Every year, young, talented, and ambitious nature conservationists from all over the world shoot their shot for the Future For Nature(FFN)Award, an honorable international award.
Additional Remarks
For the 2024 Future For Nature Award, we are again searching for natural leaders, who have proven that they can make a difference in species’ survival.
From all applications, 6 to 10 nominees(被提名者)will be selected. These applicants will be asked to provide additional information, which will be used to select the final awardees. Ultimately, three inspiring wildlife heroes are selected as the winners.
Application Process: Apply online—click Apply Now link.
Application Deadline: May 1st, 2024.
1．Which is one of the aims of the Future For Nature?| A．To fund more green groups. | B．To inspire future conservation efforts. |
| C．To increase environmental awareness. | D．To advocate further academic education. |
| A．A male is 16 year old now. |
| B．A female who has financed many families. |
| C．A male who has fluency in written English only. |
| D．A female who is committed to continuing her conservation work. |
| A．A magazine. | B．A brochure. | C．A guidebook. | D．A website. |
A recent landing on the moon has awakened or renewed people’s enthusiasm for the stars and space exploration. Here are four trip ideas to inspire those would-be astronauts and astronomers.
Kennedy Space Center, America
The NASA-operated Kennedy Space Center is a must for ambitious astronauts and space-lovers. Hands-on experiences range from live presentations delivered by astronauts to the new Astronaut Training Experience Center. Children aged 10 to 17 can experience spacewalking and exploring Mars.
North York Moors, England
As an International Dark Sky Reserve in the world, this lovely part of Yorkshire, England is host to the UK’s family-friendly National Parks Dark Skies festival. Well timed to the latter part of autumn half term in England, the festival includes bat-box making, evenings with winter birds and moonlit coastal walks.
Pic du Midi, France
There are few observatories where you can observe stars before retiring to a comfortable cabin and watch the sunrise. Getting to the Pic du Midi Observatory is also an adventure by itself, involving a ride on two cable-cars up to a 2,877-meter-high mountain. The guided astronomy sessions help kids discover Saturn (土星) and its rings via powerful telescopes.
Mount Teide, Spain
Home to the largest solar observatory in the world, it sits on Spain’s highest mountain. Ride the cable-car up for a scientist-led tour, which includes the chance to observe the Sun through hand-held solar telescopes. The special family tour includes an attractive 90-minute workshop exploring how observatory physicists carry out their research.
1．Which trip suits the teenagers expecting a face-to-face contact with astronauts?| A．Kennedy Space Center. | B．North York Moors. |
| C．Mount Teide. | D．Pic du Midi. |
| A．Attend live presentations. | B．Observe the rings of Saturn. |
| C．Enjoy the sea view at night. | D．Learn about physicists’ work. |
| A．They accommodate family tourists. |
| B．They include a tour led by scientists. |
| C．They offer free hand-held telescopes. |
| D．They are located on high mountains. |
A two-year-old girl in Newberry County had last been seen at about 3: 00 p. m., but she was missing later in the day. The situation took a
The operators
With the location data in hand, a search team was quickly
The
| A．disappointing | B．hopeful | C．reasonable | D．challenging |
| A．placed | B．received | C．missed | D．answered |
| A．appeared | B．escaped | C．acted | D．arrived |
| A．optionally | B．carefully | C．entirely | D．rapidly |
| A．discoverers | B．rescuers | C．operators | D．survivors |
| A．adapting | B．returning | C．heading | D．pointing |
| A．paid for | B．set up | C．took on | D．led to |
| A．frightening | B．regretful | C．annoying | D．shameful |
| A．shape | B．mind | C．order | D．faith |
| A．risky | B．remarkable | C．traditional | D．joyful |
| A．respect | B．cooperation | C．balance | D．discussion |
| A．blessing | B．kindness | C．concern | D．gratitude |
| A．offering | B．praising | C．advocating | D．assessing |
| A．performance | B．virtue | C．recovery | D．courage |
| A．edited | B．perfected | C．performed | D．celebrated |
Yours,
Li Hua
A group of blue-faced birds step through the grass shoulder to shoulder, red eyes looking around. They look like middle schoolers seeking a cafeteria table at lunchtime. Perhaps they’re not so different.
A new study, led by Damien Farine, an ornithologist who studies collective behaviour, shows that the vulturine guineafowl of eastern Africa, like humans, have multilevel societies. In the past, scientists assumed such social structures required a lot of brainpower. But the pea-brained guineafowl are revealing the faults in that assumption.
These large birds wander across the landscape in packs, often walking so closely that their bodies touch. They may fight each other to maintain their strict hierarchies (等级制度), but at other times they engage in friendly behaviours like sharing food.
Suspecting the guineafowl might have a social structure, Dr. Farine and his colleagues began a thorough study of their society. For a whole year, they made daily observations of 441 birds. Coloured leg bands in unique combinations let researchers tell the black-and-blue birds apart. They also attached GPS devices to the backs of 58 birds, which let them see exactly where every group went, 24 hours a day.
The findings of the research suggest that the vulturine guineafowl have a multilevel society. There are groups within groups within the population as a whole. There even seem to be groups of friends within the small groups. This is the first time anyone has observed such a society in a bird.
And Dr. Farine emphasizes this particular bird’s tiny brain size: “They don’t only have small brains relative to mammals (哺乳动物), they also have quite small brains relative to other birds,” he said.
