Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.

    Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses(球场) in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.

    There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don't need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don't have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.

    Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be "green gyms". They are better replacements(代替物) for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it's free.

    What's more exciting than having a fresh hot pizza delivered to your door? How about having it brought to you by a robot? Thanks to Domino's Robotic Unit or DRU, that just became a reality! On March 8, the three-foot tall robot delivered its first pizza to some lucky residents in Brisbane, Australia.

    The fully autonomous DRU is the result of a cooperation between Domino's Pizza Australia and Marathon Robotics.The 450-pound machine that travels at a maximum speed of 12.4 miles an hour can traverse a distance of up to 12 miles and back, before requiring a battery recharge. LIDAR, a laser-based sensor technology similar to the one used in self-driving cars, enables DRU to detect and avoid obstacles, while traditional sensors, much like those used in vacuum robots ensure its path is safe as it heads to its destination.   

    The robot can fit up to ten pizzas and even has a separate cold area to accommodate drink orders.To access their fond, customers have to enter the unique code provided by the company.This is not only ensures that they pick up the right pizza, but also prevents the pies from getting stolen.

    Scientists expert additional DRU's to be ready for service in their various Queensland locations within the next six months. But don't expect these super cute robots to replace humans anytime soon. According to Domino's the DRU still needs extensive testing, which the company believes could take up to two years.

    And then there is also the issue of regulations.The public use of autonomous vehicles is still banned in most countries.But Don Meij, the CEO and Managing Director of Domino's Pizza Australia New Zealand Ltd, is not worried.He is “confident that one day DRU will become an   integral part of the Domino's family.”

Senses That Work Together

    When we think about how our senses work, we usually imagine them operating separately: you sniff a flower, and the smell is delivered uninterrupted from nose to brain. However, it's more complex than that. Most evidence for cross modal perception (知觉) comes from studies into sound and vision (视觉). But research that shows other senses crossing over is coming out all the time, and it seems that even sound and smell sometimes form an unlikely pairing.

    When New York researchers, Daniel Wesson and Donald Wilson, tried to find out the truth about a "mysterious” area of the brain called the olfactory tubercle, they had to deal with this fact. Originally, they only intended to measure how olfactory tubercle cells in mice responded to smell. But during testing, Wesson noticed that every time he put his coffee cup down, the mouse cells jumped in activity. In fact, the olfactory tubercle is well-placed to receive both smell and sound information from the outside world. Later they found that among separate cells, most responded to a smell but a significant number were also active when a sound was made. Some cells even behaved differently when smell and sound were presented together, by increasing or decreasing their activity.

    Of course, mice aren't people, so research team has been carrying out further experiments. They pulled together a group of people and gave them various drinks to smell. Participants were asked to sniff the drinks, and then match them to appropriate musical instruments and produce the notes at different levels. The results were interesting: piano was regularly paired with fruity fragrances; strong smells sounded like the instruments that are made of metal.

    Further research found that listening to different sounds can change your perceptions. Studying taste this time, the team ordered some special toffee (太妃糖) and put together “soundscapes” corresponding to bitterness and sweetness. Participants tasted similar pieces of toffee while listening to each soundscape, and found the toffee more bitter or sweeter, depending on which soundrack they were listening to.

    Studies like this are helping scientists correctly describe our understanding of the senses, and how the brain combines them with its advantage. The consequences are worth considering. Could we see musicians work together with chefs to produce sound-improved food and drink? Will you be ordering a coffee with a soundrack to bring out your favorite smell? Come to think of it, that could be one thing you hope coffee shop chains don't get round to.

    North Cascades National Park Recruitment Notice

    Recruiting Youth Age 15-18

    For Summer Jobs

    With the Youth Conservation Corps

    At North Cascades National Park

    North Cascades National Park is recruiting(招聘) for four to six youth age 15-18 for this summer's Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) in Marblernount, Washington from June 15 through August 7, 2019. Selections will be made during the second week of May. The work schedule will be Monday-Friday from 8: 00 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. (8 hour shift). The rate of pay is $ 9. 47 per hour.

    MAJOR DUTIES

    The enrollees(入选者) will work with the park employees and will often be assisting them. The enrollees' work will include seed collecting, planting. transplanting, fertilizing, and weeding of native plants. Other work may include setting picnic tables for visitors, ground keeping path protection, painting, brush clearing, and digging. The use of hand tools for digging, cutting, sweeping, and carpentry may be required.

    SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED

    Enrollees must be able to follow written and oral instructions and must be able to learn and follow safe work habits. Enrollees must come to work on time and would like to learn to use the various tools needed for the work.

    PHYSICAL EFFORT

    Enrollees may be lifting and carrying objects up to 50 pounds, such as packages, tools, and backpacks. They must be able to walk five or six miles per day, sometimes over difficult fields.

    WORKING CONDITIONS

    Enrollees must be prepared to work under conditions that include heat, cold, rain, wind and/or biting insects. Conditions might also include dirt, (lust and noise. Transportation will be provided from Marblemount to work sites in the park each day. Please direct questions or requests for assistance in completing the application form to Stacy McDonough, North Cascades National Park Service Complex, and 360-854-7276.

    Applications are available

    On line at http://www.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/youthprograms/ycc.htm.

    At Local high schools in Skagit County.

    At North Cascades National Park Service Complex office at 810 State Route 20 SedroWoolley.

    By phone or email from Stacy McDonough at 360-854-7276, stacy_mcdonough@nps. gov.

    Completed applications must be received no later than 4:3(1 pm on Friday, May 1. 2019 at

    North West Servicing Human Resources Office (NW SHRO)

    Mount Rainier National Park

    ATfN-Danielle Gardner

    55210-238th

    Avenue East Ashford WA, 98304

    Working or learning in a foreign country can be a difficult experience. The hardest part of working abroad isn't finding a place to stay or learning the language. It's learning to overcome the culture shock.

    These things are part of everyday life, and include many signs, gestures, facial expressions, and customs. When we enter a new culture, these cues (提示)are usually not present or so different that they're no longer understandable to us.

    "When a person enters a foreign culture," wrote Oberg, "all or most of these familiar cues are eliminated. He or she is like a fish out of water. No matter how broad-minded he or she may be, lots of props(支柱) have been knocked out from the environment."

    This is what happened to Lara, a young IT consultant (顾问) from America moved last year to their company in southern Europe. Three weeks after she arrived in Europe. Lara sent a desperate e-mail begging to return home. "The people are so unfriendly, "Lara wrote ,"They eat at strange hours and I'm starting to get allergic (过敏的)to the local food. I can't get anything done because their way of doing business is so disorganized and so inefficient and I have a terrible skin itch because of the water. I want to come home! "

    What Lara and other IT consultants meet on their first assignment abroad is a culture shock. While you can't prevent the culture shock from happening, you can take some measures to cut down its effects.