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.
The Future For Nature aims to:
·Reward and fund individuals for their outstanding efforts in the protection of species of wild animals and plants.
·Stimulate award winners to sustain their dedicated work.
·Help winners to raise their profile, extend their professional network and strengthen their funding basis.
Benefits
·The winners each receive 50,000 euros and may make their own decision to spend the money in the service of nature conservation.
·FFN offers the winners a platform and brings their stories to the attention of conservationists, financiers and a wide audience, allowing them to increase their impact and gain more access to funds.
·FFN is building a growing family of winners, dedicated people who form a community of people with the same interest. FFN offers them the opportunity to meet each other and continue to learn with each other in order to continue their fight for nature as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Qualifications
The candidate：
·Must be born on or after the 31st May 1988 and before the 31st May 2005.
·Is able to explain his/her conservation work in fluent English (written and spoken).
·Has achieved substantial and long-term benefits to the conservation status of one or more animal or plant species.
·Must be determined to continue his/her conservation work, as the award aims to stimulate the winner's future work. It is not an "end of career" prize.
Additional Remarks
For the 2023 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 through the Apply Now link.
Application Deadline: May 1st, 2023.
Born with severe hearing loss, Li has found her way to communicate with the world—through painting.
Before learning to paint, Li always felt lonely in a silent world. She knew she was different from her peers because she could not hear. But a painting class in primary school opened for her a door to creativity and a way of expression.
"I still remember my first mural, which was to help a kindergarten to design and paint its wall," Li says. "The project made me realize how happy I was immersing myself into painting."
To pursue her passion for art, Li went to study advertising design at a vocational and technical school. "Painting brushes can help me create a colorful world in my imagination, telling my thoughts on paper, instead of through voices," Li said.
Graduating from college in 2005, Li got a job as a typist at a public institute. But she could not communicate well with her other colleagues. Her husband understood how she felt because he lost his hearing due to medication when he was 1 year old. He is also an art lover. In March 2016, under her husband's suggestion, Li quit her job and joined her husband's company, which specializes in 3D wall and ground paintings.
Wall painting is a demanding job because it requires people to work outdoors, whether in extremely cold or hot weather. As all the people are hearing-impaired in their company, communication with clients is the most common challenge that the team faces.
Now in many parks and scenic spots, the couple have created large-scale murals and interactive pavement painting that make onlookers a part of the drawings.
"My husband and I want to introduce painting to more people like us and help them find their own way to make a living," Li says. Now Li has an apprentice who just graduated from college. While coaching the newcomer, Li is exploring her own style and hopes to become an illustrator and open her own exhibition one day.
"They're energetic young people with a passion to create new things, and you can feel that in their paintings," one of their clients said. "They're also a professional, dedicated team, often working late into the night on the designs for us."
Li hopes that their stories can encourage more hearing-impaired people to build their own careers and achieve their goals, regardless of how tough it may be.
When special occasions such as birthdays or other big holiday events come around, parents often look for that special toy for their children. But there is a growing understanding that gifts of time and bonding, such as vacations and other experiences, make better and more lasting gifts for children.
Experts agree that gifting children with memorable trips and fun experiences is better for their body and mind, and has corresponding positive impacts on the rest of the family!
In a 2017 study that surveyed about 500 women between 18 and 93 years old
Dr. Oravecz, a human development and family studies professor at Pennsylvania State University, asked, "Most people feel loved when…" The study showed that the most popular answers had nothing to do with any material item. Dr. Oravecz said, "Our research found that micro-moments of positivity, like a kind word, a hug with a child or a sympathetic expression, make people feel most loved."
Clinical psychologist Oliver James agrees. He stated that as opposed to toys, details from a trip are more likely to "stick with them for long after the vacation ends." When families interact in a stress-free environment, this creates warm, generous feelings towards one another, which are likely to be remembered with fondness. Vacations create strong emotional responses that don't often come with material possessions.
In addition, British child psychologist Dr. Margot Sunderland believes that vacations make children smarter. "What is less widely known is that vacations can also advance brain development in children. This is because on a family vacation, you are exercising two genetically ingrained systems deep in the brain's limbic (边缘的) area, which can all too easily be 'unexercised' in the home." Citing the work of neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, Dr. Sunderland said, "These are the PLAY system and the SEEKING system. " "The brain's PLAY system is exercised every time you bury your child's feet in the sand or take them for a ride on your back. The SEEKING system is exercised each time you go exploring together: the beach, a cave, a hidden village…" She continued, "So when you take your child on a vacation, you are supporting their explorative urge (SEEKING system)—a vital resource for living life well, and their capacity to play (PLAY system). In adulthood, this translates into the ability to play with ideas—essential, for example, to the successful entrepreneur(企业家). "
In a busy household, perhaps the fun of having the latest toy may not last, but the space it occupies in the house could be there and gather dust. So for the next round of gift-giving with the children, consider an experiential gift instead. The return is definitely priceless.
Take a look at that tree in the local park. What might it be feeling? Could it be thinking? Experiments are exploring the idea of plant cognition, even going so far as to suggest they possess some form of consciousness.
As wild as it sounds, it isn't a new idea. The field of "plant neurobiology (神经生物学)" began in 2006, aimed at understanding how plants process information from their environment.