According to him, living in this kind of society might actually make it easier to keep track of the social order. For example, if groups are stable and a bird can identify just one or two individuals within a group, it knows which group it’s looking at — no need for a brain that can recognize every single animal. Multilevel societies also let animals adjust their group sizes based on whatever challenges they’re facing. Depending on what enemies or resources are around, it might make sense to travel in a combined group rather than a smaller one.
“Having a multilevel structure may not require having a large brain,” Dr. Farine said. There may be more birds and other animals out there that, although small-brained, have societies as many-leveled as our own.
1．According to the passage, what inspired Dr. Farine to carry out the study?| A．The guineafowl’s social behaviour. |
| B．Previous assumptions about birds. |
| C．His interest in animal brainpower. |
| D．The faults in earlier research. |
| A．Complex social systems can be a disadvantage to the guineafowl. |
| B．The guineafowl are good at recognizing individuals in a group. |
| C．Birds maintain social order by travelling in combined groups. |
| D．Small-brained animals can form multilevel societies. |
| A．To present the findings of a study of the guineafowl. |
| B．To explain the interaction patterns in multilevel societies. |
| C．To introduce a new approach to observing the guineafowl. |
| D．To uncover clues about how complex societies are formed. |
At my first class in the Forks High School, Mr. Banner, my English teacher sent me to an empty desk at the back without
The Book Lady
It was Jennifer Williams's mother who got her hooked on books. A librarian, she read to her three children every day. “Not until we went to kindergarten,” Williams told vadogwood.com, a local news site. “Until we went to college.”
When Williams, now 54, became an elementary school teacher and tutor in Danville, Virginia, she wanted her students to fall in love with reading just as she had. But early on, she realized that some kids had limited access to books.
“It’s very obvious to teachers of young children which kids are read to versus kids who are not,” she said. “It’s obvious at the end of the first day of school.” To Williams, the solution was simple: Give kids books. In 2017, as part of a civic event called Engage Danville, she gave away 900 used children’s books over three days. Most people would be satisfied with that.
“I was like, ‘Anybody could do that,’” she said. “I wanted to do something that’s going to stretch my faith, my work ethic, my everything.”
So she set a new goal for herself: Give away one million books. It sounds like an unreachable number, but as Williams posted on Facebook: “Don’t complain in the bleachers if you aren’t willing to work hard out on the field.”
So she got to work, first by roping in friends to donate books or money to buy books. Before long, as news of Williams’s project spread, strangers started leaving piles of books on her front porch. As quickly as the books come in, Williams gives them to local schools — free of charge — and also supplies books to little free libraries around the city of 41,000 just over the North Carolina border. She also hosts a book club for prisoners in the local prison.
In the four years she's been doing all this, the Book Lady, as Williams has come to be known, has given away more than 78,000 books — only 922,000 more to reach her goal! And she’s not slowing down. It’s too important for kids with few options.
“Reading can take you anywhere,” she told CNN. “You can travel in time and space. If you can read, you can learn almost anything.”
1．What made Willian interested in reading?| A．Her children’s hobby. | B．Her mother’s influence. |
| C．A stranger’s encouragement. | D．A teacher's impact. |
| A．To satisfy most people. | B．To celebrate the civic event. |
| C．To help students love reading. | D．To stretch her faith and work ethic. |
| A．By asking her friends to buy books. | B．By attaining books from the prison. |
| C．By getting donation from free libraries. | D．By receiving donated books from strangers. |
| A．helpful and ambitious. | B．respectable and innocent. |
| C．hardworking and adventurous. | D．determined and humorous. |
Volunteer abroad with the UN
Are you ready to become an international UN Volunteer? You can contribute your time, skills and knowledge through volunteering with the UN. This is an opportunity to create a positive impact and be a significant force for achieving peace and development. Make a difference to the lives of many!
Why volunteer with the UN
•International UN Volunteers promote peace and development in communities around the globe, while upholding the ideals and ambitions of the United Nations.
•International UN Volunteers come from 160 countries, representing many cultures and backgrounds. They bring a wide variety of viewpoints and approaches.
•Your international UN Volunteer assignment will make a lasting impact. It can create a ripple effect that extends far beyond the immediate results of your efforts.
•As an international UN Volunteer, you will learn about different cultures, expand your networks, study foreign languages and gain matchless professional and life experiences.
Requirements
•The minimum requirements to serve as an international UN Volunteer are: 25 years old and older (no upper age limit); university degree or higher technical diploma;
•At least two years of relevant work experience in a professional background; good working knowledge of English, Spanish or French;
•Commitment to the values and principles of volunteerism; ability to work in a multicultural environment; willingness to work with people and local organizations;
•Ability to adjust in difficult living conditions and sometimes remote locations; strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
Conditions of Service
•International UN Volunteer assignments generally run for six to 12 months, with the possibility of extending for one to two years.
•Short-term assignments are also requested by our partners from time to time. International UN Volunteers are entitled to certain allowances.
•Allowances are in no way to be understood as a compensation, reward or salary in exchange for the volunteer work.
•The purpose of allowances for volunteers is to enable them to sustain a secure standard of living in their duty stations.
1．As an international UN Volunteer, you can ________.| A．promote peace and development of UN | B．affect UN immediately |
| C．obtain professional experiences | D．teach foreign languages |
| A．be at most 25 years old | B．have international work experience |
| C．hold a university degree in technology | D．adapt to difficult living environment |
| A．Assignments. | B．Allowances. | C．Commitment. | D．Knowledge. |
| A．innovative | B．permanent | C．rare | D．immediate |
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