奇速英语

“鸟人”沈尤：投身观鸟与自然保护领域近20年

Shen You, 47, is a bird-watcher in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. He says his pastime(消遣) has turned him into a lifelong learner.

Shen was a student in Chengdu University from 1997 to 2001. During the trips for summer social activities, he traveled to places like Dujiangyan and the Ruoergai Grassland. He became interested in nature and later began to learn about identifying(辨认) different kinds of birds. Three years after graduation, Shen founded the Chengdu Bird Watching Society. Nowadays, more people are joining it.

Now bird-watching still brings Shen something new every day. After he wakes up at around 5:30 am, he is happy to hear the sound of birds singing outside his window. Before breakfast, he goes out for a morning walk, during which he studies the environment or looks up to search for birds. “Nature is just around,” he says. “It helps me relax.”

Shen thinks it’s important to develop people’s interest in bird-watching and their love for nature when they’re young. When his son, Shen Yizhi, was a young child, he started to take him out to get closer to nature. Yizhi is now a middle school student. Being the son of a bird-watching couple, he has far more chances for nature education than many of his peers(同龄人). Shen says nature activities make it possible for children to breathe in fresh air, keep fit, develop an eye for beauty and get knowledge while having fun.