【推荐1】The world’s nations have promised to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees over pre-industrial levels, which involves shutting down fossil fuel extraction (化石燃料开采) as quickly as possible. But despite this promise, first reached six years ago during the Paris Climate Accords, the fossil-fuel producing nations are on track to extract more than twice as much coal, oil and natural gas as would be permissible under this plan, a new United Nations report says.

To have a chance of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees, production of coal needs to drop by 11% every year between 2020 and 2030. while production of oil and gas needs to drop by 4% and 3%, respectively, the report finds. Instead, production of oil and gas is set to increase, while coal production is projected to drop slightly.

The so-called production gap, the difference between countries’ climate promises and their fossil fuel production plans — hasn’t changed since the United Nations first examined it in 2019, indicating that international climate accords are still closer to theoretical promises than detailed plans.

The report looks at fossil fuel production in 15 countries — including Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, the U.S. and the United Kingdom — hat are collectively responsible for three-quarters of the world’s fossil fuel production. Most of these countries have promised to reach zero emissions by mid-century, but they are planning to increase their fossil fuel extraction until at least 2030.

So far, climate efforts from major fossil fuel extractors, including industry, have “focused on extracting fossil fuels in less-polluting ways, not on winding down production levels in line with climate goals,” the report says. While these efforts, such as developing carbon-capture (碳捕捉) technology and reducing methane leaks (甲烷泄露) are important. they fall far short of the changes science demands if global temperatures are to stay at a livable level.

To close that gap, the report urges governments to make realistic plans for winding down fossil fuel extraction, starting with state-owned companies, which arc responsible for more than half the world’s extraction of such fuels.

【推荐3】In the United States, people generate approximately 35 million tons of food waste every year, and as individual families, they waste about 30 percent of the food we buy. For the average four-person household with a monthly food budget of $1,000, that’s like throwing $300 straight into the garbage every month.

It’s not just the personal budgets that are affected by food waste, either - it contributes to the ongoing climate crisis as well. The yearly amount of water and energy wasted from uneaten food in America every year would be enough to power 50 million homes, and the amount of greenhouse gases produced from food waste was equivalent(相等的) to the carbon dioxide emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants, according to a 2021 report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

At home, the core issue is that people buy too much food and then throw so much out because the ingredients “do not match food preferences”,according to a 2020 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. It’s true that there are far more factors that contribute to waste within the food system than just the consumer behavior.“It’s so much bigger than a consumer problem,” said Pamela Koch, associate professor of nutrition education at Teachers College, Columbia University. But that doesn’t mean the personal efforts can’t still have an impact. “There’s so much that consumers can do," said Roni Neff, associate professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The process starts with “recognizing what we’re throwing out and what led to it,”Neff said. “If we understand our own patterns and what’s going on in our homes,” she continued, the next step is“figuring out how to set up the environment to make it as easy as possible to avoid food waste.”

【推荐1】For centuries, Garifuna(加里富纳的) people, also known as Garinagu in their native language, have kept the culture’s oral history alive through their ancestors’ native language. But decades of modernization, casual native-language training in Garifuna schools, intermarriage between cultures, and the lack of consideration of language transmission by young people, collectively led to Garifuna being listed on the UNESCO Atlas of Endangered Languages in 2001.

The threat of language extinction isn’t new. Some linguists estimate a language dies every two weeks. But there are ways to save at-risk languages as well. The key is that the language needs to be thought of less as preserved, but indeed part of their present and future. “Modern Garifuna people need the actual language to grasp their ancestors’ past. Without language, culture will never be whole. If you’re losing your language, you’re losing your roots, which will dismantle all the ancestors have worked on,” Alvin Laredo, a Garifuna tour guide, says.

Elements of the Garifuna culture include music, dance and language. In 2001, Garifuna musicians and cultural activists created a plan: Create irresistible songs sung entirely in Garifuna to call on young Garinagu to accept the culture and learn the language. Palacio, a leader in the cultural renaissance, gathered Garifuna musicians across Central America to form the Garifuna Collective band in 2007. Multiple world performances and international music awards later, the band put Garifuna on the international map and lit a cultural flame for Garifuna worldwide. Another set of musicians was inspired by Palacio’s message. They helped elementary and high schools in Belize teach the Garifuna culture and language through music.

The Garifuna language revival does have a new and welcome boost(推动力): Belize’s Garifuna Tourism Trail, which formally launched in March 2022. Of course, tourism alone won’t save a language, but tourism can provide one effective language-retention (语言保持) motivation: income. More economic opportunities and pride in their cultural identity could help motivate young Garinagu to continue learning the language.

Will these ways save the Garifuna language? Time will tell. This kind of revival is a long, multi-generational road.

