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Canada's western provinces are being hit hard by wildfires. Alberta has been hit especially hard. Heavy smoke from the fires has spread far beyond the region.

Alberta has been fighting wildfires for several weeks. Nearby British Columbia and Saskatchewan have also been seriously hit by wildfires. So far, the wildfires in Alberta have burned 8,420 square kilometers of land. Currently, 77 wildfires are still burning in Alberta, and 23 of the fires are considered out of control. That's better than last week. In British Columbia, 89 fires are burning, and 22 are out of control. In British Columbia, about 1,350 square kilometers of land have been burned. Around 2,500 fire fighters have been working to bring the fires under control.

In Alberta, the wildfires have made over 29,000 people homeless. People have also been forced to evacuate in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The fires have created so much smoke that it can be seen from space. The air quality across northwest Canada has been described as Very High Risk. The smoke is even affecting the air quality in several states in the United States. The wildfires have also caused problems for a number of oil and gas companies in Canada. Alberta is famous for producing oil and gas. Many oil companies have been forced to shut down. 

Wildfires aren't unusual in western Canada. But generally, the wildfire season begins later in the year. The early fires this year have been made much worse by extremely hot and dry weather. For most of May, a high-pressure weather system has been bringing record temperatures to the area. Many locations in Alberta have never seen higher temperatures than they have this year. The high temperature in Alberta on Sunday was 32.8℃.

English is full of funny expressions that don't always make sense. Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it. Here are some English idioms based on animals.

When children jump around and act silly, their parents may tell them to stop "monkeying around". To "monkey around" means to do things that are not useful or serious, or to simply waste time.

Many American families have and love pet dogs. But for some unknown reason, Americans use "dog" in a phrase that means to feel unwell. If you are "as sick as a dog", you're really, really sick.

Sometimes you may also hear cats mentioned in conversations, "I told you to keep that secret, but you have just ‘let the cat out of the bag'!" You probably guessed it—that idiom means to reveal a secret or tell facts that were previously unknown.

Dogs and cats don't always get along, but they appear side by side in a commonly used idiom. When it rains heavily, people might say it's "raining cats and dogs".

Heavy rain often ruins people's plans for outdoor activities. But on a lovely day, you can have a picnic. If a swarm (一群) of tiny bugs love your food and start to hover (盘旋) around you, it would be really annoying. That experience perfectly explains why people often tell someone who keeps bothering them to "stop bugging me".

Idioms are very common in both spoken and written English. If you want to have a better understanding of English, you have to learn idioms.

St Patrick's Day: All You Need to Know About Your Local Parades

Thousands of people will crowd around cities, towns, and villages all over the country on Friday for the annual St Patrick's Day festivities.

Cork

Cork City's St Patrick's Day parade will start at 1p.m, with the event also live-streamed from 12:45 pm for those unable to be there in person. Featuring Cork's long-established bands and hundreds of sports and dance groups, the parade will also have a special multi-cultural focus, in the form of the migrant support group Together Razem.

Limerick

A huge turnout is expected in Limerick on Friday to watch the parade which kicks off at midday from O'Connell's St. Serving as Grand Marshall is Limerick native and star of D'Unbelievables and the Oscar-nominated The Banshees of Inisherin, Jon Kenny, who is looking forward to his "starring role" in this year's celebrations.

Waterford

Following the success of last year's first-ever three-day festival, Waterford City is hoping to top the 2022 celebrations. The fun kicks off with live music in the Cultural Quarter on Thursday night. On Friday, the parade will set off from the Quays at 1p.m, led by Grand Marshall, boxing champion Kelyn Cassidy. The rest of the weekend will be filled with more music, workshops, and dancing, and there will be a fairground for the kids to enjoy.

Clare

Beginning at 11 am from Clare County Council's headquarters, the parade in Ennis will celebrate the commitment of Clare's sporting heroes to their local communities. The parade's hosts are former president of Ennis Rugby (英式橄榄球) Club Jimmy O'Brien, Barefield athlete PJ Purcell, and great-grandniece of Kilnamona boxer Michael McTigue, Aisling Rynne.

When I was in middle school，I became blind. Suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, I was troubled by frustration and self- pity. Depression consumed me and I was frightened to try anything challenging.

