In colonies (群体) that range in size from a few hundred to tens of millions, they organize their lives with a clear division of labor. Even more amazing is how they achievethis level of organization. Where we use sound and sight to communicate, ants dependprimarily on pheromone (外激素), chemicals sent out by individuals and smelled or tastedby fellow members of their colony. When an ant finds food, it produces a pheromone that will lead others straight to where the food is. When an individual ant comes under attack or is dying, it sends out an alarm pheromone to warn the colony to prepare for a conflict as a defense unit.

         In fact, when it comes to the art of war, ants have no equal. They are completely fearless and will readily take on a creature much larger than themselves, attacking in large groups and overcoming their target. Such is their devotion to the common good of the colony that not only soldier ants but also worker ants will sacrifice their lives to help defeat an enemy.

         Behaving in this selfless and devoted manner, these little creatures have survived on Earth, for more than 140 million years, far longer than dinosaurs. Because they think as one, they have a collective (集体的) intelligence greater than you would expect from itsindividual parts.

    If two scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory are correct, people will still be driving gasoline powered cars 50 years from now, giving out heat-trapping carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) into the atmosphere—and yet that carbon dioxide will not contribute to global warming.

    In a proposal by two scientists, vehicle emissions(排放) would no longer contribute to global warming. The scientists, F. Jeffrey Martin and William L. Kubic Jr., are proposing a concept, which they have named Green Freedom, for removing carbon dioxide from the air and turning it back into gasoline.

The idea is simple. Air would be blown over a liquid solution of potassium carbonate, which would absorb the carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide would then be put to chemical reactions that would turn it into fuel(燃料): gasoline or jet fuel.

    This process could change carbon dioxide from an unwanted, climate-changing pollutant into a vast resource for renewable fuels. The cycle—equal amounts of carbon dioxide produced and removed—would mean that cars, trucks and airplanes using the synthetic(合成的) fuels would no longer be contributing to global warming.

    Although they have not yet built a synthetic fuel factory, or even a small model, the scientists say it is all based on existing technology. “Everything in the concept has been built, is operating or has a close cousin that is operating.” Dr. Martin said.

    The Los Alamos proposal does not go against any laws of physics, and other scientists who have independently suggested similar ideas. Dr. Martin said he and Dr. Kubic had worked out their concept in more detail than former proposals.

    There is, however, a major fact that explains why no one has built a carbon-dioxide-to-gasoline factory: it requires a great deal of energy.

    According to their analysis, their concept, which would cost about $5 billion to build, could produce gasoline at an operating cost of $1.40 a gallon and would turn economically practical when the price at the pump hits $4.60 a gallon.

    Other scientists said the Los Alamos proposal perhaps looked promising but could not evaluate it fully because the details had not been published. “It's definitely worth pursuing,” said Martin I. Hoffert, a professor of physics at New York University. “It's not that new an idea. It has a couple of pieces to it that are interesting.”

    Believe it or not, school uniforms are absolutely not only clothes for students. They stand for the culture or beauty appreciation standard of a country. To wear uniforms has become a trend in most countries in modern society. Well, let's take a look at school uniforms in different nations. This will be interesting. And here, you will detect diverse allure (魅力)！

    The style of England school uniforms is rather classic, simple and respectable. Middle school students must wear traditional western-style school uniforms. Boys wear traditional western-style clothes, regular leather shoes and must wear neckties. Girls also wear western-style clothes, regular leather shoes and must wear bow ties. This classic clothing style unconsciously affects England students' temperament(性格)and also sense of beauty.

    Both boy and girl students in Australia are required to wear black leather shoes and white socks. They wear school uniforms all the time except the physical education, when they need to wear gym suits.

    Students in Malaysia obey rather strict rules. Girls' dresses must be long to cover the knees. Shirts must cover the elbow. Comparing with Thai students, they are much more conservative. School uniforms in most schools of China are only different in size. You can't find big differences between boys' uniforms and girls' uniforms only from the appearance. Both of them are loose sport suits.

How to Handle Being the New Kid at School

    Being the new kid at school can be a terrible experience! It might seem like everybody else knows exactly how to act. But remember you aren't alone. Actually, everybody is nervous on their first day and you can fit right in with the help of the following tips.

