Discovery's astronauts arrived to an exciting celebration Wednesday as nearly 700 people crowded an airplane storage place, waving flags and holding signs that read: “Welcome Home, Astronauts!”

    The seven-person team returned to Earth on Tuesday after being the first to take a space shuttle into orbit since the Columbia disaster（灾难）of 2003. 

    “In the last two and a half years, we have been through the very worst that manned space flight can bring us, and over the past two weeks we have seen the very best,” NASA Administrator Michael Griffin told the astronauts and their families and fans Wednesday. 

    The crowd waved American flags for the U.S. astronauts and Japanese flags for crew member Soichi Noguchi, one of the spacewalkers. 

    “As a rookie（新手）astronaut, I could not ask for more,” Noguchi said, “We had three spacewalks, two extra days in space and one great team.” 

    While the homecoming has been filled with excitement for what mission controllers declared a “truly spectacular test flight”, uncertainty remains for the future of the shuttle program. 

    Shortly after Discovery rose up into space July 26, a nearly 1-pound large piece of foam insulation（泡沫绝缘材料）fell from the fuel tank-the very thing that was supposed to have been fixed after Columbia exploded. The foam missed Discovery, but NASA grounded all shuttle flights until engineers fix the problem.

    NASA ground crews examined Discovery after its return from orbit and found it in good condition, an official said Wednesday at NASA‟s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California. 

    Technicians counted 101 dings and divots, including 20 that were larger than 1 inch. Schaaf Dean, landing support group chief, said the numbers were similar to the results of other shuttle, post-landing examinations. 

A beginning examination of the shuttle's thermal（热的）blanket showed it remained undamaged during re-en-try into the Earth's air.(Agencies)

    Have you ever noticed tiny raised areas on the branches of a tree? These may have been insects. These small insects feed on tree sap (汁液). Insects on urban trees are notably more abundant than those on rural trees. As a result, urban trees suffer from heavy infestations (害虫横行), and are often unhealthy or die. To protect and restore urban trees' health, we need to determine the factors that make these tree pests more successful in urban habitats.

    Living organisms interact closely with their environment. The warmer, more drought-stressed trees harbor more successful pests than cooler, less drought-stressed trees. As cities and natural habitats become hotter and drier, damaging insects will become more abundant on urban trees.

    Trees within urban forests are valuable economically and for the environmental sustainability (可持续性) of the region. More than half of the world's population lives in cities. Across the globe, people are moving into cities at a faster rate than ever. Rapid growth may turn cities into places with harder conditions. Although cities are primarily made of buildings, roads, parking lots, and vehicles, there are still plants in them. The trees within a city are referred to as the urban forest. Urban forests offer very big benefits to human and environmental health. They improve air and water quality, provide habitat for wildlife, cool down temperatures and beautify our environment. They make cities livable.

    However, being a city tree is not easy. Heat released by human activities is trapped in cities. As a result, temperatures in urban areas are often warmer than their surrounding rural areas. We call this urban warming or the urban heat island effect. Urban habitats are mostly made of surfaces of asphalt (沥青) and concrete. These surfaces reduce the amount of rainwater that reaches tree roots. As a result, urban forests may suffer, which can negatively affect people and the environment.

    What can we do to restore urban forests? Regular irrigation when possible may help keep pest populations under control. Planting tree species that are suitable to handle heat and drought stress would also reduce the occurrence of insect pest outbreaks.

    How can you gain knowledge of the world without books or teachers? Visiting various kinds of world-famous museums may be your best choice. If you are interested ，here are 3 famous museums well worth visiting.
National Gallery, London 2017 attendance: 6,263,000

    The National Gallery originally opened in 1824 in a Pall Mall townhouse with just 38paintings. Today's collection contains over 2, 300 works from the 13th to 19th centuries, which you can appreciate free of charge. The works range in style and time period, but hey, everyone needs to see Van Gogh's Sunflowers in Room 43 at least once, for which the Museum is famous.

    Opening time: daily 10 am—6 pm Friday 10 am—9 pm

    Closed time: January and 24—26 December

    Admission: Free
National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D. C.

    2017 attendance: 7,500,000

    The National Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, hosts the world's largest collection of aviation and space artifacts. You'll see crowds flocking toward the 1903Wright Flyer and Apollo 11command module, but don't forget about NASA's often—overlooked Stardust probe.

