Aadya Joshi looks out at the eucalyptus trees (桉树). They were planted to take the place of a forest that was cleared for wood. The view doesn’t make Joshi happy. Eucalyptus trees don’t grow naturally here in India. “Native (本土的) trees should have been planted,”she says.
Joshi started The Right Green. The group teaches people how to bring back forests by growing native trees. Once, Earth was home to 6 trillion trees. Now, only about 3 trillion are left. “Planting new trees to replace those that have been lost sounds like a good idea,” she says. “But what people are doing in many places is not restoring (恢复) forests. They’re just replanting. There’s a difference.”
Trees are important to the health of the planet. They help clean the air. They’re also a source of food and medicine. But 46% of the world’s trees have been cut down. Some actions to replant trees have made environmental problems even worse. This happened in Chile, in South America. Big companies cut down forests for wood. Then they replanted trees. But they used the wrong kinds of trees and created tree plantations (人造林).
“They’re not really what we imagine a forest to be,” says Robert Heilmayr, who studies the forest. “These trees are more like crops. At cleaning the air, they are not as good as forests.”
Now, a program called AFR100 is started in Africa. It says restoring native forests is more helpful. It will restore almost 100 million hectares (公项) of African land by 2030.
【小题1】Why were eucalyptus trees planted in Joshi’s hometown?【小题2】How does Joshi like planting new trees to replace native forests?
【小题3】Why do some actions make things worse?
【小题4】Where is AFR100 started?
【小题5】What are we supposed to do according to AFR100?
Animals play so many important roles in our lives. Some, like cows and sheep, provide us with food; pets are our friends; other animals work for us. Above all, every animal — big or small — can fill us with a sense of the wonder of the natural world.
Unluckily, we don’t always value this. Many animals are endangered because of our actions, and millions of animals in the world are badly treated. World Animal Day reminds us, at least for one day a year, “to celebrate animal life in all its forms” and “to be thankful for the way in which animals enrich (使丰富) our lives.”
World Animal Day was started in 1931 in Florence, Italy. It made us pay attention to the problem of endangered animals around the world. It is now celebrated in most countries around the world. The day falls on October 4th every year.
All over the world on this day, volunteers raise money for animal centers and social organizations. Museums and zoos organize special events. Schools have also joined animal projects. No matter what is done, the idea is to remind us of the importance of animals and to show us how we could improve our relationship with animals.
If you want to take part, you could help an animal or organize a money-raising event for a local charity. The important thing is just taking an active part. We should offer animals as much as they offer us.
Animals are important in our lives. They offer us |
Why many animals are in danger?
When is the World Animal Day every year?
Does the World Animal Day remind us of the importance of animals?
Connecting with Nature
How do you feel when you hear birds singing freely in the trees? What’s your feeling when you see butterflies dancing slowly and lightly in the wind? Whether you love researching the outdoors or watching far away, getting close to nature can take your mind off your worries and make you feel relaxed.
What is nature?
Nature means the world around us that is not man-made, including birds, mountains, trees, the sea and the stars. It’s also a force that controls things like weather. We can find nature wherever we are and wherever we go —beaches, gardens, parks, rivers, and even unexpected places like cracks (裂缝) in the stones.
Why does nature make us feel good?
Spending time in nature brings peace, joy and wonder to our lives. It takes us outdoors, gets us active and lets us care more about the environment. Even a little gift of nature can make us feel free and hopeful, such as breathing in fresh air, listening to the wind in the trees or standing at a mountain. Ralphie, who is 10, likes being close to nature on a bike with his family. He says, “It makes us feel happy and takes our mind off things because we have to pay attention. We are away from traffic and we hear more birdsong and see more wild animals.”
How can we feel closer to nature?
Feeling closer to nature is easy. We can build a connection with nature wherever we are using our senses. Try listening closely to birdsong, smelling flowers and feeling sand between our fingers. Paint a picture and take photos of the natural places that we like best. They may help us feel closer to the natural world. It’s important to try and connect with nature, notice its beauty and how it makes us feel.
Connecting with Nature | |
Introduction | ★ Take your ★ Make you feel relaxed |
Definitions (定义) | ★ The world ★ A |
| ★ Bring peace, joy and wonder to our lives ★ Take us outdoors, get us active and let us ★ Feel free and hopeful when breathing in fresh air, | |
Ways | ★ ★ Use our ★ Listen closely to birdsong, smell flowers and ★ Paint a picture and take photos of our |
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