3 . What would you think if someone suggested pulling down Big Ben to make way for a car park? It would be ridiculous, right? But when it comes to devastation (毁灭) of the natural world, we aren’t so easily shocked. But we should be...or we’ll be in a lot of trouble.

Nature is shrinking by the day. Ancient forests are destroyed. Wetlands are becoming dry. Woodland is disappearing. And all in the name of progress. This is bad in itself, but it’s devastating for biodiversity.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals and other living things which are all inter-connected. The ecological services provided by biodiversity are vital to everyday life. The air we breathe is a product of photosynthesis (光合作用) by green plants. In fact, all life on earth exists thanks to the benefit of biodiversity. More than 90 percent of the calories consumed by people worldwide are produced from 80 plant species. And 30 percent of medicines are developed from plants and animals. Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve all living things.

The loss of biodiversity could be devastating. “It is wrong to think that biodiversity can be reduced indefinitely without threatening humans,” said Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson, known as “the father of biodiversity”. He warned, “we are about to reach a critical point beyond which biodiversity loss will be unavoidable.”

But what can we do? The problem is that the concept of biodiversity is so vague. People might care about giant pandas, but it is much harder to excite them about the fate of tiny sea creatures which are being boiled to death in the cooling systems of power stations along coastlines. The Guardian newspaper is trying to help. It has started the Biodiversity 100 campaign to try to convince governments around the world to take action to deal with the widespread concerns about biodiversity. This includes persuading the UK government to create a series of marine reserves to reverse the decline in sea-life caused by industrial fishing, banning the fishing sharks by the Japanese fishermen and stopping the killing of dingoes in Australia, among many other things.

There is a lot to do. And we’d better get a move on if we don’t want to end up with a planet that can’t support life!

Yours,

Li Hua

7 . Almost every community has some form of rules and some way of enforcing them. So why do we have rules, and what makes people follow them?

Studies have suggested that the reason we don't like rule-breaking is because fairness is programmed into our brains. Scientists have found that the brain reacts in a particular way when we feel we are being treated unfairly.A fair situation makes us feel comfortable and even happy, but unfairness causes our brains to respond with negative feelings.The study found that this a so happened when subjects saw others being treated unfairly. They concluded that fairness is one of basic human needs.

Arriving at a feeling of fairness means considering different, often conflicting, points of view. Regardless of the disagreement, people almost always need to compromise. But it can be difficult to arrive at a compromise when there are conflicting interests. This is why communities have rules that everyone must follow.

Social controls are an important factor in setting and following rules.They influence the way we be have, and can be internal (内在的) or external. Internal controls come from within and are based on our values and fears. Most of us don't steal, for example, because we believe that theft is unfair and wrong. We also don't want to disappoint our family and friends. In other words, our internal controls keep us from behaving in ways that cause conflict.

External controls include rewards and punishments. Rewards, such as job promotions and praise, are designed to encourage people to be have and actin the interest of the whole community.

Punishments, such as public embarrassment, fines, and even imprisonment can prevent people from acting against the community's best interests.

People need their communities to function smoothly.If there were no rules, most people would probably still behave positively. However, there would always be a minority who would not. This is why a society without rules is unlikely to exist.

A social media influencer is someone who has a plenty of followers online. What that person says, or does, or buys, or wear can influence the decisions of their followers! That is why we call him “social media influencers” and simply “influencers”. I like Miss Manners best between all the influencers. She continual guides me in my online activity and acts as my social compass on a daily basis. When in doubt, I thought to myself “what will Miss Manners do?”. What I’m eager follow is not Miss Manners herself but the overall idea behind her and what she represents. It’s all about be polite, interesting and engaging, which is the point of social media.

9 . Many of us deal with mental health challenges on a daily basis. Being fed a steady diet of destructive world events only serves to make that harder, So I've decided to share a few strategies to avoid being completely broken down by the newsfeed right now.

    1    

You’ll find it easier to make this mental mindshift if you make a conscious effort to boost your level of positive emotion by doing things you enjoy and spending time with people you love. Positive emotions leave the door open to possibility while negative emotions keep the door shut.

Recognize that there’s a difference between being absorbed and being informed

Sure, you want to be aware of what's happening in the world, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be absorbed into your Twitter or Facebook and aim for a balanced media diet.    2    . Move toward the good, too.

Look for opportunities to take action

    3    . But by carrying through on sort of positive action, however small (writing a letter, making a donation, attending a face-to-face get-together in your town), you’ll feel good. And that will help to stop what can otherwise quickly change into negative feelings of anxiety and sadness.    4    

Reach out-don't break down Inward

Connect with other caring citizens who share your concern about what's happening in our country and our world. Talk to other people you know who may be going through an especially difficult time right now.    5    Finally, reach out for other types of support if you feel like you’re really struggling.

10 . These days I am on my very best behavior whenever I leave the house. If I am wearing pantyhose(连裤袜), I double-check to ensure there is no hole on it. I drive thoughtfully as if I’m being tested for a license. I won’t even allow myself to frown when another driver is blocking my path.

My kids have noticed my fear in public. “Why are you looking all around, Mum?” they asked.

“You can’t be too careful,” I said. “Every single person around us is hiding one of cell phone cameras. They are glad to catch somebody doing something stupid or embarrassing. Then they’ll put it on YouTube and a million people will see. I’m not taking any chances.”

“But I don’t think anyone is interested in filming you putting on your lipstick for a YouTube video.” answered one kid.

“Oh, really? Don’t count me out so quickly.” I said.

Actually, in some cases, I am all for public shaming. For example, I admire the cleverness of the man who put up a website where he posts photos of cars and license numbers of people who occupy two parking spots. And I take secret pleasure in photos of politicians with their fingers in their noses. Throwing light on bad behavior can awake the sleepy conscience(良知).

But what about the poor guy who has already had a bad day at work and then loses his temper at a rude store clerk? What about the woman whose only crime is a terrible judgment error at the hairdresser? Do they deserve to have their images uploaded onto the Internet for all the world to see?

None of this is new, of course. Allen Funt pioneered the art of catching people during unguarded moments back in the 1940s with “Candid Camera”. But there’s a difference. On “Candid Camera”, people are set up in staged situations, such as riding in an elevator that goes sideways. And they must give permission before they enjoy their fifteen minutes of fame. Now we are a nation of Allen Funts. This can’t be a good thing.