阅读理解

     Most of you know this mathematical game, of course. You and your friend draw crosses and circles on a sheet of paper. You do it one after another. The first pupil who gets three marks in a row wins. But do you know that you can play this game another way and it will become more interesting? You must try to make your friend win. If you get your three marks in a row, you don't win — you lose!

     It is more difficult to play this game the other way. The second pupil can always win (if he plays the right way), but he may not win if the first pupil begins with his mark in the center. Then if the first pupil always takes a place on the other side of his friend's mark, nobody will win.
     If your friend does not know the secret which we have explained, you must play each time so as to leave him the greatest number of ways to win. You may try a few games and you will see how interesting it is to play the game this way.

The Vine That Ate the South

    Kudzu is a fast-growing vine (蔓生植物) that covers a large area in the southern United States. It is so common that one might think it is a native plant, but it is not. Kudzu was brought to the United States from Japan in 1876. Many Americans thought it was beautiful, and they began to plant it. They didn't know it could grow up to a foot a day during the summer months. Nor did they know it would grow up and over anything in its path (路径).

    In Japan, kudzu experienced cold winters and a short growing season. But in the United States, it has a very long growing season with warm and wet southern weather. It is fine weather for the vine to grow fast.

    In the 1920s, people used the vine to feed farm animals. Ten years later, the government supported to plant kudzu because it kept soil (土壤) from washing away. However, by the 1950s, the government no longer wanted people to plant the vine. Twenty years after that, the government said it was a harmful plant.

    The vine grows up trees and buildings, making some beautiful shapes. However, trees die after kudzu covers them because they cannot get enough light. Scientists are looking for ways to kill the vine. They used poisons (毒药)to kill the vine. However, some of the poisons made it grow even better. Scientists also find it difficult to dig up Kudzu. The plant is really tough.

    Because kudzu is so hard to kill, some people are making the best of it. So they try to find different uses for the vine. They find the vine can be used to make paper and baskets, it can be used to feed the goats, and it can even be eaten by people. Scientists are studying it in the hope that the vine can be used as a medicine. At the very least, kudzu serves as an example of the unexpected results that can come from non-native plants.

    How green are you? Do you know how to be green? We all need a healthy environment, but we produce waste every day and it is harmful to our environment. Though we are young, we can still do something to help. Here are some ideas for you.

    Reduce

    Reduce means "use less" .Don't waste things. This saves money and reduces pollution. Before we buy something new, think whether it is really necessary— or maybe the old one is still useful.

    Reuse

    Reuse means "use again" .When we buy things, make sure that they can last a long time. When something is broken, we should repair it instead of throwing it away and buying a new one. Don't use a paper cup or a paper bag. It's better to use a china(瓷) cup and a lunch box because you can use them again.

    Recycle

    Recycle means "change things into something else" .Though it takes energy to change something into something else, it's better than throwing things away or burning them.

    So please remember these three words: reduce, reuse and recycle.

    The world uses about a thousand million (百万) tons of water a day. Water is a human right and everyone should have their share. Yet more than 700 million people around the world have trouble getting clean, safe water.

    Treating wastewater is a good way to provide fresh water for us. And it also helps the environment by keeping waste out of rivers and oceans. 80% of wastewater around the world is not treated at all, and it is running into oceans. But now we have got the technology to treat and reuse the wastewater.

    While 75% of our planet is covered with water, only about 2% is fresh water—that comes from rivers, lakes, ice and snow. The rest, 98% of the water, is in seas and oceans. It is too salty to drink. Then desalination businesses come in. More than 19,000 factories have been built around the world, mostly in coastal countries. They process (加工) more than 92 million tons of water every day. But the technology they use requires a lot of energy.

    Scientists are working to create a less costly technology. They want to produce 20 times more clean water and make sure everyone has enough. But for now, the world still faces each day with not having enough water for everyone.

    English playwright Arthur Wing Pinero said,"Where there's tea, there's hope." Similarly, a Chinese saying goesthat "Firewood, rice, cooking oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are theseven necessities to begin a day."

    Tea is, without doubt, welcomed all overthe world. According to Statista, a German website for statistics (数据), global tea production reached about 5.8million tons in 2018. It has become the most consumed beverage (饮品) in the world – after water, of course.

    According to the UN, tea is much more thanjust a hot drink. It's a big part of many cultures around the world. Youprobably know that people in China use top-grade tea to show respect whenreceiving important guests. Meanwhile, the British tradition of afternoon teais an important part of that country's identity. Making Malaysia's pulled teahas become a sort of art form, where drinkers take pride in its entertainmentaspects.

    Apart from its cultural significance (意义), tea is also a medicine, used from ancienttimes to modern day. "Tea is cold and lowers the fire," Chinese MingDynasty herbalist Li Shizhen once said. The health benefits of tea are stillbeing discovered today: preventing heart disease, obesity and cancer have allbeen linked to drinking green tea, according to the National Center forBiotechnology Information in the US.

    Hot or cold, bagged or loose-leaf,teais more than a drink– it's a social custom and also a magic medicine, alink to the past and a way of life.

Mary did not understand such sentence as "She is blue today. ""You are yellow. ""He has a green thumb. ""He has told a little white lie. " and so on. And she went to her teacher for help. 

Mary: Mrs. Smith, there is a color in each of these sentences. What do they mean?

Mrs. Smith: In everyday English, Mary, blue sometimes means sad. Yellow means afraid. A person with a green thumb grows plants very well. And a white lie is not a bad one. 

Mary: Would you give me an example for "a white lie"?

Mrs. Smith: Certainly. Now I give you some cakes. In fact, you don't like it. What will you say?"

Mary: I will say "No, thanks. I'm not hungry. "

Mrs. Smith: That's a white lie. 

Mary: Oh, I see. Thank you very much.