The poverty line is the minimum income that people need for an acceptable standard of living. People with incomes below the poverty line are considered poor. Economists study the causes of poverty in order to find solutions to the problem.

    As the general standard of living in the country rises, the poverty line does, too. Therefore, even with today's relatively high standard of living, about 10 percent of the people in the United States are below the poverty line. However, if these people had stable jobs, they could have an acceptable standard of living. Economists suggest several reasons why poor people do not have jobs.

    For one thing, more than half of the poor people in the United States are not qualified to work. Over 40 percent of the poor people are children. By law, children less than 16 years old cannot work in many industries. A large number of poor people are old. Many companies do not hire people over 65 years old, the normal retirement age.

    Some poor adults do not look for jobs for a variety of personal reasons: they are sick, they do not have any motivation, they have family problems, or they do not believe that they can find a job.

    Other poor people look for a job, but cannot find one. Many poor adults never went to high school. Therefore, when they look for jobs, they have few skills that they can offer.

    At the present time, the government thinks it can reduce poverty in the country in the following ways:

    First, if the national economy grows, businesses and industries hire more workers. Some of the poor who are qualified to look for jobs may find employment. Then they will no longer below the poverty line.

    Second, if society invests in the poor，the poor will become more productive.

    If the government spends money on social programs, education and training for poor people, the poor will have the skills to offer. Then it is more probable that they can find jobs.

    Finally, if the government distributes society's income differently, it raises some poor people above the poverty line. The government collects taxes from the non-poor and gives money to the poor. These payments to the poor are called welfare.

    Some economists are looking for better solutions to the poverty problem. However, at the present time, many people depend on welfare for a minimally acceptable standard of living.

    There is an old Chinese proverb that states "One Generation plants the trees; another gets the shade," and this is how it should be with mothers and daughters. The relationship between a mother and daughter is sometimes confusing. If close, the relationship can be similar to friendship. However, the mother and daughter relationship has unique characteristics that distinguish it from a friendship. These characteristics include a hierarchy (等级) of responsibility and unconditional love, which preclude mothers and daughters from being best friends.

    Marina, 27 years old, says, "I love spending time with my mom, but I wouldn't consider her my best friend. Best friends don't pay for your wedding. Best friends don't remind you how they carried you in their body and gave you life! Best friends don't tell you how wise they are because they have been alive at least 20 years longer than you." This doesn't mean that the mother and daughter relationship can't be very close and satisfying.

    While some adult relationships are still troubled, many find them to be extremely rewarding. This generation of mothers and adult daughters has a lot in common which increases the likelihood of shared companionship. Mothers and daughters have always shared the common experience of being homemakers, responsible for maintaining and passing on family values and traditions. Today contemporary mothers and daughters also share the experience of the workforce and technology, which may bring them even closer together.

    Best friends may or may not continue to be best friends, but for better or worse, the mother and daughter relationship is permanent, even if for some unfortunate reason they aren't speaking. The mother and child relationship is closer than any other. There is not an equal relationship. Daughters should not feel responsible for their mother's emotional well-being. It isn't that they don't care deeply about their mothers. It's just that they shouldn't be burdened with their mother's well being.

    The mother and daughter relationship is a relationship that is not replaceable by any other. Mothers never stop being mothers, which includes frequently wanting to protect their daughters and often feeling responsible for their happiness. Mother always "trumps"(王牌) friend.

    Every year in May, art galleries and museums prepare shows to honor Leonardo Da Vinci, who died in France on May 2, 1519. He is remembered as one of the greatest artists and creative thinkers of all time. His most famous paintings are The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

    Recently, researchers have been studying a painting-Landscape 8P which, they think, is Da Vinci's earliest-known artwork. They used special lighting to study the artwork and discovered there were two images(图像), not one. One drawing is on the back of the piece, which dates back to August 5, 1473.

    The drawing on the front was painted when Leonardo was 21 years old. It shows a river valley and a castle outside the city of Florence. There is little left of the drawing on the back, perhaps because it was wiped off. Only a bridge over a river can be seen. But there is writing on both sides.

    The writing on the front gives the date and goes from right to left. Some people would call this "mirror-writing". It's a way Leonardo often wrote in his notebooks. The writing on the back goes from left to right and tells about an agreement, probably to produce a work of art.

    Cecilia Frosinini is an art historian. She said, "Leonardo was born left-handed, but was taught to write with his right hand from a very young age. By looking at his writings, including from this drawing, we can see his right-handed handwriting is educated and well done. "

    Experts compared the two handwriting samples(样本)and said they were both made by Leonardo. They show he could write well using his left hand or his right hand.

