4 . One of the most memorable volunteering moments for me was when I received a call from another volunteer who works for the Metropolitan Police.

“Loraine, I’ve found a pair of false teeth in the back of my car... What do I do?”

“Well, give them back. I assume they aren’t yours? Who did you take home after the tea party?”

“Er, Peggy, Joan and Alan...”

“Well, there’s your answer.”

“What do you mean? What should I do?”

“Well, you’re the detective!”

I’m 62 now and always planned to volunteer with older people when I retired. I knew there was such a big gap in the care and support this generation receives and I found the thought heartbreaking – no one should have to feel lonely and stuck at home.

Since I started volunteering three years ago, my team of volunteers have set up seven groups in our town. We host tea parties for those aged 75 and older who live on their own and regularly provide support, friendship and companionship for the most isolated (孤独的) older people in the community.

Working with my older neighbors is rewarding. To hear their stories and the hardships they have overcome is inspiring. I feel like I’m making a positive difference to the lives of older people by sharing my time with them, helping them stay active and social and making clear to them that they are valued by our community.

As an area coordinator (协调人), I also help recruit and manage volunteers, without whom none of the work would be possible. So many go above and beyond what’s asked, giving their time, energy and kindness, just because they care. I’ve found so much enthusiasm from people wanting to make the lives of our older neighbors better, and they are a constant source of inspiration for me.

I’ve met so many amazing people from all walks of life. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done and it’s enriched my life so much. I will keep focusing on reducing loneliness and isolation among the elderly and helping older people enjoy their twilight years the way that they deserve.

5 . In Florida’s Everglades, few species are more closely tied to the habitat’s health than an endangered bird, the snail kite. The Everglade snail kite is a raptor (猛禽), similar to a hawk, that eats just one thing: snails, a species that relies almost entirely on a resource usually abundant in the freshwater marshes (沼泽).

Over the last century, as much of the Everglades dried up, droughts contributed to the snail kite’s decline, and by 2007, there were fewer than 800 remaining. But the kite has bounced back recently thanks to an exotic (外来的) snail. It’s a rare case of an invasive species having a positive impact.

Robert Fletcher, a University of Florida professor who directs a snail kite monitoring program, said the invasive species was first spotted in 2004. Within a few years, it had expanded through much of the Everglades. “And it was around that time,” he said, “that we started to see snail kite number increase.”

No one’s sure about how the exotic snails were introduced into the Everglades. They’re related to Florida’s apple snails and are commonly used in home aquariums. The invader, the island apple snail, is larger than its Florida cousin. It lays eggs in the thousands in pink clusters visible on the stalks of many of the marsh plants.

Efforts to restore Florida’s Everglades have helped the snail kite and restored native vegetation. It’s been in the works for more than 30 years with a cost of more than $20 billion. But progress is increasing gradually, albeit hard to measure. In the meantime, scientists say the invasive snail may have helped pull Florida’s endangered snail kite back from the threat of extinction.

But Fletcher is concerned about the potential impact the species will have on the Everglades over the long term. He said, “What we should be thinking about is how we restore native snails to get those benefits rather than relying on this non-native species that can have damaging impacts on the ecosystem.” The invasive snails may already have caused losses to some native marsh plants, which indicates that trouble may come very soon.

7 . What do people associate with the Metropolitan Museum of Art called the Met? For most, this New York museum is a treasure trove (宝库) of beautifully-scheduled artistic expression. After all, its collections include 1.5 million works of art from prehistory to the present.

But since September 9, 2023, as Hyperallergic reports, the Met is also the setting for a new, super-creative center for kids aged 3—11 and their families, named“81st St Studio”, which sets out to help children understand the materials used to make art. Coming in through the entrance, visitors see tree trunks, cardboard and a carved wooden screen among other examples. Visitors can participate in activities such as woodblock carving and drum making.

According to Heidi Holder, Chai r of the Met’s education department, there’s no contradiction in this new attempt. She recently said the Met is a science institution. As she explains, “We have three big parts of ourselves: our scientific research, our conservation and our art.” As Holder explains, even when objects created hundreds of years earlier come in, a scientific understanding of the materials used will help people better understand the art itself.

The exhibit is rich with art and science activities to encourage self-expression. There’re no traditional glass exhibition cupboards here. Instead, the 3,500-square-foot center is filled with seven stations that encourage visitors to explore them using all their senses. As Holder said, “It’s an open space where you can create your own path. You can learn at your own pace. You can take risks, be curious, have fun, and discover things.”

A music installation (装置), for instance, helps kids understand how materials influence sound. It consists of several creative music-making devices. Curious young visitors can pull open small, drawer like boxes. For example, an accordion lets out an airy sound as the opening and closing motion compresses (压缩) the air inside it.

In agreement with its ambitions to serve as a community center, the 81st St Studio is free to enter for children and their caregivers, no museum ticket required, during regular Met hours.

The velvet flower is a craft that uses mulberry silk to make the surface details with wire as the framework. The Beijing-style velvet flower making skill, which has a history of more than 300 years,     1     (list) as an intangible cultural heritage of Beijing in 2009.

As a sixth-generation inheritor, Cai Zhiwei, 52, has always been thinking about how to better pass on and develop this 300-year-old skill. Cai       2     (grow) up in the former Chongwen district, which was known as a hotbed of craft skills. It was home     3     many handicraft workshops and each family made their own crafts.

During the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the red and blue velvet flowers     4     decorated the hats of the medal presenters were made by Cai’s studio. He thinks that the Olympics was a good opportunity       5     (put) velvet flower making on the world stage. “It was an honor, as       6     inheritor of this craft, to present the skill to the world,” said Cai.

    7     (devote) himself to the skill for two decades, Cai is     8     (current) planning on combining velvet products with modern decorations or small furniture items so that his new products can be both pleasing to the eye and     9     (function). He believes that, in addition to inventing new tools to increase     10     (efficient), the new products will better suit consumer tastes through the use of modern aesthetics (美学).

10 . My phone is showing that little red low-battery bar, so I need to plug it in immediately or else lose my connection. What if I didn’t recharge — no, that would stress me out.     1    

The 2022 American Psychological Association annual survey on stress showed a similar flashing red alert: More than a quarter of US adults are feeling overwhelmed by stress — paralyzed, even numb.     2     No wonder we are commonly fatigued (疲惫的).

A study suggests that when people are under chronic stress for years, our mitochondrial enzymes (线粒体酶) weaken and our cells become prematurely aged.     3     Here are a few ways to create that positivity and tame the beast of chronic stress.

    4     We can shape our environments to protect us from constant red alerts. Our attention is attracted to threatening information, as our screens so frequently deliver. To protect your precious attention and energy stores, turn off unnecessary alerts on your devices. Create spacious breaks within the day to unplug and focus on something restorative. Shift your attention to being present, to what you can feel grateful for and to connection with others. 

Immerse yourself in green. Being in crowded and busy places sends our bodies signals of danger.     5     Thus we can recharge our batteries with green space time — seek a park or gardens for sensory immersion that signals safety to our bodies.

The bottom line is that we can break our daily stress habits and create more energy. We can feel ease and balance by letting go of unconscious stress. Life is short. It’s even shorter while living on half a battery.