2 . As Climate Changes, Global Inequality Worsens

Scientists have long predicted that warmer temperatures caused by climate change will have the biggest impact on the world’s poorest, most vulnerable people. New research now indicates that this has already happened over the last several decades.

A study published this May in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that in most poor countries, higher temperatures are more than 90% likely to have resulted in decreased economic output, compared to a world without global warming. Meanwhile, the effect has been less dramatic in wealthier nations - with some even potentially benefiting from higher temperatures.

“We’re not arguing that global warming created inequality,” says Noah S. Diffenbaugh, the author of the study and professor at Stanford University who studies climate change. But “global warming has put a drag on improvement.” The countries most likely to have lost out economically as a result of warmer temperatures have done the least to contribute to the problem, he adds.

Higher temperatures affect economic output in a variety of ways. For example, labor productivity decreases with extreme heat, crops produce lower yields and cognitive functioning declines.

The new study builds on past research, including a landmark report released last fall from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN’s climate science body. The report showed that if global temperatures rise more than 1.5℃ by 2099, poor countries will likely face critical challenges, including the destruction of entire communities and millions of premature deaths.

Climate policymakers have tried for years to address the problem of the poorest countries facing the worst effects of rising temperatures. These countries were not generally responsible for global warming. Early attempts at addressing climate change internationally included different expectations for emissions reduction based on each country’s level of development. Poorest countries received more leeway (自由行事的空间) while the richest were set stricter targets.

But in some ways, that approach backfired (起反效果), especially in the U. S. It helped feed the popular narrative that Washington is overpaying for climate change mitigation, while poorer countries are away with doing less. That conservative viewpoint has done some damage. Hardline distinctions between carbon reduction targets for rich and poor countries have been softened in recent years, in favor of a lighter version of what climate change policymakers refer to as “common but differentiated responsibilities.” That principle suggests that richer countries should bear a greater burden in addressing climate change, but remains vague about what that means for concrete policy.

Many of the world’s developing countries have cried foul. “This problem is created somewhere else,” Abdur Rouf Taiukder, Bangladesh’s Finance Scretary, told TIME in a recent interview. “We are spending more on adaptation because we have to live.”

3 . I am not a morning person, but as I stand on the boulder (巨大的砾石) in the early dawn, my mind is sharp and alert. I am more than awake, concentrating on the vast endlessness below.

There is a noticeable lack of early birdsong here; no hiss of offshore wind fanning the waves. The only sound is my breath, heavy after the scramble to the top. It is by no means a difficult climb, but I had to hurry to beat the sun.

“If you stand at the top of Kubu Island just before sunrise,” said one of the returning visitors, “You can see the arc (弧线) of the Earth.”

He was right.

From up here the horizon cuts not so much a line as an arc.

Soon my feeling of being in the moment is replaced with something as strange and ancient as this place itself. My breathing calms and becomes shallow. My heartbeat slows. I am first surrounded by in silence. I am a tiny, shrinking spot. Then I disappear completely.

They say that astronauts looking down on Earth gain a sense of perspective that changes them forever. They begin to understand how much we are a part of our planet, and how much it is a part of us. The astronauts are 400 kilometres off the surface of Earth, and while the top of Kubu Island is only 10 metres high, there is something about this pile of boulders that sends you into orbit.

Kubu Island isn’t actually an island, but rather, an outcrop of ancient rocks that are up to two billions year old. It was once rested on the edge of a vast lake. As the water evaporated, it created the huge Makgadikgadi Pan (马卡迪卡迪盐沼盆地), one of the world’s largest salt pans.

Ancient tribes and civilizations have migrated and lived here, first to fish from its rocks and then to commune with nature and its spirits. Today, adventurers and tourists come here to marvel at this strange pile of boulders with baobab trees (猴面包树) growing out of it. These trees are estimated to be 3,000 or 4,000 years old; they are really impressive not only for their size but also because they seem to have so much to tell about the history of this island.

This is the gift that Kubu Island gives and the power that it has. This tiny, weird outcrop — if not in the middle of nowhere, then certainly on the edge of it — can give you a sense of yourself that very few places can. A sense of yourself as a person on this planet and, somehow, way beyond it.

4 . It’s a common belief that over time, pet owners start to look like their animals, and vice versa (反之亦然). Now comes the terrifying news that cats look up to their owners as role models and copy their behavior. Next time you reach for your fridge, think twice. If your kitty is watching, she is likely to overeat as well.

