1 . In Xihu district, Hangzhou, among the mountains, lies a unique garden, with breathtaking views in the forests. This site, once an abandoned mine (矿场), was discovered in 2019 by landscape designers Yu Weizeng and Chai Rong.

Yu and Chai share a deep passion for the beauty of mountains and water, and a love for life itself. They and two other partners spent years working on it and managed to change it from a wasteland into an attractive garden.

“On fine days, we set up tents outside for camping together with friends. Gathering around a huge rock, we enjoy simple pleasures such as drinking coffee and playing the guitar. On rainy days, the sound of raindrops pattering against the surface of the pool creates a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. During full moon nights, we lie on the rocks, admiring the moonlight,” Yu says.

A key feature in the garden is a reflective water pool set in the main space. As the sun sets, its light bathe the cliff (峭壁) in various colors, with the mountain’s reflection mirrored in the pool.

“We aimed to bring nature even closer,” Yu says.

In a quiet corner of the garden, there’s a narrow entrance leading to a space where a thin upright window has been artfully placed. Outside the window, a red maple tree has been planted, offering a picturesque view.

“In the past, people lived in harmony with the natural world. They could step outside to see mountains and cross rivers. However, the rapid pace of urbanization (城市化) has disrupted this connection,” he says.

“Our approach involves using our technical talent to solve certain problems, and then allow nature to take its course,” Yu says.

2 . Research shows that with 2℃ of global warming we will have more disasters like droughts, floods, wildfires and storms. Unless we act immediately to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we won’t be able to escape the worst consequences of climate change. This can seem depressing.     1    . Here are some ways you can be part of the climate solution:

●Transform your transport

    2    . So many governments across the world are taking action to reduce carbon emissions in transport. You can get a head start. Leave your car at home and walk or cycle whenever possible. If the distances are too great, choose public transport, preferably electric options. If you must drive, offer to carpool with others so that fewer cars are on the road.

●    3    

To reduce your food’s carbon footprint, buy local and seasonal foods. You’ll be helping small businesses and farms in your area and reducing fossil fuel emissions associated with transport and cold chain storage. Go one step further and try growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs.     4    .

●Don’t waste food

One-third of all food produced is either lost or wasted. People waste 1 billion tons of food each year, which accounts for around 8-10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Avoid waste by only buying what you need. Take advantage of every edible (可食用的) part of the foods you buy. Be creative with leftovers, share extras with your friends and neighbours.     5    . It’s a best option for managing organic waste while also reducing environmental impacts.

3 . The thought of a natural disaster can be frightening, but you can prepare yourself and your family with a few simple steps.     1    , getting prepared for several possible situations will help you better deal with an emergency.

Fill out an emergency plan.

Create an emergency plan for your family in case of a natural disaster. Include household information, out-of-town contacts, and school, workplace, and childcare contact information and emergency contingencies (应急预案).     2    .

    3    

Consider the disasters for the events that are most likely to happen in your area. Make sure everyone in your family knows how to react to different disasters, including tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires, winter storms, and power failures. Make sure the safest spots in your home for each type of disaster.

For example, the highest level in your home is the safest place during a flood, while the lowest level is safest during a tornado, for instance.

Identify 3 ways to get warnings.

Alarms are generally enough warnings for natural disasters. However, in case of a power failure, you cannot rely only on your television or landline phone for warnings, either.     4    . You should also have a battery-operated AM/FM radio(and extra batteries)on hand as well.

Determine the best evacuation (撤离) routes.

Identify all the entries and exits in your home and plan how you will evacuate your home(by car or by foot, for instance). Determine where you will go if you cannot remain in your home or even in your region. Then, map out several routes for getting out of your city.     5    .

4 . Last week at the start of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai,134 countries signed an agreement aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (排放) from processes related to producing and consuming food.

For the first time in nearly three decades of climate conferences, which were established to handle climate change, the importance of food systems has been recognized in this way. Also, for the first time, on 10 December, COP28 will devote a day to discussing ways to reduce emissions from food and agriculture.

Many have welcomed the moves. “It’s great to finally have food on the COP menu,” says Clement Metivier, a climate expert, who is attending COP28.” There is really a growing momentum (势头) around food systems transformation to handle both the biodiversity and climate crisis.” But equally, researchers say not enough is being done to reduce emissions in one of the world’s biggest, largely untackled sources and that will involve some tough political decisions.

Making food systems more sustainable plays an important part in keeping alive the dream of limiting global warming to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels, agreed at COP21 in Paris in 2015. Getting food from farm to food-table accounts for around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2021 study in Ispra, Italy. The researchers estimated that in 2015, some 70% of these emissions came just from agriculture and land-use changes-such as cutting down trees to clear land for crops.

There are also obvious approaches to reducing some of these impacts, for example by limiting the use of fossil-fuel-hungry fertilizers (肥料), or by reducing food waste. Roughly half of food systems emissions come from food that is lost in the supply chain-before reaching the consumer-or wasted, according to a study published in March in Nature Food. Therefore, halving food loss and waste could help remove some greenhouse gas emissions from the food system.

