I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career.

    I wasn't an excellent student because I didn't do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn't have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn't the type to have a career.

    I then found myself a job — looking after two little girls. It wasn't too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she'd give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn't often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.

    One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification（资格证书）if I wanted to work with children. I didn't think I would be accepted because I didn't take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part-time course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.

    Now I've got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren't top of the class at school.

Marco Polo

    Marco Polo was born in Italy in 1254. A traveller and businessman, he was one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia and into China. His journey lasted 24 years.

    He set out, aged 17, with his father Nicolo and his uncle Maffeo on their great journey to China. They sailed south from Venice, Italy and stopped off in the Middle East. They ofen carried on overland to Persia (now Iran), through the Pamir Mountains and the Gobi Desert before they got to Beijing, China.At that time, China was more advanced than Europe. They already had paper, so large numbers of books were available. They also used paper money in many parts of the country.

    After he got back to Italy, Marco Polo talked about his experiences in China, and he wrote a book describing the riches of Asia. His book was the first western record of porcelain(瓷器), coal, gunpowder, printing and silk.Unfortunately, not many people believed Polo's stories and he became known as “the man of a million lies”. He died in 1324.

Jacques Cousteau

    Jacques Cousteau was a French undersea explorer, environmentalist and inventor. He was born in France in 1910. When he was young, he was attracted by the sea, machines and filmmaking. In the French navy, Cousteau began exploring underwater and worked on a special breathing machine which allowed divers to stay underwater for several hours. This gave them time to really look around under the ocean. In 1948, Cousteau began travelling the world's oceans in his research ship Calypso.Cousteau produced many films and books about his underwater experiences, including the TV series The Underwater World of Jacques Cousteau, which introduced the public to the world of sharks, whales, dolphins and treasure.

    Cousteau started the Cousteau Society to protect ocean life. In 1989, he received a great honour: he was made a member of the French Academy. Finally, after a long and varied life, Cousteau died on 25^th June, 1997.

Yellowstone Weather

    Yellowstone National Park is at lofty height. Height. Most of the park is above2,275meters.

    Yellowstone's weather is unpredictable. In summer, it may be warm and sunny with temperatures in the high 70s. At night in any given month, the temperature may drop close to freezing. So it is best to come prepared for cold evenings and mornings,especially if you are camping or hiking. When you leave your campsite,please leave it prepared for possible thundershower and wind.

A sunny warm day may become fiercely stormy with wind, rain, sleet and sometimes snow. Without enough clothing, an easy day hike or boat trip can turn into a battle for survival.

    A shopping center is a place where many different shops and stores are collected under one roof. You can buy everything there and there are also banks, restaurants and, sometimes, a post office.

    There are other places in the United States which are called five-and–ten-cent stores because they used to sell things for 5 to 10 cents. Today they sell almost anything and some of the things cost several dollars. Supermarkets are found in all the cities. They sell food and many other goods. You walk around the supermarket, choose the things you want, put them into a special basket prepared by the store and pay for them all together at the door. Supermarkets often stay open later than other stores.

    Stores are usually open every day of the week except on Sunday. Some close on Saturdays in July and August.

    Plan on traveling around the USA this summer? If you need help in arranging the trip, or want ideas about where to go and what to do, there are a number of outstanding websites that can make your American dream come true.

    Wolves travel shorter distances and move slower during snowfall events, according to new research by University of Alberta biologists. The effects were most pronounced at night, when wolves hunt, and behaviour returned to normal within a day. Wolf tracks across snow in northeastern Alberta.

    "Our findings suggest that there is something about actively falling snow that causes wolves to slow down," said Amanda Droghini, a former MSc student in the Department of Biological Science and lead author on the study. "We don't know the exact mechanism behind that. It's unlikely that they were staying still because they were feasting on a recent kill. Instead, active precipitation(降雪量)might affect wolves' hunting abilities. Like rain, snow clears the air column of scent molecules. So, maybe falling snow makes it harder for wolves to detect the smell of prey."

    Over the course of two winters, the researchers used remote cameras to disclose snowfall events and estimate snow depth. To study wolf movement, they collected telemetry(测距仪) data from 17 wolves to calculate travel speed and duration, as well as resting periods. It is the first study to examine how large flesh-eating animals respond to snowfall events.

    With the effects of climate change on precipitation in the north forest region uncertain, it is difficult to predict the implications for wolf populations. Studies such as these increase our understanding of how large mammals react to normal snowfall events, but the type and amount of winter precipitation will likely have an impact on animal behavior and the energetic cost of movement.

    "Winter is already challenging for many wildlife species because moving through snow requires more energy. Snow can also make it harder for animals to access food resources," said Droghini, who conducted the research under the supervision of Professor Stan Boutin, Alberta Biodiversity Conservation Chair.

    "Anything that increases those costs, such as increased rain-on-snow events, could lead to lacking in nutrition, poor body condition, and even starvation as animals are unable to make up for those additional costs. That is one of the worst-case scenarios(设想)but, in truth, we know very little about potential changes to precipitation patterns and how wildlife will respond to those changes."