【推荐1】I’ve just asked Julie Gray, a biologist at the University of Sheffield, which species she thinks would be the last ones standing if we don’t take transformative action on climate change. “I don’t think it will be humans. I think we’ll go quite early on,” says Gray. Humans probably won’t be among the survivors, partly because humans produce young extremely slowly and generally just one or two at a time.

It may seem like just a thought experiment. But discussing which species are able to survive climate change is disturbingly concrete. As a report stated recently, one in four species currently faces extinction, which is closely linked to climate change. While the seriousness of climate change is undeniable, we can make some educated guesses about which species will have a better shot at going far.

According to Jen Lau, a biologist at University Bloomington, heat tolerant and drought resistant plants, like those found in deserts, are more likely to survive. So are plants whose seeds can be spread over long distances, for example by wind or ocean currents. Plants that can adjust their flowering times may also be better able to deal with higher temperatures.

We can also look to history as a guide. Cockroaches adapted to an increasingly dry Australia tens of millions of years ago, by starting to dig holes in soil to hide. Cockroaches also tend to not be picky eaters. Having broad diets means that climate change will be less of a threat to them.

Furthermore, species called “mobile generalists” by experts can move and adapt to different environments and are more likely to last long in face of climate change. For example, deer in the US are common in suburban areas and manage to live where forests have been removed or are regularly disturbed.

Certainly, some animals would also survive if they could find a buffer: an area that is relatively protected from climate change’s consequences, such as deep sea canyons, underground caves.

【推荐2】A tragic case of Kitty Genovese, who was killed, happened in New York in 1964. However, subsequent investigations concluded that several people saw or heard what was happening, but did nothing to intervene. This has been termed the “bystander effect” — a well-known psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to someone when other people are present. The more people there are, the less likely they are to help.

None of us like to think we’d walk on by when someone needed our help. But sometimes we behave in ways we wouldn’t expect when faced with a situation we are unsure about. While we might like to think we would rush to someone’s assistance, we know from studies that often people hang back. Research from the British Heart Foundation has suggested that a third of people would not give first aid if they saw someone collapse on the street, with some even admitting they wouldn’t call an ambulance.

There are various factors contributing to this effect — people think that others will get involved. Afterwards people often say they did not feel qualified or important enough to be the one to intervene. It is also partly down to “pluralistic ignorance” — since everyone is not reacting to the emergency, they don’t need to either; it’s not serious because no one else is doing anything.

Other studies have shown that once people are aware of the bystander effect, they are less likely to be affected by it. Self-awareness is the best solution to it. When facing an emergency, think to yourself how you would behave if you were on your own. Ignore everyone else and go with your gut (直觉) — If you’d run for help, do it. If that’s how you would have behaved when you were on your own, then that’s probably the right course of action. The worst that can happen is that you’ll look a little foolish at having overreacted. You might also save someone’s life.

【推荐3】Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

One of the most influential figures of the Post-Impressionism movement in France, Vincent Van Gogh is also seen as a significant pioneer of 20th century Expressionism. Although he didn’t start painting until the final 10 years of his life and failed to sell a single work during his lifetime, his paintings and drawings are now some of the world’s best known works of modern art. Van Gogh is now one of the greatest modern artists.

Georges Seurat (1859-1891)

One of the most famous Post-Impressionist painters of the 1880s in France, the short-lived French artist Georges Seurat is noted for his invention of the colourist technique known as Pointillism, a form of Divisionism. In so doing, he pioneered the new style of Neo-Impressionism. Thanks to Seurat and his contemporary Paul Signac, it had a major influence on Italian Divisionism and on several other styles of Post-Impressionist painting. One of the great modern artists, Seurat died in his prime (鼎盛时期) at the age of 31.

Jules Cheret (1836-1932)

The painter and printmaker Jules Cheret was a key figure in French painting during the late 19th century, and the first artist to make his reputation in the medium of poster art. Cheret was a key figure in the history of poster art, producing more than 1, 000 posters, beginning with his 1867 advertisement for Sarah Bernardt.

Claude Monet (1840-1926)

A French painter and founder of the Impressionist movement, Claude Monet liked to paint outside and often painted the same scene at different times of the year to capture (捕捉) natural changes in colour and light. He also had a famous garden at his house in Giverny, in which he produced some of his most famous paintings of water-lily ponds.