7 . Since the 1950s, some 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced globally, of which only about 10% has ever been recycled. Yet environmentally conscious companies and consumers continue to look to recycling as a way to ease the plastic problem. Manufacturing giants claim to be committed to making more of their products and packaging from recycled materials. However, this confidence masks (掩饰) a complex web of issues around plastic recycling. Recycling rates remain extremely low and critics argue that we should look at alternative ways to tackle plastic pollution.

While many plastics have the potential to be recycled, most are not because the process is costly, complicated and the resulting product of a lower quality than the original. Despite rising demand for recycled plastic, few waste companies turn a profit. Part of this is because virgin plastic-linked to oil prices - is often cheaper than recycled plastic, meaning there is little economic incentive to use it. Worse yet, much of our plastic waste is difficult to recycle. Lightweight food packaging, like a mozzarella packet, contains different plastics, dyes and toxic additives (添加剂). This dirty mix means plastic recycled through mechanical methods- the most common form- can only be melted down and moulded (浇铸,塑造) again a couple of times before it becomes too fragile to be reused. And the nature of the process means plastic recycling has a carbon footprint of its own.

Given all of these difficulties, environmental critics say recycling is not the solution-and argue that creating more products from recycled material to attract environmental consciousness merely worsens the problem. “The solution is to use less plastic and to stop misleading the public about the recyclability,” says Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, a US campaign group with a mission to end single-use plastic. “They should stop making false claims about the recyclability of plastics since they know most will either be littered (乱扔) or burned or landfilled (填埋). Using less plastics means shifting to reusable products and relying more on paper, cardboard, glass and metal- -all of which should be made from recycled content.”

8 . New York—like Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington—sits underneath the “Atlantic Flyway”, an ancient migration (迁徙) route travelled by millions of birds, every spring and autumn. Up to a quarter of a million of them die crashing into windows in New York every year, according to New York City Audubon, the bird charity that organizes Project Flight Safe. Birds confuse reflections of sky or plants for the real thing and fly straight for them.

In 2021, however, new laws came into force in New York requiring all new buildings and restoration work to be made bird-friendly. It is the strictest such laws in America. The case of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre in west Manhattan is a good example. It used to be a top bird-killer, but after swapping its glasses for bird-friendly glass, strikes dropped by 90%. The centre has now fully embraced bird life. Its green roof is home to a breeding seagull group, and as of October 18th, 62 different species have been spotted there.

At night, artificial light draws birds into the city, where they are more likely to crash. Some studies suggest birds can fail to tell direction because artificial light prevents them from sensing the Earth’s magnetic (磁的) field effectively. Last year the city passed a law that requires all city owned and managed buildings to switch their lights off at night during birds’ migration seasons. The law will extend the requirement to privately owned commercial buildings next year. Though exceptions would be allowed for landmarks such as the Empire State and the Chrysler Building, the change would still transform the world’s most famous skyline.

Jessica Wilson of NYC Audubon says that would be a good thing for birds, energy consumption and people. New York is on track to become the most bird-friendly big city in America.

China is affected by natural disasters easily. When a disaster     1     (strike), how a country responds to disasters makes the difference between life and death. Since the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, from which China suffered     2     (serious), disaster prevention and control have become top priorities for the Chinese government. One important aspect is the establishment of an     3     (effect) earthquake monitoring and early warning system. The China Earthquake Networks Center will confirm the location and magnitude (里氏级)     4    sending out alarm messages to the public.

China’s ability to respond to disasters stands out, as it can quickly deploy (部署) rescue forces and resources. It     5     (establish) 27 professional teams for various types of rescue work so far,     6    ensures a 24 hour on duty emergency response.

China also has an outstanding ability in post disaster     7     (recover) and reconstruction. The reason is that it is able to organize and combine resources from various departments     8     (repair) basic facilities and restore essential services such as power, water supply and communication. This reduces     9     impact of secondary disasters and helps those affected by disasters rebuild their lives.

Disaster relief is a comprehensive effort that requires a whole society working together. China sets an example of how to prevent loss and save lives by     10    (put) people first.

10 . There are some fascinating data about the world’s forests! About 30 percent of the earth’s land is covered in forests, and 300 million people call forests home. A further 1.6billion people rely on forests to survive.

Now, keeping these numbers in mind, consider this fact: the world loses over 32million acres of forest each year. When forests disappear, we not only miss out on all the ways they make us healthier, we also lose an essential resource. This is why preserving forests, and nature, is more important than ever. The key is to connect with nature, for example, forest bathing.

In the way that forest bathing requires, we start to experience and appreciate all its beauty and benefits, through involvement with nature by using all our senses. Many governments, businesses, and institutions have realized the importance of this and have created plans to deepen mutually beneficial relationships between people and nature. It’s not just wild forests that need attention, urban parks and forests are equally important. Despite losing trees to real estate (房地产) developments and road construction, many cities have found creative ways to introduce more trees and forests. In Paris, for example, a nineteenth century railway was turned into a park that stretches nearly three miles. There’s one more thing that’s essential to the protection of forests-helping children connect with nature. Not only is this good for their overall well-being, but studies show that children who spend time in nature become adults who understand the importance of protection. Around the world, many schools have started using parks and green spaces as classrooms. Measures like these will help ensure that future generations can also enjoy the benefits of forests.