VAX PLATNUM POWERMAX carpet washer
Deep clean and remove up to 93% of bacteria with ease.
Proven to clean better than the leading rental.
VAX Platinum Power Max cleans carpets with ease and leaves them dry in as little as 1 hour.
Deep cleaning
We're obsessed with removing bacteria from our homes, but what about our carpets? Even if vacuuming makes them look spotless, potentially harmful stuff could still be living deep down -a layer of bacteria that can't be removed by vacuuming alone. The Vax Platinum Power Max cleans carpets 5 times better than a high-performance vacuum cleaner and handles like one too-it's simple to use, allowing you to get rid of up to 93% of bacteria easily.
VAX technology
It's packed with technology, treating the carpet with a precise mix of water and Vax Platinum solution. Our SpinScrub Technology and powerful XL brush bar agitate（搅动） the carpet in two different directions, pushing the solution into the fibres before the bacteria and dirt are sucked away. In fact, the Vax Platinum Power Max cleans carpets better than the leading rental.
Simple to use
Fill one tank with water and the other with Vax Platinum Solution, then AutoMix does the rest. There's no measuring, just pour it in and you're ready to go. When you're done just tip the dirty water away. Our Quick Clean function will have your carpet smelling fresh and dry again in as little as l hour.
Clean more than just your carpets
The Vax Platinum Power Max comes loaded with handy tools. The pre-treatment wand helps you get busy areas clean with ease. The SpinScrub tool and hose give your car interior, stairs and upholstery a deep-down clean; allowing you to remove the most stubborn of stains. Plus, when you buy direct from Vax, receive a free Steamer worth 49.99.
C interior decoration D. hard-to-clean stains
Last summer on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, Tina Taniguchi worked close to the ground. Her coconut leaf hat covered most of her thick brown hair. Wet soil had gotten on her clothes and her smiling face.
Taniguchi smiles a lot while working on the Hanapepe salt land on the west side of Kauai. It is a piece of land about half a hectare in size with pools of salty water. The salt becomes crystals (晶体)as the water dries.
"The work is tiring, but for me it's also play," Taniguchi said with a laugh. Taniguchi's family is one of 22 families who make salt, following a cultural and spiritual tradition. Hanapepe is one of the last remaining salt lands in Hawaii. Its salt can be traded or given away but must never be sold. Hawaiians use it in cooking, healing, and as protection.
Over the past 10 years, there have been several threats to this field. They encompass development, pollution from a neighboring airfield, damage to the sand from vehicle traffic and waste left by visitors to the nearby beach. In addition, rising sea levels and weather might stop the practice.
The process of turning sea water into salt can be slow. The season begins once the rain stops and water starts to disappear from the salt beds. Ocean water travels underground and enters the wells. Each family has their own well. As water enters the well, so do tiny, red brine shrimp. These small ocean animals give Hanapepe salt its unusual, sweet taste.
The families first clean the salt beds and line them with black clay (陶土). Then they move water from the wells into the beds. There, salt crystals form. The top level, or layer, is the whitest. It is used for table salt. The middle layer is pinkish and is used in cooking, while the bottom layer, which is a deep red color, is used in blessings.
To study the behavior of wild animals, scientists routinely tag them with solar-powered GPS location trackers. But such devices' battery capacity limits how long they operate, often bringing a nearly end to vital conservation work. Solar-powered trackers break easily, making them a poor choice for devices fastened to larger mammals and they don't work for night creatures.
So biologist Rasmus Worsoe Havmoller of the University of Copenhagen and his colleagues turned to another abundant power source: kinetic energy generated by an animal's movements. It is also lighter and cheaper to make than its battery-powered counterparts (对应的事物). "The design is creative and exciting," says Mark Hebblewhite, a habitat ecologist at the University of Montana. The proof-of-concept kinetic tracker works by means of a magnetic pendulum (摆钟) that swings around a copper coil, generating electricity as it moves.
Their kinetic tracker, which Havmoller's team recently tested on domestic dogs, a wild pony and a European bison, could theoretically survive for the entire lifespan of an active animal. The dogs and the bison in the study were active enough to create the energy to transmit one location signal per day for 14 days and 17 days, respectively. However, one of the less active wild pony's trackers lasted at least 146 days but didn't produce enough power for daily transmissions, the researchers reported in PLOS ONE. The limited power generated by the animals' movements means the technology isn't ready for primetime just yet, says ecologist Emily Studd of British Columbia's Thompson Rivers University, who wasn't involved in the study.
