One of my first memories as a child in the 1950s was a discussion I had with my brother in our tiny bedroom in the family house in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

    We had heard in school about a planet called Pluto. It was the farthest, coldest, and darkest thing a child could imagine. We guessed how long it would take to die if we stood on the surface of such a frozen place wearing only the clothes we had on. We tried to figure out how much colder Pluto was than Antarctica, or than the coldest day we had ever experienced in Pennsylvania.

    Pluto, which famously was downgraded from a “major planet” to a “dwarf planet”（矮星） in 2006, captured our imagination because it was a mystery that could complete our picture of what it was like at the most remote corners of our solar system.

    Pluto's underdog discovery story is part of what makes it so attractive. Clyde Tombaugh was a Kansas farm boy who built telescopes out of spare auto parts, old farm equipment and self-ground lenses. As an assistant at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, Tombaugh's task was to search millions of stars for a moving point of light, a planet that the observatory's founder thought existed beyond the orbit of Neptune. On February 18，1930，Tombaugh found it. Pluto was the first planet discovered by an American, and represented a moment of light in the midst of the Great Depression's dark encroachment (入侵).

    Pluto is much more than something that is not a planet. It's a reminder that there are many worlds out there beyond our own and that the sky isn't the limit at all. We don't know what kinds of fantastic variations on a theme nature is capable of making until we get there to look.

    When did you last see a polar bear(北极熊）? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃,and the water temperature was a little higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60.Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group; this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.

    Doctors don't agree about the medical effects of cold-winter swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.

    The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统）because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.

    The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim all year round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says," When I go into water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."

    As soon as the Thanksgiving holiday is over, Santa Clauses start appearing everywhere. It takes more than red clothing and a white beard to be a professional Santa In fact many successful Santas attend special classes.

    The CW Howard Santa School, one of the oldest Santa Claus school in the world, is in Midland, Michigan. It celebrated its 80th anniversary last year. Over 250 Santas gathered at the school to prepare for their seasonal work. Charlie Howard was the Santa Claus in the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade for 17 years. He started the school in 1937.

    “At that time, there was a great need for good Santas. Santas didn't portray the character that we want. Santa Claus stands for all good things hut some of the gentlemen's images (形象) weren't up to the expectation,” said Charlie.

    The three-day Santa workshop teaches people “Santa sign language”, facts about deer and clothing and make-up style. The future Santas also become familiar with the newest wish list toys, gain (获得) interview experience for radio and television and even get advice on how to do their business taxes.

    It's said that about 15,000 students have graduated from the Santa school. They come from all over North America, Europe，Africa and Australia to study. Last year the school welcomed Santas from all 50 states as well as many other countries.

    The Santas never claim (声称) to be the one and only “real” Santa. Instead, they describe themselves as “the spirit of Christmas”. At the school's opening-night activity, they tell visiting children they are the “cousins of Santa”.

    Robert Davis says they also never promise children anything. Instead, they say they will try their best.

    After all, as Charlie Howard liked to say, “He is wrong who thinks Santa enters through the chimney (烟囱). Santa enters through the heart.''

    While both Europe and the United States of America are considered the Western world, it's good to know there are some differences in culture. If you are considering moving to a European country, you will find the information below helpful as you plan your move.

    One cultural difference is how the countries perceive（感知）time and space. For example, a house in the United States that is 200 years old would be considered ancient. This is probably because America is a fairly young country. However, in Europe, something would not be considered ancient unless it was at least 2,000 years old. However, perception of distance seems to be the opposite. While Europeans would consider 100 kilometers a long way to drive, Americans would think twice. This could be due to the fact that Europe is smaller and more heavily populated. In fact, the United States is over twice the size of Europe.

    Cars are another factor that differs greatly between Europe and the United States. American automobiles usually have automatic transmissions（传动）while European cars generally have manual gears（手动变速器）. European automobiles are smaller and more round-shaped, while American cars are larger and more square-shaped. Trucks and limousine are vehicles that American enjoy. In Europe, however, these types of vehicles are hardly seen, as they prefer smaller cars due to parking and traffic congestion.

    The view of education is another cultural difference between the European countries and the United States. In America, parents may save for many years and even go into debt to pay for their children to attend college. Most schools and universities in Europe, however, are free of tuition. In fact, it is just expected for children to attend college there and not a privilege（特权）, as in the United States.

    For the past two years I have been travelling and living abroad. Home has become more of a feeling than a place. I feel at home when I am with my family in London, but I also feel at home in Italy with friends I love. Home is no longer a picture of a house with a front door and some windows. It is more complicated than that.

    This is one of the reasons that celebrating the new year has become very important for me. I do not care about "New Year's resolutions (愿望)"—living abroad has made me constantly reconsider what kind of person I want to be and how I will live my life, so I don't feel the need to plan for change: I live for change.

    New Year's Eve has become my time to reconnect with the friends that makes me feel at home. Every year we try to reunite wherever we are and remember the time when we knew each other so well that we felt like a family. It is a moment to reconnect and get to know each other again. Last year, we travelled to a cottage in Ireland where we had no internet and no neighbours. In the middle of the countryside, away from our big and constantly changing lives, we were able to become like a little family again.

    This year, we went to Barcelona. It was a very big change. We were surrounded by culture and life and joy. There were bars and parties. It was different, but one thing stayed very much the same-I felt at home again and we felt like a family again.

    A lot of people feel that New Year's Eve cannot live up to expectations. Ideas such as the "New Year's kiss" and "resolutions" create a lot of pressure for people to have a night to remember, a night that will change their lives and perhaps make the next year one worth living. I think those people are missing the point. If Christmas is about family, why can't New Year be about friends?

(2023年·广州二模)

In 1977, Irene Pepperberg, a Harvard graduate, decided to investigate the thought processes of another creature by talking to it. To do this, she would teach a one-year-old African gray parrot(鹦鹉), Alex, to reproduce the sounds of the English language.

Pepperberg bought Alex in a pet store, where she let the store's assistant choose him because she didn't want other scientists to say that she had intentionally chosen an especially smart bird. Given that Alex's brain was just the size of a walnut, most researchers thought Pepperberg's communication study would be futile(徒劳的).

But with Pepperberg's patient teaching, Alex learned how to follow almost 100 English words. He could count to six and had learned the sound for seven and eight. But the point was not to see if Alex could learn words by heart. Pepperberg wanted to get inside his mind and learn more about a bird's understanding of the world.

In one demonstration, Pepperberg held up a green key and a green cup for him to look at. "What's the same?" she asked. "Co-lour," Alex responded without hesitation. "What's different?" Pepperberg asked. "Shape," Alex quickly replied. His voice had the sound of a cartoon character. But the words—and what can only be called the thoughts—were entirely his. Many of Alex's skills, such as his ability to understand the concepts of "same" and "different", are rare in the animal world. Living in a complex society, parrots like Alex must keep track of changing relationships and environments.

During the demonstration, as if to offer final proof of the mind inside his bird's brain, Alex spoke up. "Talk clearly!" he commanded, when one of the younger birds Pepperberg was also teaching mispronounced the word "green". Alex knew all the answers himself and was getting bored. "He's moody," said Pepperberg, "so he interrupts the others, or he gives the wrong answer just to be difficult." Pepperberg was certainly learning more about the mind of a parrot, but like the parent of a troublesome teenager, she was learning the hard way.