Everyone Can Change the World

    What can we do to help protect the environment? It seems useless to just pick up a piece of trash, but what will happen if you keep doing it every day? Tommy Kleyn, an ordinary man from the Netherlands, may give you the answer.

    Tommy Kleyn walked past a polluted river on his way to work every day. It used to be a beautiful view, but the trash on the bank made it dirty and smelly. So Tommy decided to pick up the trash along the river a little bit at a time after work. "It took me about 30 minutes to fill one garbage bag with trash, but one garbage bag didn't seem helpful in a place as polluted as this. I decided to fill one bag of trash each day as I passed by," Tommy said. Every day, Tommy took pictures of the river and shared them on his Facebook page. To his surprise, in just six days, he had made great progress with his cleanup effort. He felt happy and kept doing it. Gradually, more and more people knew about Tommy's story. Other people in the community began following in his footsteps and cleaning up trash on their way home, too.

    "The idea is to encourage people to fill one garbage bag with litter each day. It only takes 30 minutes, but it really makes a difference and you will be amazed at how good you feel afterwards," he said.

    People from all over the world have been moved and inspired by Tommy's story. No effort is useless if we keep doing it every day. Ordinary people like you and me can also make a difference to the world we live in if we take actions right now.

    Do you often eat out？Do you often like to use disposable (一次性的) chopsticks？Do you think the chopsticks are safe？ {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    China produces 80 billion (十亿) pairs of such chopsticks every year. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Can you imagine how many trees have to be cut down every year？20 million. Can you imagine how old the trees are？20 years old.   

    Many people choose to use such chopsticks because they think they are cleaner. In fact，they're not safe. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Several months ago, Huang Bo, a popular actor, wrote a message on his micro blog (微博)．{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Once he went to a restaurant with his friends. He tried to wash the disposable chopsticks. He was surprised to find the chopsticks turned the water yellow and gave off a bad smell.

    That's true. The smell show that they may be dealt with sulphur (硫磺) and other chemicals (化学制品)． That's very bad for people's health.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It is not only good for our own health but also helpful to save the environment.

    Do you ever wish you were as thin as a model(模特) or as strong as your favourite football player? Maybe you wish you were taller or just thinner a little. Those thoughts are a natural part of growing up.

    But learning what you can and can't change about your body is part of growing up, too. It can be hard to do. But when people accept the way they look, they often feel happier.

    Some children worry that they're not growing and developing as fast as their friends. It's important to know that puberty(青春期) doesn't happen at the same time for every child. And there are no special medicines that can make it happen sooner!

    Eating healthy foods and exercising more can make all children feel better. Why? Because they will help you feel energetic (精力充沛的) and keep your body working just the way it should be. Watching TV and playing computer games can be fun, but they don't do much for your body because you sit when you do them.

    But when you move your body—by playing, dancing, taking part in sports, or even cleaning your room—you exercise your muscles(肌肉). When you exercise the muscle, it gets stronger. And when you have strong muscles, you can do whatever you want to do!

    Giving a speech in front of your class can be challenging. However, you can do something to make it success. First of all, you need to do something about your topic. For example, choose a topic about something you like, such as something that interests you or someone who is close to you. Once you've chosen your topic, try to find useful information about it online or from the library. As you do this, write down the information that supports your ideas in a valuable way.

    Rehearsing(排练) your speech is also important. For this, you'd better write the script (讲稿) just like talking to your friends. Keep your script simple. Use interesting examples or stories to show your ideas. Once you finish your script, read it out loud to yourself and remember it. After that, write down 2 to 3 points that you may forget on a note card. Finally, you have to practice your speech in front of something or someone until you don't have to look at your note card.

    In the end, it's time to give the speech. At this time, stand straight and hold your head high. This will show that you're confident. Show your listeners that you're excited by smiling before you begin and throughout the speech. Pause(停顿) after finishing a sentence, or after saying an important point. It will allow you time to collect your thoughts.

    If you're out of breath while speaking or if your words start running together, you're most probably speaking too fast. If this happens, take a breath and slow down. While talking, look at your listeners, like friends. What's more, if you don't remember the next word or line, pause for one or two seconds to look at your note card. Before you begin speaking, take a deep breath, smile at your listeners, and then go on.

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    The young woman at the airline check-in desk meant no harm. She greeted a customer with a question which would be no problem in Chinese," What's your problem?" But this question is impolite in English, and the customer became very angry. In this situation, the young woman should say." May I help you?" or" How can I help you?" Then she would not be facing an unhappy traveler.

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    Maybe you would like something. Instead of saying" Giving me a hamburger," say," Could I have a hamburger, please?" or "I'd like a hamburger." English speakers often use the expressions" please "and" thank you". When requesting something, use" Can I" or "Could I". In formal situations," May I" is the best.

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    When someone asks your opinion, you don't want to make them feel upset by saying something they think is unkind. Maybe someone asks," What do you think of my idea?" Don't say," It's a terrible idea." if you don't like it. Say," I don't think it's the best idea." Then people will accept your opinion more easily.

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    When you can't accept an invitation, don't say." I can't. I'm busy" Refuse in a more indirect way." I'm afraid I can't…" or" I'd love to, but…" or" That sounds great, but..." These phrases soften the message and make it easier to accept.

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    Avoid saying others have done wrong. Don't say," You don't understand me." Say, Maybe I need to make clear what I mean." Give special attention to" I" or" We" rather than" you". Take time to learn polite phrasing. Then you'll make your communication with people more pleasant.