D

With the completion of the Human Genome（基因组）Project more than 20 years ago, and the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA enjoying its 70th birthday last year, you might assume that we know how life works. Think again!

Evolution has a 4bn-year head start on us. However, several aspects of the standard picture of how life works-the idea of the genome as a blueprint, of genes as instructions for building an organism, of proteins as precisely tailored molecular（分子）machines and more-have wildly reduced the complexity of life. 

In the excellent book How Life Works, Philip Ball explorers the new biology, revealing life to be a far richer, more delicate affair than we have understood. Ball explains that life is a system of many levels-genes, proteins, cells, tissues, and body modules-each with its own rules and principles, so there is no unique place to look for an answer to it. 

Also, How Life Works is a much more appealing title than the overused question of "What is life?". We should be less concerned with what a thing is, and rather more focused on what a thing does. Defining a living thing implies an unchangeable ideal type, but this will run counter to the Darwinian principle that living things are four-dimensional, ever changing in time as well as space.

But it's an idea that is deeply rooted within our culture. Ball points out that we rely on metaphors（比喻）to explain and explore the complexities of life, but none suffice. We are taught that cells are machines, though no machine we have invented behaves like the simplest cell; that DNA is a code or a blueprint, though it is neither; that the brain is a computer, though no computer behaves like a brain at all.

Ball is a terrific writer, pumping out books on incredibly diverse subjects. There's a wealth of well-researched information in here, and some details that are a bit chewy for the lay reader. But the book serves as an essential introduction on our never-ending quest to understand life.

It was the end of the school day, and I was tired. I grabbed a pile of about 130 exam papers to1 on the train ride home. I'd bring them back the next morning.

My principal (校长) pushed her head into my classroom and said, "Friendly2 ! You need to make sure your word wall is3 by tomorrow morning." She then moved on to the next classroom to4 the message. I sighed and thought, "Are you making a(n)5 ? What a waste of my time!"

My principal was6 about making our school beautiful, while my goal was to get my students to pass the Algebra Regents Exam. She wanted every classroom to have a word wall, where student's works on creative projects would be7 . She brought in beautiful planters (花盆) that8 the hallways with greenery. However, I assume that school and classroom9 aren't important when it comes to learning. To me, spending time and money making our school and classrooms beautiful was just a distraction (使人分心的事). Those things don't10 my students with math.

However, after three years of teaching, I went to graduate school in part to study how resources 11 teachers and students. What my research found 12 me: When teachers 13 their classroom environment resources, their students did better on standardized tests. My principal was 14 . She was creating more than just a beautiful 15 —she was building a welcoming and positive environment for students to learn and teachers to work.

It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.

My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I'm so glad I did.

On the road to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big hums (脊背) in the distance.

On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn't believe it—there aren't any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.

The little baby whale—actually as big as our boat—was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools (漩涡) and waves. "She's trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side," my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe—and to give us a trusting (信任的) look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.

In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.

Ausie Perine is not a typical superhero. Well, maybe he looks the part, with his signature cape (斗篷) flapping against his blue shirt. But two things set this caped fighter apart: His enemy is not an imaginary one from a comic book but hunger and homelessness. Also, he's only four years old.

Our hero's story started in the family living room. Ausie and his father, TJ Perine, were watching a program on Animal Planet about a mother tiger leaving her cubs. "I told him that the cubs would be homeless," TJ says. "Ausie didn't know what homelessness meant, but he was sad and wanted to know more."

Seeing this as a teachable moment, TJ took Ausie to a local shelter, where they saw some homeless men. "Dad, they look sad," Ausie said. "Can we take them some food and smiles?" That day, Ausie used his allowance to buy each man a sandwich. When they returned the next week, Ausie again dipped into his piggy bank to buy sandwiches, which he handed out along with his new catchphrase, "Don't forget love!"

Days later, word of Ausie's acts of kindness spread through social media. A local food chain jumped aboard, agreeing to donate $10,000 toward the cause. Soon, donations poured in continuously. Thanks to the collective support, now he can feed about 800 people at once.

But Ausie isn't just filling bellies. He's improving the lives of those he meets. In the shelter, Ausie talked to a man named Raymont with respect, which touched him deeply. He shared with TJ just how grateful he was to be treated so considerately by a young stranger. With the help of TJ, Raymont obtained a driver's license, with which he found a job. All that was made possible because a little boy took the time to care.

Ausie's passion has now become his family's calling. They established the Show Love Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to offering medical and mental health care as preventive steps against homelessness. Young Ausie continues to give out food, smiles, and his inspirational message of love. "It makes me feel like I'm saving the day."

Defeat Disability

Yang's ambition was to get an architect certificate or become a bowling master.But when he{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(conduct) experiments with a microscope in the basement,a tank on the bench exploded,sending him flying outwards through the exit.In other words,he was disabled.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(feel) clumsy,he was annoyed at first though nobody made fun of him.He cut out going outdoors and just sat{#blank#}3{#/blank#} at home talking to his parrot or tortoise silently.His sister resigned to help him in many ways.Her assistance and encouragement were so{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(benefit) to his psychology {#blank#}5{#/blank#} he adapted to his disability soon and became outgoing again.In a college accessible to him,he studied politics and literature.He always sat in the front row near{#blank#}6{#/blank#} entry without any absence and,{#blank#}7{#/blank#} the help of his handy laptop,he studied well by means of dictation.His thesis (论文),Abolishing Slavery,met with all professors' approval.After class,he and his companions often played drum music,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} was noisy but suitable for his hearing.After graduation,he made high profits by {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(design) software for a firm.

All in all,in his community,he won his dignity and people's congratulations.He always wished all the best to his{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(disable) fellows and encouraged them,"Never mind! All you have is adequate to get your achievement!"

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. My husband was taking care of our baby girl so that my six-year-old and I could do some yard work, just the two of us. It was sure to be 1 . But soon, the clouds of mosquitos seemed 2 to our bug spray (喷雾). I was sweating, itchy (痒的), and arguing with my son about how to 3 weeds. I had told him the "right" way—getting those weeds out from the bottom, by the roots, 4 them entirely.

However, my son went about things in his own way. He pulled the 5 of the weeds off, moving quickly down the line as he left the remaining part still in the soil. Somehow, I found this to be incredibly 6 . Why couldn't he do it in my way and save me the time of having to 7 his share? Why did he do it at all if he wasn't going to do it properly?

"If you would do as told, we'd be done earlier and promised a longer period 8 we would have to return and pull weeds next time," I said, trying to keep my tone 9 .

"But people do things…10 , Mom," he said innocently.

My fire soon faded, replaced by the 11 realization that I'd just received a valuable 12 from the person that I was supposed to be teaching. While trying to 13 my baby girl, my kindergartener, and the yard work, 14 was a lifeline for me. But my way was, perhaps, not the best way after all. His time shouldn't be 15 . His job was to be a kid and take his time, for as long as he was able.