【推荐1】We are all aware of the effect greenhouse gas emissions are having on our planet and the efforts needed to tackle climate change. Most of us are doing our bit to minimize our impact on the environment, but despite our overall effort, are we doing enough to achieve net zero by 2050?

Net zero means not increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Many countries are doing their bit by changing how they generate andI use power, thereby cutting carbon dioxide output.

In the UK, the government has been setting out its plans to achieve net zero by 2050. It’s recently announced an end date for the sale of gas boilers, which are used for heating homes. The idea is to replace them with heat pumps. It’s offering homeowners grants of up to £ 5, 000 to get them installed. Another movement in the UK is a big push towards electric vehicles. There will be financial incentives (动机) for car manufacturers, and more charging points are to be installed (安 装) in streets. And there will be a prohibition on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

But not all emissions can be reduced to zero, so the remaining emissions will have to be compensated for, or offset. One way to do this is to plant thousands of trees, which are good at absorbing carbon dioxide. The UK government has pledged to the citizens to plant 30, 000 hectares of trees a year by 2025.

Whether the UK, or anyone else, can reach net zero remains to be seen. And there’s some doubt about how this can be accurately measured anyway. But it’s generally recognized that a global effort is needed to tackle climate change. Therefore, net zero targets only make sense if every other country is moving in the same direction.

【推荐2】Known as a “living fossil”, the Chinese sturgeon (中华鲟) is a very precious species. It is believed to have lived alongside the dinosaurs more than 140 million years ago. Although dinosaurs are long since gone, the Chinese sturgeon still exists. However, the species has been listed as “Critically Endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

On May 14, Shanghai legislators (立法机构) passed a new law protecting the Chinese sturgeon, emphasizing “regional cooperation”, according to China Daily. “This is the first local legislation in the country to protect one endangered fish,” said Ding Wei, director of the legislative affairs committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress.

Taken effect on June 6, the regulation urges cooperation in law enforcement (实施), scientific research and rescue of the species between Shanghai and other provinces and regions in the Yangtze River basin, according to People’s Daily.

The need for collaborative efforts is due to the living habitat of the Chinese sturgeon. As an anadromous (溯河产卵的) species, it mainly lives in the Yangtze River and depends on the Vangtze estuary (河口) for migration.

The protection of the Chinese sturgeon is urgent. China began the artificial breeding and release of the fish in 1984. However, very few of the fanned fish have survived in the wild, the number of which is less than 1,000, according to a report by the Shanghai Observer.

Whether this species can be preserved depends on the natural population. “If the natural population is not well protected, the Chinese sturgeon is in danger of extinction.” Li Furong, vice chairperson of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee of Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress, said in the report.

Since Jan 1 of this year, a 10-year fishing ban on key areas of the Yangtze River basin has been issued, covering 332 nature reserves, which includes Shanghai’s Chinese sturgeon nature reserve.

【推荐2】Stephen Hawking was regarded as one of the most brilliant physicists in history. His work on the origins and structure of the universe, from the Big Bang to black holes, changed the field greatly. His best-selling books also appealed to a number of readers.

Stephen Hawking had a challenging life. He was born in England on Jan. 8, 1942-300 years to the day after the death of the astronomer Galileo Galilei. He attended University College, Oxford, where he studied physics, despite his father’s urging to focus on medicine. Hawking went on to Cambridge to research cosmology.

In early 1963, just before his 2lst birthday, Hawking suffered from a serious disease, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was not expected to live more than two years. Completing his doctor’s degree did not appear likely. Yet, Hawking had overcome the great difficulties, not only attaining his Ph. D. but also building new roads into the understanding of the universe in the decades since.

Hawking continued at Cambridge after his graduation, serving as a research fellow and later as a professional fellow. In 1974，he was inducted（正式就职）into the Royal Society，a worldwide fellowship of scientists. In 1979, he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, the most famous academic chair in the world.

As the disease spread, Hawking became less mobile and began using a wheelchair. Talking grew more challenging and, in 1985, an emergency tracheotomy（气管切开术）caused his total loss of speech. A speech-generating device was constructed at Cambridge, combined with a software program, serving as his electronic voice and allowing Hawking to select his words by moving the muscles in his cheek. Hawking died on March 14, 2018.

【推荐1】The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk and traditional arts in the United States. NCTA presents the nation’s very finest artists in festivals, tours, international cultural exchange, workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions, media productions, school programs, and other activities. It works in partnership with communities across America to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that deliver lasting social and cultural benefits.

