A team of engineers at Harvard University has been inspired by Nature to create the first robotic fly. The mechanical fly has become a platform for a series of new high－tech systems. Designed to do what a fly does naturally, the tiny machine is the size of a fat housefly. Its mini wings allow it to stay in the air and perform controlled flight tasks.

    “It's extremely important for us to think about this as a whole system and not just the sum of a bunch of individual components (元件), ” said Robert Wood, the Harvard engineering professor who has been working on the robotic fly project for over a decade. A few years ago, his team got the go－ahead to start piecing together the components. “The added difficulty with a project like this is that actually none of those components are off the shelf and so we have to develop them all on our own，” he said.

       They engineered a series of systems to start and drive the robotic fly. “The seemingly simple system which just moves the wings has a number of interdependencies on the individual components, each of which individually has to perform well, but then has to be matched well to everything it' s connected to，” said Wood. The flight device was built into a set of power, computation, sensing and control systems. Wood says the success of the project proves that the flying robot with these tiny components can be built and manufactured.

        While this first robotic flyer is linked to a small, off－board power source, the goal is eventually to equip it with a built－in power source, so that it might someday perform data－gathering work at rescue sites, in farmers' fields or on the battlefield. “Basically it should be able to take off, land and fly around，” he said.

        Wood says the design offers a new way to study flight mechanics and control at insect－scale. Yet, the power, sensing and computation technologies on board could have much broader applications. “You can start thinking about using them to answer open scientific questions, you know, to study biology in ways that would be difficult with the animals, but using these robots instead，” he said. “So there are a lot of technologies and open interesting scientific questions that are really what drives us on a day－to－day basis.”

        Carrots are easy to raise and easy to harvest. They taste good. .

        When people think of carrots, they usually picture in their mind a vegetable that islong, thin and orange. And not all carrots are orange. For example, Paris Market carrots are about five centimeters around. Rome carrots are thin andabout twenty－five centimeters long. And Belgian White carrots are, as their name suggests, white.

        For the best results, carrots should be grown in sandy soil that does not hold water for a long time. The soil also should have no rocks. To prepare your garden for carrots, dig up the soil, loosen it and turn it over. Then, mix insome plant material or animal fertilizer (肥料)．

Experts say warm days, cool nights and a medium soil temperature are the best conditions for growing carrots that taste great.

Carrots need time to develop their full sugar content. This gives them their sweetness if you wait too long to pull them from the ground. Usually, the brighter the color, the better the taste.

If the winter is not cold enough to freeze the ground, you can grow and harvest carrots the same way as during the summer months. If the ground does freeze,simply cover your carrot garden with a thick layer of leaves or straw. Thiswill prevent the ground from freezing.

a．But carrots come in many differentsizes and shapes.

b．They are economic crops.

c．The best time for planting carrots isduring the winter months.

d．Weather, soil conditions and age willaffect the way carrots taste.

e．The best way to judge if a carrot isready to be harvested is by its color.

f．And they contain a lot of carotene (胡萝卜素), which the body make into vitamin A.

g．Many people do not know that carrotscan be grown during the winter months.

       Suppose you broke a cup or a bowl by accident, how would you deal with the brokenpieces? One day, Alice was washing (dish)．Suddenlyshe broke a beautiful plate (care)．Onhearing the sound, her father ran out of the study at once to see his daughterwas hurt. his relief, she was fine, so the father comforted her and toldher just to throw the broken pieces directly into the dustbin.

However,Alice said nothing.She picked up the pieces on the floor one by one.She evenlooked everywhere to make sure there were no pieces (leave)．Then Alice asked her father for someold newspapers and plastic bag.

           The father felt confused.He wondered what she was going to do.After Alice(wrap) the broken pieces with newspapers, she put (they) into theplastic bag, together with a card (say) “ Danger! Broken plate！” Finally, she placed the plastic baginto the dustbin.Not until then did the father realize how (consider) hisdaughter was.He learned a lesson from her!

