NANJING, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou will shake hands in their historic meeting scheduled in Singapore on Saturday, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Wednesday.

    The two-part meeting includes one session open to the media and another behind closed doors, said Zhang Zhijun, who is also head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, when interviewed at the Zijinshan Summit for Entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait.

    According to Zhang, Xi and Ma, as "leaders of the two sides" of the Taiwan Strait, will exchange views during the closed-door meeting.

    After the meeting, press conferences will be held by both sides. Later, the two leaders are expected to attend a dinner, said Zhang.

    Zhang said the meeting will lift cross-Strait communication to a new high.

    The landmark meeting is a breakthrough in face-to-face exchange and communication between the leaders across the Taiwan Strait after the relationship became strained following the events of 1949.

    Zhang said the meeting will improve mutual trust and allow for an exchange of opinions on handling the cross-Strait ties.

    In addition, the meeting will help strengthen the 1992 Consensus(共识), which was reached in talks between the two sides in 1992 and recognizes the one-China principle, and safeguards the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties, according to Zhang.

    Zhang added that the scheduled meeting will also benefit regional peace and stability.

    Also at Wednesday's summit, Chiang Pin-kung, former chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation, hailed the upcoming meeting between the two leaders as a milestone for cross-Strait ties.

    Chiang told the media that he believed the meeting will give a boost to the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties.

    The Humane Society of Utah,a non-profit organization,is the largest shelter in the state because it takes every animal that can be lawfully accepted.The shelter employed photographer Guinevere Shuster,from New York,who came up with a creative way to find new homes for the dogs.She took lively photos for them.

The 31-year-old created sets of four pictures showing the playful and serious sides of each animal.Guinevere Shuster tried her best to show these dogs the way they'd really look if you allowed them into your life.She said,"I'm always trying to imagine better ways to make the poor animals attractive to the public.The photos show their great personalities and are a much better way than presenting them as the sad dogs waiting to be taken home.I'm lucky because I get to connect the two things I love most,animals and photography."

Guinevere says she finds it easy to work with dogs.She said,"It's just me and the dog in the office so they can pay their attention to the photo-taking.I use a lot of treats and some funny noises I've learned to get the dogs' attention. A fun method is to throw treats at the dogs-it's useful for getting unusual looks from them."

    Since starting the project,a number of dogs have been taken home by dog lovers after they saw Guinevere's pictures on the Humane Society of Utah's Facebook page.In the last three years,she has photographed more than 4,000 animals.This year,the shelter has placed nearly 9,000 homeless pets into their permanent homes.

    Five million people visit Grand Canyon in the US every year. For the purpose of helping project Grand Canyon for your fellow visitors and future generations, please follow the guidelines below.

   Camping

    To project the park, camping is allowed only within permitted campgrounds. Permits are required for overnight camping at the North Rim. Advance booking can be received by mail. Please write: Information Center, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

    Fires

    Because of the extreme fire danger, campfires are not allowed except at Mather and Desert View campgrounds. Collection of firewood is not allowed either.

    Hiking

    Please stay on permitted paths. Otherwise you may destroy desert plants. Pack out what you pack in, so you leave no signs of your visit. It is important to keep in mind that you are in a national park where wildlife exists.

    Weather

    The weather at Grand Canyon can change very quickly. With so much rock, lightning causes a particular danger during sudden summer storms. These storms also frequently bring floods inside valleys, a danger to hikers. Watch the skies and check daily weather reports.

    Wildlife

    Do not feed park wildlife. There have been a few cases at Grand Canyon National Park where deer were purposely shot because they ate plastic bags that left them sick and weak. Hungry deer can be danger and have kicked and bitten visitors at Grand Canyon. Some other animals will also beg and bite. For your own safety and the well-being of the animals, please do not feed wildlife, no matter how gentle they may appear.

    New research has found that even if you give up smoking, the damage it has done to your genes（基因）will stay there for a much longer time.

    In the research, a team of US scientists studied the blood of 16, 000 people. Among them, some were smokers, some used to smoke, and the rest were non-smokers. Scientists compared their genes and found that more than 7, 000 genes of smokers had changed a number that is one-third of known human genes.

    According to NBC News, both heart disease and cancer are caused by genetic changes. Some people may have had the changes when they were born, but most people get them in their day-to-day lives while doing things like smoking.

    When you stop smoking, a lot of these genes will return to normal within five years. This means your body is trying to heal（治愈）itself of the harmful effects of smoking. But the changes in some of the genes stay for longer. They can stay for as long as 30 years. It's almost like leaving a footprint on wet cement（水泥）— it will always be there, even when you've walked away and when the cement becomes dry.

    Although the study results may make people unhappy, there is a bright side: the findings could help scientists invent medicine to treat genetic damage caused by smoking or find ways to tell which people have heart disease or cancer ricks.

How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feelings

    Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical（经验的，实证的） basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused and lead to relaxation.

    Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room's ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.

    In additions to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant's ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.

    Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off  academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.

    Recent study on room lighting design suggests than dim（暗淡的） light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.

    So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. "We have a very limited number of studies, so we're almost looking at the problem through a straw（吸管）," architect David Allison says. "How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That's what we're all struggling with."

    If you could sail around the world with only one companion, who would you choose? Guirec Soudee, a 24-year-old man from France, chose his pet chicken.

    Soudee has been sailing around the world for two years. No matter which country he sails to, Monique, the hen, is by his side. He found her in the Canary Islands and knew right away they were meant to be best companions. "I didn't speak any Spanish and she didn't speak any French, however, we could always have a small talk, even though she didn't understand me." Soudee joked.

    He had always wanted a companion for his journey and originally thought about bringing a cat, before deciding it would be too much work to look after on a boat. Upon meeting Monique, Soudee realized a hen was the perfect choice. He believed they could communicate with each other well.

    Not only does it cost little to raise Monique, but she lays eggs as well — some things that are always a plus in a situation where storing a lot of food can be a challenge. She lays about six eggs a week on average, even in cold climates like Greenland, where Soudee and Monique are docked(进港) now.

    And what happens when the weather at sea gets bad? Usually Soudee lets Monique stay freely on the boat, but when the winds get terrible he ensures she is safe in her hutch so that she doesn't fall out of his boat and into the sea. Another thing Soudee must care for is the rule in every country he visits. They had met with customs officials in Canada. He was permitted to keep her, but he knows they might not always be so lucky.

    Although Monique can sometimes get on his nerves, Soudee says she's much better than a human companion aboard. "She follows me everywhere. All I need to do is shout 'Monique!' and she will come to me, sit on me, listen to my small talk and give me company," he said.

    After visiting Greenland, they'll head down the Bering Strait to Nome, Alaska. From there the destination is undecided, but Soudee will certainly discuss where they should travel to next with Monique.