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When I was a child, I often saw my Grandma throwing bread that was no longer fresh to birds. Not surprisingly, this attracted few birds. Later on, we discovered bird food at the local store. Feeding garden birds in the UK has come a long way since then. Today, the birds can enjoy many kinds of food: from plant seeds to sunflower hearts and from cakes to meat balls. All this comes at a huge cost. Sometimes, I wonder if we might be feeding our garden birds better than our kids. But maybe it's worth it. Our generosity is having an important effect on the behavior and even evolution of these birds.
Take the goldfinch for example. In the 1960s, this was a rare bird. Today, goldfinches can be seen in many gardens. Other new visitors include the spotted woodpecker, which has left its usual woodland for food on bird tables. Evolution is meant to progress slowly: over thousands of years. Yet during the past few decades, the beaks of many kinds of birds have become longer because birds with longer beaks can get more food, and then are more likely to live on.
Actually, the British habit of feeding garden birds goes back much further. During the sixth century, St Serf of Fife fed a robin in his garden; during the winter of 1890, workers in London were seen giving their lunches to songbirds. The real change took place in the 1980s, when a few farsighted businessmen realized that encouraging the British to be more generous to garden birds can help them make money. Therefore, various kinds of bird food and modern bird feeders were produced. As a result, the number of species using garden feeding stations increased very quickly, from about 10 to over 100. Then, in 2005, Springwatch came, which turned our love of garden birds into an entertainment show.
Is bird feeding completely good for birds? Not everyone thinks so. Studies by the Zoological Society of London have shown that by bringing together many birds, bird feeders may help the spread of disease. In Australia, some bird experts believe—probably wrongly—that bird feeding creates a "dependence culture".
But we shouldn't forget one major benefit of feeding garden birds—it connects millions of people to the natural world. This is especially important for people who seldom reach the wider countryside. As I write this, there comes some noise outside my window: several birds were singing and flying around in my garden. It's a sight I could only imagine years ago, when feeding garden birds just meant throwing hard bread to them.
In the year I was about twelve years old, my mother told us that we would not be1Christmas gifts for short of money. I felt sad and thought, "What would I say when the other kids asked what I'd2?" Just when I started to accept that there would not be a Christmas gift that year, then three women3at our house with gifts for all of us. For me they brought a doll. I would no longer have to feel4when I returned to school.
Years later, when I stood in the kitchen of my new house, thinking how I wanted to make my5Christmas there special and memorable, I6remembered the women's visit. I decided that I wanted to create that same feeling of7for as many children as I could possibly8.
So I9a plan and gathered forty people from my company to help. We gathered about 125 orphans (孤儿) at the Christmas party. For every child, we wrapped colorful packages filled with toys, clothes, and school supplies, each with a child's name. We wanted all of them to know they were10. Before I called out their names and handed them their gifts, I11them that they couldn't open their presents until every child had come forward. Finally, the12they had been waiting for came as I called out,"One, two, three. Open your presents!" As the children opened their packages, their faces beamed and their bright smiles13up the room. The14in the room was obvious, and it wasn't just about toys. It was a feeling—the feeling I knew from the Christmas so long ago when the women came to visit. I wasn't forgotten. Somebody thought of me. I 15.
Every kid wishes to be an adult. Do you remember playing house as a child—pretending to be a grown-up like your parents? Did you imagine you were a doctor, a soldier or a teacher? At that time, anything seemed more exciting than being young. But now some grown-ups become "kidults" (kid+adult), who participate in the culture and activities traditionally intended for children.
Some kidults collect toys they once played with. It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Snoopy-shaped cushion (坐垫) on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory (配件).
For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!
"Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, childlike emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together. He may be right.
Tim Greenhalgh, a professor in London, explained that some kidults just refused to grow up. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood. "So, they can escape from increasingly complex and stressful lives that are hard to deal with," Greenhalgh said.
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A. They find they cannot leave childhood behind. B. Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales. C. Kidults often run into the problem of finding a job at their level. D. They do so because the life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. E. Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. F. He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids. G. They may not be great parents as well as able to take on adult responsibilities. |