It is now clear that plants are capable of complex communication and can sense their surroundings, which were originally dismissed. But advocates of plant consciousness take things further and draw parallels between the electrical signaling that can be found from root to stem and that present in the nervous system of animals. They claim to show that plants are capable of intentionally choosing to perform certain behaviors, of learning and perhaps even having personalities. If plants are experiencing a conscious inner world, they argue, it becomes vital that we find ways to test and understand it.
Extending the concept of cognition to plants would mean a significant shift in our view of the uniqueness of humanity, not to mention how we treat our botanical friends, so the bar of acceptance is high. Researchers rising to the challenge are hoping to explore plants with tools usually reserved for the human brain.
The research can appear persuasive, but it is in its early stage and suffers from repeated failure. Critics say the field is a high guess and that the behaviour can be explained through inborn response.
Whether we decide that plants have cognition may come down to our ability to describe consciousness itself-something we are far from doing. But rather than dismiss the idea, we should welcome the chance to think up new ways to test our understanding of consciousness. It might just improve our grasp of the human mind. At the very least, our trees and plants should benefit from the extra attention—consciously or not.
Conscious (有意识的) living is not just a trend. It is about being intentional with everything you do — your words, actions, beliefs, habits, and choices. Accepting conscious living takes some effort, but it is worthwhile. Here are some ways you can achieve this goal.
●Be conscious about your time.
Time is the most precious thing because there is no way to live a moment again. If you waste your precious hours doing negative things, you will regret it later. The first step for living consciously is to be wise about your time. Be selective about things you spend it on, and allocate (分配) it for positive activities.
●
You cannot achieve them unless you understand your needs and intentions. It is easier said than done because most people fail to make an effort to know themselves. Spend time thinking over and knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Once you know yourself better, you can create a plan to work towards becoming more patient, honest, and forgiving.
●Learn to be grateful.
Gratitude takes you a long way towards conscious living. It opens you up to a happier and a fulfilled mindset. Most people are unhappy because they see only the negatives in life. However, everyone has something to be grateful for. Writing a gratitude journal is a good start for counting your blessings.
●Believe in yourself.
It is the key to making the right choices, yet not regretting the wrong ones. Spending time alone and thinking deeply are effective measures that enable you to identify the inner voice. Care for it and follow it to make it stronger down the line.
Conscious living is a skill you need to learn as you go, so be willing to make the effort and master it. You will absorb it soon and be a happier person in the long run.
A. Know yourself better.
B. Accept the person you are.
C. Life can be a lot better with the right decisions.
D. It is a healthy choice that enables you to be happy.
E. Pick it as a daily habit, and you will notice the difference.
F. The way you spend your time determines the course of your life.
G. The best way to build self-belief is by reflecting on your own thoughts.
People are looking to make meaning these days, after the profound upheaval of the past few years. And one way that some of us do this is by looking for guidance or comfort in 1, the unexpected concurrence of events.
After Carla Kaufman Sloan lost her 2 son in an accident eight years ago, when he was 7, she began noticing heart shapes, often when she felt 3. It started the first time she took her younger son back to a restaurant 4 by both her boys. As she walked in, trying not to5, she saw a heart-shaped 6.
"I showed it to my son, who 7 it was from his brother," says Ms. Kaufman Sloan, who is a TV producer and writer in Miami. 8, she began noticing more heart 9, not only in leaves, but also puddles, rocks and clouds. On a beach in Mexico, she 10 at a pile of seaweed and discovered a red plastic heart. 11 it up, she saw that it was from a toy 12 the one that had helped her son learn about shapes 13 he was a baby. She took the plastic heart 14 -- and found it fits 15 into a slot (狭槽) in her son's old toy. What a coincidence! "It helps to16 there is more to our daily lives than the surface," she says.
Paying attention to coincidences may help us, especially 17 stress, and can aid us in making decisions, calm us in 18 and help us feel more connected to others and 19. Studies show that noticing coincidences may help boost both the 20 of psychotherapy (心理疗法) and mental well-being.
Penicillin (青霉素) is widely considered(be) one of the most important medical discoveries in history, but it was not what Alexander Fleming was looking for when he found itSeptember 1928.
Fleming,scientist from Scotland, returned to his laboratory after a holiday and found some mould (霉菌) on one of his (plate) of bacteria (细菌). He observed that the bacteria (surround) the mould were dead. Surprised by this, Fleming performed some tests. The results indicated that something produced by the mould had killed the bacteria. He was (whole) aware that it could be very (use) for treating wounds.
For more than 10 years, Fleming had been researching penicillin and trying to make into an effective medicine. Finally, his work caught the attention of some other scientists were able to do it. Since its mass production began in the1940s, penicillin (save) millions of lives.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Hello, everyone. It's nice to speak about that we can do for our school, and I think small actions can make big difference. The first thing we can do is to make our campus more beautifully. Every one of them may plant a tree in the school or to organize a thorough cleaning on the campus. We can also form a good habit of putting rubbishes into trashcans. Never forget to turn off the lights and close the doors. We should not leave the tap water run or waste any materials in the laboratory class. In that case, I believe we'll turn our school in a better place to study and live in. How I wish we can enjoy a better school life!
Thank you for listening!
内容包括：
1）活动意义；
2）体育周的具体安排；
3）号召参加。
注意：
1）词数100左右；
2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯
Dear fellow students,
……
The Students Union
