robots will be seen cruising（游弋）through the world's waterways. "We need capital to commercialize," said the CEO, "but there are very few people who are willing to actually support those that are doing frontier technologies in the waterways." The founder hopes more funding will follow. He said, "Investors should absolutely wake up."
For centuries, explorers have searched for the fountain of youth. Surprisingly, the secret to staying young might have been within us all along. Amor, a scientist, and colleagues have discovered that T cells can be reprogrammed to fight aging, so to speak.
Given the right genetic changes, these white blood cells can attack another group of cells known as senescent（衰老的）cells, which are thought to be responsible for many of the diseases we fight with later in life. Senescent cells are those that stop replicating（再生）. As we age, they build up in our bodies, resulting in some diseases.
While several existing drugs can eliminate these cells, many must be taken repeatedly over time. As an alternative, Amor and colleagues turned to a "living" drug called CAR（chimeric antigen receptor）T cells.
They discovered CAR T cells could be used to rid of senescent cells in mice. As a result. the mice ended up living healthier lives. They had lower body weight, improved metabolism（新陈代谢）, and increased physical activity. All these came without any tissue damage or side effects.
Perhaps the greatest power of CAR T cells is their long-lasting effects. The team found that just one dose（一剂）at a young age can have lifelong effects. That single treatment can protect against conditions that commonly occur later in life.
"T cells have the ability to develop memory and exist in your body for really long periods. which is very different from a chemical drug," Amor explained.
Amor's lab is now investigating whether CAR T cells let mice live not only healthier but also longer. If so, society will be one step closer to the fountain of youth.
Workplace recognition is a powerful way of making employees feel valued and enhancing their performance. .
Make people feel valued
Employees want to know that they are making a difference in what they do—big or small—and workplace recognition can make a considerable difference. One of them focused on the impact of letters of appreciation. The letters roughly read: Your continued dedication and hard work make children and families in the region better off every day. Appreciation can greatly improve morale（士气）.
Improve employees' retention（保留）
Not only does this boost their confidence, but it also helps improve your company's retention rate and secure top talent. It is predicted that replacing a salaried worker costs 6-9 months of the position's annual wages.
Boost motivation and productivity
A study found that employee engagement, productivity, and performance are 14% higher in organizations with a specific recognition programme in place. It means that your team is more present in their day-to-day roles, they produce optimal work quality and feel personally connected to the company and the work they do for its growth. Ultimately, workplace recognition leads to happy, driven, and productive workers.
Improve employees' well-being
It's common for businesses of all sizes to experience stressful periods. Especially when your team is small and the workload high, people can feel extensive burnout and stress, leading to time off work. Gratitude increases our positive emotions, like happiness, making us more resilient against future stress.
A. How does this benefit the organizations?
B. What exactly does this mean for businesses?
C. Here are some tips on securing workplace recognition.
D. When your workers are happy, they're less likely to leave.
E. The Harvard Business Review conducted a series of studies on workplace morale.
F. But small companies and start-ups require more work and attention to develop.
G. Here are the benefits of workplace recognition for both employers and employees.
I was born in a small town in Vadodara City. Gujarat. India, with cerebral palsy（脑瘫）. My 1 activity was restricted, which meant that a world of limitations lay ahead of me. Doubts about my 2 are common. Few people know that my life will become a living testament（证明）to how much one person can 3 with support and training, even if we have to face great 4 .
Although I was rejected by many at first when I 5 schools, the principal of St. Teresa's School warmly embraced me. Her 6 and that of some teachers and classmates really helped me throughout my school life. Taking me to the bathroom, taking notes for me in class—these daily gestures of 7 really helped me because I couldn't walk on my own and I was a（n）8 writer. With their help, I made progress both 9 and personally.
After I successfully completed college, my family and friends 10 me to open a computer training center. It became a place of power where I taught 11 skills to over a thousand people. Students with cerebral palsy are 12 how to solve the problems they face. I enjoy their success and feel comforted by my lasting 13 on their lives.
I hope my story shows that with determination and strong 14 . we can all overcome our limitations and 15 a more inclusive and understanding world.
The Science Museum in the UK is holding an exhibition called "Zimingzhong: Clockwork Treasures from China's Forbidden City". The exhibition features 23 clocks, mainly （collect）by three Qing emperors. The clocks aim to tell some （story）about the meaning of technology and skills, as well as the people and cultures appeared during this small window of trade between Britain and China.
"The Emperors and Zimingzhong" section of the exhibition reveals the important role played zimingzhong in early cultural exchanges. In the early 17th century, missionaries tried to please the Qing emperors by （send）them delicately made automatic devices.
In the middle section of the exhibition, a scale model of the Chinese water-powered "escapement" reveals that in year 1088, during the Song Dynasty, Su Song created the（world）first water-powered astronomical clock tower. In the 1960s, scholars rediscovered an ancient text about it. This （discover）challenges the long-held idea that mechanical clocks originated （entire）in Europe.
Zimingzhong initially （enter）China from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Following this year-long trade route, British businessmen, upon reaching the coastal areas of China, purchased sought-after goods, including silk, tea and porcelain.
注意：1.写作词数应为80个左右：2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Martin,
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
About 15years ago, Oliver Muensterer packed his suitcase and traveled from his home in Leipzig, Germany to a town a few hours away. He had a job interview, so he arrived the evening beforehand, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement about the opportunity that lay ahead.
When he woke up the next morning, the sunlight filtering through the curtains cast a warm glow in the hotel room. As he took a shower and started to get dressed, his mind raced with thoughts of the upcoming interview. The realization that he had forgotten to pack a white dress shirt struck him like a bolt of lightning, causing his heart to skip a beat.
"I thought I had prepared perfectly for everything. I had a tie; I had my suit; but somehow I had forgotten the shirt," Muensterer muttered to himself, a touch of frustration in his voice.
This discovery sent Muensterer into a panic. He rushed down to the lobby（大厅）and went to the front desk to ask the man behind the counter if he could suggest a nearby store where he could buy a new shirt.
Approaching the front desk, he quickly explained his problem to the man behind the counter, desperation evident in his voice and behaviour.
"I'm really in a lot of trouble. I will have this really important job interview in an hour. And somehow I forgot my dress shirt at home." Muensterer explained.
Muensterer's heart raced as he stood at the front desk, his desperation palpable in the way his fingers tapped nervously against the polished wood. Every passing second felt like a lifetime as he awaited the front desk attendant's response. The weight of the coming interview hung heavy on his shoulders, each breath a struggle against the choking panic. Yet, a glimmer of hope flickered within him as he asked assistance, his eyes searching desperately for any sign of solution. Would this stranger truly hold the key to saving his chance at success?
However, hardly had Muensterer finished his words when the man behind the counter said, "Don't worry, sir, I have a solution."
注意：
1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Rather than directing Muensterer to a nearby shop, the desk attendant did something surprising.
After the job interview, Muensterer returned to the front desk with the shirt in hand, along with a heart full of gratitude.
