We tend to look on nature conservation as some kind of favour that human beings are granting to the natural world. The error here is far too deep: not only do humans need nature for themselves, but the very idea that humanity and the natural world are separable things is profoundly damaging.

Human beings are a species of mammals (哺乳动物). For seven million years they lived on the planet as part of nature. Our ancestral selves miss the natural world and long for contact with non-human life. Anyone who has patted a dog, stroked a cat, sat under a tree with a pint of beer, given or received a bunch of flowers or chosen to walk through the park on a nice day, understands that.

We need the wild world. It is essential to our well-being, our health, our happiness. Without the wild world we are not more but less civilised. Without other living things around us we are less than human.

Five ways to find harmony with the natural world

Walk: Break the rhythm of permanently being under a roof. Get off a stop earlier, make a circuit of the park at lunchtime, walk the child to and from school, get a dog, feel yourself moving in moving air, look, listen, absorb.

Sit: Take a moment, every now and then, to be still in an open space. In the garden, anywhere that’s not in the office, anywhere out of the house, away from the routine. Sit under a tree, look at water, feel refreshed, ever so slightly renewed.

Drink: The best way to enjoy the natural world is by yourself; the second best way is in company. Take a drink outside with a good person, a good gathering: talk with the sun and the wind with birdsong for background.

Learn: Expand your boundaries. Learn five species of bird, five butterflies, five trees, five bird songs. That way, you see and hear more: and your mind responds gratefully to the greater amount of wildness in your life.

Travel: The places you always wanted to visit: by the seaside, in the country, in the hills. Take a weekend break, a day-trip, get out there and do it: for the scenery, for the way through the woods, for the birds, for the bees. Go somewhere special and bring specialness home. It lasts forever, after all.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1. What is the author’s profound belief?

[A] People instinctively seek nature in different ways.

[B] People should spend most of their lives in the wild.

[C] People have quite different perceptions of nature.

[D] People must make more efforts to study nature.

2. What does the author say people prefer for their children nowadays?

[A] Personal freedom.

[B] Things that are natural.

[C] Urban surroundings.

[D] Things that are purchased.

3. What does a study in Sweden show?

[A] The natural environment can help children learn better.

[B] More access to nature makes children less likely to fall ill.

[C] A good playground helps kids develop their physical abilities.

[D] Natural views can prevent children from developing ADHD.

4. Children who have chances to explore natural areas ________.

[A] tend to develop a strong love for science

[B] are more likely to fantasise about wildlife

[C] tend to be physically tougher in adulthood

[D] are less likely to be involved in bullying

5. What does the author suggest we do to help children with ADHD?

[A] Find more effective drugs for them.

[B] Provide more green spaces for them.

[C] Place them under more personal care.

[D] Engage them in more meaningful activities.

6. In what way do elderly people benefit from their contact with nature?

[A] They look on life optimistically. [C] They are able to live longer.

[B] They enjoy a life of better quality. [D] They become good-humoured.

7. Dr William Bird suggests in his study that ________.

[A] humanity and nature are complementary to each other

[B] wild places may induce impulsive behaviour in people

[C] access to nature contributes to the reduction of violence

[D] it takes a long time to restore nature once damaged

8. It is extremely harmful to think that humanity and the natural world can be________________________.

9. The author believes that we would not be so civilised without ________________________.

10. The five suggestions the author gives at the end of the passage are meant to encourage people to seek _________________ with the natural world.