1 . Science is increasingly central to our lives — from its role in creating day-to-day objects such as the smartphones in our pockets, to the big challenges of tackling disease, addressing climate change and focusing on biodiversity loss.

Many of the changes that the discipline brings are hugely beneficial, but they often come with potential downsides that demand public debate. Will artificial intelligence take people’s jobs or destroy elections with false news? How fast can we practically achieve a net zero economy?

For the crucial public debate that is needed on all this to take place, we must have a scientifically literate population. But there is a divide between the scientifically minded and those who choose not to engage with science.

It saddens me that our culture now views science as difficult, which discourages many from taking an interest in it. A British Science Association (BSA) survey recently suggested that only around a third of 14- to 18-year-olds find scientists inspirational or consider the subject to be relevant to their lives.

In fact, science is interlinked with every aspect of our existence and people from all walks of life and of all ages should be able to access it easily. The invention of the printing press was crucial to the Enlightenment because it democratised (普及) knowledge. So, in this increasingly science-centred world, the same attention should be given to popular science writing as is given to other forms of literature.

The Royal Society Science Book Prize is the only one in the world to promote popular science writing. Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, which was shortlisted (把……列入入围名单) for the prize in 1989, was written for readers who had no prior knowledge of physics and has since become a universally recognised text on the universe.

Democratising science has never been more important. There are so many scientific stories to be told that can help us better understand ourselves. A society equipped with a solid understanding of the issues of the day is a society more able to respond to them in a better way.

3 . Fluency is the rate at which the child reads. Fluent readers take note of things like question marks and adjust their voice. Their expression sounds natural, and their voice is not as flat as they read. Children who are fluent readers make their reading sound like talking.     1     Here are some ways to improve your children’s fluency.

First, it’s important to choose “just right” books. They will struggle to read books that are too difficult, spending their time trying to figure out unfamiliar words.     2     If a child is struggling with fluency, consider having him read books that are easy.

    3     It’s important to discuss what fluent reading sounds like but even better actually to set an example for your children. This can help your children understand what you mean when you ask them to use the expression more smoothly. Another choice is to have children listen to audiobooks to hear what fluent reading sounds like.

Children can improve their fluency through whispering phones. They are like pretend telephones that children read into. When children read into such phones, they can hear themselves well and use that feedback to think about their expression and reading rate.     4    

Use choral reading (合唱式阅读). This occurs when a group of children reads something together, saying the words at the same time. You might read the text out loud by yourself first.     5     Then you can read it together, with them matching your pace and expression.

5 . Three grade 11 students from Harbour View High School, Canada, wanted to convey their message of fighting climate change to a younger audience. So, they wrote a children’s book named Keeping It Cool as part of a project.

Upon receiving their first order of 12 copies, Claire Malco, the illustrator of the book, vividly recalls the moment when the realization struck. “I just sat there with my mouth open and was like, wow, this is actually happening,” Malco told CBC News.

Coauthored by Joanna Jackson and Olivia Jordan, the book employs age-appropriate analogies (类比), coupled with vibrant illustrations, to promote actions kids can take against climate change. To explain the concept of the atmosphere, for example, the young authors drew a bubble(气泡) around Earth throughout the story. They also call for actions, such as planting trees and vegetable gardens – explaining how plants absorb CO2 from the “bubble” atmosphere just like a vacuum cleaner (真空吸尘器). The book also tells kids how they can avoid polluting the bubble by trying to walk, bike or scoot instead of taking a car or bus.

“The entire second half of the book is just things kids can do without needing their parents’ support … We wanted it to be something that every kid could finish,” Jordan explained to CBC News.

On Earth Day, the students visited a local elementary school where they read their stories and facilitated discussions about the text with every grade 5 class. They spread awareness that, regardless of age, anybody can help make a positive impact on Earth’s climate.“Educating students was the intention when writing this book. Having the opportunity to present to 10 different classes helped us gain insight on how to better our presentation and content, as well as see the impact this book will have on students,” the students told Our Canada Project.

There are two important teachers in this world. One is the nature. It was considered to be the best teacher in the old days, because man learned a lot from nature like lighting the fire and growing rice. It also provides man with many necessary things for life, such as water, food and so on.

Hu, 31, is a pioneer in nature education. He set up an organization five years ago. It offers nature-based programs to children under 12 years old, including many outdoor activities, such as planting trees and watching birds.

“Nature is friendly to us if we protect her. And don’t forget that we all are part of nature,” He said. The purpose of nature education is to teach people how to understand, respect (尊重) and get on well with nature.

Here comes the other important teacher — a book. The experiences people learned from nature were written down in the form of a book. This was a step forward because man could record their experiences and thoughts.

Books play an important role in our lives. Su Mingjuan, a girl from a poor family in a small village, has finished college and become a good bank clerk. She volunteers to encourage people to read more. She said, “Without reading books, I can’t have such a wonderful life.” Besides Su, millions of people learn from books and have better lives. Some people ever said, “A book is like a garden carried in the pocket (口袋).”