Native to America, the cane toad (癞蛤蟆) was introduced to Northern Queensland 70 years ago to control sugarcane beetles (甘蔗害虫). The toads failed in that duty but spread across Queensland and into neighboring northern areas.

    Now it calmly invades(侵略) the stats of Western Australia and New South Wales ( NSW). NSW wildlife experts fear the amphibians － which have poisonous backs that kill hungry predators (食肉动物) 一will have a terrible effect on native animals.

    Those fears may be about to be realized. Australia's leading government research body, the Commonwealth Science and Industry Research Organization (CSIRO), forecasts that a rise in average temperatures will make NSW an ideal living place for the cane toads.

    Tony Robinson, head of CSIRO's Wildlife, Pests, and Diseases Program, said climate change is increasing the amount of suitable living place for the cane toads.

    “With climate change, the cane toads might go down as far as Sydney and some areas of Western Australia,” Robinson said.

Recent estimates put the pace of the toads' westward march at nearly 17 miles (27 kilometers) a year and slightly slower from north to south.

    “More southerly (南部的) cities, such as Melbourne and Adelaide, would likely remain too cold and dry to ever suit the toads,” Robinson noted, “but Perth could expect cane toads in five years' time.”

    Sydney could see their arrival in the next 20 years.

    Robinson said there is no method that will keep the toads under control.

    The cane toads already cover at least half of Queensland and most of the northern country. The toads are believed to number in the billions.

    A Venezuelan virus was tried in the 1990s but had to be given up after it was found to also kill native frog species. Scientists and governmental bodies believe a national approach is needed.

    The main threat the toads cause to species such as dingoes, and crocodiles is the poison contained in glands (腺) on each of their shoulders. The poison sprays out when the toads are threatened or handled roughly. The poison is made up of 14 different chemicals.

    Cane toads also compete, and usually win, the hunt for food and living space.

    "”If the government and other states combine resources, I believe we can achieve a very practical biological-control research program,” Bums said.

    Once an Englishman named Jack Brown went to Russia for a holiday. He stayed there for several months and then came home again. Some of his friends visited him a few days after he got back. "I had a very dangerous trip while I was in Russia," Jack said to them. "I wanted to see a friend of mine in the country and the bad weather made me very late. So I was still traveling through a forest in a sleigh(雪橇) when the sun went down. It was a long way from my friend's house when about twenty wolves began to follow my sleigh. It was very dark in the forest. There was thick snow on the ground. It was cold, and there were no houses for miles and miles. First I heard the wolves. The noise was terrible! The horses heard them, too. They were frightened and began running faster. Then I saw long, gray forms among the trees, and soon the wolves were near us. They were running very fast, and they didn't seem to get tired like the horses."

    "What did you do?" one of Jack's friends asked.

    "When the wolves got very near," Jack answered, "I put up my gun and shot the first wolf. The sleigh was moving about, but I hit the animal and killed it. Then all the other wolves stopped and ate it, so our sleigh got away from them for a few minutes."

    "Then they finished their meal, and I heard them coming again. The moon was shining brightly on the snow now, and after a few minutes I saw them running among the trees once more. They came nearer again, and then I shot another of them, and the others stopped once more to eat it."

    "The same thing happened again and again, and my horses became more and more tired and ran slower and slower until, after about two hours, only one wolf was still alive and following us."

    "Wasn't it too fat to run?" one of his friends asked.

    A British-designed electronic newspaper which is made of plastic and no larger than a table mat(垫子) is to enter the market next year. The new newspaper was conceived(想出) by Cambridge University scientists. They came up with the idea of replacing silicon chips (硅片) with plastic ones. It is being developed by Plastic Logic, a company based in Dresden, Germany.

    "It looks just like a table mat, and is as light as a magazine. But you can download hundreds of newspapers at the touch of a button, and read them quite safely," the BBC reported on its website.

    The plastic paper is produced in a safe "clean room" at the Plastic Logic factory, which opened last month as the world's first plastic-electronics factory. Every part of the product, from the screen to the electronics, is made of plastic. And it is described by engineer Dean Baker as "top quality". Baker says the plastic newspaper could help solve the problem of waste material associated with traditional newspapers.

    "There's a huge amount of waste. We have paper distributed（分发）all over the country each day and then thrown into the bin. This doesn't need to happen any more. All of the copies could be made electronically and stored on a single ereader with the appearance of paper." he says.

    People can expect to see the plastic newspaper next year, the BBC says.

    Brazil, the largest country in South America, is famous for the Amazon rainforest and soccer. But on the hottest days, people travel there for another reason – the Carnival. Full of excitement and fun, the Carnival is held annually in February or March. This year, the celebration runs from March 2^nd to 9^th.

    It is a wild festival of food, music and dance. The word "Carnival" comes from the Portuguese "Carne Vale", which means "farewell to meat". In the early 1600s, the Portuguese brought European traditions to Brazil. Then they started their own carnival with dances and music, which were inspired by black people brought there by the slave trade.

    With its beautiful floats (花车), attractive clothes and happy people, the Samba Parade is the most fantastic event of the Carnival. The Sambadrome is a special stadium for the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro with 80,000 seats where people can sit and enjoy the festival. Samba is said to be the soul of Rio. "This is where the passion for samba lies – the atmosphere is electric as even the oldest men and women sing and dance to the music," travel guidebook Lonely Planet noted.

    Top samba schools stand out in the main parade, with fantastic parades of floats and thousands of dancers. The parade goes on until dawn. The schools base their performances on certain themes from Brazilian history or on social and environmental problems, such as that of the Amazon rainforest.

    Besides fun street parties, colorful costumes and energetic music, Carnival also offers plenty of tasty street food, such as Quindim – a dessert made of egg yolks and sugar.

Overall, it is traditionally a time to go a bit crazy with eating, dancing and dressing up.

Unbelievable Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans

    ◆Horses are picky eaters

    Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔) , their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can't sense. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully move around meadows, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.

    ◆Whale says thanks

    In 2011, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and leaped into the air about 40 times.

    ◆Pandas like to be naughty

    Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies. They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. Pandas are shy by nature for its shy behaviors such as covering its face with a paw of ducking its head when confronted by a stranger.

    ◆A cat honors its owner

    Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three-year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner Iozzelli Renzo's grave every day since the man died in September 2011. Renzo adopted Toldo from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away, Toldo followed the coffin to the cemetery, and now "stands guard" at the grave for hours at a time.

Finger painting is an art that most people have experienced in childhood. But there are still people who know little about this art form. Finger painting is a simple activity that involves dipping fingers in paints and then using fingers to create objects and shapes on a piece of paper. All you need is a table at elbow height, a few sheets of plain paper, and a few bottles of watercolor. 

When engaging kids in this activity, one should use non-toxic (无毒的) paints only. If not available in the market readily, non-toxic paints can be made at home easily. Preferably, the paints should also be eatable. Finger paints come in bright colors and can be purchased relatively inexpensively. Adults can save money by making their own finger paints using a mixture of cornstarch, food coloring and water.

It is a common fallacy that finger painting is for children alone, rather it's an activity that can be enjoyed by adults in equal measure. Adults can use rubber gloves while painting to avoid dirty marks of paints on their hands. When a group of people are gathered for an exercise of finger painting, it can be a great way of creating a bond between the group. Art and painting parties are a popular concept in the West. Organizations can also use finger painting as a team-building activity by making participants paint together on a large canvas (画布).

There's no limit to the expression of feelings in finger painting. All one needs to do is go all out and put all their feelings on a piece of paper by dipping their fingers in paints. While painting, one may unconsciously choose colors that reflect their emotions. For example, you may choose the color red to express your anger or green to express hope. At times you may be confused, and the painting will help you describe your confused state of mind. Once you get your emotions on paper, you are likely to feel relieved.

So what are you waiting for? Plan a finger-painting session soon, and experience the joy.