NCTA seeks Festival Support Staff for 2020 festival season to provide office and on-site support for three large-scale festivals. Positions available include:

Programming Administration Assistant

This is the perfect position for someone with an interest in history, arts management, cultural anthropology, and related fields.

Responsibilities include programming research, marketing and promotion, and event organization. The position may also be responsible for press and photo document management,   social media updates, and customer service.

Qualified applicants will be detail-oriented(细心的) and organized, with excellent people skills and a general interest in the traditional arts. Computer literacy is essential. Contract runs May 1 - December 15.

Festival Assistant

This is the perfect position for someone with an interest in arts, culture, and event logistics(后勤) who enjoys operating in a fast-paced, collegial small-office environment.

The position provides festival staff support. Responsibilities include document creation, travel purchase, logistics support, data entry, and database maintenance.

Qualified applicants will be outgoing and open-minded, with effective oral and written communication skills and computer literacy. Prior experience with festival planning is preferred. Contract runs May 18 - October 30.

Production Associate

The Production Associate is a key member of the production team who will work closely with the Production Manager on all festival audio, backline, and lighting needs, from planning through implementation(实施).

The role will contribute to the following key tasks: advancing technical needs with artists, making tech books, accurate record-keeping, and working with NCTA and Festival staff to insure smooth on-site operations.

Qualified applicants will be responsible and adaptable, with excellent people skills. Prior experience in concert production is preferred. Contract runs June 15 - October 30.

All Positions: Experience with database entry, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Acrobat is required. Must have a clean driving record, or reliable transportation. Some evenings, weekends, and travel required.

All positions are full time with contract. Deadline is April 20, 2020.

More details and how to apply at: http//ncta-America.com.

【推荐2】There are only a few truly pleasant smells to wake up to in the morning. It might be the aroma of freshly baked bread, or the scent of your partner’s freshly brushed teeth - but for me, it’s the smell of freshly cooked coffee. Just a sniff of it makes me jump out of bed and rush to the kitchen for a gulp(大口) of the hot black liquid.

I also know the experience when I walk into a cafe for my double espresso(浓缩咖啡) or flat white, my mouth begins to water in advance. Although it’s really the caffeine hit I’m after, it’s the smell that makes me feel good.

However, this feeling sometimes turns to disappointment when I actually start drinking my hot coffee - the taste just doesn’t match the smell. This is particularly the case when I order a coffee to go in a tall paper cup and sip the liquid through a hole in the lid. Yes, it’s convenient, but is it really the right way to appreciate it?

Tim Hayward, a food writer and coffee shop owner，describes this process as “strange”. He says, “You walk into the coffee shop, you get the smell, but when you actually take the drink out, you are drinking it from something that is designed to deliver the hot liquid directly past your tongue, but stop any smell coming up to your nose.”

As well as removing the smell, takeaway coffee cups create a lot of waste and a vast majority of them still don’t get recycled. In 2011, it was estimated that 2.5 billion coffee cups were thrown away each year in the UK, and that figure is likely to be higher now. So maybe now is the time to really wake up and smell the coffee by drinking from a cup or mug in a cafe, chatting with friends and saving the planet!

【推荐3】Success doesn’t begin until you begin the walk down the way towards your goals.

And your walk down the way always begins first with a baby step. Why do we call them baby steps? Are they really anything more than our next step down life’s way?

Baby steps are the first steps we take as an act of faith. We see others stepping out and we want to show our ability to walk by following them. As we grow, we continue our development by taking extra baby steps. Sometimes we fall; sometimes we fail. After that, all steps become an act of faith; we just become more practiced. If you say to yourself “I don’t want to make a fool of myself” or “I’d better be good at this”, you’ll probably never take the baby steps towards your goals and end up lying in your own self-pity.

As a culture, we focus on results. We think about every risk that must be taken to reach our goals. There are few people who are excellent performers of any tasks the first time they try them. They fail and succeed. Then, they build upon their abilities learned each time. They practice their skills and use their talents through baby steps before they are ready to prove them to the whole world.

So, learn to take those baby steps to reach the goals before you. Know that you can depend on God to show you the way. As you become more experienced, your baby steps become a walk, then a jump, and finally a sprint. That’s how our baby steps lead us through the marathon of life.

【推荐1】On the outside, 12-year-old Luna seems like an average kid.It's not until you get to know her that you learn that Luna is anything but average.

