Nature and Wildlife Photography Competition
BWPA
If you have any wonderful nature images taken in the United Kingdom, you can check out the British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA). This nature photo competition is free to enter and celebrates British natural history through several categories that include animal behavior, habitat, urban wildlife, and wild woods. The overall winner gets £5,000 in cash.
BPOTY
Are you a fan of birds? Then, check out the Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) competition. There are eight different categories to enter. Entry credits are charged at a rate of £10 for one entry, £15 for five entries, £25 for 10 entries, £40 for 20 entries, £50 for 30 entries, or £60 for 50 entries. The title winner gets £5,000.
WNPA
The World Nature Photography Awards (WNPA) aims to use photography as a tool for change. The entry fee is £30 per entry, and you can submit six images. The winner gets a prize of £1,000. WMPA will plant a tree for every entry, so your entry fee will go to a good cause.
NWPC
The National Wildlife Photo Contest (NWPC) is a long-running competition with nine categories to enter. You can buy different entry packages from $20 for 10, and $25 for 15 photos. The grand winner gets $5,000. In addition, some selected images will also be published in the National Wildlife magazine.
Kawasaki disease(川崎病) is every parent's nightmare(噩梦). This rare illness is the chief cause of acquired heart disease in babies and young children. Historically, it's been difficult for doctors to spot it, until recently, when a young inventor developed an app that can find it out. Ellen's invention does research on a photograph of the child and looks for clear signs of Kawasaki disease, like a swollen tongue. It's a great invention that likely wouldn't have come about if it all weren't so personal.
When Ellen, a San Diego native, was 5 years old, her parents rushed her kid sister to the hospital. Three-year-old Kate had a fever, reddened eyes and swelling in her hands and tongue.
At first the puzzled doctors guessed that Kate had a flu. But when her condition didn't improve, she returned to the Emergency Room, where she was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and treated immediately. In time she shook off the illness without suffering damage to her heart, making her one of the lucky ones.
10 years later, Ellen, needing a project for a high school science fair, recalled her sister's illness. "It was a puzzle I wanted to solve," says Ellen, now a student at Stanford. So she set out to do just that. Using data, she invented an app that can identify the physical signs of Kawasaki disease from a photo. It works similarly to apps that can identify birds and plants. The app is expected to appear soon on the Kawasaki Disease Foundation's website, kdfoundation. org.
As for Kate, Ellen says the little girl with the mysterious disease is now an energetic high school junior with dreams of becoming an environmental engineer.
When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans had taken care of these precious natural resources wisely. Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimate a large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl ( 水禽 ) were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsmen. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations, greatly reducing waterfowl habitat.
In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Act), an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory ( 迁徙的) waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under this Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. “Ding” Darling, a political cartoonist from Des Moines, lowa, who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.
About 98 cents of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System — a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934, better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.
HELSINKI — Driven by a passion for giant pandas, Finnish scientists are learning how to cultivate bamboo in freezing temperatures not normally beneficial to growing the primary food source for these special animals.
In early 2018, a pair of giant pandas from China made their first public appearance at the Ahtari Zoo in central Finland. It was the first time that pandas had come to live in Northern Europe, and the event was met with great enthusiasm from the Finnish public. The pandas, Hua Bao and Jin Baobao, were nicknamed "Pyry" and "Lumi" — meaning "heavy snowfall" and "snow" — by their hosts in Finland.
Meanwhile, two years before their arrival, a group of local farmers had taken up the challenge of growing bamboo in the country where temperatures often fall to below 30 degrees Celsius in winter. The farmers have persevered despite failures and difficulties, and their efforts are now bearing fruit as they have succeeded in growing bamboo in the extreme cold.
Over the years, agricultural advisor Jari Luokkakallio has become an expert on bamboo cultivation, driven by the desire to build the best possible food reserves for the pandas. "I think the pandas prefer the bamboo that I bring to them," Luokkakallio said. "It is fresh and local."
Around 50 farmers joined in the bamboo cultivation project when it was first launched in 2016. "The first year was very, very hard," Luokkakallio said. "When the temperature dropped to minus 30 in November and December, we lost every single bamboo plant." The next year, the farmers started all over again, he said. "And we came to understand that we had to better protect the bamboo." Looking back on such experiences, Luokkakallallo stressed that it was important to adopt techniques suitable for Finland's climate. For example, snow can be used as a natural insulator (绝缘体) for bamboo plants.
When Luokkakallio learned that bamboo grows in China's cool, slightly wet mountainous areas, he was convinced it could also grow in snowy Finland. "The snow actually provides the best protection for the bamboo, an evergreen plant," Euokkakallio said. Covering bamboo with snow ensures enough moisture (湿度) or the leaves, he said, so that they remain green and fresh. By conducting experiments and learning from mistakes, Luokkakallio said he discovered Finland-specific ways to protect bamboo, which is crucial for sustaining the pandas' diet locally.
