This week, our topic is pollution. What are the answers to all of our pollution problems? We asked two experts to give their views.

    ◇Forest Smith is a member of Green First, an environmental group.

    Our future on the Earth looks very bad. We are dumping waste on our land. We can't breathe the fresh air. The sea is polluted too.

    I visited some relatives recently in a small village. They grow their own food and cycle everywhere. They are not wealthy, but they are happy and healthy.

    We must close the factories producing useless products. That will reduce rubbish and air pollution. We must recycle more, give up all cars, and improve public transport.

    A big problem is overpopulation in big cities. We must give up big cities and factories, and go back to a simple way of life.

    ◇John Green is a scientist at a university.

    Things are not as bad as Forest says. We'll have a bright future. We don't need to give up cars but we need to invent better, cleaner engines.

    This won't stop the problem of traffic jams. So we need better public transport. We should also recycle more.

    But some things are getting better. My sister returned last month after living abroad for five years. She said, “Our old neighbourhood doesn't look the same as before－it is cleaner and greener now.”

    In a word, science has brought many improvements to our life.

Thumbs Down to Texting (屈指发短信)

    Do you have a mobile phone? Do you send text messages to your friends and family?

    Text messaging or “texting” is becoming very popular. But, scientists have discovered that texting can give us problems with our hands. Be careful! Too much texting can cause swelling in our thumbs. Our thumbs were not made for pushing small buttons, over and over. Scientists call this problem RSI. We spoke to a doctor called Harriet Wilson, who treats many sick people with RSI. She says we need to see how much time we are spending in typing text messages. If we are spending more than 10-15 minutes at once, we could have problems in the future.

    As mobile phones develop, they are getting smaller with buttons closer together. Texting with a smaller phone is worse than using a larger phone with bigger buttons. Using a computer keyboard and playing video games can cause the same problem. So more and more people could find themselves with RSI. Among them, most are university students and teenagers, as they do not know the risks of spending so much time using computer, video games and mobile phones. If we don't do something about this, too many young people could grow up in terrible pain.

    How would you persuade (劝说) your parents to support your dream? American actress Emma Stone created a PowerPoint presentation (陈述) to get her argument across.

    Stone is a rising star in Hollywood. She has played the role of Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man's high school love interest, in two Spider-Man movies.

The actress said she has something in common with her character in the film. "Gwen is clear on what she wants to do with her life... I think I am in the same ballpark (同一范围) there."

    Stone made up her mind to become an actress at the age of 15. But would her parents agree to her leaving school early and pursuing (追求) her dream? The young girl decided to think outside of the box.

    "I used a lot of computers when I was younger, and my dad's a businessman, so I just thought a presentation is the way to get my point across," she said.

She titled the presentation Project Hollywood and used pop singer Madonna's classic song Hollywood as the soundtrack, saying "just please let me move to LA to be an actress."

    Her tactic (策略) proved to be a success. In 2004, Stone dropped out of high school and moved with her mother to Los Angeles. She was homeschooled after that.

Now Stone is a successful actress with many films to her name. Her next step is to try different things like "bizarre (奇怪的)" characters or comedy. Will she persuade directors with PowerPoint presentations too?

    Answer the following questions:

    Those days when you go on vacation, you spend most of your money just getting there. Travel is expensive, but don't stay home only because you are short of money! Here is some advice:

    Travel during off season if possible. Flights and hotels are much cheaper when tourism is low.

    Choose a hotel that's a little farther from popular attractions. If you're staying several days, check out prices on vacation homes-- they can end up being cheaper than a hotel.

    Take public traffic, such as buses or subway, instead of taking a taxi.

    Plan your meals, and cat like locals. Don't waste money at expensive hotel restaurants or fast- food chains. Depending on where you stay, it may be cheaper to make food on your own.

    Check online for special discount (折扣)—if you're a student, the old or the parents traveling with children, you could get discounts! A little research could save you a lot of money.

    Whether you're backpacking alone or going on a family vacation, your trip doesn't have to cost a lot of money. The key is to plan ahead and write down what you spend. Then put the money you save toward your next trip!