About 20 years ago, Miles Richardson, a researcher in England, began taking daily walks. He worked long days at a desk, and the walks helped him get up and move. He also wrote down what he noticed outside, from flowers opening to small changes in the weather. In the first year, he wrote more than 50,000 words of notes. “It changed my relationship with nature,” he says. “The same is true for people walking in a big forest or sitting on a park bench.”

A 2025 study in the journal Nature Cities found that spending just 15 minutes outside can make a big difference. “Nature takes your mind off the things you worry about and puts you in the present moment,” says Anne Guerry, one of the study’s authors. The study showed that time in nature made people feel less worried and more positive. Among different green spaces, city forests had the largest effect. Guerry suspects this is because urban forests are free of the noise and pollution common in cities.

Richardson now studies how people feel connected to nature, the idea that paying attention to nature is different from just being outside. His “Three Good Things in Nature” plan asks people to write down three good things they notice outside each day, like a bird singing or the smell of flowers. People who did this exercise for a week reported feeling better, and the effect lasted up to a month.

You don’t need to travel to a national park to feel the benefits. Most people have some green space within a 10-minute walk of home, and even a single tree helps. “Our brains are wired to appreciate nature,” Guerry says. “Seeing a tree, even from a window, is good for your brain.”

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1.1.What did Richardson write down on his walks?    

A Notes about nature around him.

B Plans for his daily work.

C Stories for his grandchildren.

D Numbers from the weather report.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据第一段“He also wrote down what he noticed outside, from flowers opening to small changes in the weather”可知，理查德森把散步时留意到的自然景象（花朵绽放、天气变化）写了下来。故选A。

2.2.According to Anne Guerry, what does nature do for people?

A Keep people awake at night.

B Free people from daily worries.

C Make people stand in the rain.

D Take people away from homes.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第二段Anne Guerry所说的“Nature takes your mind off the things you worry about and puts you in the present moment”可知，大自然能让人们不再纠结烦恼，摆脱日常忧虑。故选B。

3.3.Why does the writer mention “Three Good Things in Nature”?

A To ask people to stay indoors.

B To say walking is a waste of time.

C To show an easy way to enjoy nature.

D To prove that parks are too crowded.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。“自然中的三件好事”是简单可操作的练习，只需要每天留意身边自然，不需要远行。作者举这个例子，是展示一种简单的感受、享受自然的方式。A、B、D与文意不符或原文未提及。故选C。

4.4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?    

A People should travel far to enjoy nature.

B Only big cities have green spaces.

C Nature walks take too much time.

D Even a tree near home can help us.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第四段“Most people have some green space within a 10-minute walk of home, and even a single tree helps”可知，大多数人住处步行10分钟内就有绿地，即便只有一棵树也有帮助，可推断“家附近的一棵树也能帮到我们”。故选D。

5.5.What is the best title for the article?

A Noticing Nature Is Good for Your Health.

B City Forests Are Better Than National Parks.

C Three Good Things Can Change Our Life.

D Walking Is the Best Exercise for Everyone.

解析：选A。A 主旨大意题。全文围绕“留意自然能改善心情、有益健康”展开：理查德森多年的散步记录、15分钟户外研究、“三件好事”练习以及“一棵树也管用”的结论，故A最能概括主旨；B、C均为局部信息，且B项存在不当比较；D与文意不符。故选A。