【推荐1】The tornadoes that recently struck the U.S. are some of the most destructive and deadly in history. The death in Kentucky, the hardest hit state, reached 80 on Monday, with dozens still unaccounted for. The scale of destruction and timing of the tornadoes so late in the year — most tornadoes occur in the spring and summer — is fueling discussion about how climate change may have influenced this deadly disaster.

“In my 40 years as a meteorologist (气象学家), this was one of the most shocking weather events I’ve ever witnessed,” says Jeff Masters, at Yale Climate Connections. “Watching these storms on Friday night, my thought was, ‘Is no season safe?’ Extreme tornadoes in December. That was mind blowing to me.”

Unlike heat waves and floods, the link between a warming world and tornadoes is complex and uncertain. Scientists have several theories about how tornado behavior may change. Tornadoes in December are possible. But it remains to be seen whether climate change will strengthen or increase the frequency of tornadoes.

According to NOAA’s data, there has been a recorded increase in the number of observed tornadoes since 1950, which experts believe is largely due to better technology such as Doppler radar. There’s been no observed increase in the frequency of major tornadoes over time. For example, 59 of the most severe F5 tornadoes in the U.S. have occurred since 1950. But if the storm that destroyed Kentucky turns out to have been an F5, it will have been the first since 2013 — bringing to an end the longest recorded period so far.

Nevertheless, “given the general influence of global warming on the atmosphere, it makes sense that it should be having an impact on tornadoes too,” says Victor Gensini, an extreme weather expert at Northern Illinois University. “Instead of asking: ‘Did climate change cause this tornado?’ It’s better to operate under the assumption that climate change did play a role,” he says.

While the science on climate change and tornadoes isn’t clear, meteorologists are predicting that conditions benefiting tornadoes will continue this month. “I’m worried about the rest of the year to be honest. I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet.” Gensini says.

【推荐2】Two and a half months before the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins, forecasters have already predicted and warned that warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and the development of a La Niña in the Pacific may create a “perfect storm” of the conditions needed for major hurricanes.

Key to the formation of any tropical cyclone (气旋) is the combination of warm ocean temperatures and the absence of what is known as wind shear (风切变). Alex DaSilva, a forecaster, explains that wind shear occurs when wind changes direction and speed at different heights in the atmosphere. When there’s much wind shear, it essentially knocks down those clouds and prevents tropical systems from really intensifying. Besides, hurricanes also need surface water to be at a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius or higher. That warm water, and the warm air just above it, provides fuel for the storm. The record data for February are 1.2 degrees Celsius above normal.

Over periods ranging from three to seven years, the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean alternately (交替地) warm and cool as a result of a repeatedly occurring climate pattern called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). During an El Niño, sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific increase, and those warmer temperatures affect the path of the Pacific jet stream, which in turn brings drier, warmer weather to the northern United States and Canada, and wetter conditions to the Gulf Coast of Mexico and southeast. El Niño reduces the possibility of Atlantic hurricane formation because it lowers hurricane activity and increases wind shear. La Niña has just the opposite effect of El Niño. During the 2023 season, ENSO was in an El Niño phase. By the time the 2024 season starts, it is likely to have shifted fully into a La Niña.

“If a tropical storm system comes into this area, it could rapidly intensify, potentially close to land,” DaSilva cautions. “And that’s why people need to be on alert and have their hurricane plans ready. Because any system with these kinds of conditions can explode very quickly. That’s what we’re concerned about.”

【推荐3】The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666. In four days, it destroyed (破坏) more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. Over one hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.

The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker (面包师) in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.

By eight o’clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall among them.

Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. “People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.”

The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.

After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect, wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets were still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, and one of them was new St Paul’s.

The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it, London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.

【推荐1】Riding a bike and often wearing a blue hat, John Butler, an 84-year-old former farmer from Derbyshire, England, has become a spiritual (精神的) guide to a growing number of devoted fans.

Butler, an early advocate of organic farming, is a long-time follower of meditation (冥想). As part of his spiritual journey, he began recording inspiring messages in the hope of sharing the lessons he’d learned with others.

The peaceful tone, calming presence, a voice like a warm glass of milk, in which Butler delivered his plain view of life online, soon struck a chord(引起共鸣) with a rising number of people struggling to free themselves from the day-to-day anxiety caused by COVID-19.

Butler became famous in a 2016 BBC interview. After the interview, he was picked out by members of the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) community as someone worth attention not just for what he said, but for the manner in which he said it. Since then, this senior’s popularity has grown.

