【推荐1】Holidays in the Italian Lakes allow you to relax and forget about the worries of every day.

Lake Garda

The largest lake in Italy, Lake Garda, is our favourite family-friendly destination. It offers a variety of enjoyable activities both on and off its shores, which can enhance the relationships between parents and their kids and are therefore deeply loved by almost every child. The impressive Dolomite Mountains surround LakeGarda, and the northern shore enjoys a mild breeze making it perfect for water activities like sailing and windsurfing. Various architectural wonders, such as the natural history museum and ancient castles are just waiting to be explored.

Lake Como

From Leonardo da Vinci to Mark Twain, this wonderful lake has been an ideal place to produce poetic and artistic masterpieces for years. Today, Lake Como is a destination for celebrities, presenting a charming and luxurious image. You will discover even more adventure the further north you go. With the complete ferry(渡船) network, it is so easy to travel around the lakeside towns.

Lake Maggiore

In the southern Alps, near to the border with Switzerland, Lake Maggiore enjoys a cool Mediterranean climate. Rich in historical and cultural treasures, the lake has a romantic air and charming appeal. Lake Maggiore is in the perfect position for a day trip to the city of Milan or to the picturesque Lake Orta.

Lake Iseo

Even though Lake Iseo is just a short drive from Lake Garda, it feels like a faraway land in a fairy tale. It is much quieter and gentler, and more relaxed than the bigger lakes with less tourists and is somewhat still unspoilt, retaining much of its natural beauty. This lake is great for walking, cycling and hiking with many trails around the edge.

【推荐2】Scotland’s landscapes, history, and culture offer a great variety of experiences. This summer, join our unique ranger programs to discover Scotland like never before!

Young Clan’s Highland Games (June 4 to August 22)

A delightful experience for children! Test their skills in traditional Scottish games and compare their abilities to the historical legends of Scotland. No prior experience needed. Fun and educational, this program is flexible to fit your schedule. Meet at the Highland Folk Museum.

Wild Highlands Exploration (May 25 to September 3)

Immerse yourself in the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands. Perfect for families, this program offers guided hikes through scenic trails, wildlife spotting, and camping adventures. Learn about Scotland’s native wildlife and how to responsibly enjoy the natural environment. Gather at the Glencoe Visitor Centre.

Loch Ness Legends and Lore (June 8 to September 3)

At the world-famous Loch Ness, this program combines breathtaking views with captivating stories about the Loch’s history and the mysterious Nessie. Ideal for families and photography enthusiasts. Meet at the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition for this engaging talk.

Photography Workshops in the Isles (June 18 & July 11)

Enhance your photography skills in Scotland’s picturesque landscapes. Join our expert photographers for hands-on workshops.

6/18—Isle of Skye Sceneries: meet at the Old Man of Storr parking area.

7/11—Capturing the Aurora: meet at the Shetland Isles Observatory.

【推荐2】There are few places on Earth that humans haven’t messed up. Now even Antarctica, the only continent with no permanent human inhabitants, is being altered by us. A study found that the increasing human presence in Antarctica is causing more snow melt-bad news for a frozen world already battling the effects of human-caused global warming.

Black carbon, the dark, dusty pollution that comes from burning fossil fuels has settled in locations where tourists and researchers spend a lot of time, scientists found. Even the smallest amount of the dark pollutant can have a significant impact on melting because of its very low reflectiveness: things that are light in color, like snow, reflect the sun's energy and stay cool; things that are dark, like black carbon, absorb the sun's energy and warm up.

“The snow albedo (反射率) effect is one of the largest uncertainties in regional and global climate modeling right now,” Alia Khan, a snow and ice scientist at Western Washington University, told CNN. “That’s one of the motivations for the study, to quantify the impact of black carbon on regional snowmelt, which is important for quantifying the role of black carbon in the global loss of snow and ice.”

“Antarctica is sitting there pretty much silently all year. But, if it weren’t there, in the state that it is meant to be, the balance that we have in the climate system will no longer be,” Marilyn Raphael, a geography professor said. “Antarctica’s sea ice is also important to maintain a balance in atmospheric circulation,” he added. As waters get warmer, some Antarctic creatures are finding their homes more and more unlivable.

“Everything we do has consequences,” Raphael said. “We need to educate ourselves about those consequences, especially in systems that we know relatively little about. We have to be careful that we don’t upset the climate balance.”

【推荐3】Walking along any beach in the world, you will find plastic of some kind on the shoreline, offering a reminder of the throwaway culture of the present day world. Now, a study has sounded a fresh warning on the damage caused to the marine (海洋的) ecosystem due to plastics, which eventually has an effect on human health due to the seafood we eat

In a paper titled “A Growing Plastic Smog”, researchers called on governments around the world to take firm action to handle the “plastic pollution” of the world's oceans.

The plastics break down over time into minute particles(微小颗粒) that cannot be seen by eyes, but find their way into the ocean ecosystem and into the seafood humans consume. “Microplastics are a problem because they are mistaken for food and eaten by small marine animals.” Charlene Trestrail said. “Once eaten, microplastics can damage an animal’s intestines(肠), and give out potentially harmful chemicals inside animals.”

Charlene Trestrail, a researcher at the University of Technology Sydney, said “the study shows just how big the problem is and that much of the blame was placed on the plastics industry for failing to recycle or design for recyclability.”

Paul Harvey, an environmental scientist, said “Globally, we have reached a point where we can no longer ignore the plastic pollution pandemic(流行病) that is infecting our oceans. This research shows us that beach cleanups and citizen science projects that focus on the environmental problems of plastics have little impact on solving the problem.”

Marcus Eriksen, lead author of the study, said that the findings were a “stark warning that we must act now at a global scale”. “Cleanup is useless if we continue to produce plastic at the current/rate, and we have heard about recycling for too long, while the plastic industry refuses any commitments to buy recycled material or design for recyclability. It is time for policymakers, governments and businesses to wake up and take the issue seriously.”

【推荐1】The artist and architect Maya Lin became famous at a young age because she won a national competition to design a memorial honouring those serving the country. The memorial based on Lin’s design was one of the most popular and influential monuments in Washington D. C. and was visited by three million people each year.

She was also famous for many other works, including the Civil Rights Memorial and the Riggio-Lynch Chapel. In 2016, the president presented Lin with the nation’s highest honour for her architecture, sculpture, and landscape art. Lin recently spoke at William Paterson University as part of the university’s well-known lecture series. She thought of herself more as an artist-making sculptures who also happened to build buildings. She supposed good works must be full of art and it was the soul of architecture. At Yale, she decided that architecture would be a perfect combination of art and maths. Her formal training was in architecture. Lin, earned a Master’s Degree in Architecture in 1986.

She felt close to nature and the environment as young person. When she was growing up, she was almost outdoors playing in the woods behind the house. The environmental movement also had a strong influence on her childhood. She’s always been focused on nature, science and the environment in her work.

Her concern for the environment and the sad fact that one species is causing the extinction of so many other species, as well as the urgency of trying to solve climate change inspired her to start the “What Is Missing?” project. By protecting and restoring habitats, we could reduce fossil fuel emissions(排放量)and protect biodiversity(生物多样性)at the same time.

She showed us a new way of looking at the world. She believes that all of us whether we choose to help other people or the planet-are all helping ourselves.