【推荐1】Antarctica is the southernmost place on Earth, and it is larger than the United Sates and 95% of it is covered with ice. The ice is 5 kilometers thick at places and it never melts. At least that is what we thought, but let us keep it that way for now.

The ice seems to be alive as it works its way towards the sea. It forms an ice shelf over the water. The edge breaks away from the shelf and falls into the sea. From here it drifts. Now big pieces of ice become icebergs that can be 160 km long. They now drift north until they finally melt and become part of the ocean. This process is part of a bigger process which in turn forms a cooling system for Earth. This is so important that no country is allowed to control this area. The treaty (agreement) signed by 12 countries at first and later joined by more, was to prevent any country harming the planet with irresponsible behavior.

The treaty basically states that:

Antarctica can be used for peaceful purposes only.

No country may build a military base there.

No country may do a nuclear test there.

No country may dump nuclear waste there.

Scientists working there will share their information.

Some other rules are there to protect the penguins and seals.

No dogs may run loose.

No planes may land near large groups of animals.

No guns, explosives, or tractors may be used near the animals.

Most important is that every member can inspect any of the other bases if he suspects that the treaty rules are being broken.

While the treaty is not foolproof(万无一失的), it does play a very important part in the protection of Antarctica. The more people realize the effects that pollution has on this continent, the bigger the pressure will be on Governments to change the way they look at pollution.

【推荐2】On Monday, people across Kenya took part in the country’s first national tree-planting holiday. The holiday was created by Kenya’s president, William Ruto, to encourage people to plant trees as part of a plan to fight the climate crisis (危机).

Kenya is famous for its beautiful forests and wildlife. But large areas of Kenya’s forests have been cut down, either for the wood, to clear the land for farming, or both. And those trees would normally help take in carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that’s a major cause of the climate crisis.

In early November, to help get Kenya’s great tree-planting effort started, the government declared November 13 a holiday — National Tree Growing Day. To prepare for the day, the government got 150 million seedlings ready for planting.

The government created a special app to help organize the tree planting. The app is called JazaMiti, which means “fill with trees” in Swahili. The app helps people collect trees, find places to plant, and record their efforts. The app will also help the government track how many trees have been planted in different areas around the country.

People all over Kenya turned out in large numbers to take part in the holiday. Elizabeth Wathuti, who works to protect the environment, was very happy about the support that Kenyans showed for tree planting. But she pointed out that it would be very important to continue to take care of the trees as they grow. “Tree planting is just the beginning,” she said.

Many people were very excited about the tree-planting holiday. Some hope that it will happen every year.

【推荐3】There are many wetlands（湿地） in China and some of them have become the world’s important wetlands. The Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands are among them. They are in Yancheng，Jiangsu Province. They are home for many different kinds of birds and animals. The world’s largest Milu Deer Nature Reserve（自然保护区) is in them. More than 700 milu deer live freely there. There are not many red-crowned cranes in the world, but every winter you can see some in the Red-crowned Cranes Nature Reserve in the Yellow Sea Wetlands.

The temperature in the wetlands is usually neither too high nor too low. There is a lot of rain and sunshine，too. They are really good places for wildlife（野生生物）. Offering food and home for some special kinds of animals and birds is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood. But some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife.

Luckily, more and more people are beginning to realize the important of wetlands and wildlife. Every year，on February 2nd，many activities are held to tell people more about wetlands.

【推荐2】In many ways, Alma Deutscher is like other 11-year-olds. She loves to climb trees, dance, read, and draw. But Alma, who lives in Dorking, England, can claim one very special achievement. She has composed a full opera and brought it to the stage. Her opera, a retelling of Cinderella (灰姑娘), premiered (首次演出) in December 2016, in Vienna, Austria.

“I’ve loved Cinderella since I was 3,” Alma said. But she felt the story needed an improvement. “I didn’t like the thing about the shoe,” she says. “Why should the prince find her because of her feet?”

In Alma’s version (版本), Cinderella is a composer. She creates a melody (旋律) that she sings to the prince before fleeing the ball. “He remembers the beginning but not how it went on,” Alma says. The prince realizes that only Cinderella would know how the melody continues. He uses that knowledge to find her.

Alma began writing the opera when she was 8. It premiered to a sold-out crowd on December 29, 2016, and got a standing ovation (起立鼓掌). Alma played the piano and violin and performed in the show. “It was something that was completely inside my head, in my imagination, and then it came to life,” Alma says.

Alma says she is certain that music will remain a major part of her life. “I have lots of things that I want to compose,” she says. “The first one is a piano concerto (协奏曲). Then I’m writing a novel, and I want to write a movie based on it, and the music for that.”

She also has advice for kids who want to achieve their big dreams. “It’s a lot of work to reach a high level,” Alma says. “But if you love what you are doing, it doesn’t feel like hard work. Don’t let anyone stop you from doing it.”

【推荐3】Andy Kong has worked very hard to get to where he is today. He credits becoming a millionaire by 20 to his strict Asian parents who tutored him at a young age by working for the family.

Kong, of Danville, Virginia, started working when he was only nine. English wasn’t a strong suit for Andy’s parents, and that’s where he was able to assist his family the most. After school and on weekends he would help out at their family-owned restaurant and nail salons. Not only did he do the labor work, but he was also involved in creating online ads. This was his introduction to the world of online business.

Andy started his Amazon business in the eighth grade. When he learned about Amazon Dropshipping (代发货模式) from a kid he saw on Instagram, he got inspired and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, the store eventually got shut down because he was impatient with the growth. Instead of considering it a failure, he viewed this experience as a life lesson and learned from his mistakes. Meanwhile, his parents never stopped trying to talk him into focusing on school and their retail business.

“The biggest challenge when starting a business is getting someone to believe in you,” Andy says. He pushed through and did things for himself even when his loved ones discouraged it.

In 2019, Andy met his now business partners, and together, they created an Amazon management company called Project WiFi. This Project has proven to be extremely successful. They currently help over 55 clients run their online businesses, and plan to help many more in the future.

When asked about the secret to his success, Andy says, “Learning to sacrifice whether that’s family, friends, or soccer game for a single goal is the only way to succeed, rather than attempting multiple things. If it’s worth doing then it’s worth doing well with no shortcuts.”