【推荐2】In an era of digital technology, the art of writing by hand has slowly been downgraded to a past entertainment. However, recent research suggests that this physical act is essential to brain health and development, having multiple cognitive (认知的) benefits. It is time we should reevaluate the potential benefits it may have on our mental capacities.

According to numerous studies, writing by hand stimulates more complex and diverse brain connections essential for encoding new information and forming memories. For instance, a recent investigation found that brain connectivity patterns were far more complicated and widespread for participants who wrote by hand compared to those who typed. Thus, it is clear that handwriting has a distinct and significant impact on our brain health.

Handwriting isn’t just good for our brains health—it also has clear, practical benefits. Research has shown that students who take handwritten notes score significantly higher on quizzes, demonstrating improved learning. This extends beyond the classroom too. People who recorded information on paper calendars demonstrated more brain activity and recalled information faster than those who used smartphones. The act of handwriting, therefore, could be a valuable tool for students preparing for exams and adults managing daily tasks.

Despite its clear benefits, handwriting has been on the decline. However, 25states in the US have reintroduced writing back into school curriculums. This is a step in the right direction, as previous research has also indicated that handwriting is essential in children’s brain development. Preliterate (未识字的) children who wrote by hand demonstrated brain activity in a circuit of the brain used in learning to read, further strengthening the link between handwriting and cognitive development.

It is clear that handwriting is a valuable activity that has the potential to enhance our brain health, learning, memory, and problem-solving skills. As we continue to navigate the digital age, it is important not to overlook the value of this seemingly simple activity. So, the next time you reach for your keyboard, remember the benefits of picking up a pen instead.

【推荐3】Greasy spoon cafés or simply greasy spoons very rarely appear in guidebooks, but they are an essential part of life in the UK, especially for people living in the bigger cities. These small restaurants are so common — like baked beans or phone boxes — that they are barely even noticed, but if greasy spoons were removed, the country would be on its knees.

Greasy spoon cafés are so called because any cutlery ( 餐具) that comes into contact with the food on offer is immediately coated with a sticky layer of oil. It almost seems like an oily mist hangs in the air, as if fat drips (滴下) from the walls. More calories can be found in a cup of tea in a good greasy spoon than in a whole meal at a normal restaurant.

Greasy spoons are generally found slightly away from the main streets of most towns. They usually have large (grease coated) glass windows, a plastic sign with the café name and a huge menu offering a wide variety of foods. Inside they are generally clean and functional. You’ll see old wooden seats, tables and plain walls. Each table has on it a bottle of brown sauce, tomato ketchup and vinegar, and pots of salt and pepper.

In a typical greasy spoon, you will find people from all walks of life: poets, hurrying businessmen, students lazing around with huge cups of tea. Some read novels, some stare into space, and others catch up on the day’s news. At weekends there will always be large groups of friends, recovering from a night on the town. They are all united by one thing: the food. They are all looking for an absolutely substantial meal.

The meals are dangerously unhealthy, and absolutely delicious. All kinds of food can be bought for incredibly low prices. Greasy spoons have some devoted followers. Tapping “Greasy Spoon” into an internet search engine will bring up hundreds of entries — with pictures, reviews, menus and stories. But of course, nothing can beat going to a real one — especially on an empty stomach.

【推荐2】Galileo Galilei was born on 15 February 1564 near Pisa, the son of a musician. He began to study medicine at the University of Pisa but changed to philosophy (哲学) and maths. In 1589, he became professor of maths at Pisa. In 1592, he moved to become maths professor at the University of Padua, a position he held until 1610. During this time he worked on a variety of experiments, including the speed at which different objects fall.

In 1609, Galileo heard about the invention of the telescope in Holland. Without having seen an example, he constructed a better version and made many astronomical (天文学的) discoveries. These included mountains and valleys on the surface of the moon, sunspots, the four largest moons of the planet Jupiter and the phases (位相) of the planet Venus. His work on astronomy made him famous so that he was appointed court mathematician in Florence.

In 1614, Calileo was accused of heresy (异教) for his support of the Copernican theory that the sun was at the centre of the solar system. This was revolutionary at a time when most people believed the Earth was in this central position. In 1616, he was forbidden by the church from teaching these theories.

In 1632, he was again charged with heresy after his book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems was published. This set out the arguments for and against the Copernican theory in the form of a discussion between two men. Galileo was made to appear before the Inquisition (审讯) in Rome. He was sentenced to life in prison, later reduced to endless house arrest at his house in Arcetri, south of Florence. He was also forced to publicly take back his support for Copernican theory.

Although he was now going blind, he continued to write. In 1638, his Discourses Concerning Two New Sciences was published with Galileo’s ideas on the laws of motion (运动) and the principles of mechanics (力学). Galileo died in Arcetri on 8 January 1642.