Having always considered himself something of a “misfit (格格不入的人)” in society, Butler was much more surprised by his popularity than anyone else. Before his ongoing video project, Butler said he had never heard of YouTube and had little knowledge of the Internet. But Butler feels lucky to be able to provide a good influence for people just doing their best to deal with modern-day life.

“So many people have this problem, and because they naturally seek some sort of balance, they look for rest or peace, don’t they?” Butler told the BBC.

【推荐1】September is one of the very best months to visit France. Not only will you get to enjoy plenty of sunshine and warm weather, but the tourist season is beginning to wind down — which means cheaper airfares, lower prices at hotels, and fewer crowds. If this is your first trip to France, here is some handy information to help you get started planning your vacation!

September is the beginning of the grape harvest season in France, meaning there are plenty of wine-related events and festivals around the country. So September is a great time to visit the vineyards(葡萄园) around the country and go wine tasting. The Bordeaux, Loire and Burgundy regions are all lovely and great places to visit vineyards. Besides that, going to the castles of the Loire region in between visiting vineyards on such warm and sunny days is also very enjoyable.

The temperatures are slightly lower, but plenty of sunshine makes for perfect conditions to enjoy a barge cruise on the canals of France. With such comfortable weather and beautiful scenery at this time of year, nothing equals hanging out on the deck of a barge.

Many museums in France have extended opening hours during the summer to accommodate the extra tourists and locals, and some museums also have extended opening hours into September. Wandering around the Louvre(卢浮宫)will take you into a wonder world, where you can enjoy world-famous art. Going out of the Louvre, you can walk to the modern and fashionable Champs Elysees to do some shopping.

Besides the above, riding a bike through France’s villages is also a welcome activity for young visitors in September. So, don’t hesitate and start to plan your September trip to France now.

【推荐2】Wild Track is an organization that aims to protect endangered animals like rhinos. They use a computer program that runs photos of animal track through an algorithm (演算法).Then the program makes the same observations as a tracker would, allowing scientists to know where individual animals go. However, the program itself needs “training”.

It starts with collecting good photos of prints from endangered animals in captivity   ( 圈养）.As people send in photos of tracks from animals in the wild, the FIT program can compare it to tracks from animals it “knows”. As the program becomes more accurate, Wild Track hopes it will become a major tool for monitoring any endangered species.

Anyone can help Wild Track by taking images of tracks and sending them to a partner organization called naturalist.org. The only tool you need is a digital camera or cellphone. After finding a clear track, place one ruler along the bottom of the footprint and another along the left side. Below the footprint, place a note containing your exact name and the date. Holding the camera or cellphone directly above the track, take a photo showing the footprint, rulers and note. Later, visit naturalist.org and follow the instructions on the site to send your photo.

Wild Track needs photos of footprints made not only by animals in captivity but also those living in the wild. In wild places, you should take care not to disturb animals in their natural environment. If you intend to photograph in a wild area that is unknown to you, then you should not go there alone. Instead, go with someone who is familiar with the region and experienced at tracking.

【推荐3】Online eating shows, or Mukbang(直播吃饭), originated in South Korea and have gained popularity globally.

Many hosts of such shows have become popular for their ability to eat large amounts of food. But these shows have also received criticism for their waste of food. While some hosts actually do consume the amount of food shown, others may be faking it.

On Aug 12, CCTV exposed several Chinese hosts who were pretending to eat large amounts of food while on camera, but actually later threw it away.

To discourage this practice, many video and livestreaming platforms, including Douyin, Kuaishow and Bilibili, have removed videos that show food waste, and have promoted messages to “stop food waste and eat reasonably.”

In June 2020, the United Nations warned that the world is on the verge of the worst food crisis in 50 years.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about a third of the world’s food-1.3 billion tons- is wasted every year. In China alone, 50 million tons of food ends up in landfills every year, according to Beijing News.

Recently, campaigns against food waste have been further promoted. In August, President Xi Jinping stressed the need for safeguarding food security and stopping food waste.

According to China Daily, restaurants and catering associations in more than 18 provinces and all 4 municipal cities have issued guidelines to control food waste.

In Shanxi province, local restaurants have been asked to serve half portions to avoid waste. The Wuhan Catering Association proposed that restaurants adopt the “N-1 mode”. For example, a group of 10 diners should only order enough for nine people first. More food is only brought to the table if required.