    Hours and Admission :Open every day except December 25.

    Free admission and tickets (free) are needed.

    ⒈A maximum of 4000 free tickets will be issued each day at the museum.

    ⒉Each visitor can once collect one free ticket of the day with valid ID (Passport ).

    Regular Hours :10:00 am to 5:30 pm

    Extended Hours :10:00 am to 7:30pm Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

National Museum of China, Beijing

    2017 attendance: 7,550,000

    Founded in February 2003, this huge, well-curated museum sits on the edge of Beijing's Tiananmen Square and is free to enter. It houses more than 1.3 million exhibition pieces in its 40halls ，focused primarily on China's achievements in history, culture, and art.

    Opening Hours :9 :00—17:00

    (No Entry after 16:00) Closed on Mondays

    Museum Visiting Tips: Limit the number of bags( only one handbag is allowed ). All visitors are screened through metal detector upon entry. The fewer items you bring inside the Museum. Before you visit, please review the list of prohibited items, Visitors carrying prohibited items will not be allowed inside the Museum, s0 please leave them at home or in your car.

    No Food or Drink: Only bottled water is permitted in the Museum

    Which tablet computer should YOU be buying: They are this year's must have ... and there's a style to suit everyone.

    When Katie Stagliano was 9 years old, she was given a class project to grow her first cabbage from just one seed. She took it home and planted it in her home garden. It didn't even take her long to come up and begin to grow. But as friends came over, they pointed out that it was bigger than any of theirs. And it grew so much that the cabbage ended up weighing 40 pounds! Katie then decided that she could use this cabbage to do something nice for the community. So she took the huge cabbage to a local soup kitchen, where they used it, and cooked it with ham and rice. And because of her cabbage, 275 people were fed.

    She began to realize that gardening and helping people is what she likes to do most. So, she decided to start her first garden on a plot of land donated by her school.

    "I think if more kids get to experience gardening they would find out how cool it is and how many people can be fed if you donate your produce," said Katie. Now, just 9 years later, Katie is 18 years old, and has set up her own business called "Katie's Krops" with the help of her family friends.

    But this doesn't even come close to the other amazing part. She has raised over 200,000 dollars! And there are over 100 Katie's Krops within 33 states in the United States. She loves gardening and loves inspiring other children to experience the joy of gardening as well. As of today, her first garden is still doing amazing and is even responsible for supplying over 3,000 pounds of produce donated to local charities. Her goal now? To get 500 gardens across all 50 states.

Summer Holiday Fun 2019!

    The summer holidays are upon us again. Here is our guide to summer holiday fun in Peterborough!

    Peterborough Museum

    The Age of the Dinosaurs is the museum's main attraction this summer. Get up close to prehistoric creatures via some great hands-on exhibits! Watch out for monsters lurking around every ember! The museum is open from 10: 00 a. m. to 5: 00 p. m. Monday to Saturday, and from 12: 00 p. m. to 4: 00 p. m. on Sundays in August.

    Call 01733 864663 for details.

    Saxon Youth Club

    School holiday fun: Young people aged 13-19 will be able to produce their own music, compete in sports activities, or try their hand at cooking at Saxon Youth Club, Saxon Community Centre, Norman Road, Peterborough every Monday and Wednesday from 3: 00 p. m. PLUS an aero ball tournament will take place on Thursday, 12th August between 3:30 pm and 6: 30 p. m.

    Call 01353 720274 for details.

    Houghton Mill

    Through the Looking Glass—a new production of the family favorite on Monday 30th, August. Bring rugs or chairs to sit on and a picnic if you wish to eat during the play. Gates open 5:30 p. m., performance 6: 30 p. m.—8: 30 p. m. Tea room will be open until the end of the interval. Adult ￡10. Child ￡7. Family ￡20.

    Booking advisable on 0845 4505157.

    Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey

    Farmland Games: From Wellie Wanging to Pretend Ploughing matches, come and join the Farmland Team. Collect your sporting stickers and create a colorful rosette that is fit for a winner! No need to book, just turn up between 12: 00 p. m. and 4: 00 p. m. on Thursday, 19th August. Suitable for children aged four and above, each child should be accompanied by an adult and all activities are included in the normal admission price. Tickets Cost: ￡7 per child.

    For further information, call 01223 810080.