Seven-year-old James Smith recently became the 10,000th young person to win the Wildlife Action Award. James won the award after finishing twelve nature-themed activities, including building an insect home, planting trees, putting up nest boxes in his garden and so on.

James said, “I like to be out in nature because every time I can see something different. One of the best things I’ve done so far was making a bird feeder(奶瓶) and then seeing a bird eat with it. It was really exciting.”

The Wildlife Action Award was introduced by the RSPB in 1995 to help young people learn about endangered animals and study about nature. So far, more than 200 wildlife gardens have been created, and nearly 4,500 nest boxes have been built.

Andy Simpson from the RSPB said, “It’s great to have awarded our 10,000th young person. James and the rest of the children who take part in the event show us that they care much about the world around them. They are all doing something good for nature and endangered animals.”

① Plants are around us. They are more than just pretty to look at. They give us fruits, vegetables and food we eat. Some plants even provide materials for medicine or building things. But do you know that plants can do something even more amazing? They can make our homes, schools and workplaces much healthier.

② We spend a large part of our day indoors. Unluckily, the air inside buildings can often be full of chemicals (化学物质) from many things around us. This poor air quality (质量) can make us feel sick, causing sore eyes and throats, and even making it hard for us to breathe. When the air inside buildings gets really bad, people even call them “sick buildings”.

③ The good news is that plants are like nature’s little superheroes. They have a magic power fighting against bad air. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide (CO₂)and breathe out oxygen (O₂) which we humans need to live. They can also add moisture to the air if it’s too dry, making it more comfortable for us to breathe.

④▲ Scientists have discovered that plants have the ability to take in harmful chemicals, making the air around us safer to breathe. They set up a completely closed building called “bio-home” for experiments. Before they added plants, the air inside was full of chemicals and people found it hard to breathe. But after they added plants, the air got much cleaner and it became easier to breathe. To make the air inside even better, the scientists used different kinds of plants. After a while, the building wasn’t a “sick building” any more. People could go inside without feeling unwell.

⑤So you see, plants are fantastic! They are not only beautiful to look at, but they also provide us with food, help create materials and play an important role in our health. They make our indoor environments cleaner and healthier, making us feel better. Next time you see a plant, remember all the amazing things it can do for us!

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Joao, 71, lives on an island near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has retired(退休), but still works as a part-time fisherman. One day, about five years ago, when he was fishing, he found a tiny, sick penguin on the beach near his home. The penguin’s feathers(羽毛) were covered in oil. The poor bird was dying. Joao felt sorry for the sick, little bird, and so he took him back to his home. He cleaned him and fed him fish, and he gave him the name Din dim. The penguin soon became strong and healthy again.

After a week or two, Joao went down to the coast and tried to put Din dim back into the water. The penguin didn’t want to go. He stayed with Joao, getting bigger and bigger—beautiful new feathers grew on his back. Eight months passed. Joao was very happy because he was enjoying the company of his new friend. Then suddenly, one day in February, Din dim disappeared. Joao was sad to lose him, but hoped that the bird just wanted to return to his penguin family. Four more months passed, Joao was walking sadly home from the beach, when suddenly he heard a familiar (熟悉的) “honking” sound—Din dim was back.

Every year since then, Din dim spends eight months with Joao and then disappears for four months. Where does he go? It is thought that he swims 2, 500 miles to the coast of Argentina or Chile to start a penguin family and then swims 2, 500 miles to Joao. That’s 5, 000 miles a year to be with the man who saved his life.