Walk For Charity

Dear Friend,

    Please join us for our annual Walk For Charity.Starting in Weldown,you and your friends can choose a delightful 10,20 or 30 kilometers' route.

    The money raised will provide support to help people all over the world.Start collecting your sponsors now and then simply come along on the day.Please read the instructions below carefully,especially if you require transport to and from Weldown.

    See you on Sunday 15 April.

    V Jessop: Walk coordinator

    PS.Well done to last year's walkers for helping to raise a grand total of ￡21,000.The money has already been used to build a children's playground.

    START TIME:

    30 km: 8-10 am      20 km: 8-10:30 am      10 km: 8-11:30 am

    The organizers reserve the right to refuse late-comers.

    CLOTHING should be suitable for the weather.If rain is forecast,bring some protection and be prepared for all possibilities.It is better to wear shoes that have been worn in,rather than ones that are new.

    ROUTE MAPS will be available from the registration point.The route will be sign-posted and arranged.Where the route runs along the road,walkers should keep to one side in single file,facing oncoming traffic at all times.If you need help along the route,please inform one of the staff.

    Free car parking is available in car parks and on streets in Weldown.

    BUSES:

    For the 10 and 20 kilometers' routes,a bus will be waiting at Fenton to take walkers back to Weldown.The bus will leave every half hour starting at midday.The service is free and there is no need to book.

    The National Air and Space Museum in Washington，DC has thousands of objects on display，including the 1903 Wright Flyer，Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St．Louis，the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia，and a lunar rock you can touch．In addition to our exhibition galleries，you may want to visit the Albert Einstein Planetarium，Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater，and the Public Observatory on the east end．There are many things to do at the Museum in DC．We offer daily tours and educational activities for both children and adults．We also have scheduled lectures and events throughout the year．

Hours & Admission：Open every day except December 25．Admission is free．

    Regular hours：10：00 am to 5：30 pm

    Extended Hours：10：00 am to 7：30 pm

    December 26-30，2016

    March 30-April 20，2017

    Fridays and Saturdays，April 24-May 16，2017

    May 17-September 7，2017

    VISITING TIPS：

    Limit the Number of Bags：All visitors are screened through metal detectors upon entry．The fewer items you bring inside the Museum，the faster your entry．Before you visit，please review the list of prohibited items，which include pocket knives and tripods（三脚架）．Visitors carrying prohibited items will not be allowed inside the museum，so please leave them at home or in your car．

    No food and Drink：Only bottled water is permitted in the Museum．You may only consume food and other drinks in the Food Court，not in the Museum．Groups who bring food are encouraged to picnic on the National Mall．

Please Take Photos：You are welcome to take photos for personal use．However，tripods and monopods（单脚架） are not permitted without approval．

    First Aid：The Museum has a First Aid office and a nurse on duty．Please contact the nearest security officer or the Welcome Center for assistance．

    Visit the Welcome Center：At our Welcome Center in the South Lobby，staff and volunteers can answer any questions you have during your visit．

    Phone：202-633-2214

    E-mail：NASM-VisitorServices@si．edu

    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 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.

    For the first time in the history of the Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou marathons, fourteen blind runners competed in the Nov 6 Hangzhou Marathon this year with the assistance of personal guides. Each runner was supported by 4 or 5 volunteers. Among them was Yan Wei, from a running group called “Running in the Dark”, which specially provides training for blind runners.

    During trainings, blind runners are each accompanied by three volunteers. One volunteer is responsible for removing any obstacles（障碍物）on the road and controlling the pace. The second volunteer acts as a lookout for other runners or vehicles on the path while the third, who is attached to the blind runner by a safety rope, takes note of the trainee's running gait and pace.

    Zhu Peihua, the leader of the group's Shanghai branch, first developed a passion for running last year when he took part in a guided running activity. Zhu said that he was so fascinated with the sport that he even bought a treadmill（跑步机）so that he could train at home. “Running gives me the chance to be outside and take in the fresh air. The activity has also made me more willing to talk to people. It's simply good for health, ” said Zhu.

    The popularity of guided running activities for blind people has been growing since last year. Cheng Yi, a volunteer at Running in the Dark's Hangzhou branch, said that both the numbers of blind runners and volunteers to become assistants to them are rising continually. However, he added that volunteers face a more physically demanding task compared to a regular runner. Some of the other challenges involve being aware of the verbal(口头的) instructions one gives.

     “At the beginning, I kept saying ‘here' and ‘there' instead of ‘left' or 'right' which is much more specific and relevant to the runner. A blind runner once collided with another runner because of my mistake. Luckily, no one was hurt,” said Cheng. Through everything, according to Cheng, he and many of the blind runners he has guided become close friends with shared topics and increased understandings.

    If a stranger offered you money to keep a suitcase in your spare room，would you accept? How about the other way round：if you had too many belongings，would you consider trusting someone you met online with their safekeeping? Anthony Paine believed enough of us would answer “yes” to these questions to launch his own startup(新兴公司)，Stashbee．His business links people with space to those who need it．

    And it's just one player in the booming “sharing economy”，an industry that relies on people renting out things like their beds，bikes and even parking spaces．Airbnb，a company valued at 200bn RMB，provides a platform for those renting property short-term．DogVacay pairs holidaymaking pet owners with pet-friendly hosts，and aims to be profitable by 2017．

    All their business models revolve around one simple word：trust．So，how does Stashbee measure up? BBC journalist Dougal Shaw decided to try it out for himself．He had some odds and ends to store while renovating his house，and met a host through the site who could keep them for 475 RMB for two months．All relatively smooth and painless．

    Heavyweights(行业巨头)in the traditional storage industry，such as Big Yenow and Access，aren't convinced．A representative from Access told Shaw he was skeptical about storing with “amateurs”．He considered 24／7(全天候) access to the items and better security as the main advantages of his service.

    Stashbee agree that dealing with security concerns is important，but say business success depends more on people overcoming a distrust of strangers we've been taught since childhood. They aren't alone．Companies such as Costockage，Roost and Spacer all run similar storage businesses，and are all relying on a shift in consumer attitudes．

    And the concept of social storage doesn't stop there．CityStasher believe there's a gap in the market for those who want to store things for extremely short periods of time．

    Would you try it out? It's a question of trust．

When we hold our breath and go underwater, we'll soon be unable to stand it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, there's little chance of catching up with the Sama-Bajau, who can stay underwater with a single breath for quite a long time. 

Sama-Bajau is a collective term（集合术语）that refers to several closely related native peoples. The Bajau live on long houseboats or small wooden houses that are built on the sea, close to the shore in Southeast Asia. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

 As they make their living primarily from fishing, they have become exper t free divers（自由潜水者）. Bajau divers have the longest daily diving time without breathing among allhumans. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In their free time, the kids help around the house or play on the beach. 

It appears that centuries of free diving have scientifically distinguished the Sama-Bajau. According to research, the Bajau's spleens（脾脏）are much larger than the average people's on land. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Besides, the Bajau have also developed excellent underwater vision. 

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} The main cause is massive fishing, which has made it increasingly difficult for the Bajau to make a living and rely on fishing alone. As a consequence, more and more people are leaving the seas, and apparently, it's only a matter of time before the Bajau and their amazing qualities disappear. 

A. Larger spleens can have some weaknesses. 

B. Therefore, many older divers are hard of hearing. 

C. The difference makes the Bajau quite able to dive underwater. 

D. They only go ashore to trade or seek shelter during sea storms. 

E. Bajau children master swimming and diving skills at an early age. 

F. The existence of this special group of people is threatened nowadays. 

G. With free diving training, we can increase the time underwater by a few minutes.