Researchers recently have found a surprising and 【小题1】 (benefit) impact of lightning with the result of a study 【小题2】 (publish) in Science. The study found that lightning may play a bigger role in global climate change 【小题3】 was previously known by the scientific community. “Lightning increases the atmosphere’s ability to clean itself, the researchers wrote in the study.

The Earth 【小题4】 (strike) by lightning nearly 20 million times each year, which travels as much as 10 to 12 miles from a thunderstorm, thus instantly 【小题5】 (heat) the air to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (华氏温度) according to the National Weather Service.

Researchers realized that the increase in hydroxyl radicals (羟基自由基) in the atmosphere 【小题6】 they observed was connected to the lightning 【小题7】 (flash). Hydroxyl radicals, also described as a “chemical cleaner”, were important chemical compounds (混合物) found in the atmosphere. As 【小题8】 result, the study predicted that between 2% and 16% of the oxidizing (氧化) or cleaning is done by lightning. The oxidizing or cleaning happens 【小题9】 (natural) in the Earth atmosphere. Researchers say that more studies will need to be conducted to confirm the degree 【小题10】 which lightning contributes to the fight against global climate change.

National Handwriting Day 【小题1】 (fall) on January 23rd. Its aim is to stress the significance of the skill of handwriting. Handwriting is of practical 【小题2】 (important) in today’s world where people use a computer keyboard more than a pen or pencil. Some people are worried that in the future, handwriting might become a 【小题3】 (lose) art.

The Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA) 【小题4】 (start) National Handwriting Day in 1977. The day January 23rd was chosen because this is the birthday of John Hancock, 【小题5】 was the first person to sign the American Declaration of Independence — one of the most important documents in America’s history. WIMA says: “National Handwriting Day is 【小题6】 chance for all of us to re-explore the purity and power of handwriting.”

Handwriting is more like an art rather than 【小题7】 (simple) writing. We can use it to express 【小题8】 (we) and be creative. A higher art form is calligraphy (书法). People can study how to write a single letter for many years. Everyone’s handwriting is unique. We only need to see the front of a letter 【小题9】 (recognize) the handwriting of someone we know. Experts can even analyze our handwriting and explain 【小题10】 kind of personality we have. What does your handwriting say about you?

Therapy dogs are dogs that are trained to give comfort to people in unfortunate situations. The story of the first therapy dog is very interesting. During World War Ⅱ, a soldier named William Wynne found an 【小题1】 (abandon) dog on the battlefield (战场). He became 【小题2】 (friend) with the dog and named it Smoky. When William became very ill and entered a hospital, his friends frequently brought Smoky to visit him, 【小题3】 made it become so popular with the other sick soldiers in the hospital that it was allowed to stay. The doctors in the hospital used Smoky to help cheer op the patients. After the war ended, Smoky continued to work 【小题4】 a therapy dog in the United States.

In the 1970s, Elaine Smith, 【小题5】 American nurse, started a program to train therapy dogs. Smith noticed patients in hospitals seemed to recover (康复) much 【小题6】 (fast) when dogs had been around. 【小题7】 amazed doctors and nurses was that having animals visit hospitals helped lower stress and blood pressure among patients. In the 1980s and 1990s, other animals also started to help the sick.

Today, therapy pets 【小题8】 (use) to help many different people with problems. For example, they help children with reading difficulties by 【小题9】 (provide) an audience that won’t belittle (轻视) them. Some therapy pets can work along with the patient and the doctor in an effort 【小题10】 (help) people learn to walk again after a serious injury.