You are standing in a beautiful forest inJapan. The airis clean and smells like plants and flowers.There are 175 different kinds oftrees, and 60 kinds of birds live here. (46) You are down-town in the city of Nara,Japan,in Kasugayama Forest, the oldest forest in theworld. It wasstarted more than a thousand years ago, and today it's verypopular with tourists and artists.
Citiesaround the world are working to protect their forests. Some forestsare parks, andsome are just streets with a lot of trees. But all forestshave many good effects on the environment. (47) They also stop the noisefrom heavy traffic. They even make the weather better because theymake the air3-5 degrees cooler, and they stop strong winds.
forests also have many good effects on people. They make the city morebeautiful. In a crowded ar-ea, they give people a place to relax and spend timein nature. (48)
In somecountries, people are starting new forests. InEngland,there are now l. 3 milliontrees in an forest called Thames Chase, east ofLondon. It wasstarted in 1990, and it has grownvery fast. Walking and bicycle clubs use theforest, and there are programs for children and artists. (49)
Someolder cities don't have space for a big forest, but planting trees on thestreets makesthe city better. Scientists found that commuters (通勤人员) feel more relaxedwhen they can see trees.Trees are even good for business. _ (50)In the future, forests willbecome even moreimportant as our cities grow bigger. In the megacities (超大城市) of tomorrow, peoplewill need moregreen space to live a comfortable life. Planting trees today willmake our lives better in the future.