YOUR mom might cook a bowl of noodles for you on your birthday. But in the US, a mom makes a cupcake for her children on their birthday.

    Cupcakes are small, round cakes topped with frosting (糖霜). It has been an American tradition that moms bring cupcakes to the classroom to celebrate their child's birthday. But recently some doctors have called for this to be banned. They believe cupcakes contribute to child obesity. Despite their good intentions, however, some people believe that experts are interfering (妨碍) with American culture. The cupcake is seen as American as apple pie — only prettier.

    According to Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, the cupcake is the most democratic (民主的) of desserts. As they are small enough for one person, you don't have to share your cupcake with anyone — it's all yours. They are also all of the same size, so there can't be any cries of  “she got the bigger piece!”

    Each bite can taste different depending on how much icing you have. It is a lesson in self-determination. Some people eat only a little of the frosting every time, others have it all in just one bite.

    In recent years, eating a cupcake has become as trendy as having a cup of Starbucks coffee.

    Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton jokingly promised on a talk show that if she was elected president, she would give everyone a cupcake on her birthday. Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, explains that the rise of the cupcake is very much about going back to American national identity in food, which is all about comfort. “People want to think about when they and their country were innocent,” she said.

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Dear Valued Customer,

     We regret that your baggage was not available to claim after your recent flight. Everything possible will be done to locate your property and return it to you promptly(迅速地).

     For information regarding your delayed baggage, contact the United Airlines Baggage Resolution Center at its 24 hour, seven days a week

Number:

1-800-335-BAGS

281-821-3536 (Local Houston Number)

Or visit site: http://www.united.com/for/bagtracing

      As soon as you file your Delayed Baggage Report, United Airlines will begin to trace for your baggage system wide. Our Baggage Resolution staff will make every effort to call you once a day to keep you updated on our progress.

      So that we can quickly access your records, please refer to the File Reference Number on this receipt when corresponding or calling.

Keep this receipt with your claim check and E-Ticket receipt until your baggage is returned to you.

      In most circumstances, United Airlines will deliver your baggage when it is located. Delivery times vary depending on location.

     If your baggage has not been returned to you within the initial five-day tracing period, please download a claim form at http://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/baggage/delayed.aspx and return it to us with the required documentation included.

http://csmcbagapp.nam.coair.com/bmswtweb/Does/FileCreatedPrintPC.aspx?ref_num=144…

_______________________________________________________________________________

DELAYED BAGGAGE REPORT                      FILE REFERENCE: ALBUA25876

_______________________________________________________________________________

Name:          JOHN JACKSON                   Contact Number: 802-247-9999

Delivery Address: 66 MOONBROOK DR

BRANDON                        Email: minminvt@yahoo.com

VERMONT USA 05745                

_______________________________________________________________________________

Bag Tag     Description

0037387643  Soft-Side Upright suitcase

0037387657  Non-Zippered, hard side horizontal suitcase

    A parent might place his daughter's drawing on the fridge out of a love for his child rather than for the wonderful image, but for many people, that children art is actually quite amazing. In fact, adult artists were often inspired by children's drawing. For the museum-goers out there who tend to point to a piece of modern art and say, “My kid could have made that !”It's worth remembering that often, that's actually just what the artist had in mind.

    For many kids, drawing is exciting not because of the final product it leads to, but because they can live completely in the world of their drawing for a few minutes. Even children are scribbling(涂鸦), they're representing through action, not through pictures. Liane Alves, a prekindergarten teacher, recalled a student who presented her with a drawing featuring a single straight line across the page. Alves assumed the child hadn't given too much thought to the drawing until he explained that the line was one of the stems (茎) from The Princess and the Pea, one of the fairy tales they read in class.

    Maureen Ingram, who's a preschool teacher at the same school,said her students often tell different stories about a given piece of art depending on the day, perhaps because they weren't sure what they intended to draw when they started the picture. “We as adults will often say, 'I'm going to draw a horse, 'and we set out. . . and get frustrated when we can't do it, ”Ingram said. “Children seem to take a different approach, where they just draw, and then they realize, 'it is a horse. '”

    And what about those odd or scary-looking drawings? Does that mean kids are telling themselves stories that are odd or scary? It's hard to say, but it's rarely a good idea to over-interpret it. Ellen Winner, a psychology professor, pointed to parents who worry when their kid draws a child bigger than the adults. What's most important to remember is that“children's art has its own logic,” Winner said. “Children are not being crazy. ”

    Beijing residents could be rewarded with up to 500,000 yuan if they can provide useful information on spies or related activities, according to a government policy that took effect on Monday.

    Under the policy, informants will be offered rewards ranging, from 10,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan, depending on how useful the information is, according to the policy issued by the National Security Bureau(安全局) of Beijing. Informants can pass information to authorities by calling a hotline, sending letters or visiting the bureau.

