There are many wetlands 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 animals. The world's largest Milu Deer Nature Reserve is in them. More than 700 Milu deer live freely there. There are not many red-crowned cranes in the world, but every winter you can see some in the Red-crowned Crane Nature Reserve in the Yellow Sea Wetlands.

The temperature in the wetlands is usually neither too high nor too low. There is a lot of rain and sunshine, too. They are really good places for wildlife. Offering(提供) food and home for some special kinds of animals is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood. But some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms 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.

The Smallest Life Around Us

    Tiny plants and animals live all around us．We cannot see them because they are so small，but they are everywhere. They live in the soil，in the air，and in rivers and oceans．They grow on mountains and in caves．Some live in the ice at the north and south poles; some live where it is very hot．They are found throughout cities and in the country. They grow on other plants and animals．Some are even living on you，on your skin，hair，and inside your body，in your mouth，nose，and all through your body．

    These tiny plants and animals are called microbes．The word microbe is made from two other words：micro，meaning small，and bios，meaning life．So，microbe means small life．

    Microbes have been on earth for a very long time．They may have been the first forms of life to be alive．Today there are more microbes in the world than all other living things．

    People did not know microbes had existed（存在） long．They were too small for them to see．But people did see many changes in their world﹣important changes．And they did not know what caused them．They saw food that they kept too long change color and begin to smell bad．They saw cuts and wounds grow red and painful and become worse. They saw old plants and leaves and trees crumble apart on the forest floor and disappear into the soil．Such changes were a natural part of the world，but people did not understand them．They did not know these changes were evidence(证据) of tiny plants and animals growing all around them.

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    Hippos(河马) live in Africa(非洲). They are one of the world's largest land animals. Here are some interesting facts about them.

●Where are hippos born?

    Hippos often give birth in the water. The hippo babies get out of water right after birth to take their first breath.

●How quickly do hippos grow up?

    Hippo babies nurse both under water and on land for a year. Then they stop taking their mothers' milk but they are still with their mothers until they are eight years old. Then they move out.

●What do hippos love?

    Hippos love water and they spend most of the day in it to stay cool. The Hippo can breathe, see and hear when its body is under water because its nose, eyes and ears are on the top of its head.

●Do hippos swim better than people?

    Yes, they are great swimmers and they can hold(屏住) their breath for five minutes. Hippos can even walk under water along the bottom(水底) of rivers and lakes.

    Many people may sometimes wish it could be summer all year round. However, as nice as summer is, we really need the other seasons as well.

    Then why do we have different seasons? We know that the Earth spins on its own axis (轴线). This makes day and night. In 24 hours the Earth turns round once. When we are facing the sun, it is day. When we face away, it is night. Simple!

    We travel around the sun in a circle. So why does it get colder in winter and hotter in summer? It's because the axis of the Earth is tilted (倾斜的). It means that in summer some places, such as the UK, are leaning towards the ssun. The temperature rises. As the Earth travels around the sun, these places begin to tilt away and the temperature drops. It becomes winter.

    This is why when the UK has winter, Australia has summer. Imagine having Christmas dinner on the beach! But not all countries have seasons. Countries near the equator (赤道), the line which goes round the middle of the Earth, don't have different seasons. The weather stays almost the same temperature all the year round. Can you think why this is? The middle doesn't tilt very much, does it? This means the seasons don't change much.

    Then what about the North and South Pole? What are the seasons like there? Because they get very far away from the Sun, their seasons are very extreme. There are only two seasons near the North and South Pole: winter and summer. What's more, they only have one sunrise and one sunset a year. It is dark for six months of the year and light for six months of the year. What problems would there be if you had to live somewhere that was dark for six months of the year and light for six months of the year?

    Every time when I look at the moon, I wish I could go there. Do you wish you could fly to the moon in a spaceship one day?

For hundreds of years, men have wanted to travel to the moon. When they looked at the moon, they asked many questions. Was the moon hot or cold? Were there any plants or other living things there? There were many, many other questions.

    We know much about the moon now. Scientists have studied the moon for many years and have found out many facts. So far, some men have got to the moon on spaceships.

    Scientists have found that the moon is much smaller than the earth. It is about one quarter the size of the earth. It is traveling round the earth all the time. There are not any plants or other living things on the moon, because there is no air or water there.

    Days and nights on the moon are very long. One day on the moon is as long as two weeks on the earth. One night is also as long as two weeks on the earth. In the day the moon is very hot. At night it is very cold. The moon is much hotter and much colder than the earth.

    There is another surprising thing. On the moon things are not as heavy as they are on the earth. Isn't that interesting? Perhaps one day we can all travel to the moon. It must be great fun.