【推荐1】In April 2018, a group of Canadian scientists flying in a helicopter (直升飞机) discovered something they didn't expect to see — a huge, unknown cave with an opening the size of a football field.

The cave was discovered in the northern part of Wells Gray Provincial Park, in a wild, faraway area of Canada's Cariboo Mountains. The area is hard to get to and even harder to travel through. It is covered with snow for much of the year.   

The group told Catherine Hickson, a scientist who studies rocks, about the cave. Dr. Hickson got a team of researchers together to study it. In September, they went for a closer look after most of the snow melted (融化). The cave is one of the largest in Canada. Not only is the opening to the cave larger than a football field, the cave is also deep. The team couldn't measure (测量) all the way to the bottom, but they think it may be more than 180 meters deep. The cave is tens of thousands of years old. But the rock in the cave is made of used to be at the bottom of an ocean (海洋). It is hundreds of millions of years old.

A small, but fast river of melting snow leads into the cave on one side, creating a waterfall near the top and a river at the bottom. The water comes out again a long way away. The exit (出口) is about 2.1 kilometers away and about l/2 kilometer lower down.

The cave will have to wait to get an official name. For now, the cave is being called "Sarlacc's Pit "because it looks similar to the home of the Sarlacc, a person in the Star Wars movie Return of the Jedi.

For Dr. Hickson, there's a lesson to be learned from the cave. "It shows you that you don't know everything, "she says." There are things yet to be discovered."

【推荐2】Northern California holds a special place in the hearts of all hikers who have experienced this special portion of the country. Read on to choose your best potential hike.

Lassen Peak Trail

Don’t let the distance fool you. The 5-mile round-trip Lassen Peak Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park is hot and rocky, not suitable for people in poor health, especially with weak hearts. Hikers will gain a very great height as they reach the top of Lassen Peak. Though Mount Lassen last erupted in the 20th century, the volcano here is still technically active.

Yosemite Falls Trail

The hike along Yosemite Falls Trail offers amazing views of the falls and the surrounding valley. The falls are nothing short of breathtaking as they rise more than 2,000 feet above the valley floor, making it the highest falls in North America. Come here in the spring months to relax and see them.

Stout Memorial Grove (小树林) Trail

This trail is an absolute favorite among photographers thanks to its simple accessibility and the flat grove of well-lit precious redwoods. It also features bright green plants, fallen trunks and plenty of spots to relax among tall old trees. Although this hike is short, it usually doesn’t get too busy. Arrive early to secure a space as parking is limited.

Founders’ Grove Nature Trail

Located in Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Southern Humboldt County, the trail takes visitors to one of the most beloved valuable coastal redwood groves in California. The famed Avenue of Giants cuts through the grove at the center of an easy half-mile-long loop that’s well-marked and well-maintained, perfect for families and hiking beginners.

【推荐3】On November 18, 2020, state workers who were tracking sheep were flying over the Utah desert in a helicopter. They noticed an object that is called monolith later, and landed nearby to see what it was. It was a shiny, three-sided metal column about 3.7 meters tall and planted solidly in the middle of the desert.

Bret Hutchings, who flew the helicopter, said, “I have to admit, that’s been about the strangest thing that I’ve come across out there in all the years of flying.” The shape of the monolith and its strange appearance in the desert has reminded people of a black monolith in the science fiction movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. In that movie, the monolith was also unexplained, but it appeared to have been created by creatures from another world.

Some people say that the monolith appears to be similar to artwork created by some well-known artists. But one of the possible artists died in 2011. Two others have said that the work is not theirs.

Still, people working for the government believe that the monolith was most likely put there as an art project. But they note that it was quite a difficult task. The monolith is in a hard-to-reach spot somewhere in the 93,000 square kilometers of Utah land managed by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Delivering the column that seems valuable to that location in the traditional way would have required moving very heavy materials. They must have thought of other ways.

One metal statue in the desert may not cause too many problems for the sheep, but what if lots of people decide to visit the site? That’s one reason the DLM hasn’t released where it is. The BLM is also afraid that the monolith might encourage other artists to plant other similar artworks in the desert. That’s something that the department doesn’t want to happen. Anyway, the government still hasn’t decided whether to remove the monolith or let it remain.

【推荐2】Most environmental pollution comes from humans and their inventions. The electric bulbs are thought to be one of the greatest human inventions of all time. However, too much of a good thing has started to negatively impact the environment. Light pollution, the extreme or inappropriate use of outdoor artificial light, is affecting human health and wildlife behavior. There is a global movement to reduce light pollution, and everyone can help.

Light pollution is a global issue. This became particularly obvious when the World Atlas (地图册)of Night Sky Brightness, a computer-generated map based on thousands of satellite photos, was published in 2016. Vast areas of North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia are glowing with light, while only Siberia, the Sahara, and the Amazon are in total darkness.

