Do you know how many pandas there are in the world? World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has spent four yours counting pandas in the world. It says there are 1,590 now. In the 1980s, there were only 1,100.

So we may say that pandas are lucky because people around the world love them and are trying their best to help them. However, we also say that pandas are unlucky because they are still facing a lot of problems now.

Pandas are not good at making babies. Even in the wild, scientists have found that female pandas give birth only every 28 months. That's why the number of pandas goes up so slowly.

Pandas need bamboos for food, but bamboo dies every 10 to 100 years. It can take up to 20 years to provide(提供) food for pandas. When bamboo dies, pandas have to move to other areas. In the past, this was easy. However, the number of people keeps growing, people cut down more forests and built more villages. It's more difficult for pandas to find bamboos and homes than before.

In the past years, WWF made great efforts to protect pandas. And some Chinese scientists are also always trying to find ways to help pandas.

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    Do you like blueberries? But maybe you don't know blueberries well.

    Farmers often grow them on bushes(灌木丛) in the field. A blueberry is small and round. Many blueberries can grow on one bush. At first, the blueberries are green. You can't eat the green berries. A lot of sun and rain help them become sweet. When the berries become blue and big, they are ripe and sweet.

    After the blueberries are ripe, people put them into boxes and bring them to stores and supermarkets. People buy the blueberries and take them home to eat. After they wash the berries, they eat them one by one. Some people like to cook with blueberries. They make blueberry muffins(松饼) and pancakes. They like to make blueberry juice. Others like to make blueberry ice cream. It is very cool!

    MSG(monosodium glutamate谷氨酸单钠) is a food additive(食品添加剂),which has been widely used by many food factories all over the world since it appeared first in Japan in 1909.

    MSG is a substance that is added to some food to improve its taste and color. It is used in foods around the world such as cakes, bread, frozen meat, fish and vegetables. In the beginning, people thought MSG was safe just like salt and sugar. However, in 1968 some people reported they seemed to have bad reactions(反应) to MSG after having had a meal at a restaurant. They included headaches and quick heartbeat . It was also reported that MSG excited a person's brain and caused his death in Japan. Scientists think that MSG may lead to many neurological disorders(神经紊乱). In mice studies done by a university, the result showed the mice didn't want to eat the food including MSG.

    Today many food companies “hide” MSG on food labels(标签) by using different names. If you see “natural flavorings (调味品) ”,“hydrolyzed protein” and  “spices” in a food label, you are probably seeing a hidden way to “report” MSG in a food label. Every time we have a meal in a restaurant, we always feel the food very delicious to taste, but sometimes it is dangerous for our health because some harmful food additives have been added to the food.

    To protect people's health, our governments, from central to local, are taking action to stop factories producing harmful food additives.

    Energy is everywhere. We use energy every day.

    Electricity is a form of energy and this is what powers the TV, hairdryer, phone, fridge, electric toothbrush and more! Our growing need for energy is one of the problems facing the world today, because producing electricity also produces pollution.

    Here are some simple ways to make a big difference when using electricity.

On or off? Leaving televisions and computers on with the little red light showing still uses electricity, even though they might look like they're turned off. To stop this you can turn them off.

    Lights out! Turning lights off when you're not in the room can save a lot of energy.

    Fridge door closed. The fridge is an important part of the kitchen, because it keeps food fresh, cool and healthy! But it takes a lot of energy to keep cool, so try not to leave the fridge door open or put hot things inside.

    Use the sun's energy. An increasing number of people are fitting solar panels（太阳能电池板） to their houses. They create electricity from sun-light, which can then be used to power our homes. Solar heating panels make hot water, reducing the need for electricity or gas.

    Techeng Island(特呈岛)lies in the southeast of Zhanjiang. The villagers there used to make a living by fishing. But now, most of them make much money by doing business. They believe that their island is a gift from nature and they give thanks to it every day. In 2003, President Hu Jintao came to visit the island and pointed out that the government of Zhanjiang should take the is land into a "civilized new ecotourism island"(文明生态旅游新海岛). Since then, the island has opened a new page in history.

    Today, the island has become a popular place for tourists. It takes you about 15 minutes to get there by boat from Maxie Pier(码头)near Haibin Park. But it is a just 8­minute boat ride from Zhanjiang Port Pier. In the resort(度假村), you can not only enjoy the fantastic sights but also have a lot of interesting things to do, like walking on the beach, visiting the museum and enjoying the delicious seafood. The best way to relax yourself is to enjoy the hot springs(温泉)there.

    Welcome to Techeng Island! It's a place to visit!

No one knows when the first kite was made. The first record of a kite was more than 2,000 years ago in China. Han Xin, the leader of an army, wanted to bring down a king. He decided to dig a tunnel (隧道)into the king's palace. He flew a kite over the wall of the palace to make sure the length (长度)of its string (线).In this way, he could determine how long the tunnel should be. His men in the tunnel took the kite string with them. When they reached the end of the string, they knew to dig up.

    Kites have been flown in Japan for hundreds of years. In the 1700s, kites were flown in autumn to give thanks for a good harvest. They were also flown to send good wishes to couples who had their first son. Today in Japan, kites are often flown as part of a celebration, such as the beginning of a new year. And kite festivals are held each year in many parts of the country.

    Kites have been used for scientific purposes in the western world. In 1752，Benjamin Franklin tied a key to a kite and flew it in a storm to find out that lightening was a form of electricity. In the 1890s, Lawrence Hargrave invented the box kite to test ideas about flight. From 1898 until 1933, the United States Weather Bureau (气象局) used box kites to collect weather data. The Wright brothers also experimented (试验)with kites. What they learned helped them make the first airplane flight in 1903.