When Kate's paintings were on show in London，a poet described her paintings as “a ribbon (丝带）around a bomb”．Such comments seem to suggest Kate had a big influence on the art world of her time．Sadly，she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time．

    Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City，Kate suffered from polio（小儿麻痹症）at the age of seven．Her spine (脊柱)became bent as she grew older．Then，in 1925，her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident．Throughout the rest of her life，the artist had many operations，but nothing was able to cure the terrible pain in her back．However，the accident had an unexpected side effect．While lying in her bed recovering，Kate taught herself to paint．

    In 1929，she got married to Diego Rivera，another famous Mexican artist．Rivera's strong influences on Kate's style can be seen in her early works，but her later works from the 1940s，known today as her best works，show less influence from her husband．

    Unfortunately，her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and1940s，even in her home country．Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953．For more than a decade after her death in 1954，Kate's works remained largely unnoticed by the world，but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last．

    There are many differences between country life and city life in many ways. One person even does different things in the two places.

    Julia lived in the countryside, but one year she decided to visit the capital city to do some shopping and to see the sights. She stayed at a hotel near the central market. She had seldom been to the city before, and was very excited about what she would find.

    On the first morning of her visit, as she walked from the hotel to the market, she passed a beggar(乞丐). He was holding up a notice, which said, “Blind from birth. Please give generously(慷慨地).”

    Julia felt sorry for the blind beggar and she bent down and put a dollar coin into his bowl. “Thank you.” he said.

    The same thing happened again the following day.

    On the third day, however, Julia did not have a dollar coin. She had only fifty cents, so she dropped this into the beggar's bowl.

    “What have I done wrong?” the beggar said, “Why are you so stingy today? ”

    Julia was very surprised at what the beggar said. “How do you know I haven't given you a dollar?” she said, “If you're blind you can't know what coin I put into your bowl.”

    “Ah, ” explained the beggar, “The truth is that I'm not blind. I'm just looking after this place for the regular beggar while he's on holiday.”

    “On holiday?” Julia said, “And what exactly does your blind friend do on holiday?”

    “He goes into the countryside,” the man said, “and takes photographs. He's a very good photographer.”

    Whether in the home or the workplace, social robots are going to become a lot more common in the next few years. Social robots are about to bring technology to the everyday world in a more humanized way, said Cynthia Breazeal, chief scientist at the robot company Jibo.

    While household robots today do the normal housework, social robots will be much more like companions than mere tools. For example, these robots will be able to distinguish when someone is happy or sad. This allows them to respond more appropriately to the user.

    The Jibo robot, arranged to ship later this year, is designed to be a personalized assistant. You can talk to the robot, ask it questions, and make requests for it to perform different tasks. The robot doesn't just deliver general answers to questions; it responds based on what it learns about each individual in the household. It can do things such as reminding an elderly family member to take medicine or taking family photos.

    Social robots are not just finding their way into the home. They have potential applications in everything from education to health care and are already finding their way into some of these spaces.

Fellow Robots is one company bringing social robots to the market. The company's “Oshbot” robot is built to assist customers in a store, which can help the customers find items and help guide them to the product's location in the store. It can also speak different languages and make recommendations for different items based on what the customer is shopping for.

    The more interaction the robot has with humans, the more it learns. But Oshbot, like other social robots, is not intended to replace workers, but to work alongside other employees.“We have technologies to train social robots to do things not for us, but with us,” said Breazeal.

B

Find Your Adventure at the Space and Aviation(航空) Center

    If you're looking for a unique adventure, the Space and Aviation Center (SAC) is the place to be. The Center offers programs designed to challenge and inspire with hands-on tasks and lots of fun.

    More than 750,000 have graduated from SAC, with many seeking employment in engineering, aviation, education, medicine and a wide variety of other professions. They come to camp, wanting to know what it is like to be an astronaut or a pilot, and they leave with real-world applications for what they're studying in the classroom.

