On a clear night, you can see a sky paced with stars. But you can't see planets orbiting any of these stars, even with the strongest Earth—based telescopes. Astronomers reported that they discovered seven Earth—sized planets orbiting a nearby star called TRAPPIST – 1 in February. They had to rely on indirect evidence to tell them that the planets are there. By doing some math, they figured out the number of planets and the distance of their orbits.

    TRAPPIST – 1 is a red dwarf （红矮星）, much smaller than our sun, but larger than Jupiter (木星). If the sun were the size of a basketball, TRAPPIST – 1would be the size of a gold ball. This star is one of our closest neighbors, just like the moon to the earth in space.

    When astronomers using Earth-based telescopes to study TRAPPIST – 1,they noticed that every once in a while, it became slightly dim（昏暗）. They decided that a planet must be passing in front of the star, blocking part of the light. This dimming would come and go as the planet orbited the star, passing alternately (交替地) behind and in front of the star regularly.

    By making careful observations, astronomers expected to get a rough idea of the planet's size from the pattern of dimming light. But the light level changed often and not at evenly spaced (均匀间隔的) times. The astronomers had to conclude they were looking at more than one planet! To get additional data, NASA's spritzer Space Telescope measured TRAPPIST –1's brightness nearly continuously for 20 days, catching 34 crossings of planets in front of the star. Sorting through the mess of data, the astronomers found that the innermost planet completes its orbit in 1.5 Earth days, while the outermost planet takes 20 days. Once you know how long it takes each planet to complete an orbit, you can work out how far it is from the star compared with the other planets.

    The TRAPPIST – 1 planets are not alone. So far, astronomers have found more than 3,400 planets that orbit other stars.

    In 2018 to which we've just said goodbye, we've seen excellent movies such as Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians and A Star Is Born. In 2019 there will be returns to classic movie characters and stories. Here are movies not to miss.

    Spider-Man-.Far H0- July 5, US

    Tom Holland, the actor of 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, returns to play Peter Parker, a high school student who gains superpowers after being bitten by a spider(蜘蛛). When we see him again in theaters, Spider – Man will have a new red - and – black suit. The movie will take Peter on a global adventure outside of the US. According to Marved Studios President Kevin Feige, Spider - Man will try a return to his "normal" self; he will try to find his old powers on his new journey.

    Hobbs and Shaw, July 26, US

    To most people the Fast and Furious series is all about crazy drivers racing in sports car. But in Hobbs and Shaw, humor is added to the action - packed thrills. The new film will hit US theaters on July 26. Famous English actor Jason Statham will star alongside Dwayne Johnson, "The Rock", as Deckaid Shaw and Luke Hobbs respectively, as in their previous appearances in Fast and Furious 8. The action and chemistry really thrill their audience. But the new action scenes between an MI6 agent Hobbs and the killer Shaw will have to be good to beat their stand - off in the 2017 movie.

    The Lion King, July 19, US

    This is a brand - new version of the classic children's film. The story of wide - eyed young lion Simba still remains in hearts of world audiences even after 25 years. In this re-telling, Simba again begins the difficult journey to become the King of the Pride Lands，a vast African prairie(大草原).The favorite part of the story for many has always been the friendship between Simba, Timon and Punibaa. The last two sacrifice all they have to help Simba to become the king. How will the new movie re-imagine their famous relationship?

    Breakdancing is set to make its first debut (亮相) as an Olympic sport at Paris 2024, Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris organizing committee, said on February 21st. Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing, which have already been added to the programme for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, have been invited to return in Paris four years later.

    Tony Estanguet said the choices responded to a need to make the Olympics "more urban" and "more artistic". We have chosen to present the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with the four sports because they are creative, appealing to youth and completely in line with our vision. They reflect perfectly Paris 2024's identity.

    Breakdancing is an example of a sport "Which can be played anywhere and anytime in urban and other environment." It appeared at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in the form of head-to-head "battles". In competitive breakdancing, "breakers" face off in "battles" against each other, either as individuals or teams. Breakdancers use a mix of physical and artistic skills combining elements from gymnastics or acrobatics (杂技).

    The IOC had announced that the number of competitors at Paris 2024 would be restricted to 10, 500, which limited the opportunity to add sports. But the organizers said the inclusion of the four sports in Paris would not necessitate the construction of permanent facilities and would involve just 248 competitors, of which 32 would he in breakdancing. The surfing events are likely to be held in established surf centres such as Biarritz or Lacanau in southwest France.

    The inclusion still need to be rubberstamped by the IOC, which is expected to decide on which sports to add in Paris after next years' Tokyo Games.

The Rapid Rise and Fall of Robot Babysitters

    During the winter of 2017, an 18-year old college student named Canon Reeves spent much of his time trailing a knee-high robot around Fayetteville, Arkansas, as it delivered Amazon packages to students. The robot, created by a start-up called Starship Technologies in 2014, is basically a cooler on wheels; it uses radars, sensors, and nine cameras to make deliveries. Reeves's job was to monitor how it handled various grounds, field comments from the public, and press the off switch if necessary. He said, "People would also ask if it could deliver beer." It couldn't.

