Harvard researchers have created a tough, low-cost, biodegradable (可生物降解的) material inspired by insects' hard outer shells. The material's inventors say it has a number of possible uses and someday could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The material, made from shrimp ('虾) shells and proteins produced from silk, is called "shrilk." It is thin, clear, flexible and strong.

    A major benefit of the material is its biodegradability. Plastic's toughness and flexibility represented a revolution in materials science during the 1950s and '60s. Decades later, however, plastic's very durability (耐用性) is raising questions about how appropriate it is for one-time products such as plastic bags, or short-lived consumer goods, used in the home for a few years and then cast into a landfill where they will degrade for centuries. What is the point of making something that lasts 1,000 years?

    Shrilk not only will degrade in a landfill, but its basic components are used as fertilizer(肥料), and so will enrich the soil.

    Shrilk has great potential, the inventors said. Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature, found in everything ranging from shrimp shells, insect bodies to living plants. That makes shrilk low cost, and its mass production possible should it be used for products demanding a lot of material.

Work on shrilk is continuing in the lab. The inventors said the material becomes flexible when wet, so they're exploring ways to use it in wet environments. They're also developing simpler production processes, which could be used for non-medical products, like for computer cases and other products inside the home. They're even exploring combining it with other materials, like carbon fibers, to give it new properties.

    Sydney Cultural Festival – What's on today!

    European Art Show

    Location: Art Gallery of New South Wales. Today is the final day of the exhibition featuring 18th and 19th century paintings by some of the greatest European artists, such as Van Gough and Monet. Posters of these great works are available for purchase at the Visitors' Centre.

    Time: 8.30am –7pm

    Cost: $12 adults; $7 children and students

    Nature Walks

    Location: Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden. Come and celebrate our natural environment in one of the world's only nature parks inside a major city. Join our hourly guided tours, starting at the Eastern Gate, and enjoy breathtaking forests, stunning city escapes and the magnificent Sydney Harbour.

    Time: 9am – 4pm Cost: Free

    Sydney Symphony Orchestra Concert

    Location: Sydney Opera House. Australia's most famous orchestra is best known for its performances of classical French and German music. But in tonight's concert, the world-famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang is the special guest artist and will perform a series of classic Chinese compositions including Yellow River.

    Time: 8.30pm –11.30pm

    Cost: $175 adults; $90 students and children

    Moonlight Cinema

    Location: Centennial Park. Sit on the grass and enjoy the latest movies or classics from the past under the stars at Australia's best and largest outdoor cinema. Tonight features the wonderful Australian film Red Dog. Besides the movie, there will be a display of classic Australian film posters.

    Time: 8pm – 10.30pm

    Cost: $19 adults; $14 children and students

    One night, Pilar was in a deep sleep when she was woken by her cat Inti. Inti was meowing wildly outside Pilar's bedroom and throwing himself against the closed bedroom door. When Pilar opened her eyes, she saw that her bedroom was filled with smoke. As she escaped her house with Inti in her arms, she saw that a fire was burning in her kitchen. Pilar could easily have lost her life, but Inti would not let that happen. Even though Inti could have escaped the house through a cat door, he wouldn't leave Pilar.

    As amazing as this story is, it is not as uncommon as you may think. Take the example of Charlotte Lee and her horse, Thunder. One summer night, the whole family was asleep with the windows open. It was normally very quiet where they lived. Suddenly, there was a loud noise. Charlotte woke up from her sweet dream, and the noise continued. Then she heard a horse running fast towards the house. The next thing she saw was Thunder standing outside her window, neighing(嘶叫) and shaking his head. She knew something was wrong. Charlotte quickly got everyone out of the house before the earthquake hit. Thunder has saved her life.

    There are also stories of wild animals coming to the rescue of humans. One animal known to be a friend of humans is the dolphin. Once, Todd Endris was surfing with his friends when he was attacked by a 13-foot(4-meter) shark. In the middle of the attack, a group of dolphins came to his rescue by forming a protective ring around Endris until he could get safely to shore. Without the help of the dolphins, there is little chance that Todd could have escaped.

    No one is sure why animals have so often come to our rescue. However, it is clear that humans and animals enjoy a close relationship. It is important that we care for them as much as we can.

    Even though it's the 18th movie from the Marvel Universe, Black Panther is the first one to feature a black superhero with a primarily black cast(演员阵容).

    The film tells the story of the Black Panther, a superhero who takes his father's place as king of the fictional African country Wakanda. The film came out in Chinese mainland cinemas on March 9, passing the $1 billion (about 6 billion yuan) mark at the global box office and becoming the No. 2 superhero release of all time on March 10.

    However, Black Panther means more than just the money it's making. As the Guardian noted, the film is already being regarded as "a positive force for social change".

    The wild success of Black Panther lies in the fact that it gives voices to minorities who are rarely given room in popular culture. "It carries a weight that neither Thor nor Captain America could lift: serving a black audience that has long gone under-represented," Time noted.

    "It makes me feel proud and confident that we made it on screen in that way," Rasheed Butler, 14, from a black community in California, US, told the Marin Independent Journal.

    The superhero Black Panther is inspiring, but the movie also highlights brilliant black women. For example, Black Panther's teenage sister is a tech genius. She designs gadgets for her brother and develops resources that make the isolated Wakanda wealthy scientifically and technologically advanced.

    "What I love about the way this film represents women is that each and every one of us is an individual, unique," Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o, who plays a spy in the movie, told the Los Angeles Times. "I think that's a very powerful message to send to children – both male and female."

    Powerful characters aside, the movie has social implications. While the Black Panther tries to keep his country and people away from the outside world, others want to make use of Wakanda's advanced technology to fight injustice. "But neither option is truly tenable," The Verge noted. "It suggests that these destructive cycles may only be broken through guidance, education, and global leadership."

    Instead of hiding away from current issues of race and economic differences, the movie explores what it means to be black in the US, in Africa and in the world. It deals "head-on with the issues affecting modern-day black life", Time concluded.

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