    Informants' privacy and information about spy-related messages will not be disclosed, while information providers can ask authorities for protection if they or their relatives are in danger due to the act of informing, according to the policy.

    However, informants will face punishments if they slander (诽谤) others on purpose or invent and spread false information, the policy states clearly.

    The bureau said that China is witnessing rapid increases in international exchanges and the number of people entering or exiting the country each year. "Meanwhile, overseas espionage agencies(间谍机构)and other unfriendly forces have also strengthened their disruptive(破坏的) activities in China, including political, economical and military information." it said.

    Some Chinese individuals have also betrayed the nation to benefit their private interests, which offers overseas espionage agencies opportunities, the bureau said, adding that Beijing is the primary location for such activities. Therefore, it's necessary to take new measures in anti-espionage investigation, and to encourage the participation of the general public.

    One of the most recent cases made public occurred in the eastern province of Jiangsu in January. Two residents in Lianyungang city, surnamed Zhang and Wan, called the national security authorities after they found a device with instructions in foreign languages while fishing in the Yellow Sea. The device was later found to be spying equipment made and used by overseas agencies to collect data, according to an official release.

    China has strengthened legislation(立法) on State security in recent years. Facing a more complex State security situation, in 2014, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress adopted the Counterespionage Law.

    Wetlands are ecosystems found in low, flat areas. Often they border ponds, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Wetlands include marshes, swamps, and bogs.

    No trees grow in a marsh, but there are lots of grassy plants. Ducks, turtles, and many different bugs (虫子) live there, too. Florida has the world's biggest freshwater marsh. The Everglades covers 4,000 square miles. The Everglades is not entirely fresh water, however. Near the sea the fresh water and salt water mix. Some plants and animals can live only in this brackish water.

    Saltwater marshes lie along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. During high tide these marshes are under water. During low tide these marshes can be seen. The water rushes out, carrying bits of plants, dead animals, and minerals necessary for sea animals. Many plants and animals depend upon this ever-changing environment.

    Swamps are forested wetlands. Like marshes, they are often found near rivers or lakes and have mineral soil that drain very slowly. Unlike marshes, they have trees and bushes. Swamps have trees that grow with their roots underwater. But the trees will die if their roots stay underwater too long. Animals such as water snakes and frogs live in swamps.

    Bogs have damp, soft soil. So many dead plants have piled up that there is no longer any standing water. This rotting plant matter turns into peat (泥炭). In Ireland and Scotland peat is dried and burned to heat homes. Bog soil is useful for growing wild rice. Lots of insects live there.

    Most people do not find wetlands beautiful. But wetlands are important. Marshes and swamps store water, thus reducing the flooding a heavy rain can cause. About one-third of all of America's endangered plants and animals live in wetlands. Now laws protect some wetlands. More than a dozen wetlands in the US are refuges (保护区) and wildlife preserves.

Kindle E-reader, 8th generation

    Free Touchscreen Display

    Price: $79. 99

    ● Thin and light for one-handed reading

    New Kindle is 11% thinner and 16% lighter than the previous generation Kindle, making it easy and comfortable to hold in one hand.

    ● Read like real Paper

    Kindle creates text similar to what you see in a physical book. The blacks and whites on the screen are uniform, improving text and image quality.

    ●Long-life battery

    Kindle doesn't need power to show a page of text, allowing you to read for weeks on a single charge.

    ● Thousands of books, no distraction (分心)

    Kindle is designed to be an e-reader. It satisfies your love of reading without interruptions like e-mails and phone calls.

    ●Look it up without leaving your page

    Smart Lookup combines entries from The New Oxford American Dictionary with information from Wikipedia, so you can know meanings, characters and more without losing your place.

    ●Adjust your text size

    Choose from eight text sizes to prevent tired eyes, so you can keep reading longer.

    Customer reviews:

    ※ Damon, May 21, 2019

    The price is great with an extra $ 20 off and this new Kindle is smaller in my hands than my old one. I was sad to lose my old Kindle, but this one is terrific.

    ※ Jason, January 26, 2019

    I miss the original Kindlers size—this one is too small. Also, the screen is overly sensitive and things pop up (弹出) and the battery doesn't last as long as the original Kindle. But my biggest disappointment is that this Kindle doesn't allow you to transfer everything from the original Kindle、so I lost all of the information from my old one. Overall, disappointing.

    ※ Susan, November 17, 2018

    I had the original Kindle, and the battery lasted for weeks. This battery only seems to last a few days, however. The other problem I have with this version of the Kindle is the touch screen. It is annoying when you are reading and start turning the wrong way. Sometimes, it's hard to get the page to turn the way you'd like it to.