Astronomy (天文学) is the oldest science known to man. Thousands of years ago man looked at the stars and wondered about heavens(天堂). But the six planets that he could see with his eyes alone limited man.

    The Greeks studied astronomy over 2,000 years ago. They could see the size, color, and brightness of a star. They could see its place in the sky. They watched the stars move as the seasons changed. But the Greeks had no tools to help themselves study the heavens.

    Each new tool added to the field of astronomy helped man reach out into space. Until there were telescopes(望远镜), man did not know much about the moon. He did not know that the planet called Saturn(土星) had rings around it. His sight was so limited that he could not see all the planets. In the early 1700s, people thought there were only six planets. Pluto (冥王星), the last of the nine planets to be discovered was seen until 1930.

    Before the spectroscopes (分光镜), man didn't know what kind of gas was in the sun or other stars, without radio telescopes(射电望远镜), we did not know that radio noise came from far in space.

    Today, astronomy is a growing science. We have learned more in the past fifty years than in the whole history of astronomy.

    Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd, the largest global gaming provider and the operator of QQ, an instant messaging software service, has launched a series of scientific exploration events aimed at encouraging young people to explore the outside world, instead of being continuously absorbed online.

    “QQ has been in the market for 18 years, but it is not aging, and its application has become younger and trendier. We hope that more young Chinese can use the app to connect with different people and views worldwide. We never worry about losing game players. Instead, we hope that players can actually go out to learn more,” said Li Dan, general manager of marketing department of the social network group at Tencent.

    China's gaming market netted (净赚) sales revenues of 218.96 billion yuan ( $33.75 billion) in 2017, jumping 23.1 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, the number of mobile gain players in China reached 462 million, adding 10 percent over the last year. According to Tencent the number of active users of QQ, who are 21 years old or younger, has been increasing, and they tend to use the app for a longer time.

    Starting May 22 of last year, QQ organized free trips for young people to Galapagos, Namibia, Spain and the Antarctic, but it didn't reveal the specific amount it contributed to those trips. During each trip, it selected three to four participants from those who uploaded videos and made specific travel plans online. The finalists stand out with their clear video statements and their enthusiasm about going on adventures.

    “Tencent's approach appears to be contradictory with its own interests. But, in fact, this is consistent with the company's long-term growth strategy and will promote its business by establishing a good social image,” said Neil Wang, president of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in China.

    It was already midnight and I was walking quickly out of Recovery Room, knowing I had to be back early next morning. Though in a hurry, I noticed a lone woman with an anxious look on her face. As it turned out, her daughter-in-law had just been transferred to Intensive Care, so I decided to take her up there. Down the hall, she stated, “I bet you're trying to leave, aren't you?” I confirmed her observation, adding that it was quite all right. We soon arrived, and upon talking with the patient's nurse, I was able to let her in right away. She turned to me and said, “Thank you, you will be blessed.”

    The next day, on my way home after my day shift, I noticed a voice mail from my sister in Rochester, which gave me an uneasy feeling. I had to pull off the road as I listened to her message; “Mom had a stroke; she's in the hospital and the Neurologist said it doesn't look good.” My mind darted back to the words I had heard the night before as I cried out with anger; “This is a blessing?”

    The following day I flew up to Rochester. My brother picked me up from the airport and we soon arrived at the hospital. I walked into my mom's room and she looked as if I had never seen her before. Her usual bright smile was replaced with a look of emptiness. All at once the cruel reality of the signs and symptoms of a fresh stroke were there, but I wasn't the instructor, I was just a family member. My mom seemed to recognize me, and I fought back tears as I told her how much I loved her.

    Over the next five days, my mom made unexpected progress, as she began to speak a few words, slowly and almost painfully. With each milestone, it seemed the nurses and aides were almost as excited as we were. Everyone, without exception, treated my mom with kindness and compassion. I think the event that will stay in my memory forever occurred on my mom's fourth day. It was time to repeat the swallowing study to assess if my mom could start eating. All four of us siblings hung together in the waiting room, nervous, our eyes shifting constantly to the door of 2607, anticipating and desperately hoping for good news. As her door opened, the therapist came out with a smile; we instantly knew she had good news, and we collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Five days after her stroke, my mom was ready for transfer to a rehabilitation facility, and I was headed back down South. With a very heavy heart, I said goodbye to my mom and the staff from the Stroke Unit.