In addition, a nationwide “Clear Your Plate” campaign has been launched online. Users of Sina Weibo are encouraged to share photos or videos of empty plates after finishing their meals.

Meanwhile, new laws are also being considered, according to China daily. “We will make new laws that give clear instructions on avoiding food waste,” said Zhang Guilong from the legislative Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress. The instructions will be detailed in every year of food production, purchasing storage, transportation, processing and consumption, according to Zhang.

【推荐1】When I first got the bird, it must have only just been hatched. Its mother had disappeared, leaving it alone and shivering in the face of the north wind. I decided to take it straight back and build it a new home.

At that time, we grew a great many flowers in our house. Next to one hanging orchid (兰花) I hung another empty flowerpot and it was in this pot that the bird was to have its new home. When Dad got home, he immediately discovered the new addition to our family. Without saying a word, he turned around and left the house. After some time, he returned and I saw that he had a handful of grass and pine needles. Obviously, Dad thought the nest I had made was far too rough and so he had decided to decorate it himself.

“A bird born at this time of year won’t survive the winter.” In spite of this prediction on the bird’s future, Dad very carefully fashioned the nest himself. Soon I found “Nuo Nuo” (Dad had named him) had started to grow feathers. They looked like such fine little hairs that you could only notice them if you looked really closely. I only discovered them because every day I would cup him in my hands and look at him.

Dad probably realized that he had been a little cruel in his prediction. You see, he had already started training Nuo Nuo to walk. As you know, Nuo Nuo lived in a flowerpot, not a cage or anything. When he had nothing else to do, he walked around his little home. There were times when he was a bit naughty too and he jumped down onto our dining table.

It was obvious that Nuo Nuo didn’t realize he was a bird. He perhaps thinks he was one of the family. But it is not enough for a bird to walk, it must fly as well. Dad soon began attempting to make him learn this new ability, but it was not an easy task. After all, nobody in our family had mastered the art of flying. we didn’t even have wings. How could we ask Nuo Nuo to do something that we had no means of doing ourselves?

The flying lessons went on regardless. Dad jumped off a chair, waving his arms as if his life depended on it, in an attempt to encourage Nuo Nuo to shake his wings. Surprisingly, this stupid action of Dad’s did actually have an effect. Nuo Nuo began to shake his wings and started to rise.

Everything is hard at the beginning. But seeing as what we had already started, the fact that Nuo Nuo couldn’t fly was no reason not to continue trying. Nuo Nuo learnt to fly finally and he survived the winter as well.

【推荐2】As the world's population continues to increase, so does the amount of global waste. According to data (数据) collected by the World Bank Group, nations are on pace to produce 4 billion tons of waste every year by 2100. Many experts are calling the problem of global waste a worldwide health crisis (危机) because the waste is polluting the world’s oceans, air and soil and is putting the health of all living things in danger.

For years, governments have been telling citizens that living a zero-waste lifestyle is the way to go. Now some stores are helping people do that.

Most grocery stores produce waste when they throw away food and packing material. In some cases, the food consists of fruit and vegetables that don’t look good any more. In other cases, it's packaged food that is nearing the "sell-by" date printed on the package. After the “sell-by” date passed, the food is not considered safe to eat. Thus, many stores throw out unsold packaged food before that date arrives.

To solve this problem, business people are opening smaller grocery stores. Instead of selling food in packages, these stores offer it in open containers (容器). Customers bring their own bags or clean containers to the store. There, they fill their bags or containers with everything from nuts and grains to oil and vinegar. They pay for only the amount of each product that they need. Zero-waste stores often sell fruit and vegetables as well. When these goods start to look old, they're sold at a cheaper price or given to the poor people. Inspired by these smaller zero-waste grocery stores, some large supermarkets are taking similar steps to reduce the amount of waste that they produce.

【推荐3】Putting Movies on Mobiles

Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies such as the Oscars. But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm- the first mobile film festival.

The first MoFilm competition received 250 entries from more than 100 countries. Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in length-best for viewing and sharing on mobile phones. An independent team of judges then selected a shortlist of five film-makers. The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using their phones.

New Platforms

The awards highlight the increasing influence that mobile phones are showing in the entertainment industry. Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films. They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work. Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works.

It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression be seen by a wide audience. Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the world!

New Technology Advances

MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood. The majority of films made for mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size. However this could be overcome as technology advances.

In the near future, longer films will likely be seen on the mobile phone. And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality.

Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: the quality of work, the simple ability at story telling，and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere.