Recently actor Adrien Grenier has launched(发动)a campaign to reduce the amount of single-use plastic usage in order to protect and save marine (海洋的)wildlife and the environment. Plastic drinking straws are among many single-use plastic products contributing to the great loss of marine life, but they're a great place to start because they're something that are used by millions of Americans who are unaware that they're so damaging.

    Americans use more than 500 million straws daily, which is enough to fill 127 school buses each day and they can't be recycled. That means plastic straws might end up in oceans, where fish and other marine wildlife mistake the small bits for food and swallow them. After seeing a photo of a beached whale with a belly full of plastic, Grenier felt the inspiration to launch the Lonely Whale Foundation, hoping to inspire and educate others on the challenges faced by marine wildlife.

    Along with stopping the use of straws, Grenier hopes to educate consumer on the dangers of other single-use plastic items such as grocery bags and water bottles. While many Americans use these plastic products in their daily life, there are many alternatives that can help protect the environment such as straws made from stainless steel, glass, and even bamboo instead of plastic.

    In addition to quitting your straw habit, you can further help the environment by taking the I Choose to Reuse commitment, and stop your use of single-use coffee cups, checkout bags and bottled water. Instead, take advantage of any number of alternative reusable products.

    Need another reason to stop drinking from straws? Grenier also says using straws can cause wrinkles!

    I've seen a couple of the other Fast Furious films but this one is definitely best. Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel), Brian O' Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) are planning to steal $100 million from businessman Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). At the same time, agent (联邦特工) Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is chasing after them. The story's pretty fast-moving and the car chase at the end is amazing.

—Derek

    Well, if I'd known it was an action film, I wouldn't have gone to see it. I mean, I can't stand action films. And I'll tell you another thing – I can't stand Vin Diesel. I mean he can't act to save his life. The film would have been much better with someone like Mau Damon or George Clooney. The only good thing about it was the soundtrack (电影配乐) which was pretty good. And I won't be going to see any other Fast & Furious movies either!

—Zoe

    Well it started off all right, but the romance between Mia and Brian was a bit inadequate (不足的) and the whole thing lost its way. It was as if the director couldn't decide whether he was making a thriller, an action movie or a romantic comedy (喜剧), so he ended up making none of them.

—Mario

    It was amazing! I can't believe it was really over two hours long. It just flashed by. The direction was superb； Justin did a really good job. And the acting was great. I know Vin Diesel isn't going to win an Oscar or anything like that but he's good at what he does. And the plot! I laughed out loud quite a few times. The funny thing is, I wouldn^'t have bothered seeing it if my friend hadn't suggested going.

—Megan

    A Song of Ice and Fire is a seven-part series of fantasy written for adults. George R. R. Martin writes each chapter from the perspective of a specific character, providing a limited point of view for each section. The reader is able to understand the inner workings of the individual, but the reader is barred from a whole understanding of the text. The world he has created has magic, but there is much more than that. While magic exists, it exists on the edge, and the inner unrest of the characters is much more important.

    His work also has a level of realness that is astonishing in a work of fantasy. Characters are imperfect, and many make questionable moral choices. In the end, however, Martin shows that both good and bad happen to both the people of high moral standard and the corrupt. He has made it clear that any character can die at any point, which has led to a lot of heartbreak from readers.

    In 2011, A Song of Ice and Fire became a television series titled Game of Thrones. Martin has been closely involved with the production. It has currently run for seven seasons, and viewers anxiously await the eighth season to answer their questions from the season seven finale.

    His fans are also waiting for The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, the next books in the series, to answer the questions Martin and the television show have not yet addressed. Martin, however, has no plans to rush. He has made it clear that he will continue to write the books while working on the television show and writing other novels.

    But how will the story continue? What is going to happen in Westeros, and more importantly: when are we going to find out? Martinis skill as a writer has kept readers and viewers spellbound. Many hope he will finish the next book before the next season of the show begins, but no one knows with Martin. He always keeps his readers guessing.

    An Indian movie about two sisters has become a huge hit in China. The Hindi language film, called Dangal, has earned almost $170 million in China since its release there on May 5.