    On the way back home, I had plenty of time to think about my own experiences as a Recovery Room nurse. I could envision（想象）the smiles on so many of the faces of our patients as they leave our unit. I was also reminded of the fact that we as health care givers have a certain power: we can add to the stress of a patient's hospital experience, or we can be the one ray of sunshine that leaves a smile on their face.

    Truly, there will always be the pain of knowing that my mom had a stroke, but my memories will always be tempered by the thoughtful care she received in the Stroke Unit. I have since reflected on the words of gratitude spoken to me a week earlier by the visitor I took to the ICU. Yes, I was blessed; it was the kind of blessing that will warm my heart forever.

    Despite what so many people would love to believe, NASA hasn't discovered any evidence of past or present intelligent life on Mars. So, when the Curiosity rover (好奇号探测器）found something suspicious on the Red Planet's surface, they were not only surprised but also a little bit worried.

    The thin fragment (碎片）was suspicious enough to guarantee its own name, with NASA's Curiosity rover team calling it the “Pettegrove Point Foreign Object Debris,” named for the location where it was discovered. With no idea what it was or where it came from, the rover s handlers began to worry that it might actually be a piece of the rover itself, suggesting some unseen damage or other issue with the robot. Thankfully, those concerns seem to have been unfounded.

    In a new update from NASA the object has now been identified as a natural piece of rock rather than a piece of any man-made craft or vehicle. The team analyzed the bizarre object with a tool called the ChemCam RMI. The instrument uses a laser (激光器）t0 sniff out the makeup of anything it's pointed at, and the results for this particular piece of debris revealed that it's actually just a very thin piece of rock.

    NASA describes the inspection： The planning day began with an interesting result from the previous plan's ChemCam RMI analysis of a target that was referred to as “Pette Point Foreign Object Debris” （PPFOD),and speculated to be a piece of spacecraft debris fact was found to be a very thin flake of rock, so we can all rest easy tonight-Curi0sity n0t begun to shed its skin!

    How this particularly thin sliver of rock got to where it is—and why it seems to be a different colour than the surrounding sand and debris-remains unexplained, but at least the rover falling apart.

    TOASTMASTERS

    Toastmasters is an international organization, designed to develop effective speaking and listening skills. It was set up in 1924 by Ralph Smedley and it's headquartered in California. It has a double purpose: the personal growth and strong effective communication skills.

    Who is Toastmasters open to?

    Many people think Toastmasters is open only to those who wish to be professional speakers, but that is not true. Toastmasters is open to the public at large. Any person who wishes to improve his public speaking is welcome. And also, those who just want to increase their overall self-confidence are encouraged to attend.

How can Toastmasters help you?

    Joining Toastmasters, a person will learn different methods of communicating what he really wants to say, and equally important, he will learn what the audience expects so he can send that message to them in an organized way. Some people are comfortable around friends, but when they appear before a group they don't know, they get nervous. The organization helps its members to get calm and organize thoughts, and express them in an effective way.

    Most often, people assume that when one is listening, he is also paying attention. This is not always true. Many times people are waiting for their turn to speak and are not really listening at all. Toastmasters can develop a person overall in organizing their thoughts, getting information from others and receiving effective feedback（反馈）.

    How does Toastmasters train people?

    Toastmasters has a way of learning by doing. The Toastmasters International Organization provides a menu called the basic menu because it gives a guideline for the development of speeches. These speeches can meet different purposes. For example, one might need voice training; another might be to organize his thoughts or develop use of humor in speeches. There is an eight-week program for young people and also an eight-week speech course offered for adults. As a person continues to give speeches and improve, he progresses from the point of being fearful to stand before a group to the point where he can speak to any group of people with confidence.