Don't forget to make a reservation for the hotel.
别忘了要订饭店喔。

I completely forgot about our meeting.
我完全忘了我们的会议。

A young margay cat peeks over a step at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute station on Barro Colorado, a forested island in the Panama Canal waterway. The island rises from Lake Gatun, which formed in 1907 when the Chagres River was dammed during construction of the canal.

For the Love of Chocolate!
浓情巧克力

Most people know that chocolate is made from cocoa and that the origins of chocolate can be traced back to Central and South America. For centuries, the natives there regarded cocoa as a gift from the gods. But how did chocolate go from being the food of the gods to being the food of love?

Around A.D. 600, the Mayas were the main aboriginal group in Central America. They established the first cocoa plantations and used the cocoa bean as the main ingredient in a dark, bitter drink that we would call “chocolate.” The Mayas believed that chocolate had mystical properties---but cocoa also had commercial value. In fact, cocoa beans were used as a form of currency that was worth its weight in gold!

Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez was the first European explorer to realize cocoa's commercial possibilities. When he arrived in the New World in 1519, he soon established his own cocoa plantation. In 1529, Cortez returned to Spain and introduced chocolate---as a drink mixed with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon---to European society.

It caught on---especially with the nobility, who fancied hot chocolate as an aphrodisiac. As its popularity spread, people found new ways to make and use chocolate. These days, chocolate is enjoyed as both a tasty treat and a romantic indulgence. Whether it is in delectable desserts or crunchy candy, people the world over are still in love with chocolate.

1. plantation n. 种植地，农园
2. cinnamon n. 肉桂
3. indulgence n. 恣纵，放任
4. delectable a. 美味可口的

大多数人都知道巧克力由可可制成，它起源于中南美洲。几个世纪以来，当地的居民把可可看作神的恩赐。但巧克力是怎样从神的食品变成了爱情食品的呢？

公元600年左右，玛雅人是中美洲主要的土著居民。他们建立了第一座可可种植园，并用可可豆为主要原料，制成了一种又黑又苦的饮料，我们叫“巧克力”。玛雅人相信巧克力具有神秘的特性，也具有商业价值。实际上，可可豆曾经被当作一种与金子等值的货币形式！

西班牙征服者赫尔南多·科蒂斯是第一位了解可可的商业潜力的欧洲探险家。他1519年抵达新大陆，不久就建立了自己的可可种植园。1529年，赫尔南多·科蒂斯回到西班牙，他将巧克力——一种混合糖、香草及肉桂的饮料引入欧洲社会。

巧克力倍受贵族们的亲睐，他们视热巧克力为一种春药。随着巧克力广为普及，人们发现了一些制造和使用巧克力的新方法。现在，巧克力被人们当作一种可口的美食和浪漫的享受。无论是在美味的甜点里，还是在酥脆的糖果中，世界各地的人们依旧对巧克力迷恋不已。

Sitting waiting wishing 杰克-约翰逊

　没有漂亮脸蛋，没有绝世靓嗓，也不是媒体追逐的焦点。Jack Johnson（杰克－约翰逊）的背景简单纯朴得如他的音乐一样，就是这样的不引人注目，却悄悄打入专辑英国金榜，并获得了第四十八届格莱美最佳流行男声演出提名。中国英语学习网每日英语频道精彩推荐。

　　Jack Johnson把他骨子里带来的海水般的自由简约发挥到极至，只需要吉他和鼓，加上自己的喃喃低语说故事。大海般柔软的歌声加上纯熟的吉他弹奏，把生活中最纯正、最朴实的情感融进音乐，流淌出完美的情绪。步入春日的你，面对这样一首阳光四溢，微风荡漾的歌曲，还等什么呢？

Sitting waiting wishing　　Jack Johnson

I was sitting, waiting, wishing
You believed in superstitions
Then maybe you would see the signs
But lord knows that this world is cruel
And I ain't the lord no I'm just a fool
Learning loving somebody
Don't make them love you

Must I always be waiting, waiting on you?
Must I always be playing, playing your fool?
I sang your songs I danced your dance
I gave your friends all a chance
But putting up with them wasn't worth never having you

Maybe you've been through this before
But it's my first time so please ignore
The next few lines because they're directed at you
I can't always be waiting, waiting on you
I can't always be playing, playing your fool

I keep playing your part
But it's not my scene 
Want this plot to twist
I've had enough mystery
You keep building it up
But then you're shooting me down
But I'm already down
Just wait a minute Just sitting, waiting
Just wait a minute Just sitting, waiting

Well if I was in your position
I'd put down all my ammunition
I'd wonder why it had taken me so long
But lord knows that I'm not you
And if I was I wouldn't be so cruel 

Because waiting on love
Ain't so easy to do
Must I always be waiting, waiting on you?
Must I always be playing, playing your fool?
No, I can't always be waiting, waiting on you
I can't always be playing, playing your fool, fool