The increasing environmental problems and need for eco-friendly products and services are creating a new job section of green-collar jobs. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. It is expected that by 2025 about 25% of the jobs in developed countries will be of green-collar jobs. Doesn't the data look promising for the future?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. And jobs will pop up at every income level, from environmental manager to gardener. For example, many countries including the United States have understood that fossil fuels have negative effect on the environment which can later become a serious danger to mankind. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The increasing demand of newer resources has created the need for experts and researchers who can find better ways to deal with the ongoing needs. In addition, in order to meet the increasing demands of environment-friendly equipment, both green product designer and educated and trained workers are needed. Management of environmental organizations also demands a large number of environmental managers. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Internet is undoubtedly the best way to find information on almost any matter. Nowadays, different kinds of jobs are being posted online. Search through a couple of job websites to look for a bright future in energy conversion and recycling of waste management. Check regularly and find the right work for yourself. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. People who read newspapers can also find different kinds of green-collar jobs.

B. People who take green careers will be well paid.

C. Where can you find green-collar jobs?

D. Green-collar jobs have become a bright career chances for all.

E. Many countries of the world have realized the importance and need for energy-saving products and services.

F. As a result, possibilities are being explored to find alternatives to satisfy demands in a better way.

G. Forget the blue–collar and white–collar categories.

    Nobody likes doing the dishes, but it turns out that doing this daily task might pay off in an unexpected way. According to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, washing dishes by hand instead of using a dishwasher might prevent the development of allergies.

    Researchers in Sweden surveyed the parents of 1,029 children ages 7 and 8. They discovered that children whose families hand-washed the dishes instead of using a machine were less likely to have allergies.

    Earlier research has shown that dishes washed by machine are cleaner than those washed by hand. So why would kids who eat off slightly dirtier plates be better off when we talk about preventing allergies? One explanation is based on a theory known as the "hygiene hypothesis (卫生假说)," which says the reason why kids develop allergies is that their surroundings are actually too clean.

    Your immune (免疫) system keeps you healthy by fighting germs (病菌) like bacteria and viruses. But when you have allergies, it overreacts and tries to fight ordinary things like pollen (花粉) or certain foods.

    Being exposed to germs, particularly early in life, is good training for the immune system, says the lead author of the study, Dr. Bill Hesselmar of Queen Silvia Hospital in Sweden. "You excite the immune system in various ways and it becomes tolerant."

    This study shows that while using the dishwasher might be easier, the old-fashioned method of cleaning up could be better for your health.

    My daughter Kelly is a cautious person. She needs to warm up to situations' and is hesitant to try new things. When with close friends, she becomes a leader who laughs loudly and chants, “Girls rule, boys drool.” But when that comfort zone is not around her, she is shy and nervous.

    This has been challenging for me at times. “Shy” is not a word that I think has ever been used to describe me. But this has been a year of firsts for my girl that has filled her with a new sense of confidence. This year she moved to lap lane in swimming where she was preparing for a swim team. This year she learned to ride a bike without training wheels. And this year she completed her first kids' triathlon (三项全能).

    On Saturday, with a thunderstorm coming soon and my son's birthday party later in the day, we all went out in the dark of the morning for Kelly to participate in her first triathlon. We practiced transitions from swim to bike to run with her, we got all the equipment she'd need, and we kept talking about the race. But as we waited the two hours for the older kids to finish before her turn, she held my leg a little harder and told me she loved me a few too many times. She was nervous but trying to keep it together.

    And then it was her turn. From the second she jumped into the water, my heart soared. My daughter transformed into the most confident human being I had ever seen. She dominated that swim, crushed that bike ride and ran to the finish with the biggest smile on her face.

    I can honestly say that I never felt so proud of someone in my entire life. It wasn't because she did a sport or anything like that. It was because she was afraid of something and conquered that fear with confidence and a fire I hadn't seen before.

    All day I would find myself just looking over at her and smiling. She might be wearing the finalist medal but I felt like I won that day. I won the chance to see my girl shine.

Shine on, sweet baby.

    About 30 years ago, I left Cuba for the United States with my son. After getting settled finally in Brunswick, New Jersey, I enrolled (注册) my son in kindergarten. Several weeks later, my son's teacher asked me to meet him at his office.

    In the teacher's office, and exchange of greetings was followed by his questions: "Is your son mentally retarded (弱智的)? Does he suffer from any kind of mental disability?"

    Was he talking about my wonderful Scola? No, no, it can't be. What a helpless, lonely moment! I told him that Scola was a quiet, sweet little boy, instead. I asked him why he was asking me all these questions.

    My son could not follow the teacher's directions, he told me, and thus, Scola was disrupting the class. Didn't he know my son did not speak English yet? He was angry: "Why hasn't your son been taught to speak English? Don't you speak English at home?"

    No, I didn't speak English at home, I replied. I was sure my son would learn English in a couple of months, and I didn't want him to forget his native language. Well, wrong answer!

    What kind of person would not speak in English to her son at home and at all times? "Are you one of those people who come to this country to save dollars and sent them back to their country, never wanting to be a part of this society?"

    Needless to say, I tried to tell him I was not one of "those people." Then he told me the meeting was over, and I left.

    As I had expected, my son learned to speak English fluently before the school year was over. He went on to graduate from college and got a job, earning close to six figures. He travels widely and leads a well-adjusted, contented life. And he has benefited from being bilingual (双语的).

    Speaking more than one language allows people to communicate with others; it teaches people about other cultures and other places- something very basic and obviously lacking in the "educator" I met in New Jersey.

    When it comes to learning a foreign language, many people wonder if they will be able to memorize enough vocabulary. But this question never happens about their mother tongue, and yet, it was a foreign language once. However, among all the questions that new parents ask, no doctor has ever heard: "Will my baby be able to learn my language?" Be honest, do you know all the words of your mother tongue? The answer is: "no".

    New words, and new ways of using old words, appear every day. Twenty years ago, who could have been able to understand a sentence like this: "Click here to download your digital book."? Nobody. You never stop learning new vocabulary and you never know how long you will need it.

    Sometimes, you have the word on the tip of your tongue...and it sticks there! But you do know this phenomenon(现象) and don't think that it is because of a bad memory. You should not give this phenomenon more importance in the language you are learning than in your mother tongue.

    You need to learn only 2000 or so basic words to be able to create any phrase you need. You can't avoid some work in order to learn these necessary words and all the more if you want to learn quickly. And before you consider buying into any method, be sure it is right for you. It is not wise to depend on any method based upon mnemonics(记忆群). The first few words seem very easy to learn, so you buy the course, but then you discover quickly, though too late, that a dozen words later, it is all the more difficult to learn a new word when you have also to learn the trick to memorize it.

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