Everybody hates rats. But rats may soon be man's new best friends.

    What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue (援救) dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can't get into small space. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.

    How does it work? First, the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat's brain gives a signal. This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When the rat's brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.

    Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. "Robots' noses don't work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that," says a scientist. Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don't need electricity.

    The "rat project" is not finished, but a scientist says, "It would be fantastic. A rat could get into space we couldn't get to and a rat would get out if it wasn't safe." Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building (but only after an earthquake, of course).

    Dave is my good friend. He1in a small village. His home is far2his school and the roads are not good, So it is3for him to get to school. He4at about six o'clock every day and has breakfast quickly. Then he leaves for school at about six twenty. First, he5his bike to the bus station. It takes about forty minutes. Then he takes the No. 12 bus. It usually takes6about fifty minutes. Sometimes he has no time for breakfast at home,7he has some food on the bus.

    "I dream of taking8, It must be9." says Dave. He hopes (希望) he can go to college(上大学) in a big city some day,10? Because then he can take a train to the big city!

   Hye-seung Hyun is a girl from South Korea韩国). She lives with her parents, sister and brother in Seoul. What isher school day like?

   Hyungets up at seven. Her family usually eats breakfast at half past seven. Momoften makes breakfast.

   Hyungoes to school at 8:15. Classes in the morning are from 9:00 to 12:00. Thereare usually three lessons. Hyun loves art best.

   Hyunhas lunch at school at 12:30. She doesn't have time to go home. Classes in theafternoon are from 13:00 to 15:00.

   Afterhaving a swimming lesson in the afternoon, Hyun has dinner at six. Afterdinner, she practices English and the piano. She goes to bed at 22:00. Beforeit, she talks with her family for some time.

I'm living in a small village in the countryside. My wife and I run(经营) a cake shop. We live a very peaceful life. Someone might say our simple life is boring. But we love it. We know all the people in the village. I have much time for my hobbies-- gardening, fishing and walking in the countryside. I love the outdoor activities.

 Three years ago, in 2020, I had a really terrible job in a company. I used to work very late in the office from Monday to Thursday. Usually I went home the latest on Thursdays. Luckily I could go home early on Fridays, but I had to bring work home on weekends. Because of the job, I used to smoke and drink too much.

 One day, my wife, a P. E. teacher, decided to leave me. She complained(抱怨) that she seldom saw me. She also said that I had become not humorous but serious since having the job. This made me realize what was really important to me. We talked and decided to start a new and happy life together. Last year,I gave up the job. Of course, I also gave up smoking and drinking and took up new hobbies.

NASA has been trying hard to explore the space. The recent developments include, the launch* of the James Webb Space Telescope, the successful asteroid* hit by the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spaceship, and the launch of the most powerful rocket ever built for the Artemis mission. The James Webb Space Telesco pe is the biggest and most powerful telescope ever built. It can see through dust in the universe and find new stars hiding inside those clouds. Even more exciting, it will try to find signs of Life on planets far away!

The telescope has been working for more than a year and has caught some amazing images and data. One example is an image of a huge star called Wolf- Rayet 124, which weighs about 10 times heavier than our sun, reported the Space website.

DART spaceship is another breakthrough for NASA. It will be used to keep Earth safe from asteroids. In September 2022, NASA tested it by hitting an asteroid called Dimorphos. The goal was to change its orbit*

Finally, we have the Mega Moon Rocket! This rocket is the most powerful one ever made and it's being used to help us get closer to Mars. NASA successfully launched it on Nov 16, 2022, and it had a 26- day trip around the moon. This is the first step of NASA's Artemis mission, which plans to set up a base on the moon for people to use in the future.

Despite the program's high cost, NASA believes that the Artemis project is worth it as it will be a key next step in the story of human exploration. As NASA administrator Bill Nelson told the BBC," This time we' re going to learn how to live in that bad environment for long periods of time all with the purpose of one day going to Mars." 

Riding bikes is becoming more and more popular all over the world. Many people like riding in their daily lives. The following are some students' ideas about it:

◆ Lily: Having a night bike riding in a big city is really good for us. When we're riding around the city, we open our eyes. Many people travel by bike. They say travelling by bike gives them a chance to see the world differently. 

◆ Tom: If you live in a city full of cars, a bike can help to save your time. You don't need to pay different kinds of vehicle taxes (车税). It helps you save money. 

◆ Peter: It's good for the environment. You should just start from yourself, do something to reduce air pollution and keep the air clean. Then try to ride a bike to school or to work. 

◆ Mark: Now, we are so busy that we often don't have time to exercise. Riding can give us the chance. It is good for our mind and body. 

Do you think it's your turn to live a safe, happy and healthy life now?