With their furry round heads and big black eyes, Zhongzhong and Huahua look just the same as any other monkey. But they happen to be the world's first cloned monkeys.
Years ago, scientists used cloning techniques to produce Dolly, the world's first cloned mammal (哺乳动物). They now used the same technique to produce the monkeys in China.
In animal cloning, animals are produced in a lab by using DNA that is taken from the cells of a naturallyborn animal. To clone Zhongzhong and Huahua, scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) first removed the nucleus (细胞核) from a monkey's egg cell. They then put another nucleus taken from the monkey's body cells into the egg cell. The newlyformed egg was put into the womb (子宫) of a female monkey. Finally, Zhongzhong and Huahua were born.
The cloning process is hard, especially removing nucleus. It needs to be done in a fast and precise (精确的) way. The faster you do it, the less damage is done to the egg, according to CAS. Scientist Liu Zhen spent three years practising removing the nucleus.
Unlike common monkeys, cloned monkeys have the same DNA as each other. When doing experiments on them, scientists can easily know that certain results are caused by different treatments, rather than different genes.
According to Sun Qiang from CAS, most drug trials (药物试验) are done on lab mice. However, drugs that work on mice might not work on humans. The two species are very different.
"Monkeys and humans are closely related and testing on monkeys is supposed to be as effective as testing on humans," Sun added.
That day was Grandpa's 70th birthday. Early in the morning, I got (dress) quickly and headed downstairs. After quick breakfast, I checked the special gift I had made for Grandpa, was a video of his life story. Just before lunchtime, Dad came in with some guests. (surprising), they were Grandpa's best friends from secondary school, all in their seventies. Grandpa couldn't believe his eyes and it took quite a long time for them (calm) down. We began watching the video and with each old photo the guests saw how Grandpa (grow) from a handsome boy a kind old gentleman. There was a lot of (laugh) in the room, and quite a few tears in their eyes. Towards the end of the party, Grandpa said excitedly, "It is a wonderful birthday celebration and I've got the (good) gift I have received. Now I am looking forward to my eightieth, ninetieth and even one (hundred) birthdays already!"
We know that St. Patrick's Day festivities may include a little bit of drinking. But there are plenty of kid-safe St. Patrick's Day events around metro Phoenix, too. Here are the lucky St. Patrick's Day celebrations for kids.
3/17:Lucky St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes
Kids can make their own treats at the Children's Museum of Phoenix this St. Patrick's Day. Children can make and decorate their cupcakes with rainbow candies and chocolate. To-go containers will also be provided.
Details:1 pm-3 pm, Friday, March 17. Children's Museum of Phoenix, 215 N. 7th Street, Phoenix. $3 for members. $4 for non-members. 602-253-0501.
3/17-19:Fountain O' Green Artisan Market
This community festival will include sculptures, paintings, handcrafted jewelry and apparel(衣服) from selected local and regional artists, live music and dance performance throughout the weekend. There will also be a food court.
On Friday, colorful water will shoot from the town's fountain at noon. Take the kids to see the annual tradition and picnic in the park.
Details:10 am-5 pm, Friday-Sunday, March 17-19. Avenue of the Fountains and Saguaro Boulevard, Fountain Hills. Free. 480-488-2014.
3/17:St. Patrick's Day Party at AZ Air Time
Kids above 12 years old can collect their free, green necklaces and jump for three hours, climb the rock climbing wall or dive into the giant hole of foam(泡沫). Jump socks will be required.
Details:8 pm-11 pm, Friday, March 17. AZ Air Time, 13802 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 145, Scottsdale. $15, saving $14. 480-427-2000/480-427-2001.
Whenever we talk about holidays, my mother teases my sister and me about how we "make out like robbers". She is referring to the fact that we are half Jewish and half Indian, so we receive gifts on both the festivals of lights—Hanukkah and Diwali. Though my mother teases us, I do not mind getting two sets of gifts!
