There are millions of different animals in the world, but some are in danger, and some may soon die out. People can never see them again. Mark and David wanted to find some of these rare animals, so they climbed mountains, crossed rivers, and walked through rainforests.

    A Bat, a Cat or a Squirrel?

    Mark and David found the aye-aye. The aye-aye has bright eyes. It has ears like a bat, a body like a cat and a tail(尾巴) like a squirrel. Some people think the aye-aye brings bad luck. They killed(杀死) many of them, and cut down a lot of trees where the aye-aye lives as well.

    A Strange Parrot

    Mark and David found the biggest parrot in the world that cannot fly. Many years ago, some animals came to the place the parrots lived in, and killed many of them. Now there are only a few left.

    Another Special Animal

    Mark and David went looking for a manatee. A manatee looks like a seal and a hippo. In some places where manatees live, the water in the river gets low. Then the manatee swims to the place where there is more water. Many get stranded(搁浅), and some are killed by other animals and people, too.

    After Mark and David returned, they made a film about these animals. They want to show the world these strange but interesting animals. They want the world to know there are not many of them left, and they all have a place in our world.

    People have understood that kindness is good for the person who receives help. For example, when we give food to a hungry person, he is lucky. However, scientists have recently begun to study the effect(影响)of the kindness on the person giving it. What they have found is that doing good is good for the doer(行为者).Acts of kindness can improve health, help a person reach goals and even add years to a person's life.

    The first study to show the connection between doing good and living a long life was a study on aging(衰老). Beginning in 1956, scientists studied a group of married mothers for 30 years. They thought the women with the most children would die first. But the number of children a woman had did not matter. Wealth did not matter. Education did not matter. What did matter was whether they volunteered. Women that volunteered had fewer diseases during their life.

    Many other studies have found the same positive(积极的)effects. Helping other people improves long-term health. The gains are the same for men, women, old people and the young. Those who volunteered had fewer serious diseases than those who did not volunteer. This included diseases such as heart attack, cancer and stroke.

    Scientists are studying many possible causes. One possible cause is an increase in antibodies(抗体)，which help fight against disease. One study showed the body produces more antibodies after an act of kindness.

    Another one is an increase in Oxytocin(催生素)，it is a chemical that fights the effects of stress from life. Scientists have found a link between being kind to people and an increase in the chemical oxytocin.

    Posted on 25 March by Selina

    I used to shower with soap every day, but my skin(皮肤)always felt dry and itchy(发痒的). Then two months ago, I heard of the no-soap movement. Since then, I've given up using soap in the shower. I still shower every day. I just don't use soap because it's filled with chemicals.

    So, what's so bad about using soap? Well, the chemicals in soaps can be harmful to our health. So, if we use soap, our skin will take in the chemicals, which will then end up in our bodies. According to the scientists, some of the chemicals used in a soap are quite dangerous. During my research, I also learnt that soap removes moisture(水分)from the body. This is actually why my skin was so dry and itchy.

    Getting used to washing my body without soap was a huge change. For the first week, I felt a bit dirty and I didn't smell great, either. However, during the second week, my skin felt clean without strange smell. Best of all, my skin problems disappeared, and now I have softer and healthier skin.

    On the whole, going soap-free has not only saved me time and money, but has also improved my skin. What's more, this experience has made me take a look at some of the other products I use in the shower, such as shampoo. More about that in my next blog!

    This is a street crossing. There are red and green lights at each corner. Drivers must watch the lights carefully.

    When there is a green light, the cars may go on. When there is a red light, the cars must stop.

    They must wait until the red light changes (变成)to green. Then they can go on. Sometimes the cars want to make a right turn or a left turn. They can make a right turn when the light is green or red. But they must wait until the green light is shining (闪亮) if they want to turn left. Some people are color-blind (色盲的). They can't see the difference (不同点) between red and green. These people mustn't drive, or there may be an accident (事故) .We must keep our street safe (安全的).