Believe it or not, 43,000,000 Americans are gardening. That is about one in six. Gardeners, of course, come in many varieties.
Abhi Arora used to be in the tech field. Like so many people, he sat at a desk all day, staring at a screen. Due to the stress of always staying indoors and in front of a computer, he started getting anxiety issues. To recharge and refresh, he visited a local garden in California. He noticed the shift in his mood, emotions, and improvement in his mental health overall during each visit.
Arora became friends and later business partners with the garden’s owner, farmer Rishi Kumar. Kumar studied computer science in college but became obsessed with plants and gardening. He now runs Sarvodaya Farms in Pomona, California. “Rishi and I met an old man who was healing himself and his son through the power of gardens. It was then that I realized that we could help others feel the same connection to the healing power of gardens,” Arora says. The two co-founded Healing Gardens, an online marketplace where people can rent their organic urban gardens or farms for use by the hour.
“I’ve always had a love for plants and wildlife, so with Healing Gardens we want to bring easy access to the wellness benefits of nature to our community and at the same time do our part in regenerating our planet,” Arora says.
Healing Gardens is based on the simple idea that most people enjoy being surrounded by plants and animals. A healing garden is a restorative outdoor space that has been specifically designed to steer the restless mind away from circling thoughts and towards the presence of the senses.
In addition to offering private time for visitors to just spend time alone in the garden or at the farm, individual hosts may also offer events and activities like yoga classes, mediation sessions, and goat petting for kids. Beautiful imagery, luscious smells, birdsongs, and more, gently invite the guest at a Healing Garden to presence.
1. How did Arora feel after he visited local gardens?A.More stressed. | B.More anxious. |
C.More emotional. | D.More relaxed. |
A.To earn more money. | B.To offer leisure places. |
C.To promote the produce. | D.To bring the benefits of nature to people. |
A.Recovery rooms are available. |
B.People can spend time alone for free. |
C.A wide variety of activities are provided. |
D.People can enjoy performances by trained animals. |
A.Emotion: Key to Success. | B.Anxiety: Harm to Health. |
C.Wildlife: Benefits of Nature. | D.Gardening: Power of Refreshment. |
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【推荐1】The Maasai people are the most easily identifiable in Kenya with their very colorful clothing and ornaments on the body. They live a nomadic life, raising and hunting animals near some of Kenya’s most visited wildlife parks.
It is a tradition for a young Maasai man, called a moran in the Maasai language, to kill a lion alone with a spear to show that he is a man. With the kill, a moran would be able to win a “lion name” and admiration among young women.
Mingati Samanya, at the age of 69, is one of the Maasai elders. During his youth, Samanya killed two lions to show he was a man.
A.It can help provide for their families. |
B.Quite often women also join in the events. |
C.That is how he had the “lion name” Mingati. |
D.Here comes how they protect the rights of the Maasai. |
E.But the Maasai seem to be ending the tradition. |
F.However, their hunting has often been taken as a threat to the lions. |
G.On a Saturday, the morans near Kimana will compete for rewards. |
【推荐2】Every day as the sun rises, Ma Hongyi, a 66-year-old farmer, can be seen patrolling (巡逻) Yuncheng Salt Lake with his dog in Yuncheng city, North China’s Shanxi province.
Ma still remembers the day when he first saw two big pink birds wandering through the water. “I had never seen such pretty birds. They were even taller than me, with long wings,” Ma recalls. He was later informed that those birds were flamingos, a rare sight in China, which were listed on the International Union for Protection of Nature’s red list of endangered species in 2013. From that day on, Ma started his second career as a volunteer to prevent human beings from doing harm to the wildlife. “The birds are attracted by the good environment,” Ma says. “I will do my best to protect the lake so that birds can come here every year.”
Yuncheng Salt Lake covers an area of 132 square kilometers and used to serve as a salt production base. As the country began attaching greater importance to environmental protection, an ecological (生态的) protection and development center was set up in 2012 to carry out regular ecological protection and restoration of the lake. “The greatest value of the Salt Lake lies in its ecology, which should be properly protected,” says Chu Xianghao, head of the city. The lake area hosts 292 types of wild animals, along with 782 plant varieties, some of which are newly recorded species in the country.
After patrolling the lake as a volunteer for over four years, Ma was employed by the local government to help with wildlife protection in 2019. “The lake’s ecology is getting better,” Ma says, adding that he looks forward to the arrival of the flamingos every year. “Some of them are my old friends,” he says.
