UNESCO World Heritage Sites were created to celebrate and safeguard the most unique places around the world. Below are my 4 favorite UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Cinque Terre, Italy
With cars banned here, you'll really get to feel the unique history and character of the Cinque Terre's five centuries-old coastal villages. The breathtaking views of harbors（港口）far below the wild coastline along with the rich colors will definitely make it a memorable holiday.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat is the world's largest religious（宗教的）monument and it contains impressive remains from the Khmer Empire（9th to 15th century）. The site has dozens of iconic temples like Ta Prohm（a magnificent temple ruin hidden in the jungle）. Hosting more than two million visitors annually, this artistic masterpiece is a must-see site.
Petra, Jordan
Petra's rock-cut architecture has contributed to its nickname, the Rose City, based on the color of the stone it was carved from. The delicate constructions of temples and tombs along with the remains of churches and temples are only a couple of reasons why this world-famous site is a must-visit destination.
Yellowstone National Park, USA
Yellowstone's vast wilderness includes mountain ranges, lakes and waterfalls. One of the main reasons for tourists to visit Yellowstone is to observe the amazing wildlife like grizzly bear, bison, bighorn sheep wander the plains and valleys.
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When I handed my daughter a copy of King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry, she looked skeptical. She reluctantly agreed to read it with me after I told her it was one of my favorite stories when I was her age, and her skepticism quickly morphed into enthusiasm as she fell in love with the book.
Watching her connect to the story brought back a flood of memories about my first time reading the book. It was like introducing my daughter to a much younger version of myself. I highly recommend other parents share their favorite childhood books, a sweet activity with lots of benefits.
Every night, I sit on the end of my daughters'beds and read them the stories I've cherished for decades. This distraction-free time gives my kids the chance to ask questions about the book we're reading, the "olden days" when I was a kid, and whatever else is on their minds.
My 9-year-old especially adores this time together and the deeper connection she feels to her family because of it. Reading her a book that holds significant meaning for me brings us together in a whole new way.
There's nothing better than watching my kids' reactions to books I've loved my entire life. They chattered with excitement when Charlie found his golden ticket in Roald Dahl's classic and pulled the covers over their blushing faces when Almanzo asked Laura if he could walk her home in the Little House series.
In these moments, it feels like I'm reaching through time and connecting my childhood with theirs.
Every generation has books that define them. For my kids, it's mostly fantasy and realistic fiction. By reading my childhood favorites to them, my kids step outside their comfort zones and try new genres, authors, and writing styles. My 9-year-old didn't know she loved folklore until we read my favorite collection of Japanese children's stories together. My 11-year-old became obsessed with wilderness survival stories when I read Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins to her.
When international aid is given, steps must be taken to ensure（确保）that the aid reaches the people for whom it is intended. The way to achieve this may not be simple. It is very difficult for a nation to give help directly to people in another nation. The United Nations Organization（UNO）could undertake to direct the distribution of aid. Here however rises the problem of costs. Also tied with this is time. Perhaps the UNO could set up a body of devoted men and women in every country who can speedily distribute aid to victims of floods and earthquakes.
More than the help that one nation can give to another during a disaster, it would be more effective to give other forms of help during normal times. A common proverb says, "Give me a fish and I eat for a day, teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime." If we follow this wise saying, it would be right to teach people from less developed nations to take care of themselves. For example, a country could share its technology with another. This could be in simple areas like agriculture or in more complex areas like medical and health care or even in building satellites. Even small country is able to help less developed nations. Sometimes what is taken for granted, like the setting up of a water purification plant or the administration of a school, could be useful for countries which are looking about to solve common problems. It does not cost much to share such simple things. Exchange students could be attached for a number of months or years and learn the required craft while on the site. They can then take their knowledge back to their homelands and if necessary come back from time to time to clear doubts or to update themselves. Such aid will be truly helpful and there is no chance of it being temporary or of it falling into the wrong hands.
Many countries run extensive courses in all sorts of skills. It will not cost much to include deserving foreigners in these courses. Besides giving effective help to the countries concerned, there is also the build-up of friendships to consider. Giving direct help by giving materials may be effective in the short run and must continue to be given in the event of emergencies. However, in the long run what is really effective would be the sharing of knowledge.
The curb cut（路缘坡）is a convenience that most of us rarely, if ever, notice. Yet, without it, daily life might be a lot harder—in more ways than one.
Pushing a baby stroller onto the curb, skateboarding onto a sidewalk or taking a full grocery cart from the sidewalk to your car—all these tasks are easier because of the curb cut.
But it was created with a different purpose in mind.
It's hard to imagine today, but back in the 1970s, most sidewalks in the United States ended with a sharp drop-off. That was a big deal for people in wheelchairs because there were no ramps（斜坡）to help them move along city blocks without assistance. According to one disability rights leader, a six-inch curb "might as well have been Mount Everest" for wheelchair-bound people. So, activists from Berkeley, California, who also needed wheelchairs, organized a campaign to create tiny ramps at intersections to help disadvantaged people dependent on wheels move up and down curbs independently.
I think about the "curb cut effect" a lot when working on issues around health equality. The first time I even heard about the curb cut was in a 2017 Stanford Social Innovation Review piece by PolicyLink CEO Angela Blackwell. Blackwell rightly noted that many people see equality as "a zero-sum game（零和游戏）". Basically, there is a deeply rooted social belief among them that intentionally supporting one group hurts another. What the curb cut effect reveals though, Blackwell said is that "when society-creates the circumstances that allow those who have been left behind to participate and contribute fully, everyone wins."
