Today, many people use plants from other places to design their yards. Well, do they have any influence on animals living nearby? As we know, plants supply food for things like insects and plant-eating animals. In turn, birds and meat-eating animals feed on these insects and plant-eating animals. It is easy to see how important plants are.

    Although foreign plants may look beautiful, they can cause problems when there are too many of them. I live in Virginia, USA, and sometimes see a plant—commonly known as Kudzu—that seems to cover everything in the area, even climbing over whole trees and houses.

    Kudzu is an unbelievable plant since it grows very fast. It was first brought to the United States from south-east Asia around the 1870's as a crop that farmers could grow. However, Kudzu quickly came to be considered harmful throughout the southern United States.

    Since Kudzu grows fast in many different environments, it can completely cover areas of land quickly. The plant is also not eaten by any insects or birds in the United States so it can grow unchecked. Kudzu can cover trees, bushes, and even houses. It costs the United States 500 million dollars a year to just keep Kudzu from growing too fast. The plant is a perfect example of what scientists call an invasive (侵略性的) species, which grows more quickly than other native plants.

    All foreign plants have the possibility to spread quickly. Not only are they costly, but planting them in gardens actually takes away food from insects. If everyone filled their garden with plants native to where they live, many lovely butterflies and other native creatures would be attracted to their backyards! So, take a look out of your window — how does your garden grow?

    Have you ever wondered how your favorite NBA team received its famous name? All NBA teams have an interesting story or a history behind their names. Some of the names reflect the city's culture or history, others came from previous owners and many were selected through "Name the Team" contests.

    For teams like Los Angeles and Utah, the names were not always a reflection of the city. Even though Los Angeles has no lakes, the Laker name has been a city treasure for almost 40 years. Before going to Los Angeles, the team originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1948, team officials chose the name for its direct relationship to the state's motto, "The Land of 10,000 Lakes." The team name went unchanged after moving to Los Angeles in 1960.

    Because Utah's team originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, it was called the Jazz. In 1974, New Orleans club officials chose the name to represent the city for its reputation as the "jazz capital of the world." The name stayed with the team even after finding a new home in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1979.

    The Chicago Bull's original owner, Richard Klein, named the team the Bulls. He picked the name because a fighting bull is relentless, and never quits. Klein, who founded the club in1966, believed these qualities were necessary for a championship team and hoped his Chicago athletes would live up to the team name. A belief that Bulls——winner of the six NBA championships have definitely followed.

    In 1967, the Indian Pacers selected their team name in a different way from most other teams. Their decision was based on what they wanted to accomplish in the NBA. Team officials chose the Pacers name because the organization wanted to set the "pace" in professional basketball.

    Photos of the moon are beautiful if taken well, but it can be very hard to get a picture of the moon that doesn't look blurry! In order to take a perfect picture of the moon, apart from a high­quality camera, the associated equipment and the skills to set up your camera, you also need to pick a proper time and a good place.

    Choose your favorite moon phase. The moon can be photographed in any phase except the new moon, which is not visible to Earth. The first quarter, half, and third quarter phases provide high contrast that allows you to see the craters(坑) in greater detail, while the full moon is a dramatic choice for a skyscraper. What phase you choose is up to your personal preference, but it's best to have a phase chosen before going out to photograph the moon.

    Learn when the moon rises and sets. When the moon sets or rises, it is closer to the horizon, making it appear larger and closer. This makes it much easier to photograph! Check an almanac(年历) or a weather app for moon rising and setting times in your area.

    Pick a clear night. Clouds, fog, and air pollution will blur your photographs. Check a weather app or watch the weather forecast before leaving for your session and while photographing. A clear night with low smog content and no rain is best for moon photography.

    Choose a location away from direct light sources. The moon appears bright because it reflects the light of the sun, and additional light from streetlights, homes, and cars can make the moon appear duller and blurrier in pictures. It is fine if there is light in the distance, but be sure that you are not photographing close to another light source.

    The United States of America is faced with serious traffic problems. Too many cars travel on the freeways to and from the city. This heavy traffic causes delays and lots of pollution from cars that are using their engines but not moving anywhere. Many cars going nowhere is called a "traffic jam".

