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　　Opposition is growing to the Berlin Zoo’s plans to find a new home for Knut, the moneymaking celebrity polar bear whose popularity has been exploited by environmentalists and even Canadian tourism promoters．

　　No longer cute, and just days before his second birthday, Knut will be given a new home that is expected to include a potential mating partner．

　　The Berlin Zoo, facing the global economic crisis, can’t afford the estimated ＄ 13 million it would take to acquire a female and a new home for them to share．“It’s time for him to go－the sooner he gets a new home the better,” said senior bear keeper Heiner Kloes．

　　But some Berliners are beginning a campaign, collecting petition(情愿书)signatures and arguing that he’s a tourist draw and a symbol as important as the Brandenburg Gate．“He means a lot to many people．When you’re with him you forget your problems,” Hartmut Wiedenroth, co-founder of the campaign, told Spiegel Online．

　　Knut became an international celebrity in 2007, drawing huge crowds to his cage and triggering sales of thousands of Knut toys and Knut-shaped candies．

　　The Vancouver-based Canadian Tourism Commission made Knut a major part of its “Canada－Keep Exploring” campaign to draw tourists to the country－and especially to polar bear country in northern Manitoba to see them in their natural habitat．Environmentalists also used the bear to promote the fight against global warming．

　　But Knut’s popularity diminished as his size increased to 210 kilograms, He was photographed at one point snapping(咬)at a child near his cage．In September his keeper, Thomas Doerflein, died of a heart attack．Doerflein, who became a celebrity himself after nursing the tiny ball of white fur when Knut’s mother rejected him, had been re-assigned shortly after Knut’s first birthday．Some animal rights critics said Knut has been showing unusually aggressive behavior because of his unnatural upbringing．

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　　Complete silence is found only in laboratories called anechoic(无回声)rooms．The walls and ceilings, made of blocks of special sound-sucking materials, are more than three feet thick, while floor coverings are six-foot layers of feathers or cotton wool．Silence here can be as painful to the ears as the din(continuous loud noise)of a steelworks or a rocket blast-off, yet scientists get used to this and stay in these silent rooms for hours at a time, using microphones and electronic equipment to test the various materials being developed to make the world a less noisy place．

　　Architects have used scientific discoveries to solve noise problem in a number of ways．Walls are hollowed(having empty space inside)and then filled with sound-sucking materials similar to cotton wool．Extra-thick carpets(毯子)cover the floors, and thick woolen curtains cover the windows．Air conditioning and heating channels are made less noisy by having the air passing through hundreds of tiny holes in baffles(屏蔽)made of sheets of soundsucking materials．

　　Unfortunately, these techniques and others often work too well in some buildings．Noise-proof rooms become almost anechoic and people living in them are disturbed by the lack of sound．One way of handling this problem is to use what they call “sound perfume”－artificial(similarly produced, made by man)noise is piped to rooms through small loudspeakers．

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　　I don't ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again．There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it's like to work in a field dominated(controlled)by men．I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting．What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space, time and the nature of black holes．

　　At 19, when I began studying astrophysics(天体物理学), it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom．But while earning my Ph．D．at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me．My every achievement－jobs, research papers, awards－was viewed through the lens of gender politics．So were my failures．Sometimes, when was pushed into an argument on left brain versus right brain, or nature versus nurture(培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind．

　　Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations(挑衅)：I don't talk about that anymore．It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn't want to deal with gender issues．Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don't study sociology or political theory．

　　Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women's college in New York City．Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women．You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45．I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children．And I don't take account of those concerns．Still, I don't tell them “war” stories．Instead, I have given them this：the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments．And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science．And that's a sight worth talking about．

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　　This March is a busy month in Shanghai．There's a lot to do．Here are the highlights．

　　Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet player．He's coming with his new 7-piece band, Herbie's Heroes．Herbie is known to play well into the early hours, so don't expect to get much sleep．This is Herbie's third visit to Shanghai．The first two were sold out, so get your tickets quick．

　　Take your partners and get ready to dance till drop．Scottish dancing is fun and easy to learn．Instructors will demonstrate the dances．The live band．Gordon Stroppie and the Weefrees, are also excellent．

　　There are 120,000 pieces on show here．You can see the whole of Chinese history under one roof．It's always interesting to visit, but doubly so at the moment with the Egyptian Tombs exhibition．There are lots of mummies and more gold than you've ever seen before．Let us know if you see a mummy move!

　　Sushi is getting really big in Shanghai．In Japan, it's become an art form．The most famous Sushi “artist” is Yuki Kamura．She's also one of the few female chefs in Japan．She'll be at Sushi Scene all of this month．

　　For a full listing of events, see our website．

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　　Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers said, “Barbara, be enthusiastic! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience．” How right they were!

