The TV science-fiction series Star Trek no longer looked far-fetched (牵强的) as four men and four women in black space-suits locked themselves into a giant hi-tech greenhouse, known as a ‘biosphere', in the Arizona desert yesterday for a two-year study of the environment.

    As dawn broke over the Santa Catalina mountains, the eight waved goodbye to television cameras. Edward Ross, their multibillionaire sponsor from a Texas oil family, closed the door of the $150 million structure, with its mini-ocean, marsh, desert, savanna, rain-forest and 3,800 plant and animal species designed to allow the team to recreate Earth and its ecosystems.

    The so-called Biosphere 2 is the latest of a dozen environmental projects started by the self-titled ‘ecopreneur'. The project's main aim is to set up a self-sustaining community for possible use in a spaceship or on another planet. The crew members must plant, harvest and process their food on a half-acre farm in the seven-storey glass and metal structure, while conducting a series of experiments.

    ‘We will be custodians (监护人) of our new little world,' said Abigail Mayer, aged 31, a US marine biologist on the team, her voice choking with emotion. ‘It is a brave new step.' Many scientists, however, are more than skeptical. They point out that the largest closed ecosystem which survived more than a few days was smaller than a football. It was developed at the University of Miami and contained only shrimp, algae and other micro-organisms.

    Critics have also accused Mr. Ross of being more interested in producing a profitable theme park than in carrying out serious scientific research. Hundreds of tourists visited the site daily in the summer before it was occupied by the team. They paid $9.95 to enter and all stopped at the souvenir shop.

    Booking

    The majority of event tickets are on sale from Bath Box Office.

    Online: www. bathboxoffice.org.uk

    By email: boxoflfice@bathfesicals.org.uk

    By telephone: +44(0)1225 463362 (Monday to Friday)

    In person: Bath Box Office, Bath Visitor Information Centre, Abbey Chambers.

    Opening times: Monday-Saturday 10:30am to 5pm (Closed on Sunday)

    Tickets not on sale at Bath Box Office are indicated on our website and also in the programme.

    Travel information

    Bath will be very crowded on Saturdays，so we recommend that you start earlier for your journey considering the busy traffic.

    Find out about travelling to Bath by car，train, coach and plane. The main train station is Bath Spa, the closest airport is Bristol, and there is quite a lot of parking but it fills up quickly. National Express has coaches to and from Bath.

    Parking

    The closest car park to the Assembly Rooms (the starting point for the Promenade) is located in Charlotte Street, which is divided into several sections. Parking in the top section means the shortest walk to the start in the Assembly Rooms.

    Park and Ride will be very busy on Saturdays with visitors to the city. Please allow plenty of time to park and catch the bus, and we suggest at least one hour from parking the car to getting into the city center plus walking time from the bus stop to the Assembly Rooms.

    Accessibility

    For accessibility, please see the list. Most places are a least partly accessible. If using a wheelchair, please advise the Box office so that suitable arrangements can be made for your comfort.

    The following children's books are our top picks to read together every year on Christmas Eve.

    Snowden written by Nancy Carlson

    This book is aimed at pre-school to the third-grade children, but can be enjoyed by many older children as well. Snowden is the story of a little girl and the snowman she makes that magically comes to life. Together, the two learn to ice-skate and discover that “a little magic and a lot of practice” can make all the difference in the world. The story is heart-touching and sweet.

    The Polar Express written by Chris Van Allsburg

    A young boy cannot sleep on Christmas Eve and is swept away by a steam engine on a trip to the North Pole. During the adventure, the message is that believing will keep you young at heart. The bell that the boy receives and his belief are both touching. The illustrations leave enough to the imagination to make it easy to fall into the story yourself.

    A Snowman Named Just Bob Written by Mark Kimball Moulton

    This book shares a tale of lasting friendship and teaches the lesson that friendship is always in your heart. The illustrations are beautiful and the text is eye-catching. The lessons are taught in such a way that they do not overshadow (使失色) the actual story. I tear up every time I read this book to my children.

    It is that time of year when people need to lock their cars. It's not because there are a lot of criminals running around stealing cars. Rather, it's because of the good-hearted neighbors who want to share their harvest. Especially with this year's large crop, leaving a car unlocked in my neighborhood is an invitation for someone to stuff it full of zucchini（西葫芦）.

