【推荐3】Long, long ago people couldn’t write and they had no books. But they had stories. People learned the stories by heart and taught new ones to one another. Sometimes it was hard to remember them all.     1    

The ancient Egyptians wrote their stories on something made from papyrus (纸沙草) plants. People in other places wanted to learn from the Egyptians to use papyrus.

In ancient China books looked a little different. People there used ink to write on bamboo or silk. And then they invented paper. Made of trees, paper was easier and cheaper to make than papyrus or parchment.    3     Paper-making later spread to the West, but there was a big problem with these early books. Every single one had to be copied and written by hand.

    4     They carved (雕刻) a page of words into a piece of wood or stone. They could then print the page by spreading ink on the wood or stone and putting it against paper. But it wasn’t until a German printer invented movable, metal letters that books became fast and easy to make. The letters could be used to print copy after copy, and the letters put together again and again to print different pages of words.

    5     Once a luxury (奢侈品) only the rich could buy, they soon became a treasure everyone could enjoy.

【推荐3】Back in the early 2000s, lots of people couldn’t imagine life without alarm clocks, CD players, calendars, cameras, or lots of other devices. But along came the iPhone and other smartphones, and they took over the functions of many things that we used to think were completely necessary.

The success of smartphones can be a model for dealing with climate change because they represent a different approach to design, which is to focus on function rather than form. This approach requires concentrating on understanding the problems, and then engineering a wide range of potential solutions. By adopting this mindset, we can completely change our thinking about energy efficiency (效率).

Traditionally, improvements in energy efficiency have mostly been centered on individual devices, which can be quite fruitful. But focusing on individual devices is like if Apple had spent effort inventing a better alarm clock, a better CD player, a better calendar, and a better camera. Now with an iPhone, we don’t need the standalone (独立运行的) devices at all, because it can function as all of them.

So when it comes to energy efficiency, instead of only installing more efficient heaters, we should focus on the desired function: warmth. Through creative designs like coating (给……涂层) our house, we can get rid of the need for heaters, significantly saving nearly 99% energy.

Similarly, rather than merely focusing on making cars more efficient, we should consider the desired function — transportation. By developing an efficient transportation system that reduces the need for private cars, we can achieve greater energy savings.

The most energy-efficient car or heater is no car, or no heater, while still being able to get around and stay warm. In other words, it’s not thinking efficiently, but thinking differently.

【推荐1】Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.

Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the earth forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.

Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.

Animals are more than beautiful or interesting or a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.

For example, when farmer killed large numbers of hawks, the farmers’ stores of corn and grain were destroyed by mice. Why? Because hawks eat mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the mice multiplied quickly.

Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.

Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animal or plant on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.

【推荐2】We have a real crisis in this country in the basic understanding of science. It affects our global competitiveness as a country, our national security, and the effectiveness of our social system. The misunderstanding about science is blinding our eyes. 

We know that an awful lot of teachers who are teaching science today have not been properly empowered to do so. School frequently isn’t testing whether you understand something but whether you’re familiar with it. What’s Newton’s second law? You say F=ma, and you get an A. That does not reflect a deep understanding of Newtonian mechanics. Science education is not just a body of facts; it’s a process. To present it with appeal and excitement you need to picture it as a detective story—asking questions, making observations, and collecting evidence. You test and you fail but, you know, failure can lead to discovery.

Another challenge we face is that science is often viewed as too hard, for experts only. But I don’t actually think it’s that difficult. People see science every day. They look outside and see weather and nature. They push a button in their house and the lights go on. Everybody’s dealing with science every day. They just don’t call it that. And it’s important they do. In fact, science is determining the quality and outcomes of their life.

Science needs creativity. And one of the best ways to be creative is to think “out of the box”. However, we need more courage when we come to practice. Take me for example. Very early in my teens I decided to educate myself. That’s why I quit school early and risked everything to start a company. I risked everything I had because I had nothing to lose. I’d rather fail at trying to do something really big than succeed at being medium.

“When’s the right age to think creatively?” you may ask. I’d say in the womb (子宫)! Kids don’t have anxieties about trying to avoid failure. They are full of imagination and much more willing to fail. Just watch a 3-year-old. They touch everything, and if it hurts they don’t touch it again. They learn everything at a breathtaking rate. Start to think out of the box as early as you can, because it’s more likely to take you to places that you can’t predict, schedule and budget for. Do all that when you can bear the insecurity.

【推荐3】One of the greatest gifts one generation can give to other generations is the wisdom it has gained from experience. This idea has inspired the award-winning photographer Andrew Zuckerman. He interviewed and took photos of fifty over-sixty-five-year-olds all over the world. His project explores various aspects of their lives. The photos and interviews are now available on our website.

Click on the introductions to read the complete interviews.

Let us now have a culture of peace.

—Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Spain

Federico Mayor Zaragoza obtained a doctorate in pharmacy (药学)  from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1958. After many years spent in politics, he became Director-General of UNESCO in 1987. In 1999, he created the Foundation for a Culture of Peace, of which he is now the president. In addition to many scientific publications, he has published four collections of poems and several books of essays.

