I've been in the taxicab business for thirty-five years, and I know there is a lot about it that is not so good. Taxicab drivers have to be tough fellows to be able to work in New York. You've got to fight the New York traffic eight hours a day these days, so people get the wrong impression that they are bad.

    Actually, taxi drivers are just like other people. Most of them will behave as honest fellows. You read in the papers almost every week that a taxi driver turns in money or jewels that people leave in their cabs. If they weren't honest, you wouldn't be reading those stories in the papers.

    One time in Brooklyn, I found a diamond ring in my cab. I remembered helping a lady with a lot of packages that day, so I went back to where I had dropped her. It took me almost two days to trace her down in order to return her ring to her. I didn't get as much as “thank you”. Still I felt good because I had done what was right. I think I felt better than she did.

    I was born and raised in Ireland and lived there until I was nineteen years old. Then I came to this country where I had a family and bought my own cab. Life hasn't been too easy at times, but my wife takes care of our money and we have a good bit put away for a rainy day.

    When I started driving a cab, Park Avenue was mostly a bunch of coal yards. Hoofer's Brewery was right next to where the Waldorf-Astoria is now. I did pretty well, even in those days. In all my years of driving a taxicab, I have never had any trouble with the public, not even with drunks.

    I believe honesty is one of the greatest gifts. I know they call it a lot of fancy names these days, like integrity（正直）, etc. But it doesn't make any difference what they call it; it's still what makes a man a good citizen. This is my code, and I try to live by.

    In the nineteenth century, one of America's greatest writers, Walt Whitman, helped people learn to value poetry. Whitman created a new kind of poetry.

    Walt Whitman was born in eighteen nineteen in New York City. During his long life, he watched America grow from a young nation to the strongest industrial power in the world. As a young man, Whitman worked as a school teacher, a printer and a newspaper reporter. He was thirty-six years old when he published his first book of poetry in eighteen fifty-five. He called it Leaves of Grass. It had only twelve poems. The poems are written in free verse. The lines do not follow any set form. Some lines are short. Some are long. The words at the end of each line do not have a similar sound. They do not rhyme.

    One of America's greatest thinkers and writers immediately recognized the importance of Leaves of Grass. Ralph Waldo Emerson praised Whitman's work. But most other poets and writers said nothing and even denounced it. Most readers also rejected Whitman's poems. The new form of his poetry surprised many people. Even his own brother told Whitman that he should stop writing poetry. But Whitman had many things to say. And he continued to say them. Readers began to understand that America had a great new poetic voice.

    Walt Whitman's poems praise the United States and its democracy. The poet expressed his love for America and its people in many ways. Experts today praise Leaves of Grass as a major literary work. In eighteen seventy-three, Walt Whitman suffered a stroke. He spent the last years of his life in Camden, New Jersey. Whitman was poor and weak during the last years of his life. He died in eighteen ninety-two. Some critics say Walt Whitman was a spokesman for democracy. Others say he was not a spokesman for anything. Instead, they simply call him a great poet.

    In most situations, light helps us see. But when it comes to looking at the night sky, light is actually a kind of pollution. It prevents our view of some of life's most striking sights: stars, planets, and even galaxies (银河系).

    "When I was a little boy, I loved the night sky. I remember looking up and the sky was filled with stars. I became an astronomer because I was amazed by their beauty," says Robert Gent, "Now in most big cities kids can't see the stars like I did."

    Normally, about 2，500 individual (单个的) stars are visible to the human eyes without using any special equipment. But because of light pollution, you actually see just 200 to 300 and fewer than a dozen from some cities. Only one in three Americans can see our own galaxy with the naked eyes. Those people live far away from the lights of big cities, office buildings, and shopping malls.

    Fortunately, there's an inexpensive and useful way. If we shine lights down at the ground instead of up into the sky, and use lower brightness levels, we can save big amounts of energy and keep the beauty of the night skies. Many cities and towns have passed laws limiting lights at night, making sure enough shine for safety without creating much light pollution.

    Light pollution affects more than our view of the heavens and can harm wildlife. Migrating birds (候鸟) sometimes fly over cities and become confused by the brightness, flying in circles until they drop from exhaustion. Sea turtles need dark beaches for nesting and won't approach bright lights. Too much light at night may even affect human health. For all these reasons, researchers are working on ways to use lights only when and where they are truly needed. Everyone deserves to look up at the sky.

    Dutch officials toasted on Tuesday the opening of what is being called the world's first 3D-printed concrete bridge, which is meant to be used by cyclists. There was applause as officials wearing hard hats and workmen's jackets rode over the bridge on their bikes at the opening ceremony in the southeastern town of Gemert.

    "The bridge is not very big, but it was rolled out by a printer which makes it unique," Theo Salet, from the Eindhoven University of Technology, told Dutch broadcaster NOS. Work on printing the bridge, which has some 800 layers, took about three months after starting in June and it is made of pre-stressed concrete, according to the university. "One of the advantages of printing a bridge is that much less concrete is needed than in the conventional technique in which a mould (泥浆) is filled," it said on its website, adding "a printer deposits the concrete only where it is needed."

    The eight-metre (26-foot) bridge crosses a water-filled channel to connect two roads, and it was tested for safety to bear loads of up to two metric tons in cooperation with the BAM Infra Construction company. Although designed for bikes, it could take up to 40 trucks, the designers said "We are looking to the future," said the head of BAM, Marinus Schimmel. "3D printing meant fewer rare resources were needed and there was significantly less waste," he added.

    The Netherlands is among countries, with the United States and China, taking a lead in the cutting-edge technology of 3D printing, using computers and robotics to construct objects and structures from scratch without using much traditional manpower. Last year a Dutch architect unveiled (提示) a unique 3D printer with which he hopes to construct an "endless loop" building. And a Dutch start-up called MX3D has begun printing a stainless-steel bridge, of which a third is already completed. The aim is to finish printing by March and lay the bridge over an Amsterdam canal in the future.

For the past 60 years,the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has protected animals,restored lost habitats and advocated for policy changes that benefit wildlife.Now,the conservation organization is trying a new approach.

This year,AWF launched the inaugural Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Awards.The contest aims to reach a different audience.While photography competitions are nothing new,AWF hopes that the exhibition of winning entries will encourage African people to take a more active role in conservation.Its CEO Kaddu Sebunya said,"Africans need to take responsibility for the conservation of their heritage."

Photographers of all ages and backgrounds,professional and amateur,were invited to submit to the competition.A judging panel,comprised of photographers,conservationists,activists and safari guides,selected photos from 12 categories including "Art in Nature" "Coexistence and Conflict" and "Conservation Heroes".

 The "Conservation Heroes" category had special appeal for Kenyan conservation photographer Anthony Ochieng Onyango."I realized there was a communication gap because most of what was being communicated was data in scientific publications," said Onyango,adding that images are a simple way for people to connect to complex issues.

While there were many entries in the AWF competition,there's only one 19-year-old Cathan Moore from South Africa among the category winners.There's a lack of opportunity for young aspiring photographers on the continent.AWF is seeking grants and partnerships to enable more African people to participate next year,and to make nature photography competitions more accessible to those unable to pay or buy expensive camera equipment,allowing people to use whatever camera they have and photograph wildlife in urban environments.

Sebunya hopes that the competition can open up a dialogue about conservation and why it's so important for Africa's future.Many people in Africa look at conservation as a thing done by and for foreigners,said Sebunya.While he praised the work of international NGOs,he emphasized that it's vital that African voices are heard and for local people to lead conservation efforts.