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　　Galileo left earth on October 18, 1989．In 1995, it became the first man-made satellite of Jupiter(木星)．

　　Galileo released its 339 kg probe(an exploring machine)in July 1995 and it went into the atmosphere of Jupiter in December．Travelling at 47 km per second, Galileo’s cone-shaped(锥形的)probe became a man-made meteor(大气现象)burning across alien cloud．Within two minutes the drag caused by Jupiter’s atmosphere slowed the probe to a mere 1600 km per hour．

　　The following are some information about Galileo and Jupiter．

　　Take pictures of Jupiter and its moons

　　Weigh planet and its moons

　　Check temperatures, chemical make-up, magnetic strength, protons(质子), heavy ions(离子), electromagnetic waves and dust particles．

　　Weight：2380 kg

　　Dimensions：4.5 m high, 10.9 m long

　　Thermal nuclear power：570 watts

　Jupiter Facts：

　　Fifth planet from the sun(after Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars), 700 million km from earth at the moment．

　　Diameter：142 000 km(Earth：12 750 km)

　　Spins on axis(day length)：10 hours(Earth：24 hours)

　　Moons：16

　　Made of swirling(漩涡), hot gases, no rocky surface

　　Gaseous red spot：40 000 km across

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　　Ig Nobel Prizes are awarded annually to those who have made strange scientific achievements．Ten prizes are given to people who have done remarkably goofy(可笑的)things－some of them admirable, some perhaps otherwise．

　　The prizes are presented at a gala(欢庆的)ceremony in Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre, and are sponsored(发起)by the scientific humor magazine ?Annals of Improbable Research．? The first Ig Nobels were awarded in 1991．Officially the prizes are granted for “performances that cannot or should not be repeated”．

　　Most winners－especially those who are being “honored” for things they should not have done－are embarrassed by the prizes, but the occasional winner cheerfully accepts and even attends the award ceremony．Though the ceremony is parody(拙劣的模仿)of the Nobel Prizes, true Nobel Laureates(获奖者)are on hand to award the winners with their honors．

　　The winners are selected by the Ig Nobel Board of Governors(董事会)．The Board is composed of scientists(including several Nobel Laureates), science writers, athletes, public officials, and other individuals．By tradition, on the final day of deliberation(商议)a passerby is invited to help make the decision．The winners are invited to travel, at their own expense, to the gala awards ceremony．In recent years, half of more of the winners have participated in the ceremonies．

　　The 2005 Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded on October 6．Winners as follows(part)：

　　Peace：Two scientists from the U．K．, for a brain cell in a locust while that locust was watching the movie Star Wars．

　　Chemistry：Two American scientists for conducting a careful experiment to solve the longstanding scientific question：can people swim faster in syrup(糖浆)or in water?

　　Economics：Gauri Nanda of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for inventing an clock that runs away and hides, repeatedly, thus guarantee that people go get out of bed, and thus theoretically adding many productive hours to the workday．

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　　Like any other American 18-year-old, Michael Sessions will attend high school from 8 a. m．to 3 p. m．and after 6 p. m. he will do his homework．But from 3 p. m. -6 p. m., he will carry out his new job as the elected Mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan．

　　Although he was too young to celebrate his success over the 51-year-old rival－by two votes－with champagne or any other alcoholic drink, the youngest elected official in America is determined to discharge(履行)his civic duties seriously．

　　Mr．Sessions, who turned 18 in September ran for Mayor on a budget(预算)of ＄700 earned from a summer job and on a promise of working to increase Hillsdale’s contingent(分谴队)of full-time firefighters from three to four．

　　His rival was defeated by an energetic door-to-door campaign made all more remarkable because Mr．Sessions was a “write-in” candidate．He was too young to register(登记)as a candidate(候选人)before nominations closed for the printed ballots(选票), so his supporters had to write in his name on election day．

　　“Obviously, the people of Hillsdale took me seriously, ”the teenager said．“A lot of older people really enjoyed talking to me．I look at them in the eye．Young people could relate to me．”

　　He told the reporter, “It’s just a state of trying to believe it－especially that 670 people took the time to write my name in．My heart’s racing．”

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Strange coincidences(巧合)happened to the deaths of John F．Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln．For example, Kennedy was elected President in 1960 while Lincoln became President in 1860．Both were murdered from behind, on a Friday, and in the presence of their wives．The two men were exactly one hundred years apart and so were their murderers, Lee Harvery Oswald and John Wilkes Booth．Perhaps the strangest coincidence is that Kennedy’s secretary, whose name was Lincoln, advised him not to go to Dallas where he was shot later．Lincoln’s secretary, whose name was Kennedy, suggested him not going to the Ford Theatre, where he met his death．

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　　Tragedy at the Circus

　　In yesterday’s circus(马戏团)show, a tiger suddenly attacked its trainer and had to be shot dead．As the circus packed up and left, circus officials said the show would go on, even without tigers．

　　However, the officials can’t simply turn a blind eye to the ethical(伦理的)problems left behind．Even before this tragedy(悲剧), animal rights activists protested against keeping wild animals in unnatural conditions and forcing them to suffer for the profit(利润)of circus organizers．

　　It is now time for us to take effective steps to make sure that circus animals are treated properly．

　　Circus Safe for Animals

　　Our circus recently suffered a most tragic event in its history．While we are thankful for the pity from the public, we are also astonished by the opinion expressed in “Tragedy at the Circus．”

　　First, our performing animals are not taken from the wild．As to the ethical problems．we always believe humans and animals can－and should－live together nicely．To us, the performing animals are representatives of their species(物种), and our circus is one of the only places left willing to support this special role of performing animals in the existence of the species．Those who argue that circus life is harmful to animals show little knowledge of these facts．Life in the “wild” is unsafe, but a continuous struggle for existence．To overlook these realities is the greatest fault against the animal kingdom．

　　This circus has proven that animals are stronger and smarter than we could imagine．Within the circus is a joyful atmosphere for both animals and humans：people are educated, and species saved．

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　　Most people think of racing when they see greyhounds(灰狗)and believe they need lots of exercise．They can actually be quite lazy!Greyhounds are good at fast races but not long-distance running．They do need regular exercise but they like to run for a short burst and then get back on the bed or a comfortable seat．Another misunderstanding is that greyhounds must be aggressive(好斗的)because they are big in size．In fact greyhounds love people and are gentle with children．

　　Greyhounds can live for 12-14 years but usually only race for two or three years, and after that they make great pets．They don’t need a lot of space, don’t make a lot of noise, and don’t eat a lot for their size．

　　Normally, greyhounds can be as tall as 90 cm．There is, however, a small-sized greyhound, which stands only 33 cm．Greyhounds come in a variety of colors．Grey and yellowish-brown are the most common．Others include black, white, blue, red and brown or a mix of these．

　　Greyhounds have smooth body coats, low body fat and are very healthy．Because they’re slim(苗条的)they don’t have the leg problems like other dogs the same height．But they do feel the cold, especially since they would much rather be at home in bed than walking around outside．

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　　“Football is a very short-term career．Football really prepares you for almost nothing．The only thing I got out of football was the ability to work hard, ”says Gales Sayers．So what do you do after your glory days on the field are over?Here’s what one of the top players, Gales Sayers, did after he put down the pigskin．

　　Gales Sayers：#0, Chicago Bears, Running Back．

　　Gales Sayers became famous in 1965．After recovering from a serious knee injury in 1968, Sayers returned to the Bears in 1969 and was awarded the George Halas Award as “the most courageous player in professional football．”At the award ceremony, he owed his prize to his friend and teammate Brian Piccolo, who was dying of cancer．

　　Sayers couldn’t outrun the injuries, though, and another blow to his knee put an end to his football career in 1971．His personal life was unfortunate as well, as he and his wife, Linda, split that year．Shortly after that, Sayers started a new life and career as an assistant athletic director in the University of Kansas．By 1976 he was moving up the ladder at Southern Illinois University, becoming the first African-American athletic director at a major university．

　　Sayers, the youngest player to be ever listed into the National Football League’s Hall of Fame, started a computer supplies company in 1984 with his second wife, Ardie, whom he married in 1973．The couple was looking for a field with a future, and computers seemed to have it all．Seventeen years later, the company that bears his name is a national provider of technology solutions, with 10 locations and over 350 employees across the country．Just like in the old days, the honors started rolling in．Sayers was listed into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 1999．

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　　China is the only place in the world where pandas still live in the wild．The pandas survey(调查)counted the total number of pandas living in the Chinese countryside at almost 1600－nearly 50 percent more than 1000 to 1100 pandas found in the last survey, in the late 1980s．Although the news is encouraging, scientists are quick to point out that pandas, which have become the universal symbol of endangered species(濒于灭绝的物种), are still threatened with extinction and need protection．

　　With pandas and many other species, survival depends on staying hidden from people and predators(食肉动物), so counting them can be hard．More important than the number of pandas is how to protect them and the places they live．

　　Scientists made the panda survey, sponsored(赞助)by World Wildlife Fund and the Chinese government, by combining the best of 21st century technology with old-fashioned low-tech tracking(跟踪)skills．Counting pandas through the forest and up mountains, using their powers of observation to note a bit of panda fur left on the bark of a tree, a panda paw print in the mud, or．．．panda droppings!Panda locations were entered into global positioning system(全球定位系统)instruments to create maps of habitat that should be protected．

　　Of all the clues left by the pandas, researchers depended most heavily on the animals’ droppings．Pandas eat up to 80 pounds of bamboo a day, and because bamboo is difficult to digest(消化), it remains the chew patterns of individual pandas even after digestion．Chinese researchers have determined that individual pandas have different average bite sizes, so by measuring the average bite size of the bamboo pieces in the droppings collected, survey teams were able to determine the number of pandas that produced the droppings left behind in each area．

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　　Male saiga antelopes(高鼻羚羊)face a serious problem that threatens to push them over the brink(边缘)of extinction(灭绝)：so many females, so few males．

　　The population of this antelope over the world, native to the steppes(大草原)and deserts of Central Asia and the Pre-Caspian region of Europe, has fallen by 80 percent to about 50 000．In the mid-1970s, the peak population was more than 1 250 000．Of the saiga antelopes that remain, most are female．

　　The males simply cannot mate with enough females to maintain the population, said Eleanor Milner Gulland, a conservation scientist at Imperial College London in England．

　　The primacy reason for the collapse is over-hunting by rural communities that were economically destroyed following the breakup of the Soviet Union．Rural farmers hunt both sexes of the three feet tall antelopes to feed their families．

　　The animals have long noses and short, pointed antlers．Groups of poachers(非法捕杀者)zip around the countryside on motorcycles shooting the males for their horns, which sell for as much as US＄100 in China where they are used to treat heart disease, fever, stroke and other conditions．

　　In 2002, the saiga antelope was listed as Critically Endangered by The World Conservation Union and listed on Appendix Ⅱ of the Convention of Migratory Species．Conservationists argue that unless national anti-poaching laws are enforced, the species may be extinct within the next few years．

　　“The answer lies in making sure that the people living closest to the saiga can recognize the need for their long-term protection, ”said Abigail Entwistle, a zoologist with Fauna & Flora International, a conservation organization in Cambridge, England．

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　　The first modern Olympic Games was held in Athens in 1896 and only twelve nations participated it．Besides the host nation, many participants(参赛者)were tourists who happened to be in Greece at the time．Though the whole affair was informal and the standard was not high, the old principle of the sport was kept up．

　　Since then, the games had been held every four years except during the interruption of the two World Wars．This was definitely a departure(背道而驰)from the old Olympic spirit that wars had to stop and make way for the games．

　　The games have grown in scale and physical performances have now reached unprecedented(空前的)heights．Unfortunately the same cannot be said about their moral standard．The modern games are now held in different cities all over the word．Politics and commercialism get involved for the honor to hold the games because of the profit．In the 11th games held in Berlin in 1936, Hitler who had newly come to power in Germany tried to use the occasion for his Nazi propaganda(宣传)．For the first time the Olympic flame was brought all the way from Olympia to the games site in relays, a marathon journey now often taking months to finish．The last relay runner lit the huge symbol torch high on a pedestal(火炬台)above the stadium on the opening day, and with great pomp and fanfare(壮丽多彩)the opening ceremony began．

　　The Games of the 24th Olympiad, Beijing 2008, will take place from 8th to 24th, August 2008．The Games will play host to the 28 summer sports．About 10 500 athletes are expected to take part in the Games with around 20 000 media bringing the Games to the world．

　　On 11th, November, 2005, the Organizing Committee for the Games of Beijing 2008 has launched the five official mascots(吉祥物)for the Beijing Games at a show, to mark the 1000-day countdown(倒计时)to the Opening Ceremony of the Games．The five mascots are officially called Fuwa．They are Beibei, the fish; Jingjing, the panda; Huanhuan, the Olympic flame; Yingying, the Tibetan antelope; and Nini, the swallow．The first syllables from their two-syllable names form a line that reads “Beijing Huanying Ni”, or in English－“Welcome to Beijing”．The mascots’ colours were chosen in line with the colours of the Olympic rings．