Writing is a discovery.

—Nadine Gordlmer, South Africa

Due to a weak heart, Nadine Gordimer attended school and university briefly. She read widely and began writing at an early age. She published her first short story at the age of fifteen, and has completed a large number of works, which have been translated into forty languages. In 1991, Gordimer won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Jazz is about the only form of art today.

—Dave Brubeck, USA

Dave Brubeck studied music at the University of the Pacific and graduated in 1942. After World War Two he was encouraged to play jazz. In 1951, he recorded his first album (专辑). Brubeck’s 1959 album has become a jazz standard. He received a Grammy lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.

For more figures CLICK HERE.

【推荐1】Last year, I went WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) at a beautiful organic farm in the south of La Reunion. With WOOFing, volunteers exchange their time and work for food and board. I slept in a cabin in the woods with hedgehogs (刺猬) digging about in the bushes, all different coloured birds singing in the morning and endless rows of palm trees offering shade from the sun.

For me, one of the best ways to get to know a new place is to work with the land, live with the locals and share meals together. It has got to be one of the best ways to travel. It is a mutually beneficial exchange where everyone involved prioritizes people and our planet above profit. You get the time and space to deepen a connection with local communities and nature.

There is a lot to learn and each farm has its own unique way of doing things, depending on the environment, climate and soil. At the farm in La Reunion we planted palm trees to harvest the core of the trunk which can be eaten in salads. Before staying with the farm I had only eaten heart of palm from cans which were nothing in comparison to the real thing, fresh from the ground. When potting up the very beginnings of the palm trees, I felt grateful to be a part of the start of the trees’ cycle. I was filled with awe that something so small could grow into something so big and strong.

Of course, not everyone is able to travel far afield, due to various restrictions or responsibilities back home. The great thing about the skill-share philosophy behind WWOOFing, which prioritizes people above profit, is that it’s something we can all do from our own backyard. That can be swapping French lessons with a neighbour for babysitting, or cooking a meal in exchange for a yoga class. The focus shifts from money to how we can best support each other in our communities. A fair exchange can make a big difference in the world.

【推荐2】Tired of all the pushing in supermarkets? Fed up with waiting in endless lines to pay for what you have bought? Angry at wasting time in traffic jams only to find no parking spaces when you eventually arrive at the store? If this is you, then online shopping is the answer to your dreams of troublefree shopping, isn't it?

Online shopping brings its own challenges. Here are a few things to bear in mind when browsing (浏览) various websites. The claim made by online sites is that shopping online is a safe and secure way to make purchases. The evidence challenges this. In any case, you only have to be the victim of fraud (诈骗) once to experience all the problems that come with this form of stealing. Use only sites that have a trusted history and an excellent reputation.

Another problem is the appearance of items in reality is often quite different from what you see on your computer screen. This might not be a problem if you are buying washing up powder but could be a major disappointment when that beautiful blue dress you ordered turns up in green. Also, product descriptions are sometimes simply untrue. Perhaps the wisest plan is to purchase items where design and color are not essential to customer satisfaction.

Some even argue that online shopping indirectly contributes to global warming. Yes, your car can stay parked but how are online goods delivered? Often by some large trucks porting out carbon monoxide and adding to our already serious traffic problems. You are also by now becoming increasingly annoyed (使烦恼) by the fact that the delivery is late and you have wasted the leave from work you have taken to receive it!

There is no doubt that online shopping has its benefits. However, perhaps it is not as wonderful as some of its supporters claim it to be.

【推荐3】Washington is home to lots of trees and lots   of wood-burning stoves(火炉) too. But what if you live there and can't cut wood or can't afford to pay anyone to do it? Luckily, Shane McDaniel and his twin sons, Harrison and Henry McDaniel, 21, are happy to lend an ax(斧子).The three men cut truckloads of wood -then give the wood to those in need.

The idea was put forward by Shane as a father-son bonding project. He wanted to pass along the feeling his father Jackson and he shared while they cut wood, so he and the twins spent the summer doing their deeds. The result was a great wall of wood piled up around their house in Lake Stevens, about 35 miles outside of Seattle. To buy that much would cost about $ 10,000.

It was too much for the McDaniels to use themselves, and when the weather turned cold that November, Shane started thinking of others. He posted a request on a social networkling site:”IF

YOU ARE IN NEED OF FIREWOOD AND CANNOT AFFORD IT, PLEASE PM [ personal message ] ME…Please help me and my boys make sure NO ONE GOES COLD IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD."

The response was immediate. One man offered to donate a wood-burning stove. Others raced over with more wood for the pile. Single dad Peter Ticer, 29, and his four-year-old daughter depend on a wood-burning stove as their unique source of heat. so it was a relief to receive a truckload of firewood from the McDaniels before the holidays.”To get that much wood moved me to tears" he said.“So much stress and anxiety off my shoulders. I couldn't be more thankful."

Giving is the reward. It has nothing to do with how well its received; it's about how much it's needed.