When researchers want to keep close tabs on animals, they often need GPS fixes more than once a day. But Studd says that "with a bit more development, this could be a game changer for wildlife animal research and monitoring."
Rasmus and his colleagues hope conservation workers can one day use this technology to track species such as tigers, leopards and wolves, which can easily destroy solar-powered trackers and which hunt and travel at night.
Out in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 60 miles off the northwest coast of Africa, lie the Canary Islands. In the 1950s, the boom in package tourism showed promise as a new cash crop. But while the Canary Islands had the sunshine, warm climate and ease of access from Europe needed for this new industry, they were missing a vital element picture postcard sandy beaches.
So the developers on Tenerife in the Canary Islands constructed a breakwater (防波堤) over half a mile long. And then, from the Western Sahara on Africa's northwest coast, they shipped in 270, 000 tons of sand. By 1973, the project was complete. As anticipated, tourists arrived. Along the engineered beach, rows and rows of tourists relax on beach chairs under umbrellas or walk across soft sand to cool down in the water.
Unanticipated was what their presence gave to one of the world's most endangered fish species, angel sharks — visibility. The gentle wind creates tiny waves on the water's surface, a magical cover for what lies beneath — an angel shark nursery. Female angel sharks regularly migrate to these ideally sheltered waters to give birth to pups (幼崽), who remain in the shallows for about a year. Feeding on small fishes, they grow to around the same length as a newborn human baby.
Surveys have shown that other beaches in the Canary Islands are also potential nursery sites. Interestingly, most of them have been remade to make them more attractive to people. Playa Chica has another long sweep of imported sand. It's an attraction for divers as well as angel sharks, so the number of sightings of mature angel sharks of this shoreline is one of highest in the islands.
Normally, massive, environmentally disruptive projects are bad for wildlife. But what's clear is that after the breakwater was built and the sand arrived, people followed, and in the calm, shallow waters they began to see baby angel sharks. And unlike how many an association between humans and wildlife ends-in conflict and dead animals, this time it led to conservation.
I moved from America to Italy 14 years ago and I have learned a lot along the way. Here are several money-saving tricks I have picked up from living in Italy — most of which can apply to wherever you live too!
Buy fewer groceries at a time.
Italians tend to buy more fresh food — and buy it in smaller quantities. We have just what we know we'll consume in a few days, before anything has a chance to spoil and go to waste..
Eat seasonally.
I love strawberries, cantaloupe and watermelon, but in Italy, I can only get them in the summer, when they're ripe. Out of season, these fruits would have to be imported.Instead, enjoying them seasonally helps me appreciate them more.
Neither my husband nor I have developed any gardening skills just yet, but fortunately, his mother, uncles and cousins have, and they frequently leave bags of just-picked produce on our doorstep.
Cook more meals at home.
I live in a small town where we have no fast-food restaurants other than a pizzaria that does carry-out. OK! Not only do we save money on expensive restaurant meals, but we get more quality family time by cooking, eating and cleaning up together..
Yes, bigger cities have more options for fast food, delivery and carryout.I've also found that Italians are more conscious of what's in their food, so they tend to be less willing to make fast food more than an occasional meal.
A. Of course, it takes a little more meal planning.
B. We also end up having healthier meals.
C. Another way Italians save is by growing their own produce.
D. It takes a long time to transport goods from foreign countries.
E. McDonald's plans to open 200 new restaurants and hire 12000 staff in Italy by 2025.
F. They'd be a lot more expensive, of lesser quality and quite possibly grow n in an industrial greenhouse.
G. But even where the community is less closely connected, cooking and sharing meals with family and friends is still a big part of the social structure in Italy.
The rangoli (印度传统地画艺术) was a giant good-luck charm. Grandma used to make one for the start of the new year. First, she would draw on the floor with chalk. Then, she would fill the drawing with uncooked 1 rice.
This year, Manju was old enough to help. He 2 paper into a cone (圆锥体) and filled it with rice. Side by side, he placed rice across the drawing together with Grandma. Sometimes his rice skittered (轻快地跑跳) outside the drawing; sometimes he used the 3 color. And sometimes he rubbed away the 4 , so Grandma had to redraw it. But 5 , the bright swirls of rice were transformed into a beautiful peacock. When Manju admired the peacock, he 6 a small piece of tile(瓷砖) peeking through on Grandma's side.
