55-year-old Michael Smith spotted an injured baby bird lying on the roadside as he cycled home one evening in May. He picked up the tiny bird, now named Patch, and took him home, where he made him a little nest and fed him boiled eggs. Now he has recovered and is about 16 weeks old. Patch has spread his wings but comes back to his rescuer when Michael calls.

Bird and man have such a close relationship that Patch gives his friend little beaky kisses and hitches lifts（搭便车）on his bike rides and walks. Michael loves Patch so much that he even slept in the open air one night when his feathered friend didn't come out of a tree.

Michael, an ex-builder from Malvern in Worcestershire, said,"I love nature and animals, so I couldn't leave him injured in the wild. He's like my best friend now, and I spend as much time with him as possible. He is the talk of the town, and if I am not with him, everyone is asking after him."

Michael thought Patch, who he thinks is a boy, had been attacked by another animal when he found him with a broken wing. After living in an old pigeon box Michael got from a friend, and being fed boiled eggs, bread and milk, Patch took four weeks to recover the use of his wing. Michael still feeds Patch worms, and fruit like cherries and grapes, but the now-recovered bird catches moths for himself.

Patch lives in a nest that Michael built in the garden, but comes in for playmates and occasional sleepovers （在外过夜）in the house Michael shares with his 78-year-old mother Mary.

Michael said,"People call me the bird whisper, or birdman of Malvern. It came quite naturally to me. And I remember all these tales I've heard about people rescuing birds and forming a bond. I was quite well known around here but I am even more so now: it's a lovely thing to be known for it. Having him is such a lovely thing to happen."

In the hot summer, many people rely on ice cream to keep them going. Among the dizzying array of ice cream, there's always a place for ice cream cones. When you enjoy the ice cream cone, have you ever thought about the seemingly humble cone?

The ice cream cone is never the star of the show. Its role is clear: Keep the scoop upright, don't leak and don't upstage the main player, the ice cream. But being that supporting takes work, which is why David George believes that the cone deserves more respect.

George is the third-generation president of Joy Baking Group, the largest manufacturer of ice cream cones in North America. You may not know Joy by name, but you've probably tasted its cones. As the kingdom of ice cream has expanded, the cone world has only grown smaller. Joy has cornered the cone market by betting on a basic premise: When it comes to the cone, people don't want creativity. They want familiarity.

Joy's flagship factory in western Pennsylvania produced 15 to 20 million cones a day during its busiest season. They include squeaky cake cones; cookie-like sugar cones; and caramel-scented waffle cones. These are cones designed to taste like childhood summers. They're as comforting as a slice of pie, as delightful as cotton candy.

"The thing about ice cream is that for nearly everyone, it is so tied to nostalgia," said Susan Soorenko, the owner of Moorenko's, an ice cream shop in the Washington area. "It is what you remember about your grandma taking you out." For many Americans, those moments are linked to Joy cones. Even if another worthy competitor arises, "It doesn't matter," she said, "because it is competing with a memory."

A hobby is a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. By continually taking part in a particular hobby, one can acquire practical skill and knowledge in that area. Is travel a good hobby? Travel, in the youngest sort, is a part of education and, in the elder, a part of experience. Some may think otherwise. To them, visiting churches, castles, libraries, etc. is an absolute wastage of time. They may further say that one can read the account of these or see the films of the important places of the world. They forget that touch of actuality gives a different type of sensation and satisfaction.

Travelling may be an expensive hobby but it makes up for the financial loss. If a traveller has interest in life and its manifestations (表现), one can find much to keep oneself absorbed and happy. A student of any stream can definitely find something of his own interest and studies. One can definitely find everything that satisfies his cravings for knowledge and feelings.

As a hobby, travelling keeps us busy during leisure time; it is the best method to make use of time. Till a person breaks from dull routine, physically and mentally, one cannot find satisfaction. Travelling helps us to achieve this break. At a new place, one is curious to know and eager to gather all the unknown information about the place which he has neither read nor heard before and he gets thrills and surprises which keep the interest and enthusiasm alive and encourage us to keep our-journey on.

While travelling, one comes across a number of people from varied backgrounds and places. By interacting with them, he comes to know about their traditions also. In case one has ps ychological bent of mind, one increases one's experience and power to understand others. Understanding human nature is, perhaps, the best part of education. Travelling satisfies all demands of a good hobby--it is absorbing education and refreshment to the mind, body and soul.