Save the world's trees

    "When it comes tothe Earth, there is no time to waste." says the Earth Day Network. And that isright. Protecting our environment is very important, and World Earth Day wascreated in 1970 to ask more people to protect our environment. On April 22, peoplearound the world celebrate Earth Day.

Every year thereis a special topic, and this year it is "Trees for the Earth", so Earth Daythis year will be all about planting trees. They are planning to plant 7.8billion trees within the next five years.

That's a biggoal, and you might wonder why trees are so important. Because they can take incarbon dioxide (CO₂) and protect the air quality(质量). CO₂ isa chemical in our atmosphere, but humans make too much of it. Each person makesabout 2.3 tons a year, which is bad for the environment.

Well guess what!Planting new trees is important because people cut down a huge number of trees.Last year, there were 3 trillion trees in the world, about 139 billion inChina. But according to China Daily, the world's total number has been almostcut in half since human civilization(文明) began. That's because 15billion trees are cut down every year.

So we need toplant more to make up for（弥补）the ones we lost. One treecan take in 21. 8 kilograms of CO₂ per year. And it's still one ofthe cheapest and best ways to get rid of CO₂.

    But don't forget that we can also help the environment by cutting down on how much energy(能源) or water we useevery day. Every little thing helps.

根据短文内容，回答问题（1-4），英译汉（5）。

     Speaking exams can be stressful! What if you don't understand the examiner (考官)? What if you don't get the exact word you need? Don't panic (惊慌)! Remember that everyone gets nervous in exams, especially oral exams. So, don't worry and our tips will help you feel more confident in a speaking exam.

★ Listening to as much English as possible will help to improve your speaking. Listening to songs, and watching films, TV series or video clips will help you feel more confident about speaking.

★{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you speak English regularly in class, you will find it easier to speak in an exam.

★{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's not a race. Before you speak, think carefully about what to say and speak a little slower than normal.

★{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Use words and expressions you have used before. If you don't know a word, think of another way to say it.

★{#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you find this difficult, practice with a friend at home. Stand at opposite ends of a room and speak to each other in English. Or speak to each other in English on your computers.

★{#blank#}5{#/blank#} So, take some deep breaths before the exam and try to relax.

    Do you like visiting parks? The following three may be the ones you are interested in.

    Hyde Park，the biggest royal park of the UK，lies in the center of London，next to Green Park.It was built to be a royal park in 1536. About one hundred years later, the park was open to the public. Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park is famous all over the world. Anyone can make a speech there on Sunday afternoons.

    Central Park is a man­made park in the center of Manhattan, New York. It was built in 1858 and in 1873 it was open to the public. With 21 playgrounds and 2 zoos, Central Park is a wonderful place for children to have fun．

    Banff National Park，the largest park in Alberta, Canada, was open in 1885.The park is as large as 6, 641 km2. Whether by car, boat, bus, bike or on foot, you can enjoy the mountains, lakes, as well as the plants and wild animals. The most famous is its ski areas in the park，which attracts millions of people to come every winter.

                                 Information Card

    Mother's Day is celebrated in the USA. It is also a holiday in some other countries. It is on the second Sunday in May. It is a day to thank mothers. On that day mothers usually receive flowers or cards. On the cards, children will write "Thanks, Mom"， "To the best mother in the world", "Best wishes for Mother's Day" and so on. We should make mothers happy on that day.

    Where does the idea for the holiday come from? We should thank Miss Anna M. Jarvis. She brought up the idea of having such a day. She lived in West Virginia. Her mother died on May 9th, 1905.She had a deep love for her mother. She wrote letters to some important persons. In her letters she asked them to decide a day for all mothers. Then Mother's Day was made on the second Sunday in May by the USA in 1913.

    In China, children give presents to their mothers on Mother's Day, or the whole family go out and try to do something nice for their mothers. Mothers always think of others more than themselves. They love their children and families very much. Everybody should show his love to his mother and help her as much as possible.

    Information Card

    Four Simple Ways to Better Your Writing

    Keep It Simple

    My first tip for improving your writing is: keep it simple.

    Now, I know it's better to keep things simple and do it well, rather than over-complicate(使过分复杂) everything and do it badly.

    So, in English writing exams, you want to show off your English, but you want to show off your right English, not all this English that you don't know or haven't learnt yet.

    Have a Collection of Set Phrases(固定搭配)

    In order not to make mistakes, it's a really, really good idea to have a collection of set phrases and key words that you can use in the exam. Make sure that you have different ways to …

    Compare：in the same way, at the same time

    Give your opinion：from my point of view, in my view

    Add information : in addition, besides

……

    So, that's just a very brief list showing you exactly what you need to study to be fully prepared for any English writing exam.

    Reduce Your Word Number

    Use as few words as possible to reduce your word number.

Avoid pointless words like very, a lot. Replace them, instead, with a strong word. By using strong words, you can reduce your word number by a fair bit.

    Another way is avoiding there is and there are. We want everything to be as clear as possible. Thus, you can increase the quality of your writing.

    Check Your Work

    Tip number four. Students will make some stupid mistakes when they're writing. After being asked to correct the mistakes, they will say, "We already know this. So easy!" and it's because they don't check their work.

    I personally think it's much better if you write less and check more. Fewer words, high accuracy(准确率). Then you will make your writing better.

    Four Simple Ways to Better Your Writing