Today many people call Amsterdam "the City of Bicycles" because it is a city which is flat and convenient for bicycles.

    In the 1960s, a group of cycling fans had an idea. They believed that it would be better for everybody if only bicycles were allowed in the city centre. They hoped that this would help to save energy, reduce pollution and provide free public transport. The group painted hundreds of bicycles white and placed them in public places around Amsterdam for people to use. Anyone was allowed to use them for short journeys, whether he was a local or a foreigner. Wherever someone finished a journey, they would leave the bike there for someone else to use. The problem was that it didn't work—thieves took all the bicycles within weeks.

    However, more than thirty years later, the "white bike" is back in town—this time with a computer chip (芯片) to record its every move! To take a bicycle, you have to put a special card inside. The new "white bike" is not white any more but is an unusual design with bright colours. The bikes are parked at special parking places and people who want to use them have to take them to another place that has enough room.

    There is less traffic in central Amsterdam because both locals mad tourists have been using the white bikes. Thanks to the good ideas of lots of people, like the cycling fans in the 1960s, many people around the world have been enjoying city centre streets without cars for many years.

There are many wetlands (湿地) in China ‒ and some of them have become the world's important wetlands. The Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands are {#blank#}1{#/blank#} them. They are in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. They are {#blank#}2{#/blank#} to many different kinds of animals. The world's {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Milu deer nature reserve (自然保护区) is on these wetlands. More than 700 Milu deer live there. There are not many red-crowned cranes (丹顶鹤) {#blank#}4{#/blank#} in the world, but every winter, you can see some in the red-crowned crane nature reserve in the Yellow Sea Wetlands.

    The {#blank#}5{#/blank#} in the wetlands is neither too high nor too low. There is  {#blank#}6{#/blank#} rain and sunshine, too. They are a good place for wildlife. But offering food and shelter for special kinds of animals is not the  {#blank#}7{#/blank#} reason we need to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important {#blank#}8{#/blank#} they also prevent floods. But some people want to {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the wetlands to make more space for farms and less space for wildlife.

    More people are beginning to realize the {#blank#}10{#/blank#} of wetlands and wildlife. Every year, on Feb 2, many activities are held to teach people about the wetlands.

Dancing is popular all over the world. People dance in theaters, in parks or in their own living room. But Yang Liu, a woman in Guizhou, dances in an unusual place. Her dancing place is a bamboo pole（竹竿）.

Yang is a performer of bamboo drifting（独竹漂）. It is a traditional skill（技术）in the girl's hometown. In the past, the local people were so poor that there were few bridges over the river for people to walk across. They crossed the rivers by riding on a bamboo pole. Now, bamboo drifting has become a folk sport.

Yang started to learn bamboo drifting at the age of seven. The bamboo pole is very slippery and it never stops moving. Yang fell into the water again and again. But the girl didn't want to give up. She always got back up on the pole and tried again. She practiced hard every day for three years. Finally, she was able to keep her balance on the pole.

But Yang didn't just stop there. She wanted to live out her dream of becoming a dancer on a bamboo pole. The girl practiced many difficult movements on the pole. She failed lots of times, but she never stopped trying.

Her hard work finally paid off. Now 26, Yang has made a name for herself as a dancer on a bamboo pole. People can't believe their eyes whenever they watch her performances. Through Yang's dances, many people now know about bamboo drifting. They have learned the beauty of this traditional skill.

① Animal behavior is an interesting and attractive study. Scientists research the ways animals use to look for food. They study how animals protect themselves from their predators, and which animals kill other animals for food. All of this helps us understand how useful animals can be.

② Each country or culture raises some animals for food. In the United States, people mainly eat meat from cows, chickens and pigs. In some other countries, people might raise sheep or buffalo for meat. These differences come in part from weather and other environmental conditions (状况). People around the world eat al kinds of fish and shellfish from oceans and rivers. In some countries, people don't always choose some animal groups, such as dogs, for food while in other countries such animals may become people's favorite food.

③ In West Africa, animals provide humans with more than food. They have been helping people do daily work for thousands of years. Horses, oxen, and other work animals pull heavy things. Elephants, camels and other animals carry people and things from place to place. Carrier pigeons (信鸽) have been used to send messages.

④ People also receive health benefits (利益) from animals. For example, dogs and cats can help calm people down. This is helpful for people fighting illnesses. Animals can also reduce stress, helping people to draw their attention to learning new information, such as reading. When people are walking their dogs or horses, it encourages exercise.

⑤ Animals and humans share space on Earth, so keeping a healthy relationship with animals around us is in our best interest.