       When it comes to medical care, many patients and doctors believe “more is better.” But what they do not realize is that overtreatment—too many scans, too many blood tests, too many procedures—may bring harm. Sometimes a test leads you down a path to more and more testing, some of which may be invasive, or to treatment for things that should be left alone.

       Terrence Power, for example, complained that after his wife learned she had Wegener's disease, an uncommon disorder of the immune system, they found it difficult to refuse testing recommended by her doctor. The doctor insisted on office visits every three weeks, even when she was feeling well. He frequently ordered blood tests and X－rays, and repeatedly referred her to specialists for even minor complaints. Even when tests came back negative, more were ordered, and she was hospitalized as prevention when she developed a cold.   She had as many as 25 doctor visits during one six－month period. The couple was spending about $30,000 a year for her care.

       After several years of physical suffering and near financial ruin from the medical costs, the couple began questioning the treatment after discussing with other patients in online support groups. “It's a really hard thing to determine when they've crossed the line，” Mr. Power said. “You think she's getting the best care in the world, but after a while you start to wonder: What is the purpose？” Mr. Power then spoke with his own primary care doctor, who advised him to find a new specialist to oversee Mrs. Power's care. Under the new doctor's care, the regular testing stopped and Mrs. Power's condition stabilized. Now she sees the doctor only four or five times a year.

      Pet Emergency? Call us right away at(403)342－5200!

      If you live in Red Deer or the surrounding area and need a trusted veterinarian(兽医)to care for your pets—look no further.Dr.Pat Higgins is a licensed Alberta veterinarian，treating all types of pets.Your pets' health and happiness are very important to us，and we take every possible measure to give your animals the care they deserve.

      Deer Park Pet Hospital is a full service animal hospital and welcomes both emergency treatment cases as well as pet patients in need of routine medical，surgical，and dental(牙科)care.Dr.Pat Higgins has years of experience treating serious conditions and offering regular pet health care.Beyond first rate pet care，we make our clinic comfortable，kid－friendly，and calm，so your pet can relax in the waiting room and look forward to meeting our Red Deer veterinarian.

       We are happy to offer a number of resources that enable you to learn about how to take better care of your pets.Please feel free to browse our site，particularly the informational articles.The best veterinary care for animals is ongoing nutrition and problem prevention，so becoming knowledgeable about preventative pet care is vital to the ongoing success of your animal's health.If you have any questions，call(403)342－5200 or email us and we'll immediately get back to you.Our Red Deer veterinarian office is very easy to get to—and you can find directions on our Contact Us page! We also welcome you to subscribe to our newsletter，which is created especially for Red Deer pet owners.

         At Deer Park Pet Hospital，we treat your pets like the valued family members they are.

Dr.Pat Higgins

Red Deer Veterinarian│Deer Park Pet Hospital│(403)342－5200

420 Allan Street#4

Red Deer，Alberta T4R 2K7

      In my mind. Lance Armstrong is a real hero.He has 1 so many things and inspired so many people.

        He2 a life－threatening disease, and has lived a very complete life, 3 giving so much toothers.

Heis a great teammate and leader.He 4 his winnings from races to his5. Armstrong knew he could win only with their help.Even though hehas retired, he still helps direct the6.Many people admire him 7what he has achieved. Lance Armstrong was 8 with cancer at 25 and didn't just survive but went on to again win the 9cycling race inthe world, the Tour de France.He has raised money for cancer patients.He also10 the Lance Armstrong Foundation and has helped the Make－A－WishFoundation.

       He has won the Tour de France seven times, 11 is a great accomplishment for anyone. 12 one who survived cancer.It is said to be the longestand must 13 race in all of cycling.He 14 as a helpful teammate and then became a leader.He has also15 the Tour ofGeorgia.

        The Lance Armstrong Foundation has 16 $14.4 million for cancer research and started a center for cancer survivors.His contributions may help find a 17I know what's what he is 18for.