What is your cat’s IQ?

In a new study from the University of Messina, it turns out that indoor cats who live closely to their owners “mirror” the lives of their caregivers. They sleep at the same time, eat at the same time, and can even become more or less social depending on the behavior of their owners.

“Cats are intelligent animals with a long memory, ”Jane Brunt, the executive director of the Catalyst Council, told Discovery News. “They watch and learn from us, noting the patterns of our actions, knowing where their food is kept and what time to expect to be fed, how to open the cupboard door that's been improperly closed, and where their feeding and toileting areas are. “Because cats copy our habits, if you spend a lot of time raiding the fridge, your cat will return to its food bowl for that midnight snack, too. According to the study, this explains why “human and cat overweight rates often seem to match”．So, if you feel guilty about leaving your precious kitty at home while you go to work, now you can feel even worse：you are making your cat fat!

There’s no word if drinking green tea and making sure you go to yoga will benefit your cat, but based on the study, it sounds like sticking to a healthy eating and sleeping schedule is best for both of you.

There’s a lot we can learn from our cats in return. “When they sit on our laps softly purring with rhythmic breathing and half-closed eyes, the sense of peace and calm that comes over us is like a private lesson in inner meditation (冥想),” Brunt said. Sure. But cats don’t have to sit in rush hour traffic for an hour a day or worry about their in-laws. They’re probably pretty good at remaining calm.

So, according to science, even though we assume that cats are not close to us all these years, it turns out they are in fact learning from us and looking up to us. Scary, huh?

Eat Green: Our Everyday Food Choices Affect Global Warming and the Environment

What we eat     1    . The food choices we make every day have a big effect on the environment. The good news is that even small     2     in what we buy and eat can add up to real environmental benefits, including fewer toxic (有毒的) chemicals, reduced global warming emissions, and preservation of our ocean resources. Eating “green” can also mean eating fresher, healthier foods while reducing your grocery bill and     3     our farmers.

1. Choose Climate-Friendly Food

Food that comes from high on the food chain or arrives to your plate after extensive     4     tends to require more energy and release more global warming pollution into the air. The “carbon footprint” of hamburger, for example, includes all of the fossil fuels that went into     5     the fertilizer and pumping the irrigation (灌溉) water to grow the corn that fed the cow, and may also include emissions that result from converting forest land to grazing land(牧场). NRDC estimates that if all Americans eliminated just one quarter pound serving of beef per week, the reduction in global warming gas emissions would be     6     to taking four to six million cars off the road.

2. Buy Organic and Other Sustainable Certifications

Eco—labels like USDA Organic and others give us a way to     7     environmental performance in the marketplace. Organic agriculture, for example, is a safer choice for the environment and your family because organic growers don’t use synthetic (合成的) pesticides and fertilizers.

3. Watch Your Waste

The USDA estimates that an astonishing 27 percent of all food produced for people in the United States is either thrown away or is used for a lower—value purpose, like animal food. A recent study estimated that the average household wastes 14 percent of its food purchases—a loss of significant value for most families. In addition to the water, energy, pesticides, and global warming pollution that went into producing.     8    , and transporting this discarded (废弃的) food, nearly all of this waste ends up in landfills where it releases even more heat—transporting gas in the form of methane (甲烷) as it decomposes.

4. Eat Locally

A typical American meal contains ingredients from five foreign countries, and even domestically grown produce travels a(n)    9     of 1,500 miles before it is sold. Buying locally can help reduce the pollution and energy use     10     with transporting, storing and refrigerating this food.

A hungry polar bear seen scavenging (在废弃物中觅食) for food in a major     1     city in northern Siberia has been caught and     2     to a wildlife park for treatment. Experts say the animal,     3     thought to have wandered hundreds of miles from its natural habitat (栖息地) in the Arctic, instead may have been taken as a cub and raised in captivity (关押) by pelt traders. The polar bear was spotted wandering throughout the city, searching for food. Photos showed the animal walking slowly across a busy road with muddy paws, digging through rubble and trash and lying down from     4     exhaustion on the ground.

Wildlife experts were called to assess the polar bear and determine whether it could be taken back to the Arctic.

