What will our future look like? People have always been wondering about this question. Go on reading this text and you will know what will happen in the next fifty years.

    How can we know what the future will look like? To be able to understand the future, you must know the past. What has taken us to where we are today and what has changed along the way? The world has changed a lot in the last 150 years, but we humans are driven by the same basic needs as we were 150 years ago. Will this change in the next 150 years? No.

    What inventions have really made a difference in the last 150 years? In the past years, the inventions that have affected most people around the world for everyday living are the telephone, electricity, radio, television, computer, the car and the ability to communicate through the Internet. Then we of course have a lot of inventions that have made life easier, like new medicine, faster transports etc. In general, human beings have been working hard in the last 150 years to make the inventions so that they will be able to get control of the time and the world. Since there is still much to do in this area, this will be the focus at least for the next 150 years.

    Why do we need to predict the future? Predicting the future is important for two reasons: first we need to start to think about what kind of what kind of future we would like for ourselves and to pass on to the next generation, and then we need to know what decisions we need to make today that will give the best result in the future.

    The health of millions could be at risk because supplies of medicinal plants are being used up. These plants are used to make traditional medicine, including drugs to fight cancer. “The loss of medicinal plants is a quiet disaster,” says Sara Oldfield, secretary general of the NGO Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

    Most people worldwide rely on herbal (药草制的) medicines which are got mostly from wild plants. But some 15,000 of the 50,000 medicinal species are under threat of dying out, according to report from the international conservation group Plantlife. Shortages have been reported in China, India, Kenya, Nepal, Tanzania and Uganda.

    Over-harvesting does the most harm, though pollution and competition from invasive species (入侵物种) and habitat destruction all contribute. Businessmen generally harvest medicinal plants, not caring about sustainability (可持续性),” the Plantlife report says, “damage is serious partly because they have no idea about it, but it is mainly because such collection is unorganized”. Medicinal trees at risk include the Himalayan yew (紫衫) and the African cherry, which are used to treat some cancers.

    The solution, says the report's author, Alan Hamilton, is to encourage local people to protect these plants. Ten projects studied by Plantlife in India, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Uganda and Kenya showed this method can succeed. In Uganda, the project has kept a sustainable supply of low-cost cancer treatments, and in China a public-run medicinal plant project has been created for the first time.”

    “Improving health, earning an income and keeping cultural traditions are important in encouraging people to protect medicinal plants,” says Hamilton, “You have to pay attention to what people are interested in.”

Ghillean Prance, the former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, agrees that medicinal plants are in need of protection. “Not nearly enough is being done,” he told New Scientist. “We are destroying the very plants that are of most use to us.”

    That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theatre. With opening night only a week ago, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.

    As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.

    About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.

    Suddenly I wasn't cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I'd heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found. Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck(垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, "Alisa Camacho?" I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eye. "Is this what you're looking for?" he asked, holding up a small square shape.

    It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn't get much sleep that night, but I had gotten my wallet back. I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn't be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.

    The Environmental Film Festival has become one of the world's grandest supporters of the environmental film. To offer fresh views on global environmental issues, this year's festival will include a record of 190 films from 50 countries. including 110 premieres(首映). Here are just a few of the highlights.

⒈Hot Water

    Featured among the festival's opening night films is the highly expected "Hot Water, " a look 2 the depressing destructive effects of uranium铀) mining in the American West. Former US. Rep Denis Kucinich. who ran for president in 2004 and 2008, is featured in the film, along with filmmakers Elizabeth Kucinich and Lizabeth Rogers Directed by Kevin Flint and

⒉To the Wonder

    To the Wonder is the latest film by will-known American Director Trrence Malick. The film, "an exploration of love set against the power of nature," stars Ben Aleck, Olga Kurylenko. Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem The film premiered in competition at the 2012 Venice Film Festival and is making is Washington D.C premiere during the festival.

⒊Revolution

    This Washington D.C. premiere presents the Canadian filmmaker and environmental activist, Rob Stewart's new work, "Revolution" an urging cry to today's youth to change the planet before it's too late. The award-winning documentary takes Stewart through 15 countries over four years, in an effort to find the secret to save the ecosystems we rely on for survival.

⒋The Fifth Season

    Beautiful and mystery, Jessica Woodworth's latest feature, "The Fifth Season", is a poetic meditation (EA) on nature in battle against humans." The dramatic narrative takes place in Belgium's secret Ardennes, where the locals rely on the land, but nature takes a turn and seems to go on mysterious strike, In French and Flemish with English subtitles. Directed and produced by Woodworth and Peter Brosens.

    For 63 percent of Americans, coffee is one of their daily essentials. This number has been this high since 2017, according to the National Coffee Association. The rise of coffee is due to its numerous benefits like preventing DNA damage, but it works best if you do this simple thing first: Eat.

    "Drinking coffee on an empty stomach, or early in the morning before you've had breakfast, can raise the level of cortisol (皮质醇) in your body. From the moment you open your eyes in the morning, your body starts releasing cortisol. It's a hormone (激素) that's responsible for ruling your immune response, metabolism (新陈代谢), and stress response," says Dr. Nikola Djordjevic, MD.

    "If you pump your body with caffeine(咖啡因) when your cortisol is at its peak," Djordjevic says, "you'll be forcing your body to bear even more stress." In a study that evaluated preference for caffeinated drinks among medical students, it's shown that 25 percent of students drank coffee in the morning on an empty stomach.

    These students are at an increased risk of mood changes and possible long-term effects on their health, as explained in the study. "Drinking coffee on an empty stomach can greatly encourage the acid in your stomach, producing a more acidic environment," says Dr. Jamie Long, a licensed clinical psychologist. Thus, a full stomach is important to control the amount of stomach acid produced.

    Since coffee increases your stomach acid, you're highly likely to experience heartburn and even develop gastric ulcers (胃溃疡), Djordjevic says. Clearly, drinking coffee on an empty stomach affects physical health. But it does harm to mental health, too. The overproduction of acid in the stomach can cause mood swings, nervousness, shaking and other withdrawal symptoms (症状). "And if you've already had the sign of experiencing anxiety, you're even more possible to be attacked by the effects of coffee," says Long.

    Base line: Know your limits so you can fully experience what coffee can offer, because here's exactly what happens to your body when you drink coffee daily.

Hannah Ray J was introduced to river surfing after noticing a surfer in the middle of a river in I owa by chance. This arouse a passion that has since defined her life. River surfing, once an exciting activity, is now gaining public attention in the Midwest as an exciting outdoor sport. 

New Whitewater parks and surfing areas are being developed across the region, such as in Nebraska and Iowa, with plans to attract thousands of visitors, boosting local economies. Badfish SUP, a Colorado- based company, reports a significant rise in river surfboard sales since the pandemic(疫情) began. They've even named a board" Wave Farmer" in honor of those living near these new recreation spots. 

The constant waves in rivers, unlike the ocean, allow surfers to practice constantly. Technological advancements have helped transform river surfing from a rare to a mainstream activity. The growing interest is evident in the number of cars at the WOKA Whitewater park in Oklahoma, exceeding expectations. 

WOKA offers rent gear(齿轮) and live webcams(摄像头) to check wave conditions. The community support for such activities is also noticeable, with businesses related to Whitewater activities expanding into the area. Other cities are looking to reproduce these successes with plans for Whitewater parks on their rivers. 

However, challenges remain, including water quality issues, variable river flows, and safety risks associated with fast- moving water. Despite these barriers, river surfing looks set to continue its rise in popularity, offering both thrills and economic opportunities for many communities.