Hanukkah is celebrated on the 25th day of the Jewish month, which is usually sometime in December. On Hanukkah, like most Jewish families, we light a menorah(烛台) and say a prayer each night. We also say a special prayer on the first night. After that, it is a tradition for my sister and me to do ‘hot and cold' for our hidden Hanukkah gifts. When we walk towards the gift, our parents say 'hot' and when we walk further away, they say ‘cold'. We each receive one present every night of Hanukkah. Another part I like about this holiday is seeing family members who we do not see often. My aunt usually stays for a few days, and we sometimes visit other relatives.
Diwali is celebrated on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of the month of Ashwin(October / November). To celebrate Diwali, my family does a pooja, or prayers, in honour of the goddess Lakshmi. Since she is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, the pooja includes washing silver coins in milk and water. In India, people decorate their houses with lamps, similar to the way you might light up your house for Christmas. My family just places a few candles outside. We also set off firecrackers, which is my favourite part. We often do this activity with friends to add to the excitement.
Both holidays have different histories and stories. We celebrate them in different ways, yet they both have the same meaning. And they both mean family and presents for me!
In October, I told the eightyearolds in the class I teach in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, about my plan. "Since all of you have done extra jobs around the house to earn some money, "I said, "then we'll buy food for a Thanksgiving dinner for someone who might not have a nice dinner otherwise."
I watched them while they walked up and down the supermarket. "Flowers！" Kristine cried. The group rushed towards the holiday plants.
"You can’t eat flowers."—It was wiser to use any extra money to buy something that could be turned into meals.
"But Mrs Sherlock, " came the begging voice, "we want flowers."
Defeated finally, I put a pot of "funny" purple mums in the cart full of foods. "She'll like this one, " the children agreed.
An organisation had given us the name and address of a needy grandmother who had lived alone for many years. We finally pulled up in front of a small house. A slightlybuilt woman with a weary face came to the door to welcome us.
My little group ran to get the foods. As each box was carried in, the old woman kept on saying "Thanks."—much to her visitors' pleasure. When Amy put the mums on the counter, the woman seemed surprised. She's wishing it was a bag of rice, I thought.
We returned to the car. As we fastened our seat belts, we could see the kitchen window. The woman inside waved goodbye, then turned and walked across the room, past the turkey, past the goods, straight to the mums. She put her face in them. When she raised her head, there was a smile on her lips. She was transformed (转变) before our eyes.
The children were quiet. At that moment, they had seen for themselves the power they have to make another's life better. The children had sensed that sometimes a person needs a pot of funny purple flowers on a dark November day.
Nov. 21 is World Hello Day. It began back in the 1970s as part of an effort to make the world more peaceful. It was created by the United Nations just after the war between Israel and Egypt in 1973. The philosophy (理念) behind it is saying "Hello and stop war. "
It sounds like a fine idea, but most of us know that simply saying "Hello" won't bring about world peace. Still, on a smaller range, the simple act of saying hello to someone can make a lot of difference.
This might not be obvious. After all, it's such a casual thing and requires so little effort. You raise your head to someone as you pass by them in the school corridor (走廊), say "Hello"， then it's over.
Although we might not realize it, a small thing like a greeting can mean a lot to a person. Many people are lonely because they're shy. They find it difficult to communicate with people, even though they want to. It leads to them feeling cut off.
On this basis, maybe it's a good idea, not just on Nov. 21, but every day, to remember to say "Hello" to as many people as we can. The stranger who hears your greeting may secretly smile in their heart. You might even make their day.
Greeting other people is the easiest way to be polite. Politeness is the way we individual humans link up with the rest of the human world outside of our circles of family and friends. Politeness is one of the aspects of culture that make us a society rather than just many individuals living in the same space.
No one said it better than the French author Joseph Joubert, "Politeness is the flower of humanity. " A "Hello" to a stranger is a small thing, and often neglected (忽视), but through it we can make the world better for another person.
