【推荐1】Wildlife crossings don’t just protect animals. They can also mitigate problems related to wildlife-vehicle collisions (碰撞) and save significant money for a community.

Wildlife crossings are man-made structures that help animals move safely around their habitat. They are often paths under or over another existing road or railway, or underground passages for animals to get past for food or avoiding attacks.

Some animals are unable to migrate to survive. People still rely on highways for business and travel, and animals continue to have mobility needs for survival, though. When new roads are built, animals living in a part of their habitat can greatly increase the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions while trying to cross the new barriers.

In a new study, Wisnu Sugiarto, a Washington State University economics doctoral student, examined data for 13 of the 22 wildlife crossings, including bridges and underpasses, in the Washington State. He compared the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions each year before and after the construction of a wildlife crossing. He considered the area within 10 miles of a crossing.

Then he compared his analysis to a separate area in the state with no crossings at all. “The findings reported that wildlife crossing structures reduced the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions by one to three accidents on average per mile per year,” Sugiarto said, “Therefore, building wildlife crossing structures is typically an essential and effective strategy to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.”

“Prior to working on this research, I wasn’t aware of any strategies to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. I also thought we couldn’t do much about it, partly because we wouldn’t be able to communicate with wildlife and control their movement,” Sugiarto added. “ However, it turns out that there are multiple strategies to deal with issues related to wildlife-vehicle collisions and we can do something about them.”

It is reported that the government has invested $ 350 million over five years for the construction of wildlife crossings. Every wildlife crossing offers a mean benefit of between $ 235,000 and $ 443.000 each year.

【推荐2】Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less usable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.

Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages. Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs .

Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there's a lot we can do to lower the number.

You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.

【推荐1】A decade ago, colored lights danced around the living room on New Year's Eve and happy music was played. Upstairs, the children were asleep. But I wasn't feeling happy. In mid-December, my husband and I had been informed that he had cancer and that he was going to die. He had less than a year left, the doctors said.

In the years since that painful season, I have come to look back upon New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve brings a halt to the endless commitments that fill our daily lives and a chance to reflect New Year's Eve is full of possibility and anticipation. What will be the surprising experiences and delightful successes in the coming year? But also, what disappointments are waiting for us in the next twelve months?

In many ways, New Year's Eve and the days that surround it are a line between past and future. That line is made up of a series of moments of transition （过渡）that take us out of the old and into the new. Transition can be challenging for many of us. It's about letting go of the familiar and diving into the unfamiliar.

Just as, back then, I had to face letting go of the life I had led with my beloved husband and stepping into a new world as a widowed mom, I find that each year I have to step out of the version of me that suited the year that is ending and ease into the version of me who will rise to the goals I am holding for myself for the year ahead.

Last year at this time, I sat in a chair in southern France and drank in the beauty of the countryside around me. The three children 1 had brought into this world talked and laughed around the table beside me as we enjoyed a lunch of bread and cheese.

I was filled with a sense of joy and I had a glowing （热情洋溢的）heart that was full of hope. It was another ending and another beginning. May we all transition into the best of what lies ahead. May we all find happiness in this holiday season.

【推荐2】As a mother, let me begin by saying that I am one of “those” parents, maybe one of the few: I am excited that my sons are able to receive instruction online and are able to learn at home. I’m unbelievably happy that they haven’t had to be in a school building all these months. I feel more comfortable with this scenario than I would with any other.

I know I am in a good position — I am able myself to work from home most days of the week. We have not had issues with access to technology and have backup plans for those problems we have experienced. I know there are many more people who are not as fortunate. That being said, one of the greatest advantages that online learning has brought is that I get to hear my sons being taught. My middle school son and I work in the same room, and I have heard his teachers giving instruction.

This cannot be said enough: Teachers, you are amazing. Not only are you teaching good, solid, and in many cases, timely content, but you are doing so much more. I have heard every teacher do wellness check-ins with their students, both in a structured way and just casually, on a day-to-day basis. I have heard teachers joking with their students and still carry the topic of their lesson. I have heard teachers building close relations with students, despite being faced with a screenful of turned-off cameras, silenced mikes, and overactive chat boxes.

My high school son’s teachers have been excellent at reaching out to him and to me to give him support and help direct him when he’s struggled. They have been kind and understanding and flexible. Online schooling has its shortcomings and challenges for both students and teachers, but for me as a parent, it has given me the opportunity to be in the classroom with my sons, to gain greater insight into how they are being taught and to have deeper conversations with them about the content of their learning.