For centuries people have hunted animals for food and pleasure.The invention of the gun made it so easy for humans to hunt that some animals were lolled by the thousands and even became extinct（绝种的）.This brings up some serious problems since breaks in the food chain upset the balance of nature.

    Large animals like tigers are being killed by the hundreds every year in India.The Royal Bengal tiger is the only type that exists in India and their number is greatly reduced every year because of poaching（偷猎）.The present number is about 2,000, all of which live in tiger reserves.Two hundred years ago the population was 23,000 or more.

    During the British rule of India,many of the so-called English gentlemen killed tigers for pleasure and to show their bravery.This seems stupid because killing an innocent（无辜的）creature with a gun is not a brave deed.

    Today the tiger skin is very popular.Rich people and fashion designers have no idea what they are doing. Competition between the rich to show off makes them blind to the serious effects.People persuade villagers to kill tigers to get money,and they do it because they are poor and need to feed their families.We must educate them,and the government should give them proper jobs to help solve this problem.

    The people to blame are those who buy animal products like ivories,furs,tiger bones for medicine and handbags made of animal skins.They must be put behind bars to stop this kind of trade.The earth is home for everyone on it. The trees,animals,birds,and fish of all kinds belong here as much as we do.Only we have the power to change their fate.

Teen Volunteers

    The zoo supports future conservation by having the youth involved in voluntary jobs. We have popular summer year-round programs that are designed to be fun and educational while building job readiness skills and inspiring youth to appreciate, care for, and conserve nature.

    ◆Zoo Crew

    Volunteer on a team to restore wildlife habitat at Lake Merced and Mountain Lake in San Francisco.

    Ages11-14

    Program runs: September through June

    Hours: One Saturday per month, form 10 a. m. to 12 p. m.

    The Zoo Crew will hold a necessary training for all prospective volunteers in August at the Zoo.

    ◆Nature Trail

    Nature Trailers work in close proximity (接近) to the Zoo's ambassador animal collection, and teach guests about adaptations and conservation. Nature Trailers will learn to handle a few small mammals and reptiles.

    Ages 12-14 (must be 12 by Memorial Day)

    Program runs: Memorial Day to Labor Day

    Hours: 2 days per week, 10 a. m. to 4: 45 p. m.

    ◆Talk on the Wild Side

    Learn to handle amazing animals like livestock and arthropods (节肢动物) while giving informational talks to zoo visitors. Use biofact carts to educate the public.

    Ages 14-17

    Program runs: Memorial Day to Labor Day

    Hours: 2 days per week, 9: 30 a. m. to 4: 30 p. m.

    ◆Zoo Teacher Assistant

    Help kids explore the world of animals through zoo tours, crafts, games and assist Zoo Camp teachers with activities. Gain practical work experience with children.

    Ages14-17

    Program runs: mid-June through mid-August

    Hours: A daily half-day or full-day shift for a minimum of four weeks over the course of the summer.

    Sagrada Familia (2, 056, 448 visits /year)

    Opening hours: 09: 00-18: 00 (October-March)    09: 00-20: 00 (April-September).

    Admission: $11, or $10 with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: Yes.

    The temple has been under construction since 1882 and they've still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it will be finished. The project's vast scale (规模) and its special design have made it one of Barcelona's top tourist attractions for many years.

    La Pedrera (1, 133, 220 visits /year)

    Opening hours: 09: 00-18: 30 (November-February)    09: 00-20: 00 (March-October)

    Admission: $9.50. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: No.

    This building used to be called Casa Mila, but nowadays it's more commonly known as La Pedrera. It was made of bricks and had colorful tiles (瓷砖).

    Barcelona FC Museum (1, 032, 763 visits /year)

    Opening hours: 6th April-4th October: (Monday to Saturday) 10: 00-20: 00; the rest of the year: 10: 00 to 18: 30.

    Admission: $8.50 for entry to museum and an extra $17 for a guided tour.

    Disabled access: Yes.

    It is now generally considered as the best football museum in the world. You can see so many trophies (奖杯), pictures and statues of great football players. I'm not a football fan but I still enjoyed walking round this museum.

