Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost mention recycling. Recycling in the homes is very important. However, having to recycle often means we already have more products than we need. We are just dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way, but it would be much better if we did not bring so many goods home.

    The total amount of packaging（外包装）has increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It is 1/3 of a home's waste in theUK. In many supermarkets, food products are packaged twice with plastic and paper. Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of land because of this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Besides, the plastic from the package puts some creatures indanger, especially birds and fish.

    Recycling helps, but the recyclingitself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such waste in the firstplace. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, few of them have the idea that this cannot continue. For example, supermarkets should encourage customers to reuse their plastic bags.

    But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have been used to the idea that packaging means excellence while anything unpackaged is of poor condition. This is especially true of food. But this idea has spread to other products, which often have farmore packaging than necessary.

    There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize just how many unnecessary goods are collected. We need to face the waste of our consumer culture, but we have amountain to climb.

B

    Many children spend a lot of time watching or playing with electronic media –from televisions to video games, computers and other devices（设备）.

    So, it is natural that parents should wonder about the time children spend looking at a TV or computer screen. Americans say “screen time” when they talk about any time children spend in front of an electronic device.

    Perhaps parents can stop worrying so much about screen time, at least for older boys and girls. In October 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) listed several suggestions for parents and child care workers. Here are some of the suggestions.

●Avoid digital media use in children younger than 18 to 24 months.

●For children aged 18-24 months, avoid letting the child watch media alone. And avoid using media as a way to comfort your child.

●For children two to five years of age, allow one-hour screen time on “high-quality（质量）programming” a day and watch it with your child.

●For children aged 6 and older, don't spend too much time using media. Also, make sure that screen time does not take the place of healthy sleep, exercising, doing homework and other activities.

●Make sure to have media-free time together as a family, such as dinner or driving. Also make some areas of the home media-free. Turn off you child's electronic devices an hour before bedtime.

    April will bring a new product– the Apple Watch into the market. Last week, the watch was firstly introduced by Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. The price of the watch is from $349 to $1,099, depending on its size and whether it is a sports or regular one. Apple engineers and designers have put in a lot of thought and hard work into creating this small screen on your wrist. The sensor(传感器)on the screen not only finds your finger, but also knows the difference between when you are tapping(轻触), and when you are pressing harder.

    The watch also has haptic feedback(触觉反馈). You can send personal messages to your friend —such as drawing a star or a special sign with your fingers, or tapping the watch, say 3 times, and your friend will receive those taps on their wrist.

    Besides telling the time, the watch will use 'Bluetooth' to connect with your iPhone and show calls or text messages that come in.

    According to Tim Cook, the watch may open up a whole new area of applications（应用） that we had never thought of. Some car factories like BMW have developed an app that allows its car owners to open their cars with the watch. A 'Hotels' app may allow you to open the door to your hotel room without worrying about losing the smart-card. And finally, even at the airport—passengers may be able to simply wave their wrist to check into their flight.

    The biggest use of the watch, however, is as your personal fitness coach. The watch can show your pulse (heartbeat) using a sensor at the bottom of the watch. It also has the same sensor as your iPhone, so it knows when you are moving, and also how much you are walking or running. It will remind you if you have been sitting for too long without taking exercise.

    In earliest times, men considered lightning to be one of the great mysteries (神秘的事物) of nature. Some ancient peoples believed that lightning and thunder were the weapons (武器) of the gods.

    In reality, lightning is a flow of electricity formed high above the earth. A single flash of lightning 1.6 kilometres long has enough electricity to light one million light bulbs (灯泡).

    The American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin, was the first to show the connection between electricity and lightning in 1752. In the same year he also built the first lightning rod (避雷针). This device (装置物) protects buildings from being damaged by lightning.

    Modern science has discovered that one stroke (闪击) of lightning has a voltage (电压) of more than 15 million volts (伏特). A flash of lightning between a cloud and the earth may be as long as 13 kilometers, and travel at a speed of 30 million meters per second.

    Scientists judge that there are about 2,000 million flashes of lightning per year. Lightning hits the Empire State Building in New York City 30 to 48 times a year. In the United States alone it kills an average (平均数) of one person every day.

    The safest place to be in case of an electrical storm is in a closed car. Outside, one should go to low ground and not get under trees. Also, one should stay out of water and away from metal fences. Inside a house, people should avoid open doorways and windows and not touch wires or metal things.

    With lightning, it is better to be safe than sorry?

    My parents often take me to the zoo at weekends. I like animals. I have many toy animals in my room. In the zoo I can see tigers, elephants, pandas and many other animals. Some animals are friendly, but some are not. Tigers, lions and snakes are dangerous. That is why they have to be in the cage. But I think it is terrible for animals to be in the cage.

    Tigers usually live in forests and mountains. They can run. They catch and eat small animals, but now they live in small rooms. They can only walk and sleep in the cages, and they want to go out. I feel sorry for them.

    I think my favourite animals are dolphins. I like watching them swim and jump. They can play with a ball. They can "walk" on the water! They are very friendly to people. They can help you when you fall into water and can't swim.

    Just as a famous saying goes, a Reading is to success what water is to fish." {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It can open many doors and can lead you into a path to success. It's quite clear that every successful person has a good habit of reading. This is because reading is an important way to get the information required to understand something. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Then, how can you develop an interest in reading? There is only one way. Let me explain this to you. If you want to learn how to ride a bike, you have to get on the bike as many times as possible until you can ride successfully. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you want to improve your reading, try to read as much as you can. When you finish reading your first book, take another book and do the same. If you are going out, take a magazine, a book, an article or something else to read. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    So, parents should help to get their children to read as early as possible. Studies have shown that reading to your unborn child is very good. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Reading is always a wonderful time. Good books are good friends.