The leaders （领导人） of 13 countries had a big meeting in St Petersburg, Russia from November 21 to 24, 2010.The meeting was about tigers. They talked about the ways to protect the animals in their countries. They agreed to spend more money protecting tigers and they wanted to double the number of tigers in the world before 2022.

    Tiger is one of the world's most endangered animals. The World Wildlife Fund （WWF） says, there are only about 100,000 wild tigers now. And the number is becoming smaller and smaller. 'If nothing happens, tigers will face disasters,' said WWF spokeswoman Marie von Zeipel.

Nine types of tigers lived 100 years ago, but now at least three of them have died out. ‘If people leave tigers alone and don't kill them, then the number of tigers will double in 10 years,' said Jean-Christoph Vie, a French tiger expert (专家).

    China is one of the 13 countries where tigers live. There are about 50 wild tigers in China now. They are the Bengal tigers in Tibet, Indochinese tigers in China's southwest, and Siberian tigers in the northeast. The South China tigers lived in southeast China many years ago but disappeared in the 1970s. Many experts think they have already died out.

    If you want a more interesting experience when you arrive in a new city or country, here are some better ways to travel, both for you and for the environment.

    Way 1 Get out of the car and walk. It's slower but it's the greenest way to travel. It's also the most rewarding（有益的）way to see a city, but remember to wear comfortable shoes.

    Way 2 Cycling is also  a good choice. Many hotels now  offer free bikes to guests. It is convenient for people to travel around the city. Some also provide electric bikes that make it easier to go up hills and on longer journeys. Some cities also have mobikes, and you can pick up one easily. It's not free but very cheap.

    Way 3 If you have to take transport in a city, try to take public transport. Most cities now offer lots of information and very clear maps at the city's website.

    Way 4 If possible, take buses, trains or ships to travel from city to city. They are usually greener than cars and planes.

    Way 5 When the only way to travel is by car, rent(租) an electric car. Many car rental companies now offer them, so always ask!

      We are all busy talking about and using the Internet ,but how many of us know about the history of the Internet?

      Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s.At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks(网络)didn' t work well .If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system(系统) had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way the computer network system would keep on working all the time. At first, the Internet was only used by the government, but, in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it too.

    However, computers were still expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers become cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software(软件) that made “surfing(浏览)” the Internet more convenient (方便).

    Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students.

   The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people's life.

    Don't be too surprised if you see a car going down the road without a driver in Beijing these days. It might be one of Baidu's self-driving cars. Last month, Baidu was granted (授予) a license to test its self-driving cars on open roads in Beijing, China Daily reported.

    Self-driving cars have been in development since 2010, when Google announced that it was making such cars. Since then, companies like Tesla, Uber and Baidu have been working to produce and test their own self-driving cars.

    Self-driving cars are expected to revolutionize (革命) the way we get around. They are safer and more environmentally friendly than regular cars. They can remove the stress of driving and allow disabled or blind people to get around more easily.

    But self-driving cars have their own flaws (缺陷) as well. In one test, researchers pointed a laser pointer (激光棒) at the car's sensors (传感器) while it was moving. The car mistakenly thought that the laser beam was in its way and slowed down or changed direction. Flaws like this could be used by people to trick self-driving cars, according to the Guardian.

    The software that is used to direct the cars may not be safe enough, reported Live Science. It may crash (崩溃). When we use our computers or smart phones, they sometimes crash without any reason. But if this happened to a self-driving car, the results could be deadly. Improvements to the software could be a solution to this problem.

    Are you shy? If you are, you are not alone. In fact, close to 50 percent of people are shy. Almost 80 percent of people feel shy at some point in their lives. These days, shyness is becoming more and more common. Now, scientists are trying to understand shyness. They have some interesting ideas about why people are shy.

    Is it possible to be born shy? Many scientists say yes. They say 15 to 20 percent of babies behave shyly. These babies are a little quieter and more watchful than other babies. Interestingly, these shy babies usually have shy parents. As a result, scientists think that some shyness is genetic.

    Family size might cause people to be shy as well. Scientists at Harvard University studied shy children. They found that 66 percent of them had older brothers and sisters. The scientists said that these children were often bullied(欺侮) by their older brothers and sisters. As a result, they became shy. At the same time, children with no brothers and sisters may be shy as well. Growing up alone, they often play by themselves. They are not able to learn the same social skills as children from big families.

    You may also be shy because of where you were born. When scientists studied shyness in different countries, they found surprising differences. In Japan, most people said they were shy. But in Israel, only one of three people said so. What explains the difference? One scientist says the Japanese and Israelis have different opinions of failure. In Japan, when people do not succeed, they feel bad about themselves. They blame (责备) themselves for their failure. In Israel, the opposite is true. Israelis often blame failure on outside reasons, such as family, teachers, friends, or bad luck. In Israel, freedom of opinion and risk-taking are strongly supported. This may be why Israelis worry less about failure and are less shy.

    For shy people, it can be difficult to make friends, speak in class, and even get a good job. But scientists say you can get over your shyness. They suggest trying new things and practicing conversation. And don't forget—if you are shy, you are not the only one.