【推荐1】Pangolins are the most trafficked（非法交易）mammals in the world and are facing extinction. To draw attention to these scaly（有鳞片的）, anteater-like animals, a new wildlife documentary, Eye of the Pangolin, is attempting a unique way to inspire action and conservation: access. Partnering with the non-profit organization Pangolin. Africa, the documentary was made available on YouTube in May 2019. The intention is to reach communities wherever the Internet is available, especially African communities, who live near the animal’s habitats.

Over two years，the documentary crew traveled to South Africa, Ghana, Central African Republic and Gabon in search of the four unique species of pangolin, which has never been achieved before. Filmmakers Bruce Young and Johan Vermeulen say that they went into the shoot knowing relatively little about pangolins, but grew to respect and appreciate the animals. Getting close to the creatures over two years was a crash course in these secretive creatures. Johan Vermeulen said, “One thing however that might seem unimportant is that they are actually quite fussy eaters. You would think they would eat any type of ant, but they all prefer a specific type ant.”

Pangolins are hunted illegally across Africa for their scales, which are used for traditional medicine, and their meat. In April 2019, Singaporean customs officials conducted two separate seizures of 24 tons of pangolin scales, which equals to the death of 69,000 pangolins.

Though the documentary focuses less on the trafficking of pangolins, and more on the animals in their natural habitat, the aim of the documentary is to inspire viewers around the world to call for action to end trafficking and protect these unique creatures.

Filmed on location in South Africa, Ghana, Central African Republic, and Gabon, this powerful documentary is the story of two men a mission to get all four species of African pangolin camera for the very first time.

【推荐3】The health of millions could be at risk because medicinal plants are being used up. These plants are used to make traditional medicine, including drugs to fight cancer. “The loss of medicinal plants is a quiet disaster, says Sara Oldfield, secretary general of the NGO Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

Most people worldwide rely on herbal(药草制的)medicines which are mostly from wild plants. But some 15,000 of the 50,000 medicinal species are under threat of dying out, according to a report from the international conservation group Plantlife. Shortages have been reported in China, India, Kenya, Nepal, Tanzania and Uganda.

Overharvesting does the most harm, though pollution and competition from invasive species and habitat destruction all contribute. "Businessmen generally harvest medicinal plants, not caring about sustainability," the Plantlife report says. "Damage is serious partly because they have no idea about it, but it is mainly because such collection is unorganized. Medicinal trees at risk include the Himalayan yew (紫衫)and the African cherry, which are used to treat some cancers.

The solution, says the report's author, Alan Hamilton, is to encourage local people to protect these plants. Ten projects studied by Plantlife in India, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Uganda and Kenya showed this method can succeed. In Uganda the project has kept a sustainable supply of low-cost cancer treatments, and in China a public-run medicinal plant project has been created for the first time.

"Improving health, earning an income and keeping cultural traditions are important in encouraging people to protect medicinal plants, "   says Hamilton. " You have to pay attention to what people are interested in. ”

Ghillean Prance, the former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, agrees that medicinal plants are in need of protection. "Not nearly enough is being done," he told New Scientist. "We are destroying the very plants that are of most use to us.”

【推荐1】Before I studied psychology，I used to think that people would laugh when funny things occurred. While I was right about that，I discovered there are lots of other psychological reasons that make people laugh other than the funny part of a joke. When someone laughs at a joke，there will usually be more than one reason that makes him laugh-and the more reasons there are，the more powerful the joke will be.

I was attending a stand-up comedy show in Egypt，and when the man started to make fun of pedestrians crossing streets，everyone laughed their head off. The main reason why those people strongly laughed was that almost all of them felt angry with pedestrians who crossed streets carelessly. The joke wasn't only funny，it also made the audience feel that they were right about being angry at those pedestrians. That is，people were laughing because of both the funny joke and the happiness experienced as a result of the psychological support they got.

The better a joke makes a person feel，the more it includes other psychological factors，and the more the person will like it. For example，if you envy one of your friends，and someone tells a joke that is funny and，at the same time，makes your friend seem stupid，then you will probably laugh at it louder than if you weren't jealous（嫉妒的）of him.