Artificial light can wreak havoc on natural body rhythms in both humans and animals. It interrupts sleep and confuses the circadian rhythm(生理节奏)一the internal, twenty-four-hour clock that guides day and night activities and affects physiological processes in nearly all living organisms. One of these processes is the production of the hormone melatonin(褪黑素), which is released when it is dark and is prevented when there is light. An increased amount of light at night lowers melatonin production, which results in lack of sleep, headaches, stress, anxiety, and other health problems. Blue light, in particular, has been shown to reduce levels of melatonin in humans. It is found in cell phones and other computer devices, as well as in light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the kinds of bulbs that have become popular at home and in industrial and city lighting due to their low cost and energy efficiency.

Studies show that light pollution is also impacting animal behaviors, such as migration (迁徙)patterns and habitat formation. Because of light pollution, sea turtles guided by moonlight during migration get confused, lose their way, and often die. Large numbers of insects, a primary food source for birds and other animals, are drawn to artificial light and are instantly killed upon contact with light sources. Even animals living under the deep sea may be affected by underwater artificial lighting. One study looked at how animals in sea responded to brightly lit panels put under water off the coast of Wales. Fewer filter feeding animals(滤食性动物), such as the sea squirt(海鞘), made their homes near the lighted panels. This could mean that the artificial light is altering ocean ecosystems.

The good news is that light pollution, unlike many other forms of pollution, is reversible(可逆的)and each one of us can make a difference! Now, many people are taking action to reduce light pollution and bring back the natural night sky. Individuals are urged to use outdoor lighting only when and where it is needed, to make sure outdoor lights are properly shielded (遮挡)and direct light down instead of up into the sky, and to close window blinds, shades, and curtains at night to keep light inside.

【推荐2】Alcohol has long been an important part of workplace culture. In almost all aspects of life, regular alcohol consumption has even been encouraged: from college and university all through to the workplace either to strengthen relationship or to uplift spirits. Hosting meetings at bars and restaurants with drinks flowing is even part of some companies' business strategy, through which potential business partners get drunk together to become friends, so they can trust each other not to harm the other person's professional interests.

Although some employees welcome alcohol into their work lives, the emphasis on drinking culture in the workplace doesn’t suit all. Research from 2019, conducted by researchers at the University of Stavanger in Norway, found that when employers or supervisors initiate drinking, employees feel it their obligation to participate. And among people in the UK, half of those surveyed by researchers at the University of Stirling in Scotland admitted to being pressured into drinking alcohol by colleagues and family. It also showed that generally, men felt forced into drinking more often than women, with men 20% more likely to be encouraged into drinking by their colleagues and 37% more by their bosses.

Yet, as central as drinking is to workplace socialisation and strategy, there are signs that some companies are re-thinking the role of alcohol in professional settings. After all, many workers don’t drink for personal reasons, and interactions involving alcohol at work can cause anxiety. The increasingly large population of Gen Zers (Z世代，网生代) are pushing for deeper and calmer conversations without alcohol.

According to a survey of 2,400 workers and 250 employees in the UK from Totaljobs, more than one in three workers see drinking with colleagues as outdated. Tactics (策略，方法) like non-alcoholic options and bonding activities that aren’t dependent on alcohol not only create a more inclusive environment for non-drinkers where they feel equally valued, and are welcome, but a space where staff who do drink feel comfortable - then everyone wins.

【推荐3】During the summer of 2021, Beverly Wax had an experience that filled her with awe. It was the sight of her son, Justin, dragging a 36-kilogram portable air conditioner upstairs. Beverly’s central air conditioning had stopped working in the middle of a 32℃ heat wave. She had mentioned to her son and he’d shown up as a surprise. As she watched him sweat and struggle while fixing it, she felt a wave of gratitude and appreciation.

Awe is that feeling we get when something is so vast that it stops us in our tracks. Often, it challenges or expands our thinking. Research shows that awe experiences decrease stress and increase overall satisfaction. It can also help our relationships, making us feel more sympathetic and less greedy, more supported by and more likely to help others.

Most of us associate awe with something rare and beautiful: nature, music or a spiritual experience. But people can bring about awe, and not just public heroes. Often, this interpersonal awe is a response to life’s big, sweeping changes. We can be awed by our nearest and dearest — the people sitting next to us on the sofa, or chatting on the phone. But it happens in smaller moments, too. John Bargh, a psychologist, said he was truly awestruck by his then-five-year-old daughter. When she heard another child crying, she grabbed her toy, walked over to the boy and handed it to him.

Unfortunately, we can’t make someone else behave in a way that’s awesome. But we can prepare ourselves to notice it when they do — and take steps to boost the emotion’s positive effects.