Why do we like drinking water from plastic bottles? Some people think it is healthy and clean. Others drink bottled water because it's easy--you can carry it around with you. In hot countries, like Greece, we often buy bottles of cold water in the summer.

    However, making lots of plastic is not a good idea for many reasons. First of all, we need a lot of oil for plastic products. We usually use oil as a resource of energy. If we reduced the number of bottles we made, we wouldn't need so much oil. Plastic bottles also pollute the environment. If we recycled all our plastic bottles, we wouldn't need so much space for rubbish dumps. But in Greece, we don't recycle much of the plastic we use. In 2006, Greeks recycled only about 10% of plastic waste. The rest became rubbish on land and in rivers and seas.

    So next time you want to throw away a plastic bottle in the litter bin, stop and think. If you recycled it, you would help the environment. But what can you do when there isn't a recycling bin near you? Well, there are lots of useful ways that you can use your bottles again. For example, an empty bottle makes a great piggy bank for your pocket money, and if you cut in half, you will have a plant pot. Go green! You can make a difference.

B

    Around the world, there are about 7,000 National Parks. Most of them cover huge areas of land where nobody lives. However, the National Parks in England include places where people live and work, as well as wild areas where there are few human activities.

    The National Parks in England are called “England's Breathing Spaces” because they are places where people can go to be in the open air, away from the dirt and noise of cities. They provide wonderful scenes of mountains, woods, grasslands and wetlands. And there are plenty of activities to do in all of the National Parks in England. Visitors can walk or ride bikes for fun. Many of the parks put on activities for families.

    Every year there are about 110 million visitors to the parks, bringing many benefits(益处) to the areas. At the same time, it creates problems too. First, life can be difficult for local people. Car parks and roads are too crowded. Gift shops and cafes take the place of many everyday shops. Even house prices in some areas can become too high. Besides, country roads can be damaged, for too many people walk, cycle or ride horses on them. Roads can be rebuilt, but then they look less natural. Another big problem to the National Parks is litter. In the parks it is a danger to wild animals. Broken glass can also cause fires by focusing the rays of the sun. Such fires in wild places can be out of control.

    ▲   ? All National Parks in England are making more rules, which tell people how to take good care of their environment. If these rules are followed, the National Parks will be well kept and continue to give pleasure to many people for a very long time.

    InEngland, people often talk about the weather because you can experience fourseasons in one day. In the morning the weather is warm just like in spring. Anhour1 black clouds come, and then it rains hard. Theweather gets2 cold. In the late afternoon the sky will beclear, the sun will begin to shine and it will be summer at this time of a day.

    InEngland, you can also have summer in winter,3 have winter in summer. So in4 you can swim sometimes, and in summersometimes you should wear warm clothes.

    When yougo to England, you will see some English people take umbrellas or rain-coatswith them on the5 morning,but you shouldn't laugh at them. If you don't take an umbrella or a raincoat,you will regret later in the day.

Enriching your life means trying to make your life meaningful and filled with joy as much as possible. You may have difficulty enriching your life. However, there are two steps you can take to make your life {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. 

Take risks (冒险) that challenge you. If you don't take risks, then you won't be able to enrich your life. So try new things. Do some new things that make you feel less safe. And whether you {#blank#}2{#/blank#} water, heights, or new people, make an effort to see that there's nothing to be so scared of, so that you can feel more confident. 

Take steps to meet people you don't know. Of course, talking to new people can lead to some {#blank#}3{#/blank#} conversations. However, the more you {#blank#}4{#/blank#} introducing yourself to strangers, the more likely you are to meet exciting and interesting people you can learn much from. 

Ever wondered why a simple walk along the beach or a moment by a lakeside feels so relaxed? Or why the sound of a flowing river can calm the mind? There's a scientific reason behind our strong feeling for water.

According to Wallace J. Nichols, being close to water can cause a certain state(状态) of mind. The scientist call it"Blue Mind". This state is marked by relaxation and a sense of happiness.

This theory is well supported by science. Researchers have found that water can lower the body's levels of the stress hormone(压力荷尔蒙). One study found that people living near bodies of water report feeling calmer and less stressed. The sight and sound of water are believed to bring about a flood of neurochemicals(神经化学物质), which can increase blood flow to the brain and heart, and help you relax.

Water activities, from swimming to even watching animals in the sea, can help calm the mind and reduce stress levels. In addition, the blue color of water has also been proven to have calming effects on the mind. Research shows that blue spaces are as helpful as green spaces ( like forests and parks) when it comes to creating feelings of love. They can both improve mood. What if it's hard to get water? Even listening to the sound of water can help reduce stress levels.

So, the next time you' re feeling down or in need of a break, consider spending time near a body of water. Whether it's the ocean, a river, a lake, or simply a swimming pool, water will calm your mind.