BEIJING — The launch of a new manned space mission brings China closer to the establishment of a permanent space station, international experts say.

    Chinese taikonauts, Jing Haipeng, 50, and Chen Dong, 37, were blasted off into space onboard Shenzhou-11 at 7:30 am Monday and will spend 30 days in the Chinese space laboratory Tiangong-2.The launch marks a key step toward China's plan to eventually operate a permanent space station. The successful launch of the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft is another step forward to put China among leading players in space technology, said Alexander Zheleznyakov, a Russian expert on history of space flights. China's experimental space lab will help provide solutions for spacecraft of different functions to approach and anchor, and for a long-term operation of life support system, said Zheleznyakov. Shenzhou-11 is scheduled to anchor on Wednesday with Tiangong-2, which is part of China's plan to build a permanent space station by 2022.

    China can now test technologies for cargo spacecraft anchoring, life support system operation and water recycling to ensure a long-term continuous operation of its space station in the future with less dependence on renewal from the Earth, he said. If all goes well, China will launch the unpiloted Tianzhou-1 cargo ship next spring to autonomously tie up with Tiangong-2. Tianzhou-1 will be capable of automatically transferring rocket fuels, a vital requirement for space station grouping and maintenance, according to a report by Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).

    "That will further their anchoring abilities needed for the larger space station," Johnson Freese was quoted." Tiangong-2 is supposed to be able to stay in orbit for two years or longer, so that's taking them (Chinese) really close to 2019 or so. I think this will be their last big technology test phase before going to their large space station," said Freese.

    “Plants were expected to get larger with increased carbon dioxide in atmosphere, but changes in temperature, humidity and nutrient availability seem to trumped the benefits of increased carbon dioxide,” said researchers from the National University of Singapore.

    45 percent of the species studied now reach smaller adult sizes than they did in the past. The researchers pointed out that warmer temperatures and changing habitats, caused by climate change, are possible reasons for shrinking creatures.

    “We do not yet know the mechanisms involved, or why some organism are getting smaller while others are unaffected,” the researchers said. “Until we understand more, we could be risking negative consequences that we can' t yet quantify.”

    The change was big in cold-blooded animals. Only two decades of warmer temperatures were enough to make reptiles smaller. An increase of 1 degree centigrade caused nearly a 10 percent increase in metabolism(新陈代谢). Greater use of energy resulted in tiny tortoises and little lizards. Fish are smaller now too. Though overfishing has played a part in reducing numbers, experiments show that warmer temperatures also stop fish growth. There is a recent report on warmer temperatures' negative effects on plankton, the base of the marine ecosystem.

    Warm-blooded animals weren't immune from the size change caused by climate change. Many birds are now smaller. Mammals have been miniaturized too. Soay sheep are thinner. Red deer are weaker. And polar bears are smaller, compared with historical records.

    This is not the first time this has happened in Earth' s history. 55 million years ago, a warming event similar to the current climate change caused bees, spiders and ants to shrink by 50 to 75 percent over several thousand years. That event happened over a long time than the current climate change.

    The speed of modem climate change could mean organisms may not respond or adapt quickly enough, especially those with long generation times. So, it is likely that more negative influences of climate change will be shown in future.

    The Humane Society of Utah,a non-profit organization,is the largest shelter in the state because it takes every animal that can be lawfully accepted.The shelter employed photographer Guinevere Shuster,from New York,who came up with a creative way to find new homes for the dogs.She took lively photos for them.

The 31-year-old created sets of four pictures showing the playful and serious sides of each animal.Guinevere Shuster tried her best to show these dogs the way they'd really look if you allowed them into your life.She said,"I'm always trying to imagine better ways to make the poor animals attractive to the public.The photos show their great personalities and are a much better way than presenting them as the sad dogs waiting to be taken home.I'm lucky because I get to connect the two things I love most,animals and photography."

Guinevere says she finds it easy to work with dogs.She said,"It's just me and the dog in the office so they can pay their attention to the photo-taking.I use a lot of treats and some funny noises I've learned to get the dogs' attention. A fun method is to throw treats at the dogs-it's useful for getting unusual looks from them."

