Do you have any skiing equipment you are no longer need? A ski school in the far north of India could put it to good use. In March we published a photo story about the extraordinary Zsnskar region in northern India,which is cut off from the outside world for more than seven months of the year,and only accessible via a frozen river.We also included information about the limited use of skiing in the region and the recent creation of the Zanskar Ski School: "Despite the difficulties of travelling through the region when the snow comes,skiing hasn't traditionally been used as a means of transport by the locals,largely because trees don't grow here,so there is little in the way of raw materials from which to make skis.In 1995,a group of British scientists in the region noticed the lack of skis and one of them returned to set up the Zanskar Ski School in Padam.The school provides lessons for a small fee and rents skis to the local people.Among the benefits that the school hopes to bring are improved education--children often find it difficult to get to school through the deep snow--and the possibility of offering ski tours to tourists in the future.So far,more than 300 local people have received training,and local doctors and policemen regularly borrow skis." But,what we weren't able to include in the article is that the ski school is always on the look out for old skiing equipment--particularly of a size suitable for children--and,I thought.now the European ski season is drawing to a close,there might be a few of you out there who have some old equipment you'd like to see go to a good home.If that's the ease you can get in touch with the school via their website www.zanskarskischooL.org. The local people don't use skiing to go about because _ . A) it is against the local custom B) trees are in the way of the skiing route C) they don't have the wood to make skis D) it is dangerous to go skiing in this region
C
(Question)
Film director James Cameron first became interested in sea exploration when he was a little boy.His love for the ocean grew after he made the 1989 undersea adventure film The Abyss and the 1997 blockbuster Titanic,one of the most successful movies of all time.Following that big success,James Cameron decided to put his film career on hold to become an explorer. In 2012,James Cameron made a journey to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench,known as Challenger Deep.And now the great journey has been made into a documentary film,named James Cameron's Deep-sea Challenger 3D. In James Cameron's fantasy films,such as Avatar and The Abyss,the unexplored areas are decorated in colors and full of danger.But on his dive into Challenger Deep,the reality proved far different: white, deserted and dull. "I felt like I had gone to another planet,"Cameron said after returning from the cold and dark place in the Western Pacific Ocean,nearly 7 miles below the surface."I really have a sense of being separated and realize how tiny I am down in this big, black and unexplored place." Cameron captured the moon-like landscape of the deep sea and documented the sea creatures he observed in the ocean. James Cameron's Deep--sea Challenger 3D tells the story of Cameron' s journey.It is a film about determination,danger and the ocean'S greatest depths.The movie shows a unique insight into Cameron's world when he makes his dream reality and makes history by becoming the first person to travel alone to the deepest point on the planet. It's an exciting film and inspiring reminder that our beautiful planet still has a lot to explore. What is the best title for this passage? A) The great dream of a film director B) A film director exploring deep sea C) James Cameron and his documentary film D) The first person to make films about the deep sea
(Answer)
C
Ques: Today, Friday, December 14 JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen. DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8 am. to 8 pm. Tel: 682-158. Saturday, December 15 JAZZ Lysis at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 60p. MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789-749. FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond. JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 80p. THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion . Tel: 789-536 Sunday, December 16 DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 am to 8 pm. FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688-626. HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen. THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion. Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band? A) At the Black Horse on Friday. B) At the Derby Arms on Friday. C) At the Star and Garter on Saturday. D) At the Derby Arms on Sunday.
Ans: B
Penguins can taste only sour and salty food, scientists have discovered. A genetic study suggests the flightless birds lost three of the five basic tastes long ago in evolution. Taste is critical for survival in most animals, but may not matter in the penguin, which swallows fish whole, say researchers in China and the US. Many other birds are unable to taste sweet things, but they do have receptors for detecting bitter and umami (or meaty) flavours. The discovery was made when researchers decoding penguin genomes found some of the taste genes were missing. A closer look at the DNA of penguins revealed that all species lack functioning genes for the receptors of sweet, umami, and bitter tastes. "Based on genetic data, penguins are believed to have sour and salty tastes, but have lost sweet, umami, and bitter tastes," lead researcher Prof Jianzhi Zhang, of the University of Michigan, US, and Wuhan University, China, told the reporter. The umami taste gives food the strong, savoury flavour associated with meat. Lacking this sense is surprising for a carnivorous animal, but does not matter that much in the penguin, which swallows fish without chewing. "Their behaviour of swallowing food whole, and their tongue structure and function, suggest that penguins need no taste perception," said Prof Zhang. "Although it is unclear whether these traits are a cause or a consequence of their major taste loss." The findings, published in Current Biology journal, were a puzzle, he added. One clue comes from the bird's evolution on the frozen ice sheets of Antarctica. Sending signals from sweet, umami, and bitter (but not sour or salty) taste receptors to the brain does not work at very low temperatures. This may have led to the penguin gradually losing its sense of taste, say the researchers. Intriguingly , the sweet taste is missing in almost all birds. The hummingbird, which feeds on sweet nectar, is an exception. What was the discovery made by the researchers when decoding penguin genomes? A) Some of the taste genes were missing. B) Penguins are believed to have sweet and salty tastes. C) The bird's evolution on the frozen ice sheets of Antarctica. D) Taste is critical for survival in most animals.
A