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Everybody hates rats. But in the earthquake capitals of the world－Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey­rats will soon be man's new best friends.

What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can't get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.

How does it work? First，the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat's brain gives a signal. This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When the rat's brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.

Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University－New York says, "Robots' noses don't work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that." Rats can also see in the dark.They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don't need electricity!

The "rat project" is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, "It would be fantastic. A rat could get into spaces we couldn't get to and a rat would get out if it wasn't safe." Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building (but only after an earthquake, of course).

Claire Wyatt, a 24­-year-­old British volunteer, led eight Cambodians living with disabilities on a 155­mile bike ride from Phnom Penh, the nation's capital, to Siem Reap to raise money and deliver supplies to those in need in the coronavirus pandemic(新冠病毒大流行).

"Leading this trip was an incredibly special experience for me，" said Claire. "Not only was I encouraged by the determination of each and every rider, but also the team taught me every day not to focus on their disability."

When she was first asked to lead the trip, Claire admitted, she was feeling nervous about her team traveling such a distance in just a few days because cycling with a disability can come with added physical and emotional challenges.

One team member named Dy, who lost an arm in an accident, biked using just one arm to balance. Another named Vulta could only pedal on one side due to polio(小儿麻痹). Despite all the difficulties, Claire realized quickly that she didn't have to worry about her team. She saw them deal with rough area that she had seen abled cyclists give up on before.

The volunteers covered the distance in just four days, not only helping so many people across the country, but also overcoming huge difficulties to get there.

"The best thing about this ride is that the riders have all volunteered their time to do this. They are so enthusiastic about Cambodia and raising money for others in need，" said Claire. "The money raised will feed 99 families in Siem Reap."

Claire recalled her favorite moment of the experience, when one of the cyclists pushed an exhausted teammate up a hill for 2 miles. "One moment that stood out for me was when Naret, our only female rider, was feeling tired，" she said. "Her fellow rider gently put his hand on her back and pushed her for 2 miles! They were encouraging each other to push through the tiredness."

Are you looking for something to occupy your kids in the upcoming winter holiday? The following books recommended by Jeff Kinney may be your best choices.

Class Act: New Kid by Jerry Craft

A graphic novel with heart and humor, eighthgrader Drew Ellis is one of the few kids of color at an influential private school. As social pressures mount, "will Drew find a way to bridge the divide so he and his friends can truly accept each other? And most importantly, will he finally be able to accept himself？" the publisher synopsis (出版商简介) asks.

Three Keys by Kelly Yang

A sequel (续篇) to the awardwinning novel Front Desk ninthgrader Mia faces some new challenges at school and at home in her family's Calivista Motel. "But if anyone can find the key to getting through unsettled times，" the author's description reads, "it's Mia Tang！"

The Last Last­Day­of­Summer by Lamar Giles

A magical story with imagination and heroism about two adventurous cousins who wish for an extended summer and accidentally freeze time. According to the publisher's synopsis, the teenagers learn that "the secrets hidden between the seconds, minutes, and hours aren't quite the endless fun they expected！"

Boys Will Be Human by Justin Baldoni

A selfesteem building guidebook for boys ages 13 and up, producer, actor and author Baldoni explores the social and emotional learning around confidence, courage, strength and manhood. "This book isn't about learning the rules of the boys' club," a slogan reads, "it's about UNLEARNING them."

Some time after 10，000 BC，people made the first real attempt to control the world they lived  ，through agriculture. Over thousands of years，they began to depend less on  could be hunted or gathered from the wild，and more on animals they had raised and crops they had sown.

Farming produced more food per person  hunting and gathering，so people were able to raise more children. And，as more children were born，more food (need). Agriculture gave people their first experience of the power of technology (change)lives.

By about 6000 BC，people  (discover)the best crops to grow and animals to raise. Later，they learned to work with the  (season)，planting at the right time and，in dry areas，  (make)use of annual floods to irrigate(灌溉)their fields.

This style of farming lasted for quite a long time. Then，with  rise of science，changes began. New methods  (mean)that fewer people worked in farming. In the last century or so，these changes have accelerated. New power machinery and artificial fertilizers(化肥)have now totally transformed a way of life that started in the Stone Age.

The British love to think of themselves as polite, and everyone knows how fond they are of their "pleases" and "thank you". Even the simplest business such as buying a train ticket requires 1 seven or eight of these. Another 2 of our good manners is the queue. New-comers to Britain could be 3 for thinking that queuing rather than football was the 4 national sport. Finally, of course, motorists generally stop at crossings. But does all this mean that the British should consider themselves more 5 than their European neighbours? I think not.

Take forms of address(称呼) for example. The average English person -- 6 he happens to work in a hotel or department store--would rather die than call a stranger "Sir" or "Madam". 7 in some European countries this is the most basic of common address. Our universal "you" 8 everyone may appear more democratic, but it means that we are forced to seek out complicated ways to express 9 . I am all for 10 to the use of "thee" and "thou" (Thee and thou are old-fashioned poetic words for "you"); "you" would be reserved for strangers and professional relationships.

And of course, the English find touching and other shows of friendship truly 11 . Have you noticed how the British 12  ever touch? Personally, I find the Latin habit of shaking hands or a friendly kiss quite charming. 13  kissing the average English person, and they will either take two steps backwards in horror, or, if their 14  is blocked you will find your lips touching the back of their head. Now what could be 15  than that?