Finland's local bamboo production currently makes up just a small part of the food supply for the two giant pandas, providing an alternative when extreme situations could affect the timely arrival of imported bamboo. "Growing, bamboo is our hobby, not a business," Luokkakallio said, adding that he and his colleagues are delighted to be able to provide some backup (后援) food reserves for the lovely pandas in Ahtari. "My grandsons are also very proud of me because what I'm doing for the two pandas is special."
Whether it's painting, or sculpting tiny cupcakes out of clay, making art is good for your mind and body. But you don't have to be a full-time artist to get those health benefits. All you need to do is just making art. Here are things you need to know in particular to start your creative art habit.
"People tend to think that only those who are very skilled at art can call themselves artists, but everyone is capable of creative expression," says Kaimal, a leading researcher in art therapy. Her research has shown that there are no differences in health outcomes between experienced artists and green hands.
Start with what you enjoy — maybe something you've done before, maybe something you were fond of as a kid. Keep an open mind. Anything that engages your creative mind, such as finger painting, baking, knitting, etc, is good for you. And don't feel like that you have to stick to one thing. .
Think about making art like any healthy habit. Just as you make time to work out, you should make time for your artistic creation. Kaimal suggests setting up a corner table for your art supplies. "Your creative corner is kind of like a reminder," she says. "It shows your comment to invest in yourself and your well-being."
A．Let it go that you're not an artist.
B．Do whatever you are interested in.
C．Besides time, spare a physical space in your home for art.
D．It is also good to figure out your way of creative expression.
E．There are rules for how much time you should engage in art.
F．The act of creation can reduce stress and improve your mood.
G．So despite your skill level, you'll feel all the good things from making art.
In a heartwarming turn of events, a two-year-old girl who had gone lost in Newberry County was found safe and sound after a careful search. The young child had last been 1 at about 3:00 pm, lying beside her mother, but was reported 2 later in the day.
What followed was a remarkable chain of events that led to her safe 3 .
Around 6:00 pm, the situation took a hopeful turn when a deer 4 in the area heard the cries of the lost child. 5 quickly, the hunter 6 an emergency call to the Newberry County 911, reporting the child's 7 .
Newberry County 911 operators sprang into action, 8 advanced mapping technology to 9 locate the coordinates (坐标) provided by the hunter. This 10 information was then immediately sent to a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) helicopter and the county's devoted first responders, who were already on their way.
With the location data 11 , a search team was quickly sent to the 12 area, situated nearly a mile away from the child's home. The hunter and the two-year-old were found, safe and 13 , in the dense forest. The 14 of these responders finally led to a heartwarming 15 .
A rare type bottle has been unearthed at the Peiligang site in the city of Xinzheng, Central China's Henan province, providing archaeologists (考古学家) with earliest dated artifact (文物) of its kind in China.
Bottles with this unusual shape, (feature) a small mouth and pointed bottom, (be) among the representative artifacts of the Yangshao culture and have been unearthed at dwelling ruins, ash pits and burial sites. There are various (opinion) regarding their function, including being considered a vessel (容器) for water (collect), a brewing container or a burial item.
According to Li Yongqiang, associate researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a preliminary (初步的) estimate of the (new) discovered bottle's age puts it as about 7, 700 years old. It is over 10 centimeters long, very compact and much smaller than the commonly (see) small-mouthed, pointed-bottomed bottles from the Yangshao culture period. The Yangshao culture, dating back 5, 000 to 7, 000years, was a Neolithic culture originated along the middle reaches of the Yellow River.
"This discovery provides fresh and crucial material evidence for exploring the origin and development relationship between the Peiligang culture Yangshao culture," says Li.
注意：(1)写作词数应为80个左右;(2)请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
Dear Chris，
……
Yours，
Li Hua
When we are little kids, birthday parties are momentous occasions. They are our time to shine, and we love everything about them: the balloons, the games, the cake, the gifts, and so on.
After reading cool stories about police officers solving mysteries, Allen Miller thought the police were awesome, hoping to become one of them! So, when he had to choose a theme for his seventh birthday party—he went with his favorite: the police! And all he wanted for his birthday party was a model police car. He excitedly invited some of his friends and anxiously awaited the day. Unfortunately, none of them could make it to the party due to various reasons,
Allen's mom Rachel wrestled with the challenging decision: should she cancel the party and save Allen the embarrassment of an empty party room? He had been looking forward to the party and talking about it daily, so it would break his heart to cancel it.
Officer Frank Smith, who had already planned with Rachel and agreed to show up at the party, heard from Rachel that it might be canceled due to low attendance. That's when he decided to save the day—he is a police officer after all! His duty is to serve and protect, and he decided to protect Allen from having a bad day, and serve him the most amazing seventh birthday party! Officer Smith got the whole local police to join in. "We like to be involved in our community. It's not just about enforcing (执行) the law. We like to be there in the good times as well," he explained to Rachel.
On the day of Allen's party, Officer Smith picked up Rachel and Allen in his police car. The boy didn't know where they were going, but was excited. They stopped at Town Hall, and officer Smith led them into the meeting room where a group of policemen were waiting to wish Allen a happy birthday.
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。
There, a party was waiting for him.
……
After they enjoyed the cake, Officer Smith took out a gift bag.