    Broadly speaking, jobs of caring for robots fall under the umbrella of careers in automation, which include maintenance, engineering and programming. The demand for people with this skill set is considerable, with 20 million to 50 million new jobs to be expected in this category by 2030, according to the Mckinsey Global Institute. In the year that ended in June 2018, Indeed.com had almost three times the number of positions on the recruitment committee that ended in June 2016.

    Over the last year, a 34-year-old businessman named David Rodriguez spent hundreds of hours following a machine called the KiwiBot around UC Berkeley's campus while it delivered Red bull and other drinks to students. To retrieve (检索) orders, the app encourages students to give the robot a wave; the robot's digital eyes will roll depending on its mood. Rodriguez, who heads business development for the start-up, was tasked, early on, with monitoring the KiwiBot for problems – even carrying it, should the motors fail. Since April 2018, though, the KiwiBot has largely been left unattended, and the majority of human interactions involve technical checks and loading food into the robot. To eliminate the boring work, the team is developing a restaurant robot to collect and load orders – which could happen in 2020. However, Rodriguez assured me that his staff won't be out of work. Everyone holds double roles in the company. Greater robot self-governing just means employees will shift their focus to accounting, engineering, and design.

    Mckinsey estimates that millions of jobs globally could be lost to automation by 2030. "A huge number of jobs will be produced as autonomous vehicles are released into the environment," Ramsey said. In 2016, Bosch started training students from Schoolcraft College, a community college in Michigan, in autonomous-vehicle repair; Toyota has trained students in maintenance as well. "We might even see a return to low-level jobs where people come and fuel the car for you," Ramsey said. "Until we can wirelessly charge, someone needs to refuel them." The hardest-to-automate industries, as it happens, are the ones that require looking after humans, such as childcare, education and health care. Robot babysitters might feel like they have scored the job of the future, but in fact, they might be better positioned.

    As we know, Julian Beever is an international well-known sidewalk chalk artist whose drawings have appeared on the streets of London, Buenos Aires, Paris, New York, and countless other cities around the world. Beever creates drawings that look completely three- dimensional when seen from the correct angle.

    Now, in his book, Pavement chalk artist: The three-dimensional drawings of Julian Beever, the artist shares some of his most fascinating and humorous pieces, Here are a few examples you'll find in the book.

   ●Philadelphia eagle

    In Pennsylvania, Beever created "Philadelphiaeagle" a huge drawing with an eagle landing successfully on an American national flag.

   ●Meeting Mr. Frog

    "Meeting Mr. Frog" was created in Salamanca, Spain, and is about a realistic-looking frog sitting on a Lily pad.

    Swimming pool in the high street

My personal favorite is "Swimming pool in the high street" from Brussels, which is about a woman relaxing in a swimming pool—--a swimming pool sunk into the middle of the street, that is!

    Along with an introduction about his background, Beever includes a description of the techniques he used and the challenges he overcame with every drawing. He shares information about his time at home in the UK. and abroad; there is a fun story to back up each piece of art.

    Beever's artwork is truly jaw dropping. You're sure to spend ages turning the leaves back and forth, surprised at how one man can create what looks like a three-dimensional design on a flat surface with just a bit of chalk. From animals to superheroes to famous buildings, the paintings are a wonder to lay eyes on.

    Payment chalk artist: The three-dimensional drawings of Julian Beever is surely worth a look. And another look. This 112-page hardcover book is available now from Firefly Books at a list price of $ 29.95

Must-see in Guangxi

A Hotel in Nature

Chaoranpai International Hotel is only 2 kilometers away from the Lijiang River Source Grand Canyon. By taking both the ecological design and standards of 5-star hotels into account, this hotel has integrated modern services with nature, especially bamboo. The hotel also offers entertainments such as go-carting, cosplay of counter strike (反恐精英), and Chinese-style tea houses. Besides, the mountain itself is like a natural oxygen bar. 

Hemlock Spruce—a Living Fossil from the Ice Age

Hemlock spruces (铁杉树) are found at altitudes (海拔) between 1, 600 and 1, 800 meters, with one area recognized as China's only hemlock spruce forest, having as many as 130 of them. Hemlock spruce, along with dawn redwood and ginkgo (银杏), is "a living fossil". Immune (免疫) to all cold-weather risks, it stays green throughout the year. 

A Heaven of Animals and Plants

Mao'er Mountain is rich in rare animals and plants. Inhabited (栖息) by 2, 484 species of plants and 345 species of vertebrates, this place can serve as a natural gene bank. And surprisingly, a rare alpine wetland featuring evergreen broad-leaved trees has found a way of surviving in the dwarf forest at a high altitude. 

The "Millennium Kiss" Wonder

It's a miracle that two trees have existed together and grown for around a thousand years. It's even more breathtaking to see the two trees gradually getting close to each other and having a little "kiss". What a lovely sight it is in the natural beauty of Mao'er Mountain!