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 among them. They are in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. They are home for many different kinds of birds and animals. The world's largest Milu Deer Nature Reserve(自然保护区) is in them. More than 700 milu deer live freely there. In winter you can see some red-crowned cranes in the Yellow Sea Wetlands though there are not many in the world.

It is not too hot nor too cold in the wetlands. There is a lot of rain and sunshine, too. They are really good places for wildlife. Offering food and home for some special kinds of animals and birds is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood(洪水). But some people want to change the wetlands to make more farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife.

    Luckily, more and more people are beginning to realize the importance of wetlands and wildlife. Every year, on February 2nd, many activities are held to tell people more about wetlands.

Americans love cars. They go everywhere in them. 85% of people in the US go to and form work by car. And most adults have driving licenses. Why does this car culture exist?

How it started

America's love of cars started after the war when soldiers returned home from World War Π to rebuild their lives. They borrowed money from the government to buy houses and cars which became the symbols of status（地位）. The more money they had, the bigger their cars were.

Making of roads

During the war, President Eisenhower noticed what good roads Germany had. He decided to build new four-lane（四车道）roads in America. He said is something happened suddenly, the two-lane roads wouldn't be able to carry all the cars that would suddenly leave the cities. Car and oil companies liked his idea and building started.

Car lovers

Not just teenagers are crazy about cars. Some Americans love their cars so much that they paint their cars beautifully. These are called Art Cars. Every April there is an activity in Houston, Texas, where they show their cars.

Pollution

Cars have polluted the environment. American President Bush refused a worldwide law that is against pollution. Many countries were angry about it. Bush said he had to think of the American economy（经济）and all the American people that make money from cars. Factories say they want to make cars that pollute less. But others say making cars that pollute less will never be as good as having fewer cars.

    We can express thoughts and feelings and send sounds and pictures on our smart phones today. We also communicate by using programs like Skype and Face Time. We can't send tastes, smells or touch, of course. But scientists in Britain are trying to develop a way for smart phones to do just that.

    Adrian David Cheok is a professor at City University in London. He wants people to experience communication using all of their senses. He said "In the real world, we can open up the glass, open the window. We can touch, we can taste, we can smell in the real world."

    To give users a sense of taste, researchers designed two electrodes (电极）that are placed on the tongue. A chemical process creates different tastes through molecules (微粒)on the surface of the tongue. This chemical process sends electrical signals that convince the brain that a person is tasting something. They have already created sour, salty, sweet and bitter tastes.

    "You put these two silver electrodes in your mouth, you put your tongue in between and then it stimulates electrically your tongue and you get a virtual taste perception in your brain."

    A device(设备）called "Scentee" permits users to have the sense of smell. Scentee plugs into a smart phone and can spray tiny clouds of fragrances, including flowers, fruits and coffee. Professor Cheok says the person speaking can activate the device.

    Scentee holds a container with about 100 different smells. The container must be replaced when all the scents（pleasant smells) run out.

    It is said that more than four million people die each year from smoking. That number is increasing. Seven in ten of those deaths are in developing countries. These numbers are frightening.

    Yet people around the world continue to smoke. The Great American Smokeout has been founded for twenty-five years to show the dangers of smoking and provide support for people who decide to stop smoking. The American Cancer Society says all cigarettes damage the body. It warns that smoking even a small number of cigarettes is dangerous. It is not easy to give up smoking forever. However, doctors say they probably will live longer if they do stop smoking. They will feel better and look better. They also will protect the health of family members who breathe their smoke.

    The American Cancer Society says there is not just one right way to stop smoking. Any useful way to stop smoking is worth trying. They may take long walks or spend time in places where smoking is not allowed. Also, they could eat a small piece of fruit instead of having a cigarette.

    The American Cancer Society says the sooner smokers stop smoking, the more they can reduce their chances of getting cancer and other diseases. It says blood pressure returns to normal twenty minutes after smoking the last cigarette. Carbon monoxide (一氧化碳) gas levels in the blood return to normal after eight hours. After one day, the chance of heart attack decreases. After one year, the risk of heart disease for a non-smoker is half that of a smoker.

Stop smoking before smoking stops you!

    As we know, all living things have to eat food. For a man, a tiger, a fish, a bird, or even a worm, food is needed. We know all living things are sure to die without food. In every part of the world, different kinds of animals share living places and live in communities (群落) together. They are connected(联系) in a food chain.

    In a food chain, some living things are producers and some are consumers. Plants are producers because they use sunlight, soil and other things to make their own food. Animals are consumers because they have to eat other animals or plants.

    There are four different kinds of consumers in the animal world. A carnivore is an animal that only eats other animals. An herbivore is an animal that only eats plants. An omnivore is an animal that eats plants and animals. A scavenger is an animal that eats dead animal.

    Here is a picture of a food chain. The food chain shows how animal eat each other in a community. In the picture, you can see what animal or plant is food for another animal. See? The grass is food for a rabbit(兔子), which then becomes food for a hungry tiger. In this way, all of these animals are connected.