On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that 42% of Americans could be overweight by 2030. Our expanding waistlines lead to not only a medical problem, but according to a recent article In The New York Times, it could also endanger personal safety in some situations—in an airplane crash, for example.

    The New York Times' Christen Negroni reports that engineers and scientists are questioning whether airplane seats are adequately constructed to protect overweight travelers. Government standards for airplane seat strength（强度）— first set moe than 60 years ago — require that the seats be made for a passenger weighing 170 pounds (77kg). Today, the average American man weighs nearly 194 pounds (88kg) and the average woman 165 pounds (75kg). Negroni reports:

    “If a heavier person completely fills seat, the seat is not likely to behave as intended during a crash,” said Robert Salazar, the leading scientist at the Center for Applied Biomechanics at the University of Virginia. “The energy absorption that is built into the aircraft seat is likely to be overpowered and the passengers will not be protected properly.”

    “Nor would the injury be limited to that passenger only,” Dr. Salzar said. “If a seat or a seat belt fails,” he said, “those people who are seated nearby could be endangered from 'the uncontrolled movements of the passenger'.”

    Most complaints about airplane seats focus on their lack of comfort and high ticket price, and whether overweight passengers should be made to buy two seats. But The New York Times' article brings up another reason to feel anxious about flying. Investigators of the issue got in touch with the airplane seat and seat belt makers, but they refused to comment on the problem. Experts agreed that crash testing should be done with overweight dummies （人体模型）. Both airplane seats and seat belts should be tested, they said.

    Fortunately, however, according to Nora Marshall, a senior adviser at the National Transportation Safety Board, the board's investigators have never seen an accident involving a commercial plane in which the weight of a passenger was a problem.

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    On Saturday my Catalan friend invited me to come along to a Calotada. Being from the UK, I had no idea what this would need, but he promised me it was a fun Catalan (卡塔兰) tradition, and so I agreed to go. I wasn't disappointed!

    First, we took a train out to a Small town near Tarragona, about an hour away from Barcelona centre. I was already amazed by how different everything looked from the city as the train rushed through small towns, all sitting on the coastline.

    When we arrived, we were greeted by the sight of a small wind instrument band and about a dozen people dancing in a circle. While my friend later told me that it is a traditional Catalan dance called La Sardana, at the time I was totally confused at what I was seeing! It seemed so strange but yet so lovely that they were doing this dance completely for themselves.

    Once we had been fully entertained by the dancers, we finally went inside for the Calatada and it was soon revealed to me what it actually was. We sat down at the table and a huge plate of leeks (大葱) was placed in front of us. It was explained to us that you have to peel the leeks with your fingers, dip them in a (delicious!) sauce and eat them. This sounds easier than it was.

    My friend had been right in the end, it had been an extremely fun day and it felt great to get involved in a local tradition of a place I am temporarily calling home. It really inspired me to learn more about the Catalan culture, although hopefully next time it will be something less messy!

    Julian Beever is a well-known British artist. His drawings have appeared on the streets of London, Paris, Tokyo, New York and many other cities around the world. Beever creates what looks like a three-dimensional design (三维设计). From animals to heroes to buildings, the paintings are wonders for our eyes to see.

    In his book Pavement Chalk Artist, Beever shares some of his most attractive and humorous pieces. Here are the examples you will find in the book.

    Philadelphia Eagle, created in the USA, is a huge drawing with an eagle (鹰) landing on an American national flag. Meeting Mr. Frog was created in Spain and is about a realistic- looking (样子逼真的) frog sitting on a lily pad (睡莲叶子). Swimming Pool in the High Street is about a woman relaxing in a swimming pool sinking into the middle of the street.

    Along with an introduction about his background, Beever shares information about his time at home in the UK and abroad. With a fun story coming after each piece of art, this 112- page book is really worth another look.

    China will build a comprehensive (综合性的) network to detect (检测) pollution of the land, sea and air by 2020, employing satellites, drones(无人机)and remote sensors to monitor the environment.

    The national leadership agreed to the network plan in July, saying the government will lead the monitoring, share information among departments and regions, and be held accountable (追究责任) if violations (违规行为) are found, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Tuesday.

    Satellites, a major tool for monitoring air pollution, will receive a boost (大力发展)  this year. The ministry said it will accelerate research on two atmospheric environmental monitoring satellites.

    The ministry will improve a remote sensor network, guided by the goals of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), which is scheduled to be released at the end of this year, according to the ministry's Environmental Supervision Department.

    Remote monitoring has played a bigger role in locating pollution sources. Drones helped authorities locate polluted areas in the Tengger Desert in northern China and identify scattered summer straw burnings.

    Hebei province, which has a serious air pollution problem, has cooperated with the ministry's Satellite Environment Center to conduct monitoring from satellites and monitoring stations since January last year.

    "We used the data from the center's satellites to forecast the movement of smog during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in November, "Zhang Feng, an engineer in the Environmental Supervision Department of the provincial environmental watchdog, said on Tuesday.

    Data collected from monitoring stations helped authorities provide accurate forecasts on hazy days during that period, he said.

    John Winston Ono Lennon (9 October 1940-8 December 1980) was an English rock musician, singer, songwriter, artist and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founders of The Beatles. As a member of the group, Lennon was one of the leading singers and co-wrote most of the band's songs with bassist(低音歌手) Paul McCartney.

    In his singing career, Lennon wrote and recorded songs such as Give Peace a Chance and Imagine. Lennon showed his rebellious(反叛的) nature and cleverness on television, in films such as A Hard Day's Night, in his books such as In His Own Write, and in press conferences(新闻发布会) and interviews. He was controversial(有争议的) through his work as a peace activist, artist and author.

    Lennon had two sons: Julian Lennon, with his first wife Cynthia Lennon, and Sean Ono Lennon, with his second wife, avant-garde(前卫) artist Yoko Ono. After a retirement from 1976-1980, Lennon reemerged(再度出现) with a comeback album, but was killed one month later in New York City on 8 December 1980. In 2002, respondents to a BBC poll(投票) on the 100 Greatest Britons voted Lennon into the eighth place. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Lennon number 38 on its list of "The Immortals(不朽的): The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time" and ranked The Beatles number one.