Asyou can see, Lance Armstrong has many 19 that make him a hero.He isa good leader with goals. He is an inspiration to kids and adults.I 20that he will try his hardest to find a way to beat cancer and help itssurvivors.

        Anyone who is afraid of failure and afraid to face challenges will never taste success, so said our professor in marketing. I laughed it off at that time, but got frightened when it actually happened in my life.

        I landed in a small city in the Middle East to set up a firm, a world－class car rental firm. Having decided on the project, I earnestly settled in preparation. With a positive mind, I told myself nothing should stop me now, and was more than keen to make it a success.

        However, the least expected thing happened. Iraq invaded Kuwait. Tension ran high in the region. Eventually the war broke out, and many people fled the country, leaving my firm in deep trouble.

       As usual, “things become difficult, and every effort seems to bring disappointment, it can be tempting to lower your expectations or even water_down your goals and ambitions.” I was no exception. I thought of running away. I remembered the words of Thomas Edison, “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to succeed when they gave up.”

       I decided to hang on, telling myself, “I am not afraid of challenges and obstacles.” I stayed on through months of uncertainty and insecurity. Finances ran low, and banks could not wait to get their dues. To add to all this, the banks even threatened to take all my vehicles. I felt I made a wrong decision to move there. I was now ready to face failure.

      I was living against all hopes, believing that something good would happen. After 2 months the war ended. My persistence paid off: people started flooding back and the car bookings picked up, five times over.

      Success comes to the one who dares, even after failure, to think positively and look forward confidently. After all, it is only the experience that makes a man tough. Failure does not mean you will never make it. It means that it will take a little longer. It provides us with a learning experience.

      Easter(复活节) is still a great day for worship，candy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.

      And no，not because the kids like to pull their ears.The culprit is climate change，and some researchers found that rising temperatures are having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.

      Take the Lower Keys Marsh rabbit, for instance.An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer—it lives on the islands！—but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising sea levels. According to the  Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0.6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0. 9­meter rise would wipe out their habitat(栖息地)completely.

      The snowshoe hare，on the other hand，has a color issue.Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators(捕食者)．As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies are being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring，making them an easier mark for predators.Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.

      American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares，might be the first of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7­8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool，damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains.As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate(迁移)to higher ground­but they already occupy the mountaintops.They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat heats up.

      The volcano rabbit has the same problem.These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle.Scientists are concerned about their populations.

       Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development.Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs.Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.

      All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.

  　With the help of Gloria, his wife, Tom Peterson worked for many years to build a solid business selling television sets, stereo systems, and home appliances. Tom developed an excellent1with their full satisfaction guarantee and friendly service. He was proud ofhis high percentage of repeat2.

About five years ago, Tom was3 by the owners of a competing company,Stereo Super Stores. They wanted him to 4 them out. The price wasvery attractive. Everything looked good. Before making his final5Tom asked Gloria what she thought about the purchase. She told him that 6the numbers looked good it didn't feel 7 to her. However, Tom was soself－confidentand so convinced that this was a rare 8 ， he went ahead and made the 9.Within months he discovered that he had made a big 10. He had paidtoo much for a 11company. He tried as hard as he could to make itwork out, but he couldn't turn things 12. He was forced intobankruptcy (破产).He was about to lose everything, including his 13 business.

Tom was embarrassed, but he is a survivor. He looked at his situation. He decidedto 14 admit his mistake and, rather than getting stuck in lawsuits (诉讼), he would focus his 15onsaving and rebuilding his original business. He saw also that he had made amistake by not listening to his 16 ， and that he needed to learn from this 17. He dealt with the crisisin a way that delighted people, who in turn 18 respect for him. Oldcustomers poured into his store. He and Gloria 19 to changes inretailing (零售)and have built an even better business than before.

In the business world, it is natural to gain and lose, of20Peterson'sexperience is an example. Only those who regard their mistakes as gifts andlearn from them attract endless profits.