A 7 ? But Grandma was away to answer the telephone. Should he fix it?
"I'll surprise Grandma!" He decided. He 8 across, trying to reach the gap. Almost. His left leg inched up. There! Suddenly, Manju began to 9 . His proud smile vanished. "No!" He crashed down on to the rangoli, scattering rice 10 .
Manju rose to his feet and pushed the rice back. But the colors were 11 .When Grandma came back, Manju 12 . He said, "I'm sorry. I should have waited for you." Grandma shook her head. "You saw a 13 and tried to fix it. I'm proud of you." They picked up the rice, 14 each grain by color.
Just before nightfall, they finished fixing the rangoli.
Grandma lit candles around the rangoli. In the flickering light, the peacock seemed 15 with mystical powers. Manju smiled. The new year felt full of good luck, thanks to Grandma and him.
"Exceptional" medieval village crowned southern France's most beautiful hidden gem
If you want to avoid tourist traps and spend your next holiday somewhere breathtaking, this tiny French village is well worth your(consider).
Car rental firm Avis previously(conduct) a study into southern France's most beautiful hidden gems, (use) destinations from the PBVF's (Les Plus Beaux Villages de France) official list alongside data from Tripadvisor and Google. And according to the research, Le Malzieu - Ville takes the crown for the(remote) and most fascinating spot, withoverall score of 90.77 out of 100.
Le Malzieu-Ville only has around 900 inhabitants, so you certainly won't have to fight through crowds if you choose to have your next holiday there - and you can drive there too, is perfect if you're a nervous flyer.
Speaking of the 13th century medieval city's nickname, Pearl of the Valley, France Voyage states: "Natural curiosities, tourist facilities and shops combine (harmony) with its exceptional heritage and nature of the Monts de la Margeride which still earn it its name."
"The small village of Malzieux is beautiful with lots of little cobbled streets,"said Cindy in a review of one local Airbnb, while Charlotte described the area as "A real little slice of paradise."
As(mention), this spot is known for its rich history. To get a feel for the centuries that have gone by here, explore Malzieux's Bodon Tower (now Office of Tourism) and Clock Tower, both of which offer(amaze) panoramic (全景的) views. Then, take a walk around the village's ancient walls and gates, and trace the story of the "Beast of Gévaudan" who roamed the streets in the 1760s through a series of statues and a mini museum.
A trip to Le Malzieu-Ville also offers exceptional French cuisine, charming accommodation options, warm summer weather, a chance to explore off the beaten track.
要点包括：1. 她身上让你欣赏的品质；2. 她带给你的启示。
注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Mary,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
Lungs nearly bursting, I struggled to lift my head out of the water. Inch by inch, my tired body reached for the end of the pool.
The extent of my swimming career was purely recreational, while the competitive swimmers nearby thought nothing of the seemingly simple task of a 500-meter swim test. Pushing myself to finish what I had started, I could only think: why not take the easy way out?
Earlier that week, I had turned in my first job application at a local pool. Overqualified, I was hired on the spot. However, the tasks were boring: helping confused visitors and measuring the height of children before they went down the slide, those sorts of things. I was capable of more.
So a swim test was required, establishing the mere fact that I was not completely helpless in a pool. Midway through, the manager administering the test remarked, "This looks really easy for you. Why aren't you applying to become a guard?"
"The thought hadn't crossed my mind."
"Well, lifeguarding demands more responsibility, strength and respect. Thus the position pays $2 more per hour. Your swimming skills are strong enough. All you need to do is complete a certification class."
Inside I was unsure of myself, but his words inspired me-You never know what you are capable of until you force yourself to do it.
Soon I passed the swim test. All left was to practice and learn first aid, CPR(心肺复苏), and procedures for different land and water-based emergencies.
Work started soon. A well- intentioned yet anxious feeling in me soon passed. Days, weeks, and months went by without incident; emergencies were rare. The skills and training I had so carefully studied and acquired seemed unnecessary.
Today appeared to be another uneventful day. However, shortly after the other guards signaled to the children to exit the pool, I noticed one boy was still in the middle while the others had climbed up.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
"Something must have gone wrong with him," I thought to myself.
……
Having the boy on the floor, I put my ear to his mouth and my fingers at his neck.
