Smog is a big problem in many Chinese cities. But it seems that besides wearing a mask, few of us know what has caused the smog and what to do to beat it. In fact, burning too much coal and oil are the main causes of PM2.5 and smog (雾霾).

    To solve the problem, we should clean our coal and oil or replace them with cleaner energy such as natural gas. We ordinary people can do something to help control smog, too.

    What can we do to help beat the smog?

    Choose to take public transportation. Though many people have their own cars, they had better take public transportation, such as the subway or buses. If the destination (目的地) is not far away, you can also walk ________ ride a bike.

    Call the hotline 12369. You can call the number for complaints and questions about environmental issues. It is run by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection. If you call the number, some officers can come and try to solve the issues, so please remember it.

Report and resist pollutant source. If you find any pollutant source, take a picture of it and post it on your social media accounts. Remember to add “@local environmental departments” on weibo. Payattention to factories that pollute the environment and don't buy products from them.

    Our environment will become better if everyone is concerned (关注) with the environment. This is what we need in the future. So everyone can do something to beat smog.

Are you shy? If you are, you are not alone. In fact, close to 50 percent of people are shy. Almost 80 percent of people feel shy at some point in their lives. These days, shyness is becoming more and more common. Now, scientists are trying to understand shyness. They have some interesting ideas about why people are shy.

Is it possible to be born shy? Many scientists say yes. They say 15 to 20 percent of babies behave shyly. These babies are a little quieter and more watchful than other babies. Interestingly, these shy babies usually have shy parents. As a result, scientists think that some shyness is genetic.

Family size might cause people to be shy as well. Scientists at Harvard University studied shy children. They found that 66 percent of them had older brothers and sisters. As a result, they became shy. At the same time, children with no brothers and sisters may be shy as well. Growing up alone, they often play by themselves. They are not able to learn the same social skills as children from big families.

You may also be shy because of where you were born. When scientists studied shyness in different countries, they found surprising differences. In Japan, most people said they were shy. But in Israel, only one of three people said so. What explains the difference? One scientist says the Japanese and Israelis have different opinions of failure. In Japan, when people do not succeed, they feel bad about themselves. They blame（责备）themselves for their failure. In Israel, the opposite is true. Israelis often blame failure on outside reasons, such as family, teachers, friends, or bad luck. In Israel, freedom of opinion and risk taking are strongly supported. This may be why Israelis worry less about failure and are less shy.

For shy people, it can be difficult to make friends, speak in class, and even get a good job. But scientists say you can get over your shyness. They suggest trying new things and practicing conversation. And don't forget—if you are shy, you are not the only one.

    Have you ever imagined going to other countries without your paper Passport? That will soon come true. And your paper passport will become history. You may use their new kind of passport

    It's reported that Australia will be the first country to use the cloud passport. With the cloud passport, you don't have to take a paper passport with you all the time. The cloud passport will have your name, photos and other information. And if you go to other countries, you can just check the information on the computer.

    When you take a paper passport with you, you might lose it. But with the cloud passport, you don't have to worry about that.

    Do you think the cloud passport is a great idea? Perhaps you will have it in the future, too.

    We all know that many women like to wear dresses. They enjoy many kinds of colourful and popular dresses. But have you ever heard of a 4D dress?

    Jessica Rosenkrantz in the USA used 3D printing technology to make a very special and new dress. It will help with the problems of different styles of women's dresses.

    The dress maker called the special dress a"4D dress" ". It is like the fabric(织物). It can turn into different kinds of shapes.

    The company, in Massachusetts, the USA, also made a smartphone and an app(应用). They can help women to control their dresses. If women use the phone and the app, they can change the colour, the style and many other things of the dresses. Isn't it very interesting?

    When she talked about her work, Jessica said, "There will be many more changeable dresses for women in the future. I am interested in making them too, I can't wait to make different kinds of new dresses for women."

    As space science develops, man has learned more and more about space. Space is not only amazing but also dangerous. While working in space, spacemen are facing danger as well as success.

    Scientists have found out that the radiation(辐射) is the greatest danger to spacemen in space. When spacemen are working in space, they are in danger of the radiation from the sun and other stars, which is bad for their health. The harm of the radiation won't be found until their children even grandchildren are born. Some special medicine may work a little, but no really effective medicine has been found so far.

    Space rubbish is also thought to be a great danger to spacemen. It's reported that there were 9,000 man-made things flying in space. About 30% of these are satellites, 10% are spaceships, and the rest are space rubbish. An explosion(爆炸) in space in 1999 made a cloud of 300,000 fragments, each at least 4 mm in size. A small piece of these even knocked a spaceship window and caused some damage(损坏). Scientists are watching and reporting any possible danger all the time. They are working to deal with space rubbish.

    Although space is really dangerous, it interests many people on the earth. In the near future, it may become possible for people to spend a few days in a space hotel. We may even choose to leave the earth and live in space in a few years. So we should do something to help improve the space environment.

    There is one thing. We can't see it. Sometimes we can hear it and even feel it. Without(没有) it, all the living things will die. Do you know what it is? Oh, it is air.

    However, what's the air like today?

    In cities, there are too many people and too many cars on the roads. The cars send out (排放) a lot of bad gases(气体) In cities, there are many chemical factories(化工厂). They send out terrible smoke every day. This kind of smoke is very bad for our health. Now the air is becoming worse and worse. Every day, we breathe (呼吸) the bad air in and out. This is very unhealthy for us and it makes us feel sick.

    To keep us healthy, we have to go to the countryside to breathe more fresh air. Or we can go up hills to get more fresh air.