Imagine my surprise when my teacher asked me to enter a speaking contest. I rejected it out of hand. Among so many students, why did she pick me? I was an average student, blind and plain-looking. Anyhow, she insisted that I go for it. Her reply:"Because I believe you can deliver a good speech. You are more capable than you imagine!" Encouraged by her words, I agreed to give it a shot.

I decided on a fictional mole (鼹鼠) as my topic. It was a cute creature with poor eyesight, mostly living underground, digging holes and helping get rid of pests. Not a brilliant idea, but unique; and undoubtedly a relatable tale.

What did the mole think, as he fought his way in the darkness? Would he get scared? Have second thoughts? W ant to quit? It struck a chord immediately. I got exhausted from preparing the speech. I had doubts about my choice. I wanted to escape from reality. But, like the blind mole,I kept it up. I doubled my efforts. I checked out books from the school library. I referred to some great speeches. I turned to my father for guidance.

A week before the competition, I presented my speech to my teacher. She smiled, saying,"Good. Now, polish your writing and practice your delivery." I couldn't remember how many times I made adjustments to my writing. Nor could I recall how I practiced it over and over again, with mixed feelings. " Could my message get across to the audience?"" How would they react?"Tons of questions crowded into my mind.

注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

The big day finally arrived!

……

I went up to my teacher after the award ceremony.

注意：1.写作词数应为80左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Nature in Words

As this year's ski season got underway, Liu Zhihua， ( age) 87, joined the crowd at a ski resort and glided fluently down the piste ( 滑雪道) .

Actually, Liu took up the sport in 2007 when she was 72. "After conquering the fear of falling, I became increasingly interested in skiing." Starting on the beginner slopes, Liu( gradual) moved to intermediate runs, and has even got onto the advanced ones.

When asked about the setbacks she had encountered, Liu， is an excellent skier now recalls that she fell over while going down a slope due to a lack of experience. "But skill comes practice. Just get used to it," she says. (wear) a bright smile, Liu adds,"No one can tell your age when everyone is in a ski suit."

These days, Liu skis for about two hours at a time under the( protect) of her instructors. she skis less often than in previous years, Liu is determined( persevere).

"I'd rather fall on a piste than lie on a sickbed," says Liu." Health and happiness are the two things that doing sports( bring) to me over the past years," she says."I don't think age has much to do with my mindset. Old or young， I have been( courage) and optimistic.

I'm an 18-year-old student, tall and good-looking. Looking back，I realize how important it is to1 oneself.

Born and raised in Africa, I had always taken my African origin as a(n)2 .My self- dislike was further3 when my family moved to Norway. Compared to all the white girls around me, I was so different. My nose often had a thin sheet of4 ， regardless of the weather. What also5 my self-dislike was my stuttering (口吃). It always stood between me and any fine opportunity. I'd taken it as a( n)6  to avoid any public speaking sessions.

7 ， there came a turning point. One day a white girl caught my eye. To my8 ,she had a thin sheet of sweat on her nose too, and it was in November!"Wow," I whispered to myself,"this isn't a genetic (遗传的) disorder. I's perfectly9 ." Days later, my life took another10 . Searching the Internet for stuttering cures, I11 learned that such famous people as Newton and Churchill also stuttered. I was greatly12 . Another13 to my self-confidence came as I knew Oprah Winfrey, the famous host and writer, is black too!

Today, I've grown to accept what I am with pride; it simply gives me a feeling of14 .The idea of self-love has taken15 a whole new meaning for me: there's always something fantastic about us, and what we need to do is learn to appreciate it.

多余选项。

Pet owners have a big responsibility when it comes to taking care of their furry friends. Unfortunately, many pet owners make common mistakes as follows.

●Not providing enough exercise or mental stimulation for your pet

All pets need regular exercise and mental stimulation to stay healthy and happy.. Mental stimulation is also essential to keep your pet fit. You can give your pet puzzle toys, play new games with them, or teach them new tricks.

●Overfeeding

You might think you're doing your pet a favor by giving them extra treats, but overfeeding can do more harm than good.. Therefore, ensure you're following the feeding guidelines on the bag and not giving in to those puppy-dog eyes too often.