    For the trainees, the programs also offer a great way to earn merit badges(荣誉徽章). At Space Camp, trainees can earn their Space Exploration badge as they build and fire model rockets, learn about space tasks and try simulated(模拟) flying to space with the crew from all over the world. The Aviation Challenge program gives trainees the chance to earn their Aviation badge. They learn the principles of flight and test their operating skills in the cockpit(驾驶舱) of a variety of flight simulators. Trainees also get a good start on their Wilderness Survival badge as they learn about water- and land-survival through designed tasks and their search and rescue of ＂downed＂ pilot.

    With all the programs, teamwork is key as trainees learn the importance of leadership and being part of a bigger task.

    All this fun is available for ages 9 to 18. Families can enjoy the experience together, too, with Family Camp programs for families with children as young as 7.

    Stay an hour or stay a week — there is something here for everyone!

    For more details, please visit us online at www.oursac.com.

    In its best times on the nineteenth century, thatch (茅草屋顶) played an important role in protecting British homes from the weather. But new technologies since have led to a rapid decline in thatching and many of the thatched cottages that remain have been changed beyond all recognition by developers or have run into disrepair, a rather upsetting reminder of a bygone age.

    A Welsh company, however, is trying to breathe new life into some of the last traditional thatched cottages in western Wales by repairing them and letting them out as holiday homes. Called "Under the Thatch", the company is run by Greg Stevenson, who lives in his own thatched cottage in Ceredigion. An architectural historians by training, he repairs old buildings in old-fashioned ways.

All the cottages are in attractive locations around southwest Wales. Unlike most holiday homes, the cottages are let all year round—chiefly because Greg prices them lower than many holiday properties( 房屋) and he'd prefer that properties are rented just above cost price than not used at all. And with that comes a bargain or two: it's common for a property to go for as little as£35 a night. Consequently occupancy for properties with " Under the Thatch" is at 95 percent( the average in Wales is 35 percent).

    Its success has meant that Greg has been able to buy up more old cottages and bring them back into the community. Greg has also diversified from offering only thatched cottages: he now lets out a variety of rare accommodations dotted around western styles , including a renovated(修复的) train carriage and two gypsy caravans which were used by Romanies.

    Most of his thirty properties are run using environmentally friendly technologies. Including solar panels and recycled furnishings. But most importantly, what the cottages all have in common is that they bring back life to local communities. Spend a weekend "Under the Thatch" rather than in a holiday home, buy local food and visit nearby restaurants, and you will be contributing to the local economy.

Family Fun

    Not only is Buffalo family-friendly, we're also family-fun! If you have yet to pack the car, here are four activities to plan for your next family adventure in Buffalo.

    Animal House

    Take a walk on the wild side and visit with our animal friends! You can have some facetime with river otters (水獭) at the Buffalo Zoo. Get up close and personal with animals on a tour at Hidden Valley Animal Adventure, and develop your child's sense of wonder at Tifft Nature Preserve, a place that's great for bird-watching. And don't leave town without a visit to the Aquarium of Niagara to see the penguins (企鹅)!

    Make a Splash

    Buffalo is surrounded by water and plenty of chances to make a splash. Head to Canalside and ride on a water bike or take a sunset tour on the Miss Buffalo II. Have fun in the water park at Fantasy Island or jump on a Whirlpool Jet Boat or a Niagara Jet Adventure tour for a wild ride on the Niagara River. Welcome to our water world.

    Hands-On Experiences

    Throw the textbooks aside and introduce your little explorers to hands-on experiences. Raise a future paleontologist (古生物学者) with a visit to Penn Dixie where the kids can dig for fossils (化石). Head to East Aurora where learning feels like play at Explore & More Children's Museum.

    Make History

    There's plenty to inspire the imagination of the history lovers in your family on a trip to Buffalo. Appreciate art at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum. Pick up a souvenir at the Kazoo Factory Museum or experience life in the 19^th century at the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village. It's time to make history in Buffalo!