If the food in a supermarket is not fresh anymore or is near the “sell-by date”, it goes into trash bins too. Every day, a large amount of food is wasted.

To cut down on food waste, France passed a new law last month. If forbids(禁止) supermarkets to throw away unsold food. Instead, they must donate it to charities. For food that isn’t safe for humans to eat, it can be used as animal feed(饲料). If not, the supermarkets will face fines of up to 75,000 euros(around 542,200 yuan)or two years in prison. The law also encourages educational programs for schools and businesses about food waste.

France is the first country to make a law that forbids wasting food, but it is actually a worldwide problem. According to the United Nations, each year 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted all over the world, and just 25 percent of that food could feed all the hungry people in the world.

The good thing is that people around the world are trying different things to deal with the food waste problem. Galdakao, Spain, puts a public fridge in the center of town. Anyone can drop off food and anyone can come and take them. A supermarket in Canada, Loblaws, encourages people to buy “ugly food” by selling them at lower prices, so they won’t end up being wasted. In China, we also have the “clear your plate” campaign(光盘行动). This means you should eat everything on your plate or take away the food you haven’t eaten up.

Last year, a special kind of glove came out. It was invented to help blind people to learn Braille, which is a special system for the blind to read by touching. Shaking motors (震动马达) are put on each finger of the glove. They can make different sounds to tell a user which letter he is touching. Recently, two British college students have invented another special glove for the blind. It can make the user feel small and quick movements. An ultrasonic sensor (超声波传感器) with a battery is put on the back of the glove. When the user wearing the glove is close to an object (物体), ultrasonic waves (超声波) from the glove are sent out (发出). As soon as they hit the object in front, the waves will return to the glove. Then the waves cause the glove to shake. And the ultrasonic sensor makes different kinds of sounds. The sounds make the user know how far he is from the object.

   In the college invention competition, the two students got first prize and won 1,540 pounds. One of the designers said, “Now the ultrasonic sensor on the glove is quite large. We're going to use the money to develop a smaller and lighter ultrasonic sensor.”

We were very pleased with the photo competition. Compared with other years, we received many more photos. Even though all of the photos are excellent, we can't give prizes to everyone. There are four prizes, so read on to find out who the winners are.

   The person who won the prize of the “Most Beautiful Nature” photography is fifteen-year-old Li Wei. Li took photos of the mountains in Xiangshan Park. The park isn't far from his home, about 500 metres, and he knows it well.

   The photo we liked best in the “Historic China” group was taken by Zhao Min. Zhao is only 12 years old. Her photo is of Tian'anmen Square, the largest public square in the world. It's 880 metres from north to south and 500 metres wide at the northern end. Her photo shows the size and beauty of the square perfectly.

   The best photo in “Music” category was taken by He Zhong who is fourteen years old. His photo of this year's best band Crazy Feet shows the singer, Becky Wang, and the band playing at a concert in Shenzhen. He Zhong manages to show the movement and the sounds of this great new band, and the fun which their fans are having.

   A collection of photos called the “Many Faces of Our City” which features Beijing won the prize for the “Most Unusual” category. Three pupils at the same school worked on this entry. It includes photos of different parts of the city, old and new. It successfully shows the rich culture which makes Beijing so famous.

   Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone who entered the competition. We are very lucky that the famous photographer John William is in China to talk about his new book. He has agreed to present the prizes at the prize giving ceremony at the end of this month.

   Probably you have seen photos of the Grand Canyon. But you must go there ____（1）____ to feel its size and beauty. The Grand Canyon is one of the greatest ___  (1)  ___ wonders of the world.

   The Colorado River made the Grand Canyon over millions of years. Slowly, the river cut down ____  (2)  ____ hard rocks. At the same time, the land was ___  (3)  ___. Today the canyon is very ____  (4)  ____. It's also very wide, about 20 kilometres. And ____  (5)  ____ its height, there are different kinds of plants and animals on both ____  (6)  ____ of the canyon.

   The canyon looks different at different times of the day, and ____  (7)  ____ different seasons and weather. At sunrise, the red, gold, brown and orange colours of the rocks are ____  (8)  ____ clear and bright. Whether you see the Grand Canyon from the top or the bottom, it will be a(n) ____  (9)  ____ that you will never forget.

   January 1 is New Year's Day, the first day of the year. It is a legal (法定的) holiday, and all banks, stores and schools are closed. Many people invite their friends to come and visit them in the afternoon or evening.

   The only legal holiday in February is Washington's Birthday. Although Washington was born on February 22, his birthday is now celebrated on the third Monday of February. Some states also celebrate Lincoln's birthday on February 12. These two, the United States' most famous presidents, were both born in February.

   The last Monday in May is Memorial Day (纪念日). This holiday remembers the Union Civil War soldiers, who died for their country. Americans celebrate Memorial Day with services in cemeteries (公墓) and churches.

   America's great national holiday, Independence Day, falls on the fourth of July. It celebrates the birth of the United States. It was on this day that the colonists (殖民地居民) announced their independence from England. They had to fight hard for the next seven years to win this independence.