    Much has been written about why Dangal has enjoyed such big success in China. Some people say one reason is that the film's star and producer, Aamir Khan. He is famous in India's Bollywood film industry. Two of his earlier films were also big hits in China.

    Khan's popularity was clear after he got more than 600,000 followers on the Chinese social media service Sina Weibo within two months of joining. But he is not the only reason that the film strongly connects with audience across China. Media has pointed out how it shows similarities between parental systems in China and India.

Dangal is based on the true story of a man who enjoyed the sport of wrestling(摔跤). He competed as a wrestler, but never could achieve his lifelong dream: winning a gold medal. As a father, he wanted his son to win the medal. But his wife only gives birth to daughters. So he finally decides to train them to be world-class wrestlers.

    The movie is more serious than most Bollywood productions, which tell happy love stories and include colorful music and dance performances.

    Edward Chan is a professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He says the strict way of parenting in the film is something people in China can easily relate to. "I think the father role described by the movie in India is quite to the culture, especially the traditional culture in China."

    The Chinese government supported Global Times newspaper pointed that movie critics (评论家) in China did not like Dangal. Most of them agree with the fact that the father in the film was forceful in pushing his daughters to become wrestlers. But the film Dangal is really aimed to educate children to work for their dreams.

    It all started in 2007 when James Bowen, a thirty­something drug addict who survived by playing guitar on the street, found an orange cat sitting in front of the door of his apartment.

    Bowen noticed the cat was wounded. Without hesitation, the young man took him to the Humane Society and spent the little money he had on medicine to heal him.

    Shortly thereafter, the cat, who was healing and feeling much better, began to follow the musician when he left the house. Then one day the cat got on the bus that Bowen took to the place where he worked.

    That's how the cat, who had recently been named Bob, began to accompany his human friend to his musical performances. Bob's mere presence attracted the attention of passers­by. He and Bowen would finish off each song with a high five. Pretty soon, the images of Bob wearing a scarf while sitting on the musician's shoulder, or keeping him company while he played the guitar, began to go viral all over the world.

    Eventually, the news found out about the pair and did a story for the magazine Islington Tribune. It was not long after that when a book agent appeared in their lives and gave them a chance to tell their story.

    By then, Bowen, who had managed to get away from drugs, wrote a novel called A Street Cat Named Bob. He related in great detail how meeting the cat changed him.

    The book soon sold more than six million copies and even spread beyond the borders of the United Kingdom. In fact, it was translated into thirty languages.

    Through all of these changing circumstances, Bob has always been with Bowen—on his shoulder.

    You can't make up a story like this. But life always gives opportunities to those who know how to get hold of them. So if you are ever in a position where a cat has chosen you, don't ignore it. You can't imagine all the good that life may have in store if you decide to accept the proposal.

    It can be tough to pull kids away from their computers and mobile devices these days. While they're playing games, wouldn't it be great if they could be learning at the same time? Good educational apps offer fun challenges that teach specific grade - level skills. Here are four that combine fun and learning.

    Understanding Math ( $ 3.99 ； iOS)

    Understanding Math goes beyond basic comprehension to gain a deeper understanding of the whys and how's of math. The app tracks your child's progress to determine strengths and weaknesses in different skill areas, and you can customize (订制) your child's learning experience to suit the needs.

    Word Creativity Kit ( $2.99； iOS)

    Word Creativity Kit aims not only to make creative writing fun but also build up grammar rules. The app presents a series of words from seven categories, such as space or fantasy. Kids add their own words to finish the complete thoughts that these words have inspired.

    Barefoot World Atlas ( $4.99； iOS)

    Barefoot World Atlas helps kids learn about geography and world cultures with a touch of the screen. Each region features a set of sub – topics, from wildlife and natural features to native people, landmarks, and architecture. These facts and illustrations are delivered in photographs, sounds, and hundreds of mini videos.

    My Grades & Homework ( $0.99； iOS)

    A combination of grades and homework tracker, My Grades & Homework can help your child stay organized and on top of the progress in school. A convenient calendar and course list format and offer a glance at your child's assignment schedule that he or she might not normally get from standard homework planners.