A Study on Chinese English Leamers＇ Use of Emotion Words

Most educated Chinese take English as an important communication tool and the language has been increasingly frequently used in all walks of life in the country. This paper is to examine the use of English emotion words on the target group of English learners in China. The study is designed to find out the relationship between the use of emotion words and such relevant variables as language proficiency, gender, and age. The results demonstrate that the use of emotion words is significantly linked to the level of proficiency as well as gender. Age is found to have slight effect on the use of emotion words. The study also reveals that more positive emotion words are produced than negative ones in the speech. Based on the major findings, some implications and suggestions are offered： Firstly, English learners in China are expected to improve their language proficiency, particularly that of listening and speaking. Secondly, they are supposed to enhance their culture awareness of English by means of exposing themselves to as much authentic language as possible.

Drought Adaptation and Coping Strategies Among the Turkana Pastoralists of Northern Kenya

This study highlights drought characteristics and the many responses to drought stresses employed by Turkana pastoralists of northwestern Kenya. Multiple data sources, including socioeconomic interviews with 302 households, focus group discussions, and informal interviews with pastoralists were used to capture various aspects of drought and drought adaptation and coping practices.Standardized precipitation index derived from long-term rainfall data obtained from the Kenya Meteorological Service was used to quantify different degrees of drought intensity between 1950 and 2012. Results revealed that extreme drought events were increasingly frequent, and have impacted negatively on pastoral livelihoods. In order to adapt to or cope with climatic anomalies, households are using a variety of strategies. In addition to the traditional short-term coping mechanisms, the long-term adaptation strategies used include diversification of livelihood sources; livestock mobility to track forage and water resources;diversification of herd composition to benefit from the varied drought and disease tolerance, as well as fecundity of diverse livestock species; and sending children to school for formal education as a long term investment expected to pay back through income from employment. Policies anddevelopment interventions that reduce risks, diminish livelihood constraints, and expand opportunities for increased household resilience to drought are critical complements to the existing pastoral strategies.

Intraspecific differentiation in seed flooding tolerance of Echinochloa crusgalli var.zelayensis population in shores of a giant reservoir along altitudinal gradients

Aims In a large dam-regulated reservoir with regular hydrological pattern and strong flooding gradients across shore elevations,plants inhabiting in different shore elevations have to confront long-lasting flooding of differential in tensities every year.Such persistent stress may lead to intraspecific differentiation of flooding tolerance in seeds.Echinochloa crusgalli var.zelayensis is a dominant annual plant in the shores of the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR),which plays an important role in the shore vegetation.The objective of this study is to check whether intraspecific differentiation of seed flooding tolerance has occurred among E.crusgalli var.zelayensis populations in the TGR shores and whether such differentiation is associated with weak seed dispersal.Methods We collected seeds of E.crusgalli var.zelayensis from different populations in the TGR shores,and then placed them at four elevations in the shores flooded by reservoir impoundment.Parameters reflecting seed flooding tolerance including post-flooding percentage of intact seeds,seed germinability and seedling emergence rate were investigated for the seeds from different populations and undergoing flooding of different intensities.Floating time of seeds and speed of water level rise during impoundment were examined,and used to quantify dispersal potential of seeds in the shores of the TGR when flooded.Important Findings Both intact seed percentage and final seedling emergence rate after flooding significantly declined with increasing shore elevations where the seeds were collected,indicating that intraspecific differentiation in seed flooding tolerance has occurred among E.crusgalli var.zelayensis populations in the TGR shores after 7-year operation of the reservoir.The distanee of seeds transported by rising water during reservoir impoundment was limited due to short-floating time of the seeds and relatively low speed of water level rise in the reservoir.This would be favourable to the development of intraspecific differentiation in seed flooding tolerance.