    Plan ahead the night before. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Lay out your first day outfit (全套服装), pack a lunch, and make sure you have all your school supplies ready to go. Planning ahead can help you get a good night's sleep and feel less nervous about your first day.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Make sure your clothes are cleaned and pressed and that you've showered, brushed your teeth. If you're hoping to attract friends with similar interests, try wearing a shirt with your favorite show, musician, or sports team on it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Do your best to stay calm and positive. It's normal to feel nervous or anxious when you're the new kid at school. If you feel nervous, start by taking some deep breaths. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can listen to music that makes you feel calm or happy. Try imagining a good first day in your mind instead of keeping thinking about things that could go wrong.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Don't come in on the first day with your head hanging down, your shoulders lowered, and your eyes on the floor. Walk with your head held up, your back straight, and a bright expression on your face. Make eye contact with other people, and smile if they look at you or speak to you.

A. Use your body language to show confidence.

B. Introduce yourself to your teachers and classmates.

C. Choose clothes that make you feel great.

D. This can be an easy way to start a talk and break the ice a little.

E. You should keep talking and let people know that you are friendly.

F. Remember that everyone is the new kid at some point and that it's not a big deal.

G. You'll feel less worried if everything is ready before you wake up for your first day.

    Tokyo is one of those places that you can love and hate at the same time.

    In Tokyo there are always too many people in the places where I want to be. Of course there are too many cars. The Japanese drive very fast, but in Tokyo they often spend a long time in traffic jams. Tokyo is not different from London, Paris and New York in that. It is different when one wants to walk.

    At certain times of the day there are a lot of people on foot in London's Oxford Street. But the streets near the Ginze in Tokyo always have a lot of people on foot， and sometimes it is really difficult to walk. People are very polite; there are just too many of them.

    The worst time to be in the street is at 11:30 at night. That is when the nightclubs are closing and everybody wants to go home. There are 35,000 nightclubs in Tokyo, and you do not often see one that is empty.

    During the day，most people travel to and from work by train. Tokyo people buy six million train tickets every day. At most stations, trains arrive every two or three minutes, but at certain hours there do not seem to be enough trains. Although they are usually crowded, Japanese trains are very good. They always leave and arrive on time. On a London train you would see everybody reading a newspaper. In Tokyo trains everybody in a seat seems to be asleep, whether his journey is long or short.

    In Tokyo, I stood outside the station for five minutes. Three fire-engines raced past on the way to one of the many fires that Tokyo has every day. Tokyo has so many surprises that none of them can really surprise me now.

    The deadliest Ebola(埃博拉病毒) outbreak in recorded history is happening right now. The outbreak is unprecedented(空前的) both in the number of people who have gotten sick and in the geographic scope. And so far it's been a long battle that doesn't appear to be slowing down.

    Ebola is both rare and very deadly. Since the first outbreak in 1976, Ebola viruses have infected thousands of people and killed roughly 60 percent of them. Symptoms can come on quickly and kill fast.

    The current outbreak started in Guinea sometime in late 2013 or early 2014. It has since spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia, including some capital cities. And one infected patient traveled on a plane to Nigeria, where he spread the disease to several others and then died. Cases have also popped up in various other countries throughout the world, including in Dallas and New York City in the United States.

    The Ebola virus has now hit many countries, including Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, and the United States. The virus, which starts off with flu-like symptoms and sometimes ends with bleeding, has infected about 6,500 people and killed more than 3,000 since this winter, according to the World Health Organization on September 30, 2014.

    There are some social and political factors contributing to the current disaster. Because this is the first major Ebola outbreak in West Africa, many of the region's health workers didn't have experience or training in how to protect themselves or care for patients with this disease.

    Journalist David Quammen put it well in a recent New York Times article, "Ebola is more dangerous to humans than perhaps any known virus on Earth, except rabies(狂犬病) and HIV. And it does its damage much faster than either."

Hopefully, researchers are working to find drugs, including a recent $50 million push at the National Institutes of Health. And scientists are working on vaccines(疫苗), including looking into ones that might be able to help wild chimpanzees, which are also susceptible to the disease. The first human Ebola vaccine trial is scheduled to start in the spring of 2015.