4 . On May 21, 2022, Tom Turcich of New Jersey became the 10th person to walk around the world. Over seven years, he walked 48,000 kilometers across six continents and 38 countries - most of it with his dog Savannah.

Speaking to CNN, Turcich explained that, after a friend died in an accident at age 17 he started to look at life differently, and decided to go on a journey around the world. It took over eight years of saving and planning before Turcich finally left his home on April 2, 2015 - just before his 26th birthday - on his way to Panama. He had a stroller to carry his hiking equipment, a sleeping bag, a laptop, a camera and a box of food.

About four months into the journey, Turcich adopted Savannah from, an animal shelter in Texas. She joined him for the rest of the trip, becoming the first dog to walk around the world. The pair walked around 30-40 kilometers a day, spending most nights camping. Some parts could not be done on foot, however - such as when Turcich and Savannah took a boat from Uruguay to Antarctica. In late 2017, Turcich had to return home to recover from an illness he got while traveling through Ireland and the UK.

He and Savannah started walking again in May 2018, going through Europe, North Africa and Turkey before getting stuck in Azerbaijan for six months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were able to travel to Kyrgyzstan before taking a plane to Seattle. From there, he and Savannah walked back to New Jersey.

Turcich said the most difficult place to walk through was “desolate“ Wyoming. Now that he’s back home, Turcich says he wants to stay in one place for a while - and write a book about his trip.

5 . The world’s animal populations have decreased by more than two-thirds since 1970, according to a recent research from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The London group provided information on 32,000 wildlife populations which included more than 5,000 species. The researchers found that population sizes had declined by 69 percent on average. They said the loss of forests, human exploitation (开发) of the environment, pollution, and climate change were great causes of the loss. Land-use change is still the biggest threat to wildlife. However, the researchers added, ”if we cannot limit warming to 1.5“C, climate change is likely to become the dominant cause of biodiversity loss in the coming years.”

Wildlife populations in Latin American and the Caribbean Sea area were greatly affected. The research showed a 94 percent drop in those areas in over 50 years. Wildlife populations in river and lake habitats decreased the most. Freshwater populations have declined by an average of 83 percent since 1970. For example, one population of pink river dolphins in the Amazon River area of Brazil fell by 65 percent between 1994 and 2016.

These findings are a red flag that warns of a larger system failure on the horizon. Even one species’ population decline can affect other species, eventually impacting the ecosystem’s ability to function. Humans depend on a stable climate, predictable weather patterns, and productive farmland and fisheries to thrive (蓬勃发展), but the current trends are severe enough to threaten many life-sustaining systems.

Our future depends on reversing(扭转) the loss of nature just as much as it depends on dealing with climate change. And you can’t solve one without solving the other. Everyone has a role in reversing these trends, from individuals to companies to governments. If nothing changes, animal populations will undoubtedly continue to fall, driving wildlife to extinction and threatening the integrity (完整) of the ecosystems on which we all depend.

7 . Five years ago, a friend asked me to look after his cat while he went on holiday, and I realized the idea had potential on a bigger scale. So I moved to London and decided to ________ cat sitting.

For me, cat sitting is about ________ two groups of people who need what the other can offer. I get to stay in people’s ________ without rent while they’re on holiday. The owners get ________ cat sitting. It also means that there is someone to keep an eye on their homes while they are away. It seems a fairer ________than just watering plants or walking dogs—I’m more of a cat person.

I have always loved cats, and their gentle temper makes them ideal ________for someone working from home. Cats have such different personalities, so it’s not surprising that I ________ more with some than others. An owner once told me not to ________ her cat to sit on me, as it had happened only once. But just four days later, the cat came over and sat on my lap. I sent her a photo!

Cat sitting helps me with my ________ anxiety disorder, too. I want to be around people, but sometimes I can’t. Sometimes, this anxiety even ________ me from leaving the house. But since becoming a cat sitter my mental health has ________ . Having my own ________ gives me the power to plan my day. I can recharge when I need to and can go out and meet people when I want. The cats have ________ helped.

Now I have stayed in 25 houses, ________ 30 cats and saved more than 10,000 pounds that would have gone on ________ . One day I want to save up for a flat so I can have a cat of my own.

8 . Overheating is a serious issue for birds flying long distances, and paler feathers that reflect more of the sun’s heat may be one of the ways they cope.

The latest study of nearly all of the 10000 or so bird species has found that the farther birds migrate (迁徙), the paler their feathers tend to be. This is probably because it helps birds flying in sunlight to keep cools, says Kaspar Delhey at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen, Germany. “Feather colour is extremely diverse and many factors can drive the evolution of colours, of which migration is only one.”

Several recent studies suggest that overheating is more of a problem for birds flying long distances than previously thought. For instance, sensors have shown that the body heat of migrating eider ducks can rise so high that they have to stop flying.

Another study found that some migrating birds fly much higher during the day than they do at night, despite having to spend more energy staying high in thinner air. This suggests that the heat of the sun makes them much more likely to overheat, and made Delhey and his colleagues wonder whether migrating birds have lighter feathers to help them cope.

The researchers used photos from the Handbook of the Birds of the World to rate the lightness of birds’ feathers from 0 to 100, treating males and females as separate species because colour is so often different between the sexes. They found that short-distance migrants were significantly lighter than birds that didn’t migrate, and long-distance migrants were significantly lighter than short-distance migrants, even without taking into account factors such as body size or the environmental conditions where birds live.

One possible result of the phenomenon is that migrating birds are going to find it even harder to stay cool as the planet heats up. Rising temperatures may force darker species to fly only during the night while migrating, says Delhey, or to fly even higher during the day. These responses will probably involve costs, which may reduce individual survival, with potential negative consequences at the population level, he says.

10 . Going on holiday doesn’t have to be bad for the environment, and there are still plenty of ways you can have a much-deserved break without harming the environment.

Forget planes. While most forms of transport produce carbon dioxide, planes have a massive carbon footprint because of the huge number of miles they travel.     1     Many of us ignore the endless beautiful scenery around us. There’s the unparalleled beauty of the Mississippi River. Alternatively, you can drive your car to the Grand Canyon to see its splendor.

Pack with care.    2     All of their bottles, from shampoo and conditioner to body wash and moisturizer, are now made from recycled plastic that can be repurposed again and again so no new plastic is produced.And their iconic soap bars now also come in plastic-free packaging.

    3    Hotels can be huge producers of greenhouse gases. Think about the water that’s wasted and all the buffet food that goes uneaten. So choose an eco-friendly option instead. Camping and a home stay — where you live with a family in their own home — are two of the best options. But if you insist on staying in the hotel, pick one made from sustainable materials.    4    

Buy gifts responsibly.Bringing back gifts for friends and loved ones is part of the fun of a holiday.     5     Avoid anything plastic, or if it is plastic, make sure it is 100% recyclable, and make sure your friends will love whatever you give them so it isn’t just thrown in the bin headed for landfill.