1. What event makes Mr Ma to start his second career?A.Seeing a rare scenery in his field. |
B.Finding a list of endangered species. |
C.Coming across a certain bird unexpectedly. |
D.Knowing the way to increase the number of species. |
A.Repair. | B.Examination. | C.Competition. | D.Defence. |
A.Salt lake is environmentally friendly. |
B.The past base still makes lots of salt now. |
C.Mr Ma used to have a walk around lakes every morning. |
D.The environment of Salt lake is suitable for flamingos all year round now. |
A.Mr Ma -- from a Farmer to a Volunteer |
B.Mr Ma -- a Loyal Guardian of Flamingos |
C.Mr Ma -- an Expert on Endangered Species |
D.Mr Ma -- the First Finder of Flamingos in China |
【推荐3】It was the day before Thanksgiving and Kaleb Benham was wandering around outside his home in Noring California. His 90-pound pit bull, Buddy, was playing around nearby, doing what dogs do: getting into trouble. And this time, Buddy was getting into a whole lot of trouble.
The unmistakable sound that no one wants to hear alone in the woods caught Benham’s attention. It was the deep, strange roar of a black bear. Benham wheeled around to see the beast, which Benham figured weighed around 350 pounds, some 100 feet away. In an instant, the bear fastened on to Buddy’s head and started dragging him away.
Benham, a thin, fit 24-year-old, took off after them. “Honestly,” he told CBS13, “the only thing I could think of was ‘save my baby’.” Sprinting, he lowered his shoulder and plowed into the bear. But it only tightened its grip on Buddy. Benham grabbed the bear by the throat. Nothing. He tried getting its mouth open, but the jaw was locked tight. Benham resorted to street fighting—punching the bear over and over around its snout and eye. It worked. The bear dropped the dog and ran off into the woods.
Buddy was in bad shape. His face was bloodied and ripped up. His ears were dangling. He had a bite mark clear through his lip and one that barely missed an eye.
“My first thought was that I was going to lose him,” Benham said. He scooped up Buddy, put him into his car, and sped off to a nearby veterinarian. Buddy’s surgery took nearly four hours. Benham watched the procedure through a window. “I just stood there,” he said, watching as Buddy’s ears were stapled back on and skin flaps were stitched, and tubes were inserted into his head to drain fluid.
This was the second time Benham had rescued Buddy, says CBS13. The first was from a shelter a few years ago. “If it was your kid, what would you do?” he asked. Nodding toward Buddy, he added, “That’s my kid.”
1. What is the text mainly about?A.A demanding surgery. | B.A regular routine. |
C.A fearless pet dog. | D.A daring rescue. |
A.To show the difficulty of the rescue. |
B.To indicate the obesity of the bear. |
C.To prove the excitement of Benham. |
D.To describe the fear in Buddy’s heart. |
A.Benham bumped into the beast with dropped shoulder. |
B.Benham forced open the beast’s mouth with locked jaw. |
C.Benham crushed the beast’s mouth and nose repeatedly. |
D.Benham finally conquered the beast by grabbing its throat. |
A.Complicated. | B.Close. |
C.Romantic. | D.Healthy. |
【推荐1】China’s existing COVID-19 containment strategy, characterized by firm and rapid response to cut its transmission and block new outbreaks, should be sufficient for dealing with the new Omicron variant(变种)of the novel coronavirus, health experts and officials said recently.
They added that the country’s dynamic zero-case policy should continue to be enforced this winter and spring, as new modeling shows that dropping it prematurely would risk causing “a huge outbreak”.
Wu Zunyou, a chief epidemiologist, said the new variant appears to be more contagious(传染的)than the Delta variant due to its exceptionally high number of spike mutations.
“But no matter how the virus mutates, regular public health measures, such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and washing hands, will be effective against all variants,” Wu said.
Zhang Wenhong, a well-known doctor from Shanghai, said China’s current “rapid response and dynamic zeroing of new infections” can deal with all variants.
The strategy has also enabled China to win a window of opportunity in terms of building up scientific support to fight the virus, he said. Ongoing work includes increasing reserves of vaccines(疫苗)and drugs to support the global battle against the pandemic, and boosting inventories(存货)of China’s public health and medical resources.
According to Wu Zunyou, China’s overall epidemic situation remains stable and under control against a backdrop of surging infections globally. “This remarkable outcome is largely due to the central approach of interrupting the spread of the virus, blocking new outbreaks and implementing quarantine(隔离)for incoming travelers,” he said.
“By the most conservative estimates, the strategy had avoided 47.8 million COVID-19 infections and 950, 000 related deaths in China,” he said.
As the outlook for the pandemic remains serious for this winter and spring, Wu said these measures should continue to be enforced.
“Adjustment(调整)of virus control measures should be done extremely carefully and with every detail and procedure being taken into consideration, so as to avoid making mistakes or taking the wrong path,” he said.
