I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.

    At the first home, the son of the deceased(已故的)woman said to me, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It's my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn't insisted on my mother's going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. It's my fault that she's dead.”

    You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?

    There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens that leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds. The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believe that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.

    A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.

    It may appear strange to hear that crops are making headlines.But this is no ordinary produce—these fruits and vegetables have been grown in simulated（模拟的）Martian and lunar soils!

    Though the possibility of growing crops in outer space only gained widespread interest after Matt Damon grew potatoes in the movie "The Martian",scientists have been testing the idea for many years.Fresh produce will after all be the key to setting up space colonies（殖民地）.

    Among the pioneers in this effort is a team led by Wieger Wamelink,a scientist at Netherland's Wageningen University.In 2013,they planted fourteen varieties of plants in simulated Martian and lunar soils.Though the "Mars" plants did not bear any produce,they grew better than the "lunar" plants,most of which died shortly after being planted.Lack of vapor in the soil,according to the scientists,might have accounted for the failure.

    The second experiment began in late 2015.The researchers selected the same crops,while this time they used larger containers and added grass to them.In March 2016,their efforts were rewarded with a variety of produce including the vegetable that kept "The Martian" alive: potatoes.

    However,the researchers were still not sure if the produce was safe to eat.That's because the Martian and lunar soils contain heavy metals like lead and arsenic,which do not affect plants but are poisonous to humans.

    After months of testing,earlier this week,the team finally confirmed that the produce was safe for human consumption.Some of the crops even contained lower levels of heavy metals than plants grown in the "ordinary" earth soil.

    To celebrate the success,the scientists held a dinner party that centered ground the crops.While there is no word on how the food tasted,it sure looks delicious.

    However exciting space exploration sounds, there's a necessary and important point about it that needs to be considered: food supplies. Right now, astronauts typically rely on dry food in airtight bags and cans, since there are strict weight limits on items taken into space. Foods that we take for granted, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, are out of the question for space explorers.

    For those who've made an effort to try to grow food during space flights, they've faced many difficulties, including the absence of gravity, and a lack of soil, air and humidity (湿度). However, growing food to add and minimize (最小化) the food that must be carried to space will be increasingly important on long-duration flights into space. Great efforts have been made to explore the concept (idea) of space farming. Recently, a team led by Federico Maggi at the University of Sydney in Australia have worked out how plants can absorb nutrients from human urine (尿), as was reported by New Scientist on March 27.

    After over 20 years of experiments, the results suggested that human urine could supply three to four out of the six nutrients that plants need. The researchers also found out that urine-fertilized plants produce no harmful by-products, such as carbon dioxide or ammonia.

    According to New Scientist, human urine is 95 percent water, with the other 5 percent made from nutrients which are harmful to the human body but not to plants. The advantage of this urine-fueled life support system is obvious: By recycling liquid waste and producing food, an efficient cycle will be created.

    And most importantly, said New Scientist，the duration of space flights will be greatly extended to “20 years of flight”, meaning we may be soon sending astronauts on flights to Mars, or even beyond.

    She will face the challenges of riding a bike to school or not being able to climb the monkey bars during playtime. But little Ella Peggie, who was born without her left arm, will get an extraordinary opportunity to share a life-changing bond with her new beloved pet, three-legged puppy.

    When her mother, Brooke Hodgson, saw the one-year-old puppy named Snowy, she knew instantly it would be the perfect companion for her one-year-old daughter. “My heart skipped a beat when I saw Snowy online, ”Ms. Hodgson said. It took just three days for the puppy, who recently had surgery to remove a 1eg, to find a new home after she was sent to the animal shelter last week.

    “I knew she was going to be perfect for Ella—they share the same age so they both have a long life of friendship ahead of them. I just know that Snowy is going to increase her confidence when she is growing up. It's going to be great for Ella when she realizes she's different or when she's having a bad day, she will see the resemblance and know that she's not alone. ”

    Ms. Hodgson has been touched by the relationship between the pair since the lively puppy became the latest addition to the family. And she believes the caring puppy will be by Ella's side through the highs and lows of her life. Ms. Hodgson said, “Every morning Snowy looks for Ella first before she runs to anyone else. It's quite a unique link. I'm just thankful that I was able to give her this dog. I just can't wait for them to get even closer. Not many people are able to do this for their children so we're very lucky to have Snowy. I can't even explain how I feel fight now. ”The young mother said Snowy, who was welcomed into the family just a week ago, has been playing a very special part to Ella's life as well as her three-year-old brother Blake and her father, Stewart Peggie.

One Canada, Two Languages

    Canada is one of the few nations in the world to have two official languages: English and French. There are 10 provinces in the country but only one of these—Quebec is known as "French Canada". This is because it was founded by French explorers while British adventurers discovered the rest.

    Canada left the British empire(帝国) in 1867 to become an independent country and English and French have been recognized as the official languages ever since.

    Most people speak English as their first language and the two national television networks broadcast in English throughout the country. Apart from in Quebec and a few places on the east coast, French television is very rare.

    The same goes for traffic signs and menus, for example, outside of Quebec, there are only a few places where you'll see traffic signs in French. In restaurants, it's almost impossible to find French on the menu unless you are in the heartland (中心地带) of French Canada. However, all products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels (标签) and instructions in both languages.

    In Canada's English-speaking provinces, official bilingualism (双语) means that students can choose to complete a special French language course. Under this program, they are taught most of their subjects in French.

    If a student begins the course in kindergarten(幼儿园) or Grade One, it is likely that all their lessons will be in French. However, if they start at junior high school, 25 percent of the teaching will continue to be in English.

People can't live well without music. It's quite necessary in people's life. Music has a magic energy to help people. It will bring people many surprises.

It can help you free from heart pain. When you feel sad, you can try listening to the music. It will calm you down. You enter the music world. You pay more attention to the music than your sadness.Then the"dark clouds"slowly clear up.

It is also a strong driving force. For example, when you win a match, you certainly have a great mood. At this time, exciting music will arouse(激起) your fighting. It will push you forward and you will continue to work harder.

Music include(囊括了) much knowledge, such as the language and the history. You can learn a lot from it. Different nations make their own special music. Different music expresses different ideas.You can explore different cultures behind the music. As a useful tool(工具), music teaches you to better understand foreign cultures and love them.