The Eco-Chef

Many restaurants waste huge amounts of food and consume large amounts of

energy. In addition, most restaurants are usually more concerned with making a

profit than they are with protecting the environment. Nowadays, however,

consumers are starting to prefer companies and businesses that are kinder to the

earth. ( 21 ), Arthur Potts Dawson, a British chef and businessman, has

started to make changes to the way that the food industry works.

Potts Dawson developed his love and respect for food and nature when he

spent his childhood summers on a farm with his father, where he learned about

raising sheep and growing crops. He started training as a chef at the age of 16,

and later worked at several popular restaurants. However, it was not until he

opened his first restaurant that he realized that avoiding food waste ( 22 ).

First, it helped his business by saving money, and second, it was better for the

environment.

Later, Potts Dawson decided to open Acorn House, London’s first

environmentally sustainable restaurant. There, leftover food was used to make

fertilizer. The fertilizer was then used to help grow the plants in the restaurant’s

rooftop garden, which produced many of the vegetables served in the restaurant.

Acorn House also recycled all of its waste that was not food and trained local

youth to be “eco-chefs.” The restaurant was a success, and other restaurants have

begun to ( 23 ). Indeed, as more consumers are attracted to green

businesses, it is likely that the number of “eco-restaurants” will continue to

increase in the future.

Smart Driving

Most new cars use much less gasoline than they did 20 years ago.

Additionally, hybrid cars, which run on both gasoline and electricity, are

becoming more common. Naturally, these vehicles create less air pollution than

older cars. However, even people who drive older cars can still do a lot to reduce

( 24 ). In fact, one of the best actions drivers can take is simply to change

the way they drive.

For instance, research has shown that driving at 90 kilometers per hour uses

25 percent less gasoline than driving at 110 kilometers per hour. Just by driving

more slowly, far less fuel is used per kilometer. ( 25 ), cars use a lot of

energy when increasing speed quickly. For this reason, it is recommended that

drivers try to move at a constant speed whenever possible and also change speeds

more slowly.

Researchers have found that when drivers used these and other techniques,

such as letting the car slow down naturally instead of using the brakes, 30 percent

less gasoline was used. In fact, some people have turned this activity of efficient

driving into a hobby, called “hypermiling.” They drive ordinary cars as far as they

can while ( 26 ) as possible. The best hypermilers can drive a car for

hundreds of kilometers on just a few liters of fuel. While most people will not

reach that level of efficiency, everyone who drives can start saving gasoline

without having to buy a new car.

From: Thomas Snyder <t.snyder@flashweb.net>

To: Brenda Nixon <brenda-nixon@amail.net>

Date: January 19

Subject: Internet service

Dear Ms. Nixon,

Thanks for letting us at FlashWeb know that you will be moving next month. We are

happy to hear that you wish to continue using FlashWeb at your new apartment, and

I am writing you today to help you with making changes to your service. We will

easily be able to move your service to your new place, as well as offer you some

special upgrades and free services.

First, it looks like faster Internet service is available in your new neighborhood. Right

now you have the FlashWeb25 service, which only has Internet speeds of up to 25

Mbps. This is the fastest in your current neighborhood. However, when you move to

Clairton, you can upgrade to the FlashWeb100, which is 100 Mbps and includes free

telephone service. The price difference is only $5 more per month, and the first

three months are free.

Also, we will need to schedule a day and time for one of our staff to come and set

up the Internet service in your new place. Before the end of this month, set up the

appointment on our website or call us at 1-800-555-8989. When you make

arrangements to set up the new service, you will also have the chance to tell us if

you want to make the upgrade to FlashWeb100. Thanks for using FlashWeb!

Sincerely,

Tom Snyder

FlashWeb Customer Service

Bibliotherapy

The word “bibliotherapy” means reading books with the goal of treating mental

problems. The idea that books are good for the mind has existed since ancient times, and in modern times, too, some doctors have emphasized the importance of reading for mental health. Recently, however, using reading to treat illnesses has started to be researched more carefully. Medical experts say that they have found strong evidence that reading can be as effective as other forms of treatment.

One discovery has been that any kind of reading can be good for people with stress.

David Lewis, a psychologist in the United Kingdom, tested the effect of reading on the

body. He found that reading silently for six minutes slowed down the rate at which the

heart beats and helped the muscles relax. Indeed, Lewis learned that reading can reduce stress levels by more than 60 percent. This is much more effective than other methods of reducing stress, such as listening to music.

Another important aspect of bibliotherapy is the content of the books being read. In

2013, the British government started a program called Books on Prescription. In this

program, doctors recommend books to patients to help them with their problems. The books give advice on how to deal with problems such as being unable to sleep or feeling anxious. Research has shown that getting patients to read about their problems in this way is just as effective as other, more expensive kinds of treatment. The British program has now been adopted by a number of other countries.

A different kind of bibliotherapy uses novels and literature to help people deal with

mental problems. When a reader reads a novel, he or she will often experience the same emotions as characters in the novel. This experience can teach them to see their own problems more clearly. This has been found to help people deal with many different kinds of mental problems. Now, one service has started in London which provides people with a list of novels specially chosen to help with their particular problem. Experts say that bibliotherapy is likely to become more common in the future.

Bringing Back Ancient Plants

Humans have always been curious about what Earth was like thousands of years

ago. To learn more about the plants and animals that lived during that time, scientists

examine their fossils or other remains. In recent years, genetics, and in particular the

study of DNA, has become an important tool for these scientists. Some people even

dream of bringing ancient creatures such as dinosaurs back to life. Although no animals have been brought back yet, scientists have managed to grow a number of ancient plants from seeds. By far the oldest of these plants is a 32,000-year-old plant that has been grown again by Russian scientists.

The plant is a flower called Silene stenophylla, which used to grow in Siberia in

eastern Russia. The scientists discovered seeds and fruits of the plant buried deep below the ground. They believe the seeds and fruits were put there by an ancient animal which stored them to eat during the winter. The seeds that the scientists found failed to grow because they were damaged. However, the scientists were able to take genetic material from the fruit to grow a new plant. Then, this plant produced new seeds which the scientists were able to use to grow more plants.

A modern relative of the original flower still grows in Siberia, but when the ancient

flower was grown, it had some important differences from the modern flower. The petals on the ancient flower were much longer and also spaced further apart. Studying the ancient flower will allow the scientists to learn more about how plants have evolved.

Before this, the oldest seed to have been grown was from a 2,000-year-old tree in

Israel. The Russian scientists believe the reason why the Siberian seeds were preserved for so long is that they were buried in permanently frozen earth, which protected the genetic information in the seeds. The scientists believe that the permanently frozen soil in Siberia contains many other ancient seeds, so they may be able to bring back even older plants. This will help them better understand the history of plants and how they have changed over time.