Born with a heart defect （缺陷）called dextrocardia, Luna has had three open-heart operations and continues to pursue（追求）her interests in art and fashion.But when Luna was approached by athletic shoe company Saucony to design a shoe for sale across the country, it came as quite a surprise.

“This is so incredible.I got to use my art and creativity for something new that I'd never thought I'd be able to design,“ Luna said.She is one of six patients from Boston Children's Hospital （BCH） who have partnered with Saucony to design their own shoes to launch the Shoes with Soul campaign.

“Rather than just a donation, we wanted to create an experience and a moment that would raise not only money, but also awareness to highlight all the amazing work that's being done at BCH," says Chris, Saucony's vice president."Specifically, we wanted to give some of the BCH kids an opportunity to share their stories and their talents with the world.”

Luna's design is fashion."On the tongue, they digitalized（使数字化）one of my drawings, and then on bottom it's a really bright pink color, and on the inside, the sole of the shoe is actually another drawing I did of a sunset," she said."Thinking about kids everywhere around the world wearing my shoes is amazing.It blows my mind.”

The income from the shoe sales will benefit the Boston Children's Hospital Cardiac Fitness Program, which encourages kids to ''find your possible" through personalized exercise programs tailored for each individual patient's heart condition.

“It feels really good to help people and it's really something I can relate to," says Luna."The advice I would give a kid or someone like me is never giving up.There are a lot of kids out there with your condition and you're not alone.

【推荐2】The shower,I find,is the best place to cry.The water covers the sound of my sadness,while washing away any evidence of my pain.I shower after the kids have gone to bed;it's the only time I can be alone.

I always did my best to protect my two children from my tears.If I needed to cry,I cried by myself.Yet,I encourage my two boys to cry.My 7-year-old prides himself on never crying at school."Oh,but you must cry,"I insist. "Crying is good.It gets the sadness out.Never hold back your tears."

But then I did just that.What might it do to them to see their mother upset? Then my father died,and there was no way I could schedule my grief and keep my feelings inside.I tried to get on with things,but the sadness still came. The realization that my dad was actually gone hit me with an intensity（紧张）that was impossible to cover up.To my surprise,my boys didn't seem too alarmed.Later,they found me hiding in the bedroom one afternoon,weeping."It's OK,mommies get sad too,"I told them,smiling through my tears.“Don't be sad,Mommy.Granddad is coming back as a baby,”my 7-year-old said,his tiny arm stretched across my shoulders."Think about love,"he went on."Think about all the people who love you."

I realized that in hiding my pain,I was only denying what it means to be human,I felt as if I had led my sons to believe that "negative" emotions are only a concept,and not something they should possess.It's one thing to tell my children it's OK to cry.It's another to show them how it's done.We owe that to our children,according to social researcher and author Brene Brown.During her TED talk,Brown said,"It's necessary we be seen—deeply seen".

"Our job is not to protect our children,to keep them perfect,"said Brown."Our job is to look and say,‘you're imperfect,and you're made for struggles,but you are worthy of love and belonging’."

【推荐3】We already know that exercise is good for our bodies. Daily exercise fights the loss of muscle tone and flexibility that tends to increase slowly with age. And it turns out that it has the same fountain-of-youth effects on our brains.

Studies show that over time our minds also become less nimble. We lose the ability to process new information or switch between mental tasks quickly — and now we know why.

A recent study examined nearly 100 individual studies on exercise and brain function and discovered exercising an average of 52 hours over six months is “associated with improved cognitive (认知的) performance in older adults with and without cognitive damage.” The type of exercises that are beneficial include aerobic, strength-training and mind-body exercises like yoga or tai chi.

In previous studies, researchers from Japan’s University of Tsukuba wanted to explore this idea by looking at the effect of exercise on the weakening of the brain. They tested the oxygen ability of 60 Japanese men between the ages of 64 and 75 who did not show any signs of dementia (痴呆) or other mental symptoms. Next, they looked at the brain activity of each man as he completed a mental task. They found that the fitter a participant was, the less brain power he used to complete the tasks when compared with his out-of-shape peers, which made him more efficient.

Although much research is focused on how exercise may benefit an aging brain, exercise offers brain health benefits at almost any age, and this includes children. A review of 14 studies showed that more physically active schoolchildren do better academically. Exercise actually causes your brain to grow in size. So get moving and keep moving for best results.