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.

    A recent study found people's lives are made shorter in North China. It is showed the life expectancy(平均寿命) had been cut down by 5.5 years there. Researchers（研究者）think that the heavy air pollution in China should be to blame(承担责任). It's really the truth. Our government has already done something. However, it doesn't seem to work so well.

    “Air pollution in China is doing harm to people's health. The harm is much more serious than we can imagine,” said Chen Yuyu of Beijing University, one of researchers of this study.

    Dirty air brings serious problems in North China. In January this year, the air pollution was worse than that in other places. That was caused by rising temperature and waste gas（气体）from coal heating（燃煤）.

    Chinese government should strongly fight with air pollution. They should think of more proper ways to deal with the problem. People should be encouraged to take buses, ride bicycles or walk, instead of driving cars. The factories that pollute heavily should be closed.

    “We need to improve our environment, although it might be expensive. Protecting our environment means protecting ourselves,” Li Hongbin, another researcher of the study said.

    Traveling（旅行) is one of the most important activities and people were interested in it many years ago. Modern traffic develops(发展) fast, so traveling to different places has become much faster than before.Staying healthy while traveling can make your trip happier. But do you know how to keep healthyduring a trip? The following advice may be useful to you.

    Before leaving

①Wear comfortable shoes, a hat and sunglasses.

②Take some medicine that you need with you. They can be used when you get ill or have other problems.

③Do some exercise for weeks or months before you leave if you plan to do lots of walking or climbing during your trip.

④Prepare（准备） proper (适当的)food. Take bread, biscuits and some fruit for a long time. They don't go bad quickly. Bring meat, fish, eggs, milk and even salads and vegetables for a nearer one.

While traveling

①Be sure not to eat dirty food or bad fruit.

②Have enough time to take a rest during your trip.Itcan help you become more relaxed.

③Tap（水龙头）water is not safe, so drink bottled water and always clean the cover of the bottle.

④Keep food in good condition（状态）. Remember: If you travel with food, keep hot food hot and cold food cold.

    Tablets are really useful devices, but their big screens always make them as a burden to carry around without a bag. Wouldn't it be great if there were a phone with the powers of a tablet that could be folded up and fit into the hand?

Now something like a tablet-shaped but foldable phone is about to become available. In February, South Korean electronics company Samsung and China's