    My sister-in-law, Sharon, recently had a good year for tomatoes. She and her family had eaten and canned so many that they began to feel their skin turn slightly red. That's when she decided it was time to share her blessings. She started calling everyone she knew. When that failed, she began to ask everyone in the neighborhood like a politician, eventually finding a neighbor delighted to have the tomatoes. "Feel free to take whatever you want," Sharon told her. She felt happy that she could help someone and that the food didn't go to waste.

    A few days later, Sharon answered the door. There was the neighbor, holding some bread. The neighbor smiled pleasantly, "I want to thank you for all of the tomatoes, and I have to admit that I took a few other things and hope you wouldn't mind."

    Sharon couldn't think of anything else in her garden that had been worth harvesting and said no. "Oh, but you did," the neighbor said. "You had some of the prettiest zucchini I've ever seen."

    Sharon was confused. Zucchini in her garden? They hadn't even plated any zucchini. But her neighbor insisted that there really were bright-green zucchini in her garden. The two of them walked together into the backyard. When the neighbor pointed at the long green vegetables, Sharon smiled, "Well, actually, those are cucumbers that we never harvested, because they got too big, soft and bitter for eating or canning."

    The neighbor looked at Sharon, shock written all over her face. Then she smiled, and held out the bread that she had shared all over the neighborhood, "I brought you a loaf of cucumber bread. I hope you like it."

    My kids lifted the Christmas ornaments (饰品) out of a wooden box in Gee's living room. They were so happy and excited to see tiny stuffed cats and cartoon characters. Gee stood beside them, quietly explaining each treasure. She told me that she and Tom built their Christmas ornament collection piece by piece each year. She smiled as we left with the box, because her precious heirlooms, gathered over a life time, had found a new home.

    We first met Tom and Gee in the early days of our marriage. Someone had been returning our garbage cans to the garage, and Jim and I had wondered who One day we spotted him: a man who lived across the street. I baked cookies and left them on a bench outside the garage with a thank-you note. We then found a typed letter from Tom, explaining that he had begun returning cans for people he hardly knew, because neighbors had done this for Gee when he was in hospital. Now he paid it forward by doing the same for all of us.

    A few years after we'd moved in, Tom died, much to our sorrow. Gee told us she still talked to Tom every day. When we left her house with the precious box, I realized how hard it must be for Gee to part with that box, a piece of Tom.

    These days, we're planning a move. The house that seemed so huge six years ago is filled with furniture, books, toys and, of course, people. We know it's time to go, but soon realize gaining a third bedroom seems like a bad trade for all we stand to lose.

    This Christmas, we'll decorate our tree with Gee and Tom's ornaments. Maybe I'll talk to Tom just as Gee still does. Thank you, I'll say For teaching us what it means to be a neighbor.

    A Christmas Carol was written by Charles Dickens. The first 6,000 copies of the book were sold out in a week. And the book has inspired many plays and movies. The first play was put on in 1844. The first two movies were silent films made in 1901 and 1908. Since then, the story has been remade more than 60 times for television and cinema. What makes such a tale so attractive? Audiences have always loved a good plot, a villain(反面人物)who harms other people or breaks the law, and the ending of right over wrong. The book offers all three.

    The book tells the story of a man named Ebenezer Scrooge. He is mean and cruel(残忍的)to his clerk and turns away his only living relative. One night, Scrooge is visited by three spirits. The first shows scenes from Scrooge's youth that led to this present state. The second takes him to the homes of his clerk and his nephew. Here Scrooge sees that people can be happy without lots of money. The spirit also shows him the desperate poor people of London. The third spirit shows Scrooge will die alone, and no one will care if he continues to live as he has. At last the message is understood, and Scrooge repents. He becomes generous and caring to all around him, especially to his clerk's sick son, Tiny Tim.

    Every year, thousands of people watch A Christmas Carol. Why? They may be touched by its lessons on the true meanings of wealth and happiness. They may enjoy the special effects and feelings or watching every year may be just a habit. Viewers never seem to grow tired of the old miser(守财奴), Scrooge, and his dramatic message of hope and change.