In short, we not only laugh when we hear something funny, but also laugh when we experience some kind of happiness that results from the other psychological factors involved in the joke. I strongly discourage making fun of anyone or belittling someone to make someone else laugh. All I want to explain is that if your joke supports a person's emotions, he will certainly like it a lot.

【推荐2】Have you ever wanted to travel in space? In a way you already do, because you live on Earth, and Earth is a planet floating in space.    1     They are a whole family of planets that scientists call our solar system.

The word “solar” means “having to do with the Sun”.The planets in our solar system all circle the Sun in paths called orbits.    2     It doesn't take them as long to travel around the Sun.Planets farther from the Sun have longer orbits.It takes Earth about 365 days—one year—to travel around the Sun.

    3     They all spin, or rotate.It takes Earth 24 hours, or one day, to spin around one time.As Earth spins, the parts that face the Sun are lit up—it is daytime there.The parts that face away from the Sun are dark－it is nighttime.

If you could visit the other planets, you would find some strange and surprising worlds.Some are dry and rocky, while others are balls of swirling gases with solid centers.Some planets are much hotter than Earth－so hot that nothing can live there.    4     Other planets are far away from the Sun.They are very, very cold—colder than any place on Earth.

    5     It is not too hot and not too cold.Earth has water to drink and air to breathe.Earth is the only planet in our solar system where plants and animals and people can live.

【推荐2】Physical education, or gym class, isn’t required for all high school students. In some schools, it isn’t offered for some different reasons. But should high school students have physical education? The answer is certainly “yes”.

Today many people don’t do sports. But as is known to all, doing sports is very important for an adult. Teaching teens the importance of a healthy lifestyle and making fitness plans now can help teens put exercise in the first place as an adult.

High school isn’t that easy. Many students are under a lot of stress. Stress can be harmful to a student’s studies and life. Doing sports can help them deal with stress better, helping them live a happier life at school.

The American Heart Association says that 10 million kids and teens suffer from obesity(肥胖症). Teens should get 60 minutes of physical activity per day to control their weight and to help their bones get stronger. The increase in activities that don’t get teens to move around, such as video games and computer activities, means many teens don’t get their required exercise. Physical education classes act as a public health measure to encourage activity and help teens have healthy weights.

Inactivity(不活跃) increases teens’ risk of developing many diseases. An active lifestyle offers a good way of protection from these health problems. As much as 75 percent of health-care spending goes towardtreating medical conditions that can be hindered by lifestyle changes, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN), students who performed five hours of physical activity each week improved their academic(学业的) performance. Students from programs with no physical activity, who used the extra time for classroom study,did not perform better on tests than those who gave up some study time in support of physical education.

【推荐3】Have you ever heard of a pawpaw? If not, do not feel bad. Most Americans do not know of the fruit, although it is native to the United States. Once, however, it was one of the most popular fruits in North America. Happily, those who love the pawpaw are trying to return it to its former position in American foods.

The pawpaw is a kind of fruit that grows on trees found all over the eastern United States. It is similar to a typical mango in size. It has a dull green-colored skin, and a soft, almost creamy orange inside. Most people agree that the pawpaw tastes like a combination 6 of a banana, an apricot and a mango. Most people are so shocked by its sweet taste. The fruit has a very short harvest season, from two to three weeks in September and October.

The pawpaw has never been sold commercially. The fruit requires a very special environment — low, wet areas that sometimes flood. In addition, the fruit is good to eat for only two to three days after harvesting. This makes it hard to sell anywhere distant from the pawpaw tree it came from.

Planters are again growing pawpaw trees and harvesting the fruit. In several states farmers have organized “pawpaw festivals” to reintroduce the food to people.

Farmers are trying to grow new kinds of pawpaw that will be easier to ship and sell commercially. Donna and Jim Davis are pawpaw farmers in Westminster, Maryland. They told National Public Radio that they bought their pawpaw trees in the 1990s and now sell the fruit at farmers markets and online.

So, who knows? Maybe the pawpaw will show up soon at a market near you.