1. strange (adj)
unusual and unexpected, or difficult to understand
2. sound (v)
to seem like something, from what is said or written
3. launched (v)
to begin something such as a plan or introduce something new such as a product
4. campaign (n)
a planned group of especially political, business, or military activities that are intended to achieve a particular aim
5. advice (n)
an opinion that someone offers you about what you should do or how you should act in a particular situation
6. requires (v)
to need something or make something necessary
7. therapy (n)
a treatment that helps someone feel better, grow stronger, etc., especially after an illness
8. woods (n)
an area of land covered with a thick growth of trees
Feeling Sad? Hug a Tree!
To stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic, we have had to sacrifice many things we enjoy, including physical contact with others. Gone are handshakes, kisses and hugs.
Research has shown that humans need physical touch to stay mentally and physically healthy. Without it, many become lonely, sad and even sick. So, if you feel you need a hug, we know something you can safely put your arms around and hold close: A tree!
Tree hugging may sound a little strange. But humans have practiced forms of nature therapy for years.
The Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku is an example. Shinrin means forest in Japanese, and yoku is the Japanese word for bath. But no soap or water is needed for shinrin-yoku. All that nature bathing requires is spending time in nature: listening to its sounds, breathing in its scent, connecting to its life force.
Recently, Israel has been promoting tree hugging on social media. The country’s nature and parks agency is behind the public health campaign. The park is about 15 kilometers north of Tel Aviv. Inside the park, some visitors observed the official’s advice and hugged trees.
Israel’s tree-hugging campaign is not the first of the pandemic. Iceland’s Forest Service launched a similar effort in April. They advised everyone in the country to hug a tree for at least five minutes every day.
The Reuters news agency shared a short video showing people in Iceland hugging trees in the forest. Park officials also cleared paths in the woods so that visitors could socially distance while they searched for that special tree.
“There are plenty of trees,” said a forest worker in the video, “no need for everyone to hug the same tree.”
Resource: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/feeling-sad-hug-a-tree-/5511752.html
- How important are trees to you?
- How worried are you about the loss of Earth’s trees?
- What can we do to grow more trees?
“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.”
Chris Maser