1. What might be the best title of this newspaper article?A.China’s COVID-19 strategy can cope with Omicron. |
B.China’s CVID-19 approach has made great achievements. |
C.New Omicron variant appears to be more contagious. |
D.New Omicron variant calls for adjustment of measures. |
A.Traditional and immature. | B.Solid and effective. |
C.Regular and risky. | D.Dynamic and contemporary. |
A.cultural exchanges | B.economic recovery |
C.scientific preparations | D.medical profits |
A.The Delta Variant of COVID-19 will soon disappear. |
B.New variant makes it harder to maintain social distancing. |
C.The dynamic zero-case policy will continue for a while. |
D.This winter and spring will see fewer cases of infection. |
【推荐2】Here are the bestsellers this month.
The Story of Buildings: From the Pyramids to the Sydney Opera House and Beyond
by Patrick Dillon, author; Stephen Biesty, illustrator(插画家)
Hardcover $26.99; Paperback $14.80
We spend most of our lives in buildings. We make our homes in them. We go to school in them. But why and how did people start making buildings? How did they learn to make them stronger, bigger, and more comfortable? Patrick Dillon's stories of amazing buildings and the amazing people who made them celebrate the human creation.
What Were the Twin Towers?
by Jim O'Connor, author; Ted Hammond, illustrator
Library Binding(装帧)$20.64; Paperback $7.91
When the Twin Towers were built in 1973, they were described as an architectural(建筑学的)wonder. Offices and companies moved into the Towers—also known as the World Trade Center—and the buildings were seen as the economic center of the world. Discover the whole story of the Twin Towers—from their construction to their sad end.
Where Is Machu Picchu?
by Megan Stine, author; Who HQ, author; John O'Brien, illustrator
Library Binding $21.02; Paperback $8.91
Built in the fifteenth century and set in the mountains of Peru, Machu Picchu was deserted after the Spaniards controlled the Incan empire in the sixteenth century. It remained hidden until 1911 when Hiram Bingham uncovered the amazing buildings and shared his discovery with the world. Today, hundreds of thousands of people visit the site to climb the 3,000 stone steps and explore the towering monuments.
Castle
by David Macaulay, author
Hardcover $11.98; Paperback $15.80
What could be more perfect for an author/illustrator who has continually shown the mystique(神秘性)of architectural structures that have long attracted modern man? With typical interest and a sense of humor decorating his drawings, David Macaulay finds the step-by-step planning and construction of both castle and town.
1. Which book is written by two authors?A.The Story of Buildings: From the Pyramids to the Sydney Opera House and Beyond. |
B.What Were the Twin Towers? |
C.Where Is Machu Picchu? |
D.Castle. |
A.$53.98. | B.$29.60. | C.$42.04. | D.$31.60. |
A.Arts & Architecture. | B.Literature & Fiction. |
C.Holidays & Celebrations. | D.Computers & Technology. |
【推荐3】When kids enjoy an activity, they want to do more of it. Practicing a skill improves their abilities and helps them feel confident, especially when the effort is noticed and praised. Toddlers (学步的儿童) and preschoolers should play actively several times a day. Children from 6 to 17 years of age should do 60 minutes or more of physical activity daily. This can include free play at home and P.E. at school.
Preschoolers need play and exercise that help them continue to develop important motor skills—kicking or throwing a ball, playing tag or riding a bike with training wheels. Although some sports leagues may be open to kids as young as 4, organized team sports are not recommended until they’re a little older. Preschoolers can’t understand complex rules and often lack the attention span (持续时间) and skills needed to play sports. Instead of playing on a team, they can work on fundamental skills.
With school-age kids spending more time in front of screens, the challenge for parents is to get them to find physical activity they enjoy. This can range from traditional sports like baseball and basketball to biking, hiking, and laying outside. As kids get older, differences in ability and personality become more apparent. That is why it’s important to find an activity that’s right for your children.
Teens have many choices when it comes to being active—from school sports to after-school interests. It’s a good idea to have an exercise plan. Do what you can to make it easy for your teens to exercise by providing transportation and the necessary equipment (including workout clothes). In some cases, the right clothes and shoes night help a shy teen feel comfortable biking or going to the gym.
In addition to a child’s age, it’s important to consider his or her fitness personality. Meanwhile, be active yourself and support your kids’ interests. If you start this early enough, they’ll come to regard the activity as a normal and fun part of your family’s everyday routine.
1. What does the underlined word “This” refer to?A.Free play. | B.Play time. | C.Physical activity. | D.Children’s confidence. |
A.What appropriate sports preschoolers should take. |
B.How to develop kids’ motor skills before school. |
C.Why organized team sports are dangerous to kids. |
D.When preschoolers should start to do sports. |
A.Tell them to turn to traditional sports. | B.Ask them to join in organized team sports. |
C.Play with them when they are out of school. | D.Help them find the sports they are fond of. |
A.Not all the kids are fit for the same sports. |
B.Teens are particular about sports activities. |
C.School-age kids are more active than teens. |
D.Some parents always ignore what their kids like. |