【推荐2】Modern agriculture and its ability to feed billions of people may be one of humanity’s greatest achievements. However, it comes with hidden costs. For example, have you ever considered how much water is needed to provide you with a steak or a salad? It may surprise you.

In a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), took a close look at the diets of 9,341 adult Australians – specifically, their “water-scarcity (缺少) footprints”.

The water-scarcity footprint is a widely recognized measurement of water consumption（消耗）. First, it counts the liters of water you used. Then, it looks at the place where the water was used. Using a liter of water in the desert is not the same as using a liter of water in a tropical (热带的) rainforest. The more scarce water is in your area, the larger your water-scarcity footprint.

The scientists found that the average Australian’s diet had a water-scarcity footprint of 362 liters per day. Snacks and beverages – cookies, cakes, sodas and alcohol – accounted for 25 percent of the water-scarcity footprint. The research also included a glass of wine (41 liters), a single serving of potato chips (23 liters), and a small bar of milk chocolate (21 liters). Not surprisingly, cutting out snacks would be the NO.1 priority if you wanted to lower your own water-scarcity footprint.

Climate change is causing droughts and extreme weather. In 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, nearly ran out of water due to a drought. Its freshwater reservoir(水库) stayed at just above 13.5 percent of full capacity. By 2030, a world of about 8.6 billion people will need 35 percent more water, and 50 percent more food, according to the United States National Intelligence Council.

So, we need to watch what we eat, not just for our personal health but for the health of our societies.

【推荐1】Building a five-star hotel in the middle of a valuable wilderness(荒野) without damaging(破坏) the environment might not be easy, but it is far from impossible. The King Pacific Lodge in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest shows that if enough care and attention is taken, the task is possible.

Unlike many other hotel building plans, no trees were cut down and no land was wasted to build it. The Lodge does not have the same location（位置） but sits on a floating boat pulled into the sea bay in May, till September. Those wishing to stay in one of its seventeen rooms must access it by boat or seaplane. Each guest staying at the Lodge is charged 3% tax（税） on the protection of the natural resources, but is given the chance to see whales and bears. And since these are the main attractions of the area and of the Lodge, the management knows well that in order to stay in business they must make the area untouched.

In 2000, the Lodge management signed an agreement with the native(本土的) Gitga'at people. Together they work for the benefit of the area. The Lodge knows that the native tribe （部落）is the owners of the land, so it pays the tribe for the use of their land and even supports the native youth and employs the tribe's people. They, in turn, teach the newcomers about the local culture.

The King Pacific Lodge is one of a growing number of tourism companies that manage to minimize their environmental damage to win the approval（批准）of the local government where they set up their business. These companies pay more attention to environmental protection and are careful to use natural resources and protect endangered animals. Realizing how destructive tourism can be, they want to avoid the love-it-to-death effect of tourism.

【推荐3】Global fast-food giant McDonald's announced it would be phasing out(逐步淘汰)plastic straws(吸管)in China. The move is expected to reduce plastic waste by about 400 tons a year. According to the announcement, from June 30, nearly 1,000 stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen began to phase out plastic straws for both dine-in and take-out, expanding to all stores in China by the end of 2020. Diners would drink cold beverages directly through the new cup cover.

Zhang Jiayin, CEO of McDonald's China, expressed that McDonald's is devoted to building up an environmentally friendly "beautiful China". "We believe that taking advantage of McDonald's influence worldwide, reducing straws can be a huge step for sustainable development. In the past decade or so, we have continued to carry out the green packaging action." Zhang said, "This movement is playing a positive role in the protection of the ecological environment."

The move is in keeping with China's national plan to phase out single-use plastics which came into effect in January of this year, in an effort to combat its growing trash problem.

Among other things, the government carries out a nationwide ban on plastic straws, disposable cutlery(一次性餐具), as well as plastic bags in major cities by the end of 2020, and nationwide by 2022.

Plastic has increasingly played a role in global solid waste, and has choked oceans and rivers as well as landfills. Both companies and volunteers in the past few years have taken it upon themselves to respond to this plastic problem in their own ways.

【推荐1】On account of the government shutdown, many of the city’s best attractions, such as the national museums, are closed. It may affect your social plans. That’s especially true if you have out-of-town visitors coming to the District. Don’t worry! For every closed museum, we’ve offered up a suitable substitute that is privately run, thus not subject to the shutdown. Here’s where you can go instead.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is one of the hottest draws on the National Mall, with free tickets taken weeks in advance. Its sister museum, the Anacostia Community (社区) Museum, takes a community-focused look at African American history. So does the Banneker- Douglass Museum in Annapolis, which traces (追溯) the African American experience in Maryland, and the Alexandria Black History Museum, where exhibitions honor local activists and explore the influence of slavery in the area. And unlike the African American Museum, neither requires you to plan ahead.

Wandering through the galleries at Glenstone, you’ll come across some of the biggest names in 20th century art — Jackson Pollock, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Robert Rauschenberg. Glenstone sits on a 230-acre estate (土地) that doubles as an outdoor sculpture garden. Free tickets for Glenstone are often reserved weeks in advance, but 72 free tickets are available every day for anyone who takes a Montgomery County Ride-On Bus from Rockville Metro Station to the museum.

Masks, musical instruments and jewelry can be found in Fulton, where the African Art Museum of Maryland houses a collection of traditional and contemporary African artworks and objects. And the best part, for visitors on a budget? Admission is free.

【推荐2】We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim, as a friend, really feel good about it?” “And was Paul friendly just because I had a car?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.

Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don’t really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog.” That’s being friendly. But “lucky dog”? There’s a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck.

“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture(姿态)? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.