●Not socializing your puppy

Socialization is key to a well-behaved and happy dog. Make sure to introduce your puppy to

different people，animals and situations..

●

Pets are great at hiding their pain and discomfort, so i's important to watch for any changes in behavior or appetite. Don't hesitate to bring something up with your vet if you notice something off!

To help avoid these types of erors, w anda Morgan, Chief Editor of Workout Lunatic, gives the following tips:

●Positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is always the way to go when training your pet. Use treats and verbal praise to encourage good behavior instead of punishment or scolding.

●Addressing underlying anxiety causes

. Give your pet plenty of engaging activities and playtime to keep their minds and bodies active and happy!

A. Ignoring signs of illness

B. Not trusting your puppy

C. It can help them grow confident and well- adjusted

D. It can lead to obesity and other serious medical conditions

E. Mental exercise is crucial to your pet as much as physical exercise

F. Anxiety -based behavior can stem from a lack of attention or stimulation

G. Without enough physical activity, your pet may become overweight or bored

A study published recently shows that tomato fruits are able to transmit alerts to their mother plant when attacked by caterpillars.

Plants have a large number of chemical and hormonal signaling pathways, which are generally transmitted through the sap (树液). Given the fact that fruits just hang from the main plant before ultimately falling off and sap typically only runs from the plant to the fruit 一not back and forth between the two一it has long been unclear whether or not fruits can transmit information to the plant.

To address that question, scientists at Brazil's Federal University of Pelotas placed tomato plants in a Faraday cage. Electrodes (电极) were attached to the ends of the plants' branches,at the points where they connected to the fruits. Then they measured electrical responses within the branches before, during and after a 24-hour period in which the fruits were attacked by caterpillars. Machine-learning-based algorithms were used to identify patterns in the signals.

It was found that there was a"clear difference" between the signals before and after caterpillar attacks. Additionally , defensive biochemical responses were observed throughout the plants' bodies, suggesting that they had been triggered by signals sent by the fruits. The researchers gave the following explanation. The tomato fruit, sensing a nearby insect, released electrical signals to reach the rest of the plant. These warnings impulses were received by the main plant and as a result, the rest of the plant got prepared to fight off the unwanted invaders. The tomato fruit made sure that the plant produced chemicals that were unpleasant to taste, so that hungry caterpillars stayed off the fruit.

The scientists now plan on investigating whether other fruiting plants behave in the same manner as tomatoes，and whether their fruits respond to threats other than insects. They believe understanding how the plant interacts with its fruits, and the fruits among themselves, may bring insights into how to make use of this communication for enhancing fruit quality, resistance to pests and shelf life after harvest.

Mogao Grottoes is located at the western end of the Hexi Corridor along the ancient Silk Road in Dunhuang, China. Until now, most mural paintings at Mogao Grottoes have been dated by directly referring to the mural texts or historical documents. However, some are still left with the creation era (年代) uncertain due' to the lack of reference materials or the disagreement of art experts.

The drawing style of mural paintings was changing throughout history and can be learned and quantified ( 量化) through painting data. A new dating method has been developed by encoding (编码) the drawing styles using visual codes learned through deep learning. This new method successfully discovered the creation era of six mural paintings at Mogao Grottoes.

With the help of experts from Dunhuang Academy, seven mural paintings from two grottoes(No.205 and No. 206) were chosen as subjects for this dating research. To figure out the creation era of these paintings, Qin Zou, a researcher from Wuhan University, collected 3,860 mural paintings from 194 different grottoes with confirmed creation-era labels. To find the visual

codes that can identify the era in these paintings, the authors built a deep convolutional neural network (卷积神经网络) and classified these painting images into the right eras. Based on the classification model, a dating method was built and applied to date the seven paintings.

Six of the new dating results were approved by experts from Dunhuang Academy." These dating results are correct and the method is great," said Mr. Hui-Min Wang, a distinguished expert from the Archaeological Institute of Dunhuang Academy.

"To the best of our knowledge,""wrote the researchers, "this work represents the first account of a scientific and quantitative manner to support the era prediction and reduce the uncertainties in dating ancient paintings by using deep learning. "