But after sedating (给……服镇静剂) the animal, experts said it was severely ill, at least partly from feeding herself from garbage     5    , and would need medical care, according to the Siberian Times. Experts developed new theories about how it came to be in the city, thinking that it may have been raised there by poachers (偷猎者) who intended to sell it for its pelt. The experts explained that it is     6     males, not females, that travel long distances, and said this polar bear was too clean to have made such a trip. It’s possible that poachers     7     the animal to avoid being caught and punished.

Polar bear poaching has been banned in Russia for more than 60 years. Still, it has been estimated that as many as 200 of them are killed each year. In February, local reports estimated that about 50 polar bears had taken over Novaya Zemlya, popping up in buildings, on playgrounds. As a result, officials declared a state of emergency, many people were too scared to leave their homes or let their children play outside, and     8     personnel were being sent to help cope with the situation.

Polar bears are     9    classified as a vulnerable species because of the ongoing and     10     loss of their sea ice habitat resulting from climate change. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that there are 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears worldwide.

8 . A Wall of Water

At ten o'clock on the morning of May 25, 2009, Nasir Uddin was standing outside his mud house. He noticed that the river next to his house was higher than normal. He looked toward the sea. He suddenly saw a huge wall of brown water. It was rushing toward him. Within minutes, the water came into his house. It washed away the mud walls. Uddin and his three young daughters jumped onto the kitchen table. "I was sure we were all dead," he later said. Incredible, an empty boat passed by. He managed to put his daughters in the boat. He held on to its side. This Bangladeshi family was fortunate. They survived this disaster, but hundreds of their neighbors died.

Floods happen when a river or the sea rises and covers dry land. Unfortunately, Bangladesh often experiences floods. This is because the majority of its land is less than 15 feet（5 meters）above sea level. The sea level is rising because of global warming. As it rises, it covers more land in Bangladesh. In the worst scenario, the country may lose one quarter of its land by the end of the century. This is very serious because millions of people live close to the sea.

Coastal flooding is also very destructive because it covers the land with salty seawater. The salt stays in the soil even after the flood is over. When there is too much salt, farmers cannot grow their crops. This is happening to farming communities in Bangladesh. Frequent coastal flooding is destroying farms and crops. As a result, many farmers can no longer farm. Unfortunately, farmers often have nowhere to go. They cannot move to a new area because Bangladesh is so crowded. In fact, it is one of the most crowded countries in the world.

Bangladeshis face many challenges from flooding. Yet this is a nation of strong people. They are finding solutions. Bangladeshi farmers now grow special rice in salt water. They raise seafood such as shrimp and crab in areas closest to the sea. In addition, they have built huge walls of earth. They hope these walls will keep the sea away from their vegetable farms. They have also built shelters and developed an early-warning system. "Let me tell you about Bangladeshis," says Zakir Kibria, a farming expert. "We may be poor..., but we are not victims."

So, when Uddin lost his home that day, he did what most Bangladeshis do: He rebuilt. This time, however, he built his house out of wood, not mud. He wants his home to survive the next flood.

Rain forests, found in Earth's temperate and tropical zones, are some of the most biologically varied ecosystems on the planet. All rain forests share certain    1    , including a closed canopy,     the dense vegetation of the top branches that forms a roof above the forest floor, a damp and warm climate, and    2     constant   temperatures throughout the   year. Most of   the forest's insect   and   animal life grows well in the canopy's leafy and sunlit environment. The forest's ground cover, by comparison, is small. Less than 2 percent of the sun's light makes its way through the canopy and the darkness below. This darkness, along with the poor quality of the soils,    3    plant growth.

Rain forests are a(n)    4     part of   Earth's   total   ecology.   Huge   amounts   of   water are absorbed into tree roots and    5    into   the atmosphere   from the   tree leaves through   a process called transpiration（蒸发）. Tree roots also fix the soil in place and slow the runoff of rains into rivers and oceans. Through the process of photosynthesis（光合作用）, rain forests absorb more carbon dioxide and give off more oxygen than any other ecosystem.

The rain forests are    6    shrinking at a rapid rate as a result of the profitable ventures of farming, logging, and mining. When tropical rain forests are    7    in order   to raise cattle and     crops, the nutrient-poor soils are quickly    8    . When farmers move on to new areas heavy rains and baking sun leave the land fruitless and lifeless. Logging and mining cause similar damage to the land and destroy the territory of    9     millions of birds, insects and animals. By some     10    an area of tropical rain forest the size of the state of Delaware disappears in this way every month.