Andrew Holleman, a 12-year-old boy, loved playing in the open land near his home. The land was wet and forested, and made a home for birds, other animals and many different plants. It made the perfect place for him to study and get to know the nature. He had seen some red-tail hawks, red foxes, wood turtles and other animals. He also found special native flowers.

      Suddenly it was announced that the “empty” land would be improved by a lot of houses on it. The plants would be removed, the animals would run away and most would probably die. Then the wet soil(土壤) would be covered with extra grounds. When he heard about the news, he was not happy. He was very worried that the land and water would be polluted.

      Andrew wrote down clearly all the research he had done about the area, and how the houses would affect the local environment. He sent letters to members of local government and television reporters. He also called on his neighbors to oppose the building of the houses.

Although he was only 12 years old, he had the courage and wisdom of a person much older. Andrew's teachers described him as gentle, shy and active. His classmates also admired how much he knew about local animals and plants and the environment. Each day after school, Andrew went door-to-door, to ask the people to sign, who did not want the houses to be built. In only one month, he got the signatures of 250 people. In the end, the land remained a safe place for birds, animals and plants that belonged there.

      Andrew won many prizes for his brave and great work to stop the houses being built, and thus help save the environment.

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You Can Make a Windsock(风筒)

    Have you ever seen a windsock blowing in the wind? Well, you can make one of your own! This is a fun project that you can do with things you may have. You just need to follow a few easy steps.

You will need:

●one piece of heavy colored paper   ●five ribbons

●strong tape       ●a string

●a pencil

What to do:

Step 1: Draw pictures on the paper. You can write your name on it. Do anything that will make it special to you.

    Step 2: Make the paper into the shape of a tube. Hold one of the shorter edges(边缘) over the other. Then make them together with the tape at each end and in the middle.

Step 3: Use a pencil to make a hole into both sides of the tube. The holes should be only on one end of the tube. Pull the string through both holes. Then tie the ends of the string together.

    Step 4: Now make five holes around the top of the other end of the tube.Put a ribbon through each of the holes. Tie a knot in the ends.

    Make sure the knots are bigger than the holes.

    Now your windsock is ready to use, but how does it work? The shape of the tube plays an important part. Wind blows through the tube and makes it fly and dance around. Hold the windsock up in the air by its string and run around. It will fly behind you. You can also hang it outside and watch it dance around on its own!

    Some Fun and Interesting Facts

    Do you think what color oranges are? The common answer to this question is "Orange". However, the first oranges from Southeast Asia were actually green. Up to now, oranges in warmer areas like Vietnam and Thailand still stay green when they are fully grown.

    There was a man named John Chapman who planted thousands of apple trees. But the apples on those trees were much more bitter(哭的) than the ones you'd find in the supermarket today. John didn't expect has apples to be eaten whole, but rather made hard apple cider(苹果酒).

    Like most four-legged animals, cats have five toes on the front paws, but their back paws only have four toes. Scientists think they four-toe back paws might help them run faster. Do you know any other fun fact about cats?

    Walt Disney might have been the firs it gloves on his characters，as the star Mickey Mouse in 1929's The Opry House（《奥普里之屋》）.Besides being easier to interest, there's another reason why Disney did so "We didn't want him to have mouse hands because he was supposed to be more human." Disney once said.

    The coffee shop Starbucks will give people a discount if they bring their own cups. It wants to cut down on the number of paper cups that are put in the rubbish bins. It is part of a two-month experiment in cafes in England. Starbucks wants to reduce waste and recycle more, The president of Starbucks in the UK said, "We are very happy to increase recycling rates(比率)，and reusable cups are a key part of our waste reduction plan." Bosses will decide later if they will continue the discounts. People who bring their own cups will not get a discount on the cafe's cheaper filter coffee.

    The problem of paper cups has been in the news a lot. Around seven million cups are thrown away every day. Reporters say that some cafes lie about how many paper cups they recycle. The reporters say the cafes do not recycle as many cups as they say. Customers wrongly believe that a coffee shop is environmentally friendly. Less than one in 400 paper cups at coffee shops are recycled. A coffee drinker said she would bring her own cup. She said, "I am so sad that cafes recycle so little. I thought they were more responsible."