    Miró Museum (518, 869 visits /year)

    Opening hours: Check website for details as they vary depending on the time of the year.

    Admission: $8. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: Yes.

    This museum has a wide range of Miró's works dating back as far as 1914. This artwork collection includes not only his paintings but also a good selection of sculptures.

    "Bill, you never miss!" Joe said admiringly. "Unless I'm in a real game," Bill complained. "Then I miss all the time." Joe knew that Bill was right. Bill performed much better when he was having fun with Joe in the school yard than he did when he was playing for the school team in front of a large crowd. "Maybe you just need to practice more," Joe suggested. "But I practice all the time with you!" Bill objected. He shook his head. "I just can't play well when people are watching me." "You play well when I'm watching," Joe pointed out. "That's because I've known you since we were five years old," Bill said with a smile. "I'm just not comfortable playing when other people are around." Joe nodded and understood, but he also had an idea.

    The next day Joe and Bill met in the school yard again to practice. After a few minutes, Joe excused himself. "Practice without me," Joe said to his friend. "I'll be back in a minute. "

    Joe hurried through the school building, gathering together whomever he could find-two students, a math teacher, two secretaries, and a janitor(看门人). When Joe explained why he needed them, everyone was happy to help. Joe reminded the group to stay quiet as they all went toward the school's basketball court. As Joe had hoped, Bill was still practicing basketball. He made five baskets in a row without noticing the silent people standing behind him.

    "Hey, Bill!" Joe called out finally. Bill turned. A look of surprise came over his face. "I just wanted to show you that you could play well with people watching you," Joe said. "Now you'll have nothing to worry about for the next game!"

In Search of Silicon Valley — 10th November

Join us to hear Robert Good's thoughts on the digital revolution, and what he learned from Silicon Valley.

Robert is an artist based in Cambridge UK. His work has been shown across the world.

The talk will begin at 7pm and last around 60 minutes.

£6.00

Retro Computer Festival — 5th November

We're very happy to announce our Retro Computer Festival — our biggest yet, with more exhibitors than ever before. We welcome enthusiasts to exhibit their personal collections.

The event will be free to exhibitors and entry for visitors is just standard museum entry.

Programming with Yarn — 18th October

As well as interesting historical facts, this talk provides a simple way of explaining key programming concepts and highlights the logical thinking necessary to get into coding.

Lily Madar is an experienced software engineer, always trying to find new ways to make coding more accessible in this digital world.

The talk will begin at 7pm and last around 60 minutes.

£6.00 

Family Gaming Night — 15th October

A great event for all the family kids young and old!!

We'll be opening at 6pm for a solid 4 hours of digital entertainment in a fun and family-friendly environment. It's great chance for kids and parents to come together, share experiences, compete against each other and talk about how technology and gaming have changed over the years.

Under 5's are free. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult

Adult    £1l.00

Child    £8.00

Family Ticket (2 Adults, 2 Children)    £34.00

Feeling achy and feverish? Your misery has plenty of company. By the end of December, the tally(记录) of flu-like illnesses in the state exceeded the peaks in the two previous seasons, when the biggest number of cases occurred in February and March. This time, the flu virus seems to be hitting even harder.

Flu is unique among human diseases. It circulates constantly in cool and dry areas. Because it spreads from person to person and can be picked up easily, nearly everyone is exposed. While it's unclear whether the annual flu epidemic(流行病) will worsen this year, or just arrived earlier, fears have been increased by the severity of flu in Australia during its most recent season and the fact that the vaccine may protect against the predominant(盛行的) kind of the flu only 30 percent of the time.

Despite the worries, doctors and public health officials say there is no evidence that people are getting sicker than usual. Flu cases in Massachusetts started rising around Thanksgiving and increased steadily, with an especially steep climb in the last week of the year. "This is a bad flu season but not a horrible one," said Dr Andrew G. Villanueva, a lung specialist and chief quality officer at the Lahey Hospital & Medical Centre in Burlington.

"The flu season, while clearly in full swing, doesn't ‘feel different' from previous years," Villanueva said. "We're not seeing a lot of people being hospitalised because of flu," he said. "Most people with the flu recover on their own without medical care."