　　“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson．It is the paste that helps you hang on there when the going gets tough．It is the inner voice that whispers．“I can do it!” when others shout, “No, you can't!” It took years and years for the early work of Barbara Mc Clintock, a geneticist(遗传学家)who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted．Yet she didn't let up on her experiments．Work was such a deep pleasure for her that she never thought of stopping．

　　We are all born with wide-eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is this childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such youthful air, whatever then age．At 90, cellist(大提琴家)Pablo Casals would start his day by playing Bach．As the music flowed through his fingers, his bent shoulders would straighten and joy would reappear in his eyes．As author and poet Samuel once wrote, “Years make the skin old, but to give up enthusiasm makes the soul old．”

　　Enthusiastic people also love what they do, regardless of money, title or power．Patricia Mcllrath, retired director of the Missouri Repertory Theater in Kansas City, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm．She replied, “My father, a lawyer, long ago told me, I never made a penny until I stopped working for money．”

　　If we cannot do what we love as a fulltime career, we can do it as a hobby．Elizabeth Layton of Wellsville, Kan, was 68 before she began to draw．This activity ended her sadness that had troubled her for at least 30 years, and the quality of her work led one critic to say, “I am persuaded to call Layton a genius．”

　　We can't afford to waste tears on “might-have-beens”．We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after “what-can-be”．We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses－finding pleasure in the sweet of a backyard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old, and the beauty of a rainbow．

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　　Surtsey was born in 1963．Scientists saw the birth of this island．It began at 7∶30 am. on 14th November．A fishing boat was near Iceland．The boat moved under the captain's(船长的)feet．He noticed a strange smell．He saw some black smoke．A volcano(火山)was breaking out．Red hot rocks，fire and smoke were rushing up from the bottom of the sea．The island grew quickly．It was 10 metres high the next day and 60 metres high on 18th November．Scientists flew there to watch．It was exciting．Smoke and fire were still rushing up．Pieces of red hot rock were flying into the air and falling into the sea．The sea was boiling and there was a strange light in the sky．Surtsey grew and grew．Then it stopped in June 1967．It was 175 metres high and 2 kilometres 1ong．And life was already coming to Surtsey．Plants grew．Birds came．Some scientists built a house．They wanted to learn about this young island．

　　A new island is like a new world．

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　　Is there anything more important than health? I don’t think so．“Health is the greatest wealth．” wise people say．You can’t be good at your studies or work well when you are ill．If you have a headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor．The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed．After that he will advise some treatment, or some medicine．The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice．

　　Speaking about doctor’s advice, I can’t help telling you a funny story．An old gentleman came to see the doctor．The man was very ill．He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs．The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease．He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest．He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks．In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule：“Eat with pleasure, drink with pleasure and enjoy life as it is．” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day．A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office．He looked cheerful and happy．He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man．“ But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age．”

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　　“If you want to see a thing well, reach out and touch it!” That may seem a strange thing to say．But touching things can help you to see them better．Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round．But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is．You can feel how heavy the glass is．When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it．With your skip, you can feel better．For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket．You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too．You can even feel sounds against your skin．Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music．

　　All children soon learn “what Don’t touch!” means．They hear it often．Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up．In shops，we touch things we might buy, such as food, clothes and so on．To see something well, we have to touch it．

　　The bottoms of our feet can feel things, too．You know this when you walk on warm sand, cool grass or a bad floor．All feel different under your feet．

　　There are ways of learning to see well by feeling．One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin．Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin．At first, it is not easy to feel these things．You are too used to them!

　　Most museums are just for looking．But today some museums have some things which you can touch．Their signs say, “Do touch!” There you can feel everything on show．If you want to see better, reach out and touch．Then you’11 really see!

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　　Do you love holidays but hate the increase weight that follow? You are not alone．

　　Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods．Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods．

　　With proper planning, though, it is possible to control your weight．The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much．You don’t have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy．The following suggestions may be of some help to you．

　　Don’t miss meals．Before you leave home for a feast(宴会),have a small, low-fat snack．This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods．

　　Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables．

　　A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full．

　　Use a small plate; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough．

　　Better not have high-fat foods．Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them．

　　Choose lean meat．Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables．

　　If you have a sweet tooth, try mints(薄荷)and fruits．They don’t have fat content as cream and chocolate．

　　Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays．A 20 minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess calories(多余的热量)．

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　　A popular saying going, "Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me．" However, that's not really true．Words have the power to build us up or tear us down．It doesn't matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves--the positive and negative effects are just as lasting．

　　We all talk to ourselves sometimes．we are usually too embarrassed to admit it, though．But we really shouldn't be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit．

　　This "self-talk" helps us motive ourselves, remember things, solves problems, and calm ourselves down．Be aware, though, that as much as 77％ of self-talk tends to be negative．So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves．We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back．The next time you finish a project, do well on a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying, "Good job"!

　　Often, words came out of our mouths without us thinking about the effects they will have; but we should be aware that our words cause certain responses to others．For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm friendly language during the exchange．And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner．Or we can use harsh, critical language, which will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive．

　　Words possess power because of their lasting effects．Many of us regret something we once said．And we remember unkind words said to us ! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves："Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed?" If what we want to say doesn't pass this test, then it is better left unsaid．

　　Words possess ower：both positive ad negative．Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively．We can offer hope, build self-esteem and motive others to do their best．Negative words destroy all those things．Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours．