An igloo(雪屋)comes from the Inuit word for “house” or “shelter”. Traditionally, when the Inuit went on their hunting trips, they often built a temporary house 【小题1】 (protect) themselves from the cold.

If built 【小题2】 (proper), an igloo can be strong enough for an adult to stand on it without falling down. Generally, a skilled igloo【小题3】 (build) can make an igloo in about one hour. However, it may take a newcomer three to six hours to make one, 【小题4】 (depend) on the size of the igloo.

Then how does an igloo keep you warm? Firstly, the walls of the igloo will protect you from the wind outside, 【小题5】 can make the temperature feel even【小题6】 (cold) than it actually is. Secondly, the igloo isn’t the source【小题7】 the heat as this comes from everyone’s body heat. The snow then works as an insulator(隔热材料)and【小题8】 (keep) everyone who’s inside warm. The temperature outside can sometimes reach up to minus 45 degrees, but inside an igloo, the temperature 【小题9】 (expect) to reach between minus 7 and 16 degrees because of your body heat. 【小题10】 it’s not going to be warm enough for a T-shirt, it’s much warmer than being outside the igloo.

Blue jeans have always been with us and are here to stay. They may be a comfortable and convenient choice, but blue jeans could be harming 【小题1】 planet. Microfibers(微纤维) of jeans 【小题2】(discover) in water samples in the past 6 months. The survey of a team in Canada found that one in four of all microfibers in the samples 【小题3】(take) across Canada, from Toronto to the Arctic were blue jeans.

Some of the microfibers were found at a 【小题4】(deep) of 1500 meters, but 【小题5】 they could travel a long distance was still unknown. To find the reason, scientists have tested various samples including the highest concentrations found in shallow lakes near big cities. 【小题6】 the survey was limited to Canada, the team believes the similar situation would be found in other countries.

The researcher also threw light on a truth that around 50,000 microfibers 【小题7】fell off the surface of jeans would find their way into our bodies every time they were cleaned. While the researchers were not sure what the effect of the microfibers might have 【小题8】 the environment or health, Samantha Athey at the University of Toronto points out the microfibers involved are chemically treated.     【小题9】 is believed that washing jeans less often could help reduce the pollution 【小题10】(effective).

Recognizing a cat’s emotions from its face is often hard, even for its owners, Now, researchers from Canada’s University of Guelph insist that cats also express emotions on their faces—one just has to learn how to interpret【小题1】(they)!

For their study, Professors Lee Niel and Georgia Mason surveyed 6,300【小题2】(volunteer) from 85 countries. The participants【小题3】(show) the cats’ faces from a series of short videos.

The researchers, who published their findings in the November 2019 issue of Animal Welfare, found that only 819 participants were able to read the cats’ emotions【小题4】(accurate) over 75 percent of the time. Further research showed that the so-called “cat whisperers” were primarily women and veterinarians, and younger adults also seemed to be able to read the expressions even【小题5】(well) than older individuals.

Surprisingly, being a cat owner did not help to read cats’ emotions, indicating that a strong attachment to the animal did not necessarily mean【小题6】better understanding of its emotions.

The researchers believe cats’ expressions can be learned over time,【小题7】explains why veterinary (兽医的) staff scored high【小题8】the study. “This is important to be able to do because it could help strengthen the bond between owners and cats, and so improve cat care and welfare,” said Niel.

【小题9】(find) out if you have what it takes to be a “cat whisperer”, take the fun cat faces quiz【小题10】(create) by the study’s researchers.