1 . On Christmas Eve, a team of reindeer (驯鹿) will help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children all around the world. The reindeer, led by their fearless leader Rudolph, won’t be the only ones doing something special. Back in the highest Arctic, their cousins have a remarkable ability changing their eye color.

During the summer months, when the days are long and the sun is bright, reindeer’s tapetum lucidum (荧光膜), a mirror-like layer at the back of their eye, appears golden, which helps bounce the majority of light off the eyes, effectively acting like a pair of natural sunglasses. As winter comes, and the days become shorter and darker, the tapetum lucidum turns blue to absorb more light, allowing reindeer to improve their night vision and see clear in low light conditions.

With these adaptations, reindeer can adapt and thrive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Unlike humans, reindeer can see well into the shorter Ultra Violet (UV) range. This UV vision enables them to spot food and predators more effectively in the snowy landscape. Lichens, a key part of their winter diet, absorb UV, so they show up dark against UV-reflecting white snow. Wolf and polar bear fur also absorb UV, so instead of disappearing against snow they pop out in high contrast, allowing reindeer to spot potential threats from a distance.

Reindeer change their eyes by adjusting their tapetum lucidum, which is made of collagen fibers. In winter, the collagen fibers become packed tighter, causing the tapetum lucidum to mainly reflect blue light. This change happens when reindeer dilate their pupils (瞳孔). In summer, the reindeer’s pupils return to a smaller size, which helps reindeer reduce the amount of light entering the eye.

But their unique adaptation may hurt them. Today, the increasing use of artificial lighting, especially during the winter months, poses a potential threat to their sensitive eyes. It can make reindeer lose their way, affecting their ability to survive in their challenging environment. So it is crucial for us to be mindful of our use of electricity and make efforts to minimize light pollution to ensure the well-being and survival of these magnificent creatures.

3 . Are flash floods becoming more severe? Natural disasters are generally getting worse—and that's true for floods, too.

As climate change warms the atmosphere, extreme rainfall is rising, which increases the risk of flash floods. Heavy precipitation(降水) events are predicted to increase by 2 to 3 times the historical average. The Federal Emergency Management Agency expects the nation’s floodplains to expand by 45 percent by the end of this century, as the agency reported in a recent study. A study in early 2021 found that increased precipitation—resulting partially from climate change—costs the US an additional $ 2.5 billion each year in flood damage. And some studies show that flood frequency was increasing in the Mississippi River valley and across the Midwest in the last century, as well as in the Northeast over the past 50 years.

There are several steps you can take to prepare for flash floods

First, know the level of risk by looking at flood maps. You may be required to have flood insurance if you live in a high-risk area.

Pay attention to flash flood watches, which the National Weather Service issues to indicate when conditions could result.in flash floods. People in these areas-should be-ready to take action—particularly if the NWS announces a flash flood warning. That’s issued when flash floods are approaching and, at that point, people should immediately leave the area.

But be particularly careful when travelling by car. Don’t drive through flooded streets—it's difficult to judge the water depth, and roadways hidden below the water can collapse. If floodwaters cause your vehicle to lose control, abandon it and seek the higher ground. Rapidly rising water can sweep the vehicle away. Know your surroundings and head to the higher ground, and listen to the radio updates when in a flood.

It’s also important to develop an emergency prepared plan with your family or those you live with to have a few days’ worth of resources.

4 . Traditionally, it has been assumed that cultivating food leads to a loss of biodiversity and negative impacts on an ecosystem. In a recent study, researchers looked at 28 urban community gardens across California over five years and quantified biodiversity in plant and animal life, as well as ecosystem functions such as carbon sequestration (碳封存), food production, pest control and human well-being.

“We wanted to determine if there were any biodiversity and impacts on ecosystem function in those unban gardens,” says Shalene Jha, the lead author of the study in Ecology Letters. “What we found is that these gardens, which are providing tremendous nutritional resources and increasing well-being for gardeners, are also supporting incredibly high levels of plant and animal biodiversity. It’s a win-win.”

Previous assumptions by scientists about the negative effect of food production on bio diversity have been almost entirely based on intensive rural agriculture enterprises that tend to grow on one or two types of crops, often at a massive scale. Urban community gardens, private gardens, and urban farms and orchards tend to grow more types of plants in smaller areas. The new study is the first to explore the effects of urban gardens across a wide range of biodiversity measures and ecological services.

