When Sarah Lee was a child, she loved to watch the birds in her backyard and wonder how they could fly so effortlessly. As she grew older, Sarah became interested in the science behind flight and decided to study aerospace engineering in college.

After graduation, Sarah began working for a company that designed airplanes. However, she soon realized that the traditional methods of airplane design were not always efficient or sustainable. She began to wonder if there was a way to design airplanes that mimicked the natural world.

Sarah started to study birds and insects, observing how they were able to fly with such grace and efficiency. She asked questions like: How do birds adjust their wings to different wind conditions? How do insects use their wings to hover in place?

With this knowledge, Sarah began to design airplanes that incorporated biomimicry, or the imitation of nature. She created wings that could adjust their shape based on wind conditions, just like a bird’s wings. She also designed planes that could hover in place, like a dragonfly.

Sarah’s designs were a hit. Her company began to produce airplanes that were more efficient and sustainable than ever before. They used less fuel and emitted fewer pollutants into the air.

Sarah now travels around the world, giving talks on the benefits of biomimicry in engineering. “Nature has been solving problems for millions of years,” she says. “We can learn a lot from the natural world if we just take the time to observe and ask questions.”

Reflect on our relation with nature

UK physicist Isaac Newton once said, “ 【小题1】.” Indeed, Mother Nature can provide almost everything human beings need if we follow her rules. But if we break the rules, she is likely to be cruel and lash out (迅猛攻击) at us.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) in China and some other countries at the beginning of this year is an example. 【小题2】 and probably has an intermediate host. It’s said that the virus originated from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, Hubei province, where live wild animals were sold.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Dr Peter Daszak, president of the US-based health organization EcoHealth Alliance, said, “This outbreak is a lesson for us. On a global scale (规模), human population density (密度), wildlife diversity, and land use change are what drive new pandemics (流行病).”

In the ancient times, people needed to rely on nature to survive so they held it in awe . For example, the American Indians believed that humans are a part of nature and nature is a part of humans. 【小题3】

However, as human beings master more knowledge and make more advanced tools, people try to change and even conquer nature. They use more land to make buildings, genetically modify (改变) plants, capture some wild and odd animals to suit their own needs. In this process, humans gradually lose contact with nature and even throw it out of balance.

【小题4】, Brian Lamacraft at Medium said it’s time for people to “reflect on our relationship with our planet” and “reconnect with this world and everything that we’ve been given”. After all, according to US poet Gary Snyder, “【小题5】”

I’ve been planting things in my garden.

First, I put some vegetables in one part of the garden. I planted some potatoes and carrots by the white fence. I look forward to eating them when they re ready.

I also planted some pink flowers called foxgloves to make the garden look attractive.

A few days ago, I cut some flowers off foxgloves growing wild near my home and took out their seeds (种子). I planted these seeds in various places around my garden. I planted some in the center of the garden and some near the vegetables. In both places, they can get lots of sunlight. I planted a few in the shade (荫) of the big apple tree. I also planted some by the pond (池塘), and I covered them completely to stop birds from eating them.

I don’t know when they will start producing flowers, but they’ll be lovely when they do. The flowers look so beautiful that they’d make a salad look amazing.

Marjorie

These bell-shaped purple, pink, or white flowers grow in a line stretching up to 1.8 meters. Their name probably comes from their shape. But it also has something to do with a story from Ireland. In that story, foxes (狐狸) put the flowers on their feet to hide the sound of their footsteps.

To grow foxgloves from seeds, scatter (撒) them away from direct sunlight. And, be sure not to cover them completely because they need a little light from the sun to begin growing. A fully buried seed will not produce a plant.

Strangely, although humans’ eating foxgloves can cause the heart to beat too fast or in a way that is not regular, it is also given as a medicine for heart problems. However, if not prescribed (开处方) by an expert, it is very easy to get the amount wrong. So it is strongly advised that people not eat the plant at all.