One of the hottest places on Earth is Death Valley. It's a desert valley in North America. The animals in Death Valley don't use technology to keep cool. They have special abilities that help them live there.

    During the day in Death Valley, it gets hotter than 100°F. The kangaroo rat rests all day in a hole in the ground. It covers the hole with grass to keep out the heat. The kangaroo rat comes out at night when it is cooler. This little rat is also very good at saving water. It gets all the water it needs from the food it eats. The Sun makes the desert sand very hot. One snake, called the sidewinder, can solve this problem. When it travels, the sidewinder bends (弯曲) its body into a "W" shape. Then it uses the bottom parts of the "W" like legs and walks sideways (向一侧). That way it touches only a little of the sand at a time, so the hot sand doesn't bum the snake. This strange way of moving is how the sidewinder got its name.

    A lot of water in the desert is too salty for most animals to drink. One kind of fish, the desert pupfish, can live in these salty water because it can drink the salt water.

No one knows when the first kite was made. The first record of a kite was more than 2,000 years ago in China. Han Xin, the leader of an army, wanted to bring down a king. He decided to dig a tunnel (隧道)into the king's palace. He flew a kite over the wall of the palace to make sure the length (长度)of its string (线).In this way, he could determine how long the tunnel should be. His men in the tunnel took the kite string with them. When they reached the end of the string, they knew to dig up.

    Kites have been flown in Japan for hundreds of years. In the 1700s, kites were flown in autumn to give thanks for a good harvest. They were also flown to send good wishes to couples who had their first son. Today in Japan, kites are often flown as part of a celebration, such as the beginning of a new year. And kite festivals are held each year in many parts of the country.

    Kites have been used for scientific purposes in the western world. In 1752，Benjamin Franklin tied a key to a kite and flew it in a storm to find out that lightening was a form of electricity. In the 1890s, Lawrence Hargrave invented the box kite to test ideas about flight. From 1898 until 1933, the United States Weather Bureau (气象局) used box kites to collect weather data. The Wright brothers also experimented (试验)with kites. What they learned helped them make the first airplane flight in 1903.

    Have you seen Avatar(《阿凡达》)? It's a popular3Dflm, and you may have to wear 3D glasses to see it. The 3D glasses make the images(图像) from the film look as if they are coming straight towards you.

    More and more 3D films are coming to theatres. Some say that 3D TV sets will come into our homes in the near future. 3D technology can make TV and films more exciting. However, people with eye problems may get headaches if they spend too much time watching 3D films. Why?

    When we look at an object(物体), each eye sees it at a different angle. Our eyes send the two images to our brain(大脑), and the brain puts them together. 3D technology uses two film projectors(投影机). One projects a left—eye image and the other projects a right—eye image. 3D glasses allow us to see a different image in each eye. So, when we are watching a 3D film, our brain can't put together the images. The brain needs to work harder at reading "the images. That makes it easier for people with eye problems to get dizzy(头晕的) or have headaches. A famous eye doctor said if your eyes can't focus(聚焦)on the same object at once, you will have trouble watching 3D films.

    Pisces is the twelfth star sign. There is a legend about its name.

    Long, long ago, there was a war between gods and a bad monster (怪物). It lasted ten years. One day, the gods were surprised to find that the monster was coming towards them. The goat god Pan shouted a warning and tried to change himself into a fish. One god, Aphrodite, took her little boy Eros and tried to hide among the bushes near Euphrates River. She was the god of love and her son was the god of war. It is said that two fish swam to carry Aphrodite and her child to safety. Some people also believe that Aphrodite and Eros changed into fish themselves and swam away to safety. Later the fish represent Aphrodite and her son Eros.

    As they appeared in the sky, the two fish were tied together by a rope (绳子). Some said that Aphrodite tied the little boy to her body so that he would not get lost as they swam away to safety. That's the story about Pisces.

    In Western countries, some people believe people will share similar characteristics if they have the same star sign. So if you're born between February 19th and March 20th, your star sign is Pisces. It means that you are generous, easy-going and creative.