    While many cities in the United States have traffic problems, some of the worst are in Los Angeles, California, which is a big city with a large downtown area. One of the reasons why there is so much traffic is that few people use public transportation to get around.

    Experts say one possible solution to the traffic problems in Los Angeles would be to make people want to use the public transportation system of buses instead of their own cars. People say the buses should be made easier, faster, less costly and more dependable than driving a car.

    One suggestion is to reduce the cost of taking the bus. Also, Los Angeles could make the buses easier for people to use. The buses could travel to more places in the city. And there could be more special lanes on the freeways that only buses could drive in. These changes would make taking the bus faster and easier than driving a car.

    Other experts have said that the best way to ease traffic problems is to charge people money to drive on the freeways. These charges, or tolls, would be for the most crowded roads. The tolls would be in effect during the times of a day when most people drive to work and home. These times in the morning and late afternoon are called "rush hour". People would try to avoid driving on these roads, which would decrease the amount of traffic. Also, the money collected from these tolls could be used to improve the roads and public transportation system.

    NAIROBI­Tin Tin, a Chinese restaurant located in central Nairobi, has been serving local Kenyans for nearly four decades with its delicious dishes and unique cultural background.

   "This is a restaurant definitely worth a try," said Steven, a local resident in his 30s. "It has provided Chinese food since my grandfather's time."

    According to Henry Tin, the restaurant owner, Tin Tin was established in 1978 at the heart of the Nairobi Central Business District, upholding Chinese cuisines while adapting to Kenyan preferences.

    For years, it has become a defining part of the city's landmark­Kenya International Conference Center­attracting lots of office workers nearby and even presidential customers.

   "The former president of Kenya, Moi, was a very good customer for us. He came almost always in cash. Then former president Mwai Kibaki and now president Uhuru. They all like to enjoy our food," Tin said.

    Danis, an office worker of an insurance company near the KICC says he is a frequenter of the restaurant.

   "It is the only Chinese restaurant in the highly competitive downtown area. Besides, its food has been adapted to our taste," Danis said, "My favorite dishes are fried shrimp and fried pork, which you can also find in a Kenyan restaurant."

   "High­quality food consistently served over the decades has helped maintain loyal customers," Enoch Kivunaga said, at Tin Tin.

   "My experience depends on the customers. If I cook good food, they always come back, whether they are presidents or ministers," he said.

    Tin said he speaks Swahili well and perfectly pronounces local names, which shows the Chinese culture and its Kenyan counterpart are quickly combining. "I am a Kenyan Chinese. I love both great countries."

A living robot has been created out of frog skin cells. Xenobots, named after the frog species Xenopus laevis that the cells come from, were first described last year. Now the team behind the robots has improved their design and demonstrated new capabilities.

To create the xenobots, Michael Levin at Tufts University in Massachusetts and his colleagues obtained tissue from 24-hour-old frog embryos after very small physical operation. Where the previous version relied on the contraction of heart muscle cells to move them forward by pushing off surfaces, these new xenobots swim around faster. They also live between three and seven days longer than their previous generation, which only lasted about seven days, and have the ability to sense their surroundings to some extent, turning red when exposed to blue light.

"The fundamental finding here is that when you free skin cells from their normal context, and you give them a chance to build other things than what they normally build," says Levin. "To me, one of the most exciting things here is that they are plastic. This idea that even normal cells, not genetically modified, are in fact capable of building something completely different."

Because they are created from cells, the xenobots eventually break apart and are totally biodegradable, says team member Douglas Blackiston, also at Tufts University. He therefore hopes that they can be used for biomedical and environmental applications.

Previous attempts at creating living robots, such as a wirelessly controlled cockroach, have involved dealing with live animals, raising ethical concerns. Xenobots differ from these because they are made entirely of living cells. "The approach here is maybe ethically the least problematic because everything starts with cells. They have no neurons, so it's not an animal," says Auke ljspeert at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne, who wasn't involved in the research. "It's really cells, so I find it maybe the cleanest way."