“It’s estimated that by 2030, about 60% of the world’s population will live in cities,” Jha says. “And urban farms and gardens currently provide about 15%-20% of our food supply, so they are essential in addressing food inequality challenges. What we’re seeing is that urban gardens present a critical opportunity to support both biodiversity and local food production.”

The study also found that the choices that gardeners make can have a large impact on their local ecosystem. For instance, planting trees outside crop beds could increase carbon sequestration without decreasing food production from too much shade. And covering only within crop beds could help improve soil carbon services, while avoiding negative effects on pest control.

5 . Today, interest in sustainable weddings is on the rise. And some of our decisions do not seem as unusual as they once might have. Here are some tips to help you plan a wedding that centers on using your garden and the things you grow in it.

Having a wedding outdoors means you don’t have to cope with energy costs or other concerns about a venue(场地).     1     The only thing out of your hand is the weather!

For many people, creating a romantic environment means having flowers. Even if you don’t have a wedding ceremony outdoors surrounded by living plants, you may wish to bring nature into your chosen wedding venue.     2     You have complete freedom to grow flowers you like in it.

    3    . Not only flowers but also food for the wedding can be grown. If not, a garden lover might prepare drinks or add homegrown elements to dishes to give the event a really personal touch.

The added extras can be prepared by using things from your garden before the big day, ranging from sweets, cookies to soaps, baskets, or other thoughtful homemade presents.     4    

You might consider making personal and handmade invitations with natural inks, paints and even paper from plant fibers.     5     They won’t be thrown out after being read, but will serve some other functions. For example, pieces of wood cut from trees in your garden can serve as invitations as well as coasters (杯垫)after wedding.

8 . It was late July and except for a few thin, white clouds the sky was a bright blue. The sun was ________ on the green grass giving it a golden colour. Birds were ________ flying to and from their homes feeding their ________ growing babies. The air was full of the smell of freshly-cut grass and the sweet smell of ________. In the field behind my house, I could see sheep ________ grass by the edge of the woods.

Our black cat, Alice was sleeping under the shade (阴凉) of our Maple tree, without noticing the little rabbit that was ________ along in the field behind my home. I could see the trees, flowers, and plants along the side of the ________. All of this beauty was here for me just as I ________ outside. Filled with all this, my heart felt so ________. I breathed in the sweet, cool, morning air and walked without ________ in the grass, experiencing nature. I knew that a heat wave was on the way so I wanted to enjoy the comfort of the morning and ________ all of these wonderful gifts of nature creation.

Just then a lovely, yellow butterfly flew down and ________ on a flower right in front of me. It beat its ________ and I smiled. It flew up, circled my face and then was blown away by the gentle ________. A peace filled me as I received the message of nature. And I ________ nature for this beautiful day, this beautiful world, and this beautiful life.

9 . Along the streets of Malabon in the Philippines, Marilene Capentes pushes a cart every morning except Sundays. The city of Malabon is just north of the capital, Manila.

Capentes is a waste picker. She collects bags of separated garbage, placing food waste in one container. This material will be turned into compost (堆肥) at the local recycling center. The rest of the waste goes into separate containers. The recyclable materials are later sold.

Capentes said the heavy rubbish used to be all mixed together. Then a few years ago, a local environmental nonprofit (非盈利机构) started asking people to separate their rubbish.

The Mother Earth Foundation in the Philippines is a member of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, called GAIA. The organization wants to avert food waste from going to landfills. Food waste gives off biogas (沼气) as it breaks down. Biogas is a powerful greenhouse gas.

At a material recycling center in Malabon, organic (有机的) waste collected from households is turned into compost. This material then goes into a community garden to grow vegetables. Some of the food waste is broken down into biogas. This biogas is then used to cook vegetables for waste workers to eat.

There are challenges in establishing these systems in new places. It costs money to set up a facility for composting. People, including local officials, have to be educated on the importance of separating waste. Containers have to be provided to families that cannot buy more than one.

And sometimes separating organic waste is not thought to be important. Also, unlike recyclables and metals, there is not a large market for organic materials. Therefore, waste workers must be paid for the system to work. But these problems can be solved. More people are making the connection between reducing biogas and fighting climate change.