    The drawing is known as Landscape 8P from its number in an art list. It will be part of an exhibit at Italy's Uffizi Gallery. The gallery director, Eike Schmidt, said by studying the drawing researchers gave us a new way of looking at Leonardo's drawing technique and his abilities in writing.

Are you interested in working with animals? Now here comes the chance. Kirby Wildlife Park has set up the unique Keeper Experience. The fantastic experience is available to anyone over the age of 18 who is reasonably fit. We regret that for health and safety reasons, people who are pregnant, in a wheelchair or suffering from illness cannot take part.

A typical day

9:15 Arrival

9:30 Health and Safety Briefing

10:00 Apes and Monkeys

While cleaning out enclosures(围场), you will find out how to enrich enclosures with novel items and new smells to stimulate the animals' senses and imitate their natural environment.

12:00 Lunch

14:00 Big Cats

You will feed the cats and learn about their nutritional needs. The keeper will give you an introduction to how cats' behavior can be read to get an idea of their welfare and health.

16:30 Meet the Team

Meet more of the staff and learn how you can get further involved with work at the park. Learn about our animal adoption plan, what it takes to be good keeper and where to obtain the right qualifications for a career in animal welfare.

Booking and cancellation

The Keeper Experience is available on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays throughout the year, and must be booked at least fourteen days in advance. Full payment is needed when booking.

Cancellations must be made more than one week before the event, or you won't receive a full refund.

For eight-year-old Toby, who is deaf, watching films or TV can sometimes be a bit pointless, because so many of them don't have sign language versions. "We have subtitles but it goes too fast," his dad Jarod Mills said. But now, Toby has some help thanks to an app developed by a 17-year-old student, Mariella Satow, who created a signing app called SignUp.

She got the idea when she was teaching herself American Sign Language(ASL)—one of hundreds of sign languages used across the world. Manella wanted to watch TV shows to help her learn, and she was disappointed to discover how few had signed versions. It's taken a year for Mariella to develop the technology, with lots of help from ASL teachers and the deaf community.

The app is available in the US as a browser extension—with an interpreter appearing in a box once the film starts playing. It only works on Disney Plus films at the moment, because that's where Mariella thought she could help the most children. Jarod, who works at a school for deaf children, says it was "exciting" watching Toby use Mariella's invention. He says, "Kids are getting information like any hearing child does."

Deaf people in the UK face many of the same barriers when it comes to cinema and TV. "A hearing person can go to the cinema any time whereas deaf people have to make sure there's a suitable viewing a time we're free," says 27-year-old Stacey Worboys from Cardiff. She has learned British Sign Language(BSL), and is comfortable using subtitles when watching TV shows and films. But she feels having an interpreter would make things "more inclusive", especially for someone who might struggle with subtitles. Stacey and Toby aren't the only people to be welcoming Mariella's app. It's now got thousands of users.

Stacey says a UK version of an app like SignUp would make films and TV "more accessible" for the deaf community. Mariella is up for the challenge—and hopes to make a British Sign Language version of her app for other streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. "There are more than 300 sign languages used worldwide, so it'll take a long time to get all of those versions out," she says.

Discovering a hobby can lead to amazing results, as Maria Martinez, an 11-year-old with a heart of gold, has proven.

Just over a year ago, Maria came across the world of clothes-making, thanks to one of the Christmas gifts she received. Little did she know that this newfound ability would become a source of joy and purpose, not just for her, but also for countless furry friends.

"I got a gift permitChristmas to start clothes-making lessons," Maria said. "I really liked it."

After mastering the basics, an idea came to her mind during a visit to a local exhibition. Surrounded by pet owners and their pets, Maria had an idea that would change lives. Why not create lovely bandannas (头巾) for dogs and cats and use them to support animal shelters?

With great interest and the support of her grandmother, Maria turned a corner of their home into a busy working room. Together, they made many beautiful bandannas, each one filled with love and care.

But Maria's wish went far beyond creating decorations. She began donating her works to shelters like Claws Forever in Fall River, hoping to catch the eye of some people who can take these dogs and cats home.

Maria also began selling them through word-of-mouth and at various events. "At first she started just donating the bandannas because it took her much time to make them. Then she got more skilled and was able to buy cloth with some extra income that she was making from it," her mom, Crystal, said. "Maria is a really kind giving person and she doesn't want for much of anything. It makes her feel good to donate. We are proud of her." Ranging from $3 to $7, money from her sales is now donated to shelters, too. A few weeks ago, she donated more than $200 to the Kingston Animal Shelter.

"They were happy and really grateful, which made me feel really good inside," said Maria. "It makes me happy to see how it's impacted the people and dogs."