   The first Monday of September is Labour Day (劳工节). This holiday honours (向……表示敬意) the working people of the United States. There are sorts of celebrations and speeches on this day too. People go to all kinds of places to enjoy the fine weather at the end of summer.

Different countries celebrate the New Year in different ways. Many countries still follow the lunar calendar, meaning that their new year often starts in late January or in February. New Year celebrations for some countries (like China, Vietnam, and Korea) last not one day, but up to two weeks!

In the US, many people attend New Year parties. They drink, dance, and cheer at midnight.

In the southern US, many people eat black­eyed peas for good luck in the new year.

In Mexico and Venezuela, many people wear red or yellow for good luck.

In Brazil, people wear white clothes for good luck, and in China, they wear red clothes and give children red envelopes with money in them.

In Iran, people wear brand new clothes on the first day of the New Year.

In Scotland, people open the front door at midnight to let in the New Year, and open the back door to let out the old year.

In Switzerland, people kiss each other three times at midnight.

In Japan, they ring a bell 108 times to get rid of(除掉) the 108 bad desires.

In Korea, they ring a bell 33 times for 33 old soldiers(士兵).

 You may think there is only sand in the desert (沙漠) of the world, ____  (1)  ____ it is not true. In the desert, as we know, there is a little ____  (2)  ____, but it is not ____  (3)  ____ for most plants. Still we can see some plants live in the desert.

   There is ____  (4)  ____ in some places in the desert. We call these places oases (绿洲). In the oases, there are villages and towns. People grow all kinds of crops in the fields there. People ____  (5)  ____ live outside the oases. They have camels, sheep and other animals. These animals depend on the desert plants for their food and do not need ____  (6)  ____ water.

   The animals are useful to the desert people in many ways. They eat the meat and drink the milk of the animals. They use the camel for carrying water, food, tents and something else.

   The people of the desert have to keep moving from place to place. They must always ____  (7)  ____ grass or desert plants for their animals. When there is no more food for animals, they move to ____  (8)  ____ place. The desert people are ____  (9)  ____. No man in the desert would ever ____  (10)  ____ to help the people in trouble and give them food and water.

National parks are large areas of public land. They give a safe home for local plants and animals. They help keep the air and water clean. They also give us the best trips. Today, there are nearly 7,000 national parks around the world. Forbes has listed 12 of the most beautiful ones in the world that will surprise you with their amazing landscapes（风景）, geographic wonders and colorful plants and animals.

TheGrand Canyon National Parkof the US is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It is best known for its size and depth. It is 446 kilometers long, up to 29 kilometers wide, and 1.6 kilometers deep. The immensity of the canyon makes people think big. Every year, about 5 million people visit here. Taking a tour in the South Rim offers visitors the parkˈs full views, while the North Rim shows beautiful wild flowers.

If you love animals, youˈll like theSerengeti National Parkin Tanzania. The“Big Five”live here. They are the lion, African elephant, African leopard, black rhinoceros and African buffalo. The name“Big Five”came from the five animals that were the hardest to catch. Now they are what people most want to see in the wild. If you visit the park, you should never miss the migration（迁徙）of over 1.5 million wildebeests（角马）and 250,000 zebras every year. This is the most famous site of the park.

   Australia is a famous Oceanian country. The country is famous   (1)   its wool production and seashore tour. As the climate there is warm and comfortable, many people   (2)   vacations there every year. I'm a super fan of water entertainment, so I choose it as my destination (目的地).

   In Australia, the sky is bluer than blue, the clouds are whiter than white, and all the local people enjoy an optimistic (乐观的) and active life. They also show their kindness and enthusiasm (热情)   (3)   the tourists.

   The first step should be the Sydney Opera House   (4)   is one of the most brilliant and splendid (极好的) architectures (体系结构) in the world. Many world-class plays are put on in it. The surface and shape of it   (5)   a seashell with glorious decorations inside.

   Then Melbourne is a good choice   (6)   the next step. In Melbourne, skin cream is a must to take with you because the sunshine is upset and may burn your skin. The most attractive thing to me is the Australian Open, which is one of   (7)   worldclass tennis competitions. Many great players such as Roddick, Federer and its local player Hewitt etc. gather to compete. It's really a feast (宴会) for the eyes.

   Australia is also home to one of the most challenging and exciting surfing and diving projects.   (8)   we know, it is always called “a country riding on the back of sheep”. From the   (9)   saying, we can know something about the rich wool-production country. So don't forget Australia   (10)   you plan a trip. It is worth visiting.

Here are a few suggestions for what you can do to make sure that you and your group have a successful and educational visit to CU Museum.

   Before the Visit

   Discuss the coming trip with your students.

   Use the pre-visit (参观之前的) activity ideas with your class.

   Use one of the CU Museum Classroom Resources (资源) as a pre-visit activity.

   After the Visit

   Discuss the trip with your class. Talk about what was learned and answer their questions.

   Ask them to write about their museum experiences.

   Use the post-visit activity ideas with your class.

   Use one of the CU Museum Classroom Resources as a post-visit activity.

   For more information on how you can make your visit a success, please call us at (303) 492-1666 or (303) 492-4843.

   For other questions, please send an email to cumuseum @ colorado. edu.