One such example is closed captioning（字幕）, originally intended to help deaf people understand movies and TV shows without needing to hear dialogue or sounds. But it's easy to think of other applications for closed captioning: it's convenient for customers watching TV in a noisy bar or gym, second-language learners who want to read as well as listen, or students who use it as a study aid.
So, next time you cross the street, or roll your suitcase through a crosswalk or ride your bike directly onto a sidewalk—think about how much the curb cut, that change in design that broke down walls of exclusion for one group of people at a disadvantage, has helped not just that group, but all of us.
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Climate change can cause extreme events like wildfires and floods.
How does climate change make you feel? The news of melting glaciers and oil spills may seem overwhelming and can make you feel angry, frightened, hopeless or upset. This is called climate anxiety. If you feel worried about what's happening to the world, it's good for you. It's normal to be upset when things you care about are getting hurt.
There are lots of things you can do to help society take better care of the world. Turn your fear into power by doing something. Breaking the problem into bite-sized chunks is a good way to start. Think of something you feel passionate about, such as protecting ocean life or saving forests, and join a community group or charity that supports that cause.
Positive action can inspire others too. Sisters Kim and Stella King from the charity Fights Against Plastic have picked up 90,000 pieces of plastic. They ask schools, businesses and organizations to follow their lead. Remember, it's important to get support from people around.
A. Why is there climate anxiety?
B And it is a normal, healthy response.
C. This risks the lives of humans, animals and plants.
D. Melting glaciers contribute a third of sea-level rise.
F No one can fix climate change on their own but we can all play a part.
f. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle.
G. So, tell friends and family what you're up to and encourage them to join in.
Our neighbors had a loud party last night. We weren't 1 but this was one of those celebrations that I didn't mind. They are a bunch of young, single guys and I would have felt out of place.
What 2 me was the way they behaved. One of the young men came over 3 in the day to "warn" us of the upcoming event and said it would be over at about 11 p. m. That was the first step. Even more 4 was what they did next. "Here's my 5 " offered our neighbor 6 . "Text me if it's too noisy." That was a level of 7 I had never experienced in all my years of being a neighbor!
And it really worked in their favor. My husband and I were so friendly that even when the event went past the 8 end time, even when the music reached high decibels（分贝）, and even when we couldn't get through on the phone number, we felt no 9 . We knew they would stop and be 10 eventually.
It takes such little effort to make people feel that they 11 and get people on your side. Everyone needs to let loose every now and then, especially in these uniquely tough times. But people who do it without 12 others are few and far between. I hadn't fully 13 my neighbors until this week. We had adopted that all too American "live and let live" posture. But now I see them in a new light and with greater 14 . They didn't just bring noise to the neighborhood; they shone the light of 15 .
Henry Norman Bethune was a great （Canada）doctor with a very creative mind and a determination to help people. As a small boy, he became very interested in medicine and decided to become a doctor. After （graduate）from medical college in 1916, Bethune worked as a doctor in England, the US, and Canada. He reinvented or redesigned over 10 medical instruments （make）them more useful. He is known best for his service during the World War I.
In 1938, Bethune left China, after he heard that many people were dying in the war. the difficult situation, Dr. Bethune did whatever he could -to assist the Chinese people. He helped to organize hospitals, （teach）doctors and nurses, and showed people how to give first aid. He is respected as unique personality in the history of medicine, owing to the materialization of the concept of "mobile medical unit". Some of the surgical tools developed by him （use）in surgeries even now. Sadly, Dr. Bethune passed away in November the following year and was buried in Shijiazhuang. After Dr. Bethune's （die）, Chairman Mao Zedong wrote an article in memory of him, he praised Dr. Bethune as a hero to be remembered in China.
A vegetarian diet（素食）is often praised for its health benefits. Studies have shown that vegetarians usually have lower levels of heart disease and a risk of diabetes（糖尿病）than people who eat meat. What most people are less aware of, however, are the effects that a vegetarian diet can have on the environment.
Researchers from the Union of Concerned Scientists in the US recently studied how consumer behavior affects the environment. The study showed that meat consumption is one of the main ways that humans can damage the environment, second only to the use of motor vehicle.
Then, how can eating meat have a negative effect on the environment? For a start, all farm animals such as cows, pigs, and sheep give off methane gas（沼气）by expelling（排出）wind from their bodies. One co w can produce up to 60 liters of methane each day. Methane gas is the second most common greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide（二氧化碳）. Many environmental experts now believe that it is more responsible for global warming than carbon dioxide. It is estimated that 25% of all methane released into the atmosphere comes from farm animals.
Another way that meat production affects the environment is through the use of water andland.2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of beef, whereas 20 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of wheat. One acre of farmland used for crop production can produce 40,000 pounds of potatoes, 30,000 pounds of carrots, or 50,000 pounds of tomatoes.
Many people now see the benefits of switching to a vegetarian diet, not just for health reasons, but also because it plays a vital role in protecting the environment. However, some nutritionists advise against switching to a totally strict vegetarian, or vegan diet. They believe a vegan diet, which excludes（排除） all products from animal sources, such as cheese, eggs, and milk, can be short of many necessary vitamins and minerals our bodies need.
