The sun is a huge, hot and bright star. It is important because without it there would be no life on the earth. The sun gives us light and heat.
All living things depend on the sun for their growth. Plants need light and heat to grow. They use the light from the sun to make food. But we human beings cannot make food by our own bodies from the sun. All the food we eat comes from plants in a food chain(链) . And the food chain starts with the sun . For example.
sun —→ potatoes  —→ chips
sun  —→ corn  —→ hens  —→ eggs
sun—→ wheat  —→ bread
     Animals need sunlight, too. Just like us, their food comes from plants in food chain, which begins with the sun. For example,
Sun → leaf → caterpilllar(毛虫) → bird
Sun → seaweed(海藻) → small fish → whale(鲸)
     With the help of sunlight, we can see things during the day. Even when the sky is cloudy, the sunlight is very strong and it shines through the clouds. If there was no sun, it would be dark all the time.

    In today's world, almost everyone knows that air pollution and water pollution are harmful to people's health. However, not all the people know that noise is also a kind of pollution, and that is harmful to human health, too.

    People who work and live under noisy conditions usually become deaf. Today, scientists believe that 10% of the workers in Britain are becoming deaf because of the noise where they work. Many of the workers who print newspapers and who weave cloth (织布) become deaf. Plenty of people living near airports also become deaf. Recently it was discovered that many teenagers in America could hear no better than 65-year-old persons, because these young people like to listen to pop music and most of pop music is a kind of noise. Besides, noise which is produced by jet planes or machines will make people's life difficult and unpleasant. It can make people ill or even drive them mad.

    It is said that a continuous noise of more than 85 decibels (分贝) can cause deafness. Now the governments in many countries have made laws to control noise and make it less than 85 decibels.

    In China, the government is trying to solve not only air and water pollution problems but also noise pollution problems.

    Here is a page from a magazine called Future. Read the following information about things that may happen in ten years.

    Cars will run on solar power (太阳能) and will be much cleaner. They will be much safer. For example, if you are too close to another car or if you are driving dangerously, your car will slow down or stop by itself.

    New cities will have to be built in the sea. Some cities on water will have two levels(层). People will live on the upper level; the lower level will be used for traffic, shops and factories.

    Biotechnology(生物技术) will make food better and healthier. Plants without insects or illnesses (病虫害) will be developed. The taste of fruit and vegetables will be better and food will be kept longer.

    Many new ways to cure(治愈) illnesses will be found. People will use products of genetic engineering (基因产品) to cure more illnesses. However, some new illnesses will appear.

Here is a recipe (菜谱):

Mr. Han was a teacher of English. There was a large international gym near his home. On a sunny Saturday afternoon Mr. Han was taking his two little boys to play tennis in the gym. He walked up to the American man at the ticket box and asked, "How much is it to get in?"

"Nine yuan for you and nine yuan for any child over six years old," the American man answered. "We will let them in for free if they are six or younger. How old are they?"

Mr. Han said, "The younger one is three and the other one is seven, so I think I should give you eighteen yuan."

The American man said with a surprised look on his face, "Hey, did you win the lottery （彩票）or something? You need to give me only nine yuan if you tell me the older one is six. You see, I don't check your ID cards （身份证） today. And the man at the ticket gate won't either（也不）. In fact, it is difficult for anyone to tell the difference between kids of six and seven."

"Yes, that may be true, but the children would know the difference." Mr. Han said. "And that is the most important thing."

① On September 5th, 2022, a 6. 8- magnitude (级) earthquake happened in Luding County in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. Very soon firemen, rescuers (救援者) and doctors came to help. 

② The photo of a young rescue r called Zhang Zili holding a 2- month- old baby in his arms moved many people. Zhang and other rescuers found the baby and her grandmother at their home in a village. Luckily, they didn't hurt badly and were sent to hospital. Zhang got a lovely name "Brother Wenchuan" because the Chinese words of "Wenchuan" are on his armband. 

③ 20- year- old Zhang Zili is from Maoxian County, and it is close to Wenchuan County. We all know a 7. 8- magnitude earthquake happened in Wenchuan on May 12th, 2008. 

④ "My house fell down, so my family had to stay in a tent in a school playground. I still remember the tent was dark and I could hear many kids crying. Then an uncle of the PLA (解放军) came to me. He taught me songs to sing and played with me. He kept saying' Don't be afraid because we are here now'," Zhang recalled. The little boy kept these words in his heart. And he will never forget how those firemen, rescuers and doctors worked hard day and night to save people in 2008. In early 2022, when Zhang Zili learnt that the local forest fire brigade (森林消防队) was recruiting (招募) firemen, he joined it at once. 

⑤ "Being a fireman is sometimes dangerous, but saving people from danger is the most important. I love my job," he says.