    Since starting the project,a number of dogs have been taken home by dog lovers after they saw Guinevere's pictures on the Humane Society of Utah's Facebook page.In the last three years,she has photographed more than 4,000 animals.This year,the shelter has placed nearly 9,000 homeless pets into their permanent homes.

    I've recently published a book of letters from 32 amazing Australian women about their experiences of new motherhood. Perhaps the most common question I've been asked since publication is why more of the mothers didn't ask for help. If those early months were so hard and so exhausting as they were described, then why didn't more of these women simply ask for help?

Embedded (把……牢牢地嵌入) deep in this enquiry is the assumption that if you ask, you shall receive—and that you shall receive without judgment. And if there is any experience of new motherhood in the 21^st century it is the inescapability of judgment. By asking for help new mothers open themselves up to a wave of quiet—and not-so-quiet—disapproval of why on earth they need it.

    The earliest moments of motherhood are synonymous with sacrifice(等同于牺牲). A mother sacrifices her body for not nine but almost ten long months, sharing her shell with a new being. A mother sacrifices her control, and often her mental and physical health, during the painful process of childbirth. A mother, in the weeks and months that follow, puts the needs of another before her own, sacrificing her sense of self, her ambition and all too often, her happiness.

    We don't normally use the word sacrifice to describe the newborn period. It's supposed to be sweet and milky and warm but a sacrifice is exactly what it is. And when we sacrifice we should be entitled (使享有权利) to mourn—a privilege new mothers are expressly prevented from.

    We have reached the point where being a mother who admits she needs help is like saying your child isn't worth the sacrifice. The suffering has become a badge(徽章) of honor, worn in service to your family.

    The role of mothering is not an easy one, nor will it ever be. But it could be made more manageable if we were all to offer help or support.

    On a recent trip to London, I decided to visit some exciting new restaurants that are using technology to change the way people dine out. My first stop was at an Italian restaurant in the city center. When I walked into the restaurant, I was given a tray (托盘)and a special card, but I had no idea what to do next! The manager came up to me and explained that I could swipe (刷) my card at any of the food and drink stations in the restaurant, and that the card would record my order. No waiters necessary! I made my selection and then handed my card to the cashier. Once I'd paid for my meal, I collected it and made my way to the dining area on the second floor. The food was very delicious, but, I must admit, I didn't enjoy having to carry my food up two flights of stairs.

    On the next night, a friend of mine suggested that we visit his favorite high-tech restaurant. When we arrived, I was surprised to discover that there were no paper menus; instead, the menus appeared on the touch screen surface of the table. All we had to do was touch our choices with our fingers and wait for the waiters to bring us our meal. The touch screen tabletop also allowed us to change different tablecloths and even play games. We had so much fun playing games that we hardly touched our food when it arrived--we really should have told the waiter to give us takeaways instead.

    On my last day in London, I decided to get some tapas from a Spanish takeaway near my hotel. I had heard that the owners had placed a webcam (网络摄像机) at the restaurant to allow their customers to watch the long lunchtime queue (队列) online. This came in very handy for me. While I packed my baggage, I kept an eye on the queue and then raced to the restaurant when the lunchtime rush was over. Without that wonderful webcam, I could have missed my plane.

    We lived in a quiet neighborhood. One evening I heard a loud crash. Earlier my wife had asked me to the store for soft drinks. My teenage daughter Holly practiced her driving, so I sent her to the store in my truck.

    At dinner my son talked about how much he liked my truck. I enjoyed having it, but I said: "My heart is not set on that truck. I like it but it is just metal and won't last forever. Never set your heart on anything that won't last. "

    After hearing the loud noise, the whole family ran outside. My son shouted: "Holly crashed your truck."

    The accident took place in my own driveway. Holly had crashed my truck into our other vehicle(交通工具), the family van. In her inexperience, she had confused the brake(刹车) and the gas pedal(油门). Holly was unhurt physically, but she was crying, "Dad, I'm sorry. I know how much you love this truck." I held her in my arms as she cried.

    I still remembered how sad Holly was the night she crashed our truck, and how I comforted her. When Holly thinks back on her life, I want her to know that I love her a thousand times more than any piece of property(财产).

    I repaired the van, but the dent(凹痕) in my truck is still there today. Every day it reminds me of what really matters in my life.