Thousands of years ago, people couldn't live for long. Most people only lived to be twenty-five or thirty years old. 20% of people died before they were twelvemonths old and another 30% could not live to be five years old.

    Today, people can live much longer. One reason is that the water we drink is cleaner. Clean water does not cause diseases（疾病）. Besides, medical treatment is better today. More and more people live to be over eighty.

    Women often live longer than men. For example, in Japan, women usually can live to be eighty-five, but men can only live to be eighty.

    In the future, people will probably live longer than today. Here are many things we can do to help people live longer. For example, we can make sure that everyone has enough medicine to fight against diseases. Also, it is necessary for everyone to have enough to eat. Today many people die because they do not have enough food.

    Populations of white-tailed deer(白尾鹿) are growing rapidly in many parts of the United States. As populations grow, food becomes a problem. Many deer die of hunger. Others grow up small and unhealthy. In search of food, hungry deer move closer to where humans live. They eat farm crops, vegetables and even trees. Besides, increased numbers of deer near roads can cause traffic accidents.

    People admire the grace and fast speed of deer. Most people don't want these animals to be hungry and ill. Should people take action to control the growing deer populations?

Should People Take Direct Action?

    Many people think that hunting(打猎) is the best way to control the animal populations. Wildlife managers will see if there's enough food in an area and decide its carrying capacity(容量). Then hunters with licenses are sent to help control the number of deer. Hunting is usually not allowed in cities or suburbs, however.

    Some people have the idea to catch the deer and move them to other places. But this method is expensive and requires finding another place that can accept the deer without breaking the balance of ecosystem(生态系统).

    Scientists are also working to develop chemicals(化学药品) to control the birth rate(率) in deer populations. But this plan works for only one year at a time.

Should People Take Indirect Action?

    Some suggest bringing in natural enemies of deer, such as wolves, lions and bears, to areas with too many deer. But these animals could also hurt dogs, cats, and even humans. Other communities have built tall fences(篱笆) around areas to keep out the deer. However, this is impossible for farmers.

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    Some people are against any kind of action. They support leaving the deer alone. Animal populations in an area naturally go up and down over time. Doing nothing means that some deer will die of hunger or illness. But finally, the population will reach a size within the carrying capacity(容量) of the environment. So, let nature go its own way.

In America, there are chores for children of different ages. American people think it's important to tell children their duty in the family. They think that a 2-year-old child is never too young to do chores. If you have no ideas, use this list of age chores for your children. 

Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth today (April 30, 2024) after six months in space.

The Shenzhou-17 spaceship landed in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region today at 5:46 pm Beijing time, about nine hours after leaving China's Tiangong space station.

All three Shenzhou-17 members—Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin—are healthy and safe, according to Xinhua News Agency.

It was sent into space on October 25 and arrived at Tiangong about 6.5 hours later. It was China's sixth manned (载人的) visit to Tiangong.

The Shenzhou-17 crew (乘组) was the youngest crew ever to visit Tiangong: Tang Hongbo was 48, Tang Shengjie was 34 and Jiang Xinlin was 35. However, that record was just broken by the astronauts of the Shenzhou-18: Ye Guangfu, Li Guangsu and Li Cong were just 43, 36 and 34 years old.

The Shenzhou-17 crew did a lot of scientific experiments (实验) during the six months. They performed two space walks—one in December, 2023 and the other in March, 2024. On February 9, 2024, the astronauts specially recorded a video to send New Year's greetings to everyone on the space station. On April 25, they welcomed the crew of Shenzhou-18 to Tiangong space station. Five days later, Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship returned and landed successfully. The crew members were in good physical condition. This manned flight was a complete success!

Many people enjoy watching movies in a cinema. They think the cinema has a better atmosphere（气氛）to enjoy the movie. However, I think people are happier and freer when watching movies at home. 

Watching movies at home is more comfortable. To watch movies in a cinema, you have to buy a ticket before you go there for a better seat. However, there is no need for people at home to worry about the ticket. They can enjoy movies at any time they like and with the most comfortable seat. What's more, people watching movies at home wouldn't have to face any traffic problems. 

It is free to watch movies at home. In the cinema, we can't go outside and do something else because the movie won't wait for us. Sometimes we miss part of the movie. At home, we can pause（暂停）at any time and go back to watch the part. 

All in all, a cinema is a good place to watch movies, but it isn't the best place to enjoy the movies. I think watching movies at home is better. 

 Shyness is a kind of fear. People who are shy always worry too much about what people think of them or embarrassing themselves in some way in front of others. How can we overcome shyness?

◆Have a good posture (姿势)

 The way a person holds himself/ herself says a lot about that person. People with sloped (倾斜的) shoulders don't think of themselves as important. To have a good posture, you should stand up straight, shoulders back, keep your head up, and always look at the eyes of others. By practicing a good posture, you will feel you have the ability to do things well. 

◆Increase your walking speed

 You can tell if a person is confident by the way he walks. People who walk in a slow way, and look at the ground while walking usually have no confidence in themselves. While people who have confidence in themselves walk faster. That is because they have important things to do, friends to meet, places to go, etc. So walk a little faster, head held up, and look straight ahead. 

◆Do some exercise

 Exercise increases your energy in the body. That will put you in a more positive (积极的) state of mind. By having exercise, you will feel sure of yourself. Think about it. It is better to do some exercise than just watching TV all day. 

◆Do things you enjoy

 This can be anything that you really enjoy doing, like traveling, going to the theater, listening to music, helping someone out with a problem, etc.