Sustainability for kids can start with a seed. We put together some ways to involve the whole family in protecting the environment.
Go on a hike. Parental involvement in early childhood education looks different in various settings from preschool to home and to the grocery store.
Go green for holidays. Make holidays fun while also supporting a green environment for kids. Use LED lights for decorative lighting.
Recycle together. Recycling activities for kids can be fun and support family involvement in education at the same time.
| A．Plant a “garden”. |
| B．Don’t buy food from the grocery. |
| C．Protecting the environment for kids is important. |
| D．Parents should tell children what they can recycle. |
| E．And the children can watch a little peach tree grow. |
| F．Recycle Christmas trees instead of throwing them away. |
| G．To a child, every setting and every moment can be a teachable one. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】We all know what it’s like when a conversation dies off and you’re left to sit in silence. There’s only one word to describe it: awkward.
Think of topics ahead of time.
Before attending a social event, think of a few “go-to” topics to jumpstart a dead conversation.
Ask questions that have more than one possible answer. Such questions are likely to get the person talking more. They help avoid resulting in short response. For example, instead of asking, “Did you like your high school?”, you could ask, “What did you like about your high school?”
Listen carefully and respond to their reactions.
Give a compliment (表扬).
This is always a safe bet, as long as it’s appropriate. For example, you could say, “I really like your shirt. Where did you get it?” This could move the conversation in another direction while making the other person feel good.
| A．Ask open-ended questions |
| B．Keep the conversation flowing |
| C．It is important to express yourself |
| D．As with any good conversation, the biggest key is to listen |
| E．Stick to saying nice things if you’re trying to make small talks |
| F．Thankfully, filling these silences isn’t as difficult as it may seem |
| G．This will help you to fill the silences instead of struggling for words in the moment |
【推荐2】We try to escape from the hurt and pain by pretending it doesn’t exist, but although we can try this as we want, in the end, we can’t hide from ourselves.
Breathe into pain
Whenever a painful situation arises in your life, try to embrace it instead of running away or trying to mask the hurt.
Ask your heart what it wants
We’re often confused at the next step to take, making pros and cons lists until our eyes bleed and our brains are sore. Instead of always taking this approach, what if we take a few deep breaths then ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here? What action feels the most right?”
Accept your shadow
Many of us who are on the personal development path get caught up in embracing characteristics we want to have, like happiness, compassion, love, and passion. In this process we end up losing parts of ourselves that make us whole. Try asking yourself a question:
Get outside of yourself
After you’ve explored the depths of yourself, you come away with a new understanding. Now, it’s time to share that — not through telling others, but through being with others. Lose yourself in the beauty of others; see what they can teach you about yourself.
| A．What else can I do to improve myself? |
| B．Is there anything I’m hiding from myself? |
| C．Trying to escape is a good way to protect ourselves. |
| D．See what comes up, then engage and evaluate the outcome. |
| E．When sadness strikes, take a deep breath and lean into it. |
| F．Remember, there’s no need to do every one of these at the same time. |
| G．We need to learn to open our hearts to the potentials of life and let the world soften us. |
【推荐3】Writing poetry is a way to express emotions without directly stating what you are describing. Writing poetry for the first time can be challenging, but there are so many ways to start and finish a poem.
Keep in line with your emotions.
Decide on a theme for your poem. A theme is your topic and your opinion on the topic.
Use rhyming (押韵的) words if you’d like your poem to have rhythm. Some poetry uses rhyming words at the end of each line or every other line to create a flow. If you’d like to use rhyming words in your poetry, try to insert them as you write, instead of thinking of them before you start writing. For example, a poem could use rhyming words, like seen, clean, mean and glean. Feel free to use rhymes in your poetry!
Don’t feel like your poem has to be a certain length. There is no limit as to how long a poem is. Some are a mere sentence long, while others are paragraphs long or even the length of a novel. It all depends on when you are satisfied with your work.
| A．Your first poem can be short |
| B．Revise your first draft of your poem |
| C．Remember that not all poems rhyme |
| D．A lot of poetry is flooded with feelings |
| E．Read famous poems as examples to follow |
| F．Something like “a sunflower” is just a topic |
| G．Use descriptive language to create a picture |
【推荐1】Global heating appears to be making trees drop their leaves earlier, according to new research, contradicting the idea that warmer temperatures delay the beginning of autumn.
The finding is important because trees draw huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the air and therefore play a key role in managing the climate.
The rising temperatures also mean that spring is arriving earlier and,overall, the growing season for trees in the planet's temperate zones(温带地区） is getting longer. However, the earlier autumns mean that significantly less carbon can be stored in trees than previously thought, providing less of a brake on global heating.
The new research is based on a huge dataset of observations of European trees, experiments that varied light and CO2 levels, and mathematical models. It showed that as well as temperature and day length, the amount of carbon a tree has absorbed in a season is a key factor in determining when it no longer needs its leaves and drops them. The scientists liken the effect to a person becoming full after a heavy meal and being unable to eat more food.
Earlier models that did not include the amount of carbon a tree absorbs during a season indicated that autumn could be two to three weeks later by the end of the century on current emissions (排放） trends. But the scientists' new model indicates autumn may actually come up to six days earlier. Christine Rollinson, an ecologist at the Morton Arboretum in Illinois, USA, said the earlier models were known to be simplifications but were the best available.
“The big challenge is that autumn has always been a bit of a mess,” she said. “Depending on where you are and which species you're looking at, there's some evidence that leaf fall is happening earlier and some that it's happening later. But understanding how well a tree grows during the season really helps explain that tree-to-tree variation.”
Rollinson said that we can't put all of the responsibility on to growing trees. We can cut emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation to address the climate emergency.
1. What is the result of rising temperature?| A．Later spring. |
| B．More carbon storage. |
| C．Shorter growth season. |
| D．Earlier autumn leaf-off. |
| A．Compare. |
| B．Owe. |
| C．Expose. |
| D．Reduce. |
| A．Disapproving. |
| B．Supportive. |
| C．Sceptical. |
| D．Unclear. |
| A．Offer a solution. |
| B．Voice dissatisfaction. |
| C．Show a new finding. |
| D．Present more evidence. |
【推荐2】Tariq Qaiser, an architect, is trying to protect mangroves (红树林). The trees could save Pakistan’s largest city Karachi, sitting on the Arabia Sea, from natural disaster. He comes to Bundal Island several times a week to document the illegal cutting of mangrove trees. Very often, “You can’t hear a single bird because the chain saws (锯) are so loud. The trees are cut down illegally for firewood,” he says, shaking his head. Besides, developers clear the mangroves to make room for construction.
Karachi has a hot climate, and its concrete buildings and paved roads make it even hotter. Offshore, there are islands where mangroves grow. They could be the key to slowing climate change. Mangrove forests pull carbon dioxide out of the air, holding four times as much of the planet-warming gas as other forests can. They support diverse ecosystems. As sea levels rise with global warming, the trees could play a big role in protecting coastal cities like Karachi from flooding. Karachi’s mangroves are disappearing. But its numbers are rising in other parts of Pakistan. With replanting efforts, the country has tripled (三倍于) its mangrove coverage over the past 30 years.
Qaiser’s work may have worked. Recently, a court in Karachi declared Bundal Island’s mangroves to be protected forests. But unforested parts of the island remain unprotected, and developers want to build there. City officials say this could provide much-needed housing and bring in billions of dollars. They claim that some of that money could be used to plant mangroves in other parts of Pakistan.
Ecologist Rafiul Haq appreciates Qaiser’s “extraordinary work” educating the public about mangroves. But he wishes Oaiser would look at the bigger picture. “Only 7% of Pakistan’s mangroves are in Karachi,” Haq says. He thinks it’s wrong to focus on the losses in 7% of the country while ignoring the success in 93% of it. But Qaiser believes it’s important to protect every bit.
1. What do we know about Karachi’s mangroves?| A．They occupy the building land. |
| B．They’re home to various birds. |
| C．They’re primarily being used as firewood. |
| D．They protect the city from climate disasters. |
| A．Their birthplaces meet crisis. |
| B．They boast huge diversity. |
| C．Their bonds with nature are close. |
| D．They grow at a rapid speed. |
| A．Grow mangroves in other areas. |
| B．Destroy buildings to grow mangroves. |
| C．Build more mangrove reserves. |
| D．Use mangroves to make profit. |
| A．Challenging. | B．Effective. | C．Significant. | D．Partial. |
【推荐3】Around the world, coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are in danger. Now, let’s check out a few ways conservationists are protecting these habitats.
Seaweed Smackdown
Hot ocean temperatures can supercharge seaweed growth — and that’s not good for a reef. So, in Hawaii, scientists have used an underwater vacuum (真空吸器) to suck up lots of seaweed into the device’s long tube. In Australia, scientists are studying a low-tech solution: pulling seaweed by hand.
21
Some polyps (珊瑚虫) are harmed by heat waves and pollution. Scientists cut parts of coral from a healthy reef. Then these polyps are taken to a nursery, which could be in shallow protected areas underwater. After about a year, the healthy coral parts are attached to damaged reefs. The nursery-grown corals can bring new life to a struggling habitat.
Sound Saver
Healthy reefs are noisy. Fish make different sounds, and thousands of shrimp create and pop bubbles with their claws to create a sound. The biologists play sounds of healthy reefs through underwater speakers. They found that six weeks of broadcasting healthy reef sounds doubled the amount of fish in the area.
Bleaching Killer
One of the biggest threats to coral reefs is bleaching. Here’s how it works.
| Thriving coral Most coral species survive by partnering with tiny algae (藻类), which make food for the coral by changing sunlight into sugar. |
| Under stress But when the ocean water gets too hot, the algae produce too much oxygen, which can hurt the coral. |
| Bleaching So corals kick out the algae. As the algae leave, the color disappears and the coral appears to turn white. This process is called bleaching. |
Biologists have discovered that many corals in the Red Sea have a species of algae in their tissue that’s found nowhere else, so they can survive heat waves. Biologists hope their work will inspire governments and environmental groups to protect these corals.
1. Which of the following might be the subtitle of Paragraph 3?| A．Underwater Nurseries. | B．Fishing Guides. |
| C．Seaweed Cleaners. | D．Colour Designers. |
| A．Breathing in more oxygen. | B．Changing the appearance. |
| C．Absorbing more sound. | D．Partnering with algae. |
| A．To present the serious damages to corals. | B．To explain the reasons for coral habitat loss. |
| C．To introduce the methods of coral protection. | D．To compare the effects of different solutions. |
