To be sure, only children experienced some things differently from those with sisters and brothers. Many feel more pressure to succeed. They also tend to look only to their parents as role models in the absence of brothers and sisters.

    In India, 10-year-old Saviraj Sankpal founded a support group for the tiny minority(少数) of only children. Among other things, the group does volunteer work to fight against the false idea that they are not responsible. "People think we're treated too kindly and ruined," says Sankpal, a computer engineering student. "But I'd like to remind them how lonely it can get."

    Most only children, however, say they wish for sisters or brothers only when it comes to caring for aging, unhealthy parents. Britain's David Emerson, co-author of the book The Only Child, says that such a person has to make all the decisions alone. Emerson knows from experience. After his father died, he chose to move his elderly mother from their family home, where she was vulnerable (易受攻击的) to house breakers, to a new one with more safety. "The move was quite hard on her, and she might feel that I pushed her into it, "he says, "After all, I am left with that responsibility."

    In the future, more and more only children will probably face similar choices. With working mothers increasing, many families are finding they simply don't have the time, money or energy to have more than one child. As only children become common, perhaps the world will realize that the charge made against them is unfair.

    Martha had been working for Miller Laboratories for two years, but she was not happy there. Nothing significant had happened in the way of promotions or salary increases. Martha felt that her supervisor, a younger and less experienced person than she, did not like her. In fact, the supervisor often said unpleasant things to her.

    One day, while talking with her friend Maria, she mentioned how discouraged she was. Maria gave her the name of a cousin of hers who was director of Human Resources Department for a large chemical company. Martha called him the next day and set up an interview on her lunch hour.

    During the interview, Mr. Petri said, "You're just the kind of person we need here. You're being wasted in your other job. Give me a call in a day or two. I'm sure we can find a place for you in our organization." Martha was so happy that she almost danced out of the building.

    That afternoon, Ruth Kenny, her supervisor, saw that Martha had come in ten minutes late from her lunch hour and she said, "Oh, so you finally decided to come back to work today?"

    This was the last straw. She could not take another insult. Besides, Mr. Petri was right: she was being wasted in this job.

    "Look," she said angrily, "if you don't like the way I work, I don't need to stay here. I'll go where I'm appreciated! Goodbye!" She took up her things and stormed out of the office.

    That night she called Maria and told her what had happened and then asked Maria, "What do you think?"

    "Well," said Maria carefully, "are you sure about the other job?"

    "Well, not exactly, but..."

    Maria continued, "Will you be able to get a recommendation from Ms. Kenny if you need one?"

    "A recommendation?…from Ms. Kenny?" hesitated Martha, in a worried tone.

    "Martha, I hope you didn't burn your bridges," Maria said. "I think I would have handled it differently."

    American and British people both speak English of course. But sometimes it does not seem like the same language. In fact, there are some important differences between British English and American English.

    First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don't say each word separately. They say several words together. Americans may say "I dunno" instead of "I don't know". Or they may say "Whaddaya say?" instead of "What do you say?" However, the British are more careful in their speech. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.

    Sound is not the only difference between British English and American English. Words sometimes have different meanings too. Some American words are never used in England. The same thing is true of some British words in America. For example, the vocabulary for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks, but in England people drive lorries.

    Many expressions are also different in the two countries. In England，if you are going to telephone your friends, you "phone them up". In America, you "give them a call". When you are saying goodbye in England you might say "Cheerio!" In America you might say "See you later."

    There're also some differences in grammar. For example, Americans usually use the helping verb "do" when they ask a question. They say "Do you have a storybook?" But the British often leave out the helping verb. They say "Have you a storybook?"

    All these differences can be confusing if you are learning English. But most languages are like this. Languages change over time. When people live in separate places, the languages change in different ways. This is what has happened to English. It can also happen to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French, but their French is very different from the French of France.

A team in Europe are working with wood, but not in the usual ways. They are not carpenters（木匠）. Instead, they are scientists exploring how wood can lead to a greener electronic device, a transistor（晶体管）made from balsa wood, whose production releases less climate-warming gas into the air.

Transistors play an important role in computers and other devices. They act like tiny switches to control the flow of electricity. Engineers use them to process and store data. Today's laptops may host billions of them. So they must be tiny—only a little wider than a strand of DNA.

The new transistor being built by physicist Isak Engquist and his team at Sweden's Linköping University isn't as small as those. Big enough to see and hold, it can stand only an electric pressure that pushes electrons along. And it controls a current using charged particles（粒子）called ions.

This new technology shows a "proof of concept" that the idea can work, even if the new device is not yet ready to put into today's electronics. "While it seems large by today's standards, such a transistor still might prove useful for electronics that require low electric pressures," says Engquist.

"The new transistor suggests that future electronic devices might be made in living plants," Daniel Simon, a physicist in the team, says. "Imagine peeling away some bar k from a living tree," he says, "and stamping electronic circuits into the living wood."

In fact, Engquist says, "There are so many ways we can use wood and the components of wood that we would never have thought of." For instance, he can now imagine a wood-based sensor that could monitor crop health, measure pollution or survey a forest for fire risk.

Favorite Books for Young Readers

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble

( For ages 5 to 8)

Everywhere you look in The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, there's a tiny, precise and lovely detail—a plant, a bird, a lizard, a shell and of course the great horses. This story of a Plains Indian girl who runs away with a band of wild horses, and eventually becomes one of them, won the Caldecott in 

1978. The recognition was well- deserved for its insightful portrayal(描写) of the bond between the human spirit and the wilderness. 

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

( For ages 4 to 8)

Waves roll by, seasons come and go, keepers tend to their duties, and through it all, the lighthouse stands tall, sending its light out into the darkness, signaling hello to all the ships at sea. The Caldecott winner Sophie Blackall does a significant job showing the timeless nature of lighthouse life— and the change that's coming. 

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson

( For ages 6 to 9)

One of the most— if not the most— beautiful books on this list. Kadir Nelson's fancy, photorealistic paintings pair with Kwa me Alexander's powerful words for a tribute (致敬) to decades of Black brilliance, pain and perseverance. " This is one of those texts that really spoke to me; it was beautifully written and I

felt it was a really great pairing of words and pictures of an author and an artist, " Nelson said. 

Harlem by Walter and Christopher

( For ages 9 and up)

This poem by Walter Dean Myers—a revered elder of children's literature— celebrates Harlem, where he grew up, full of" colors loud enough to be heard" and songs first heard in the villages of" Ghana/ Mali/ Senegal". His son Christopher's vivid illustrations, part paint and part co llage (拼贴画), don't talk down to kids, instead pulling them into a lively city. 

Hannah Ray J was introduced to river surfing after noticing a surfer in the middle of a river in I owa by chance. This arouse a passion that has since defined her life. River surfing, once an exciting activity, is now gaining public attention in the Midwest as an exciting outdoor sport. 

New Whitewater parks and surfing areas are being developed across the region, such as in Nebraska and Iowa, with plans to attract thousands of visitors, boosting local economies. Badfish SUP, a Colorado- based company, reports a significant rise in river surfboard sales since the pandemic(疫情) began. They've even named a board" Wave Farmer" in honor of those living near these new recreation spots. 

The constant waves in rivers, unlike the ocean, allow surfers to practice constantly. Technological advancements have helped transform river surfing from a rare to a mainstream activity. The growing interest is evident in the number of cars at the WOKA Whitewater park in Oklahoma, exceeding expectations. 

WOKA offers rent gear(齿轮) and live webcams(摄像头) to check wave conditions. The community support for such activities is also noticeable, with businesses related to Whitewater activities expanding into the area. Other cities are looking to reproduce these successes with plans for Whitewater parks on their rivers. 

However, challenges remain, including water quality issues, variable river flows, and safety risks associated with fast- moving water. Despite these barriers, river surfing looks set to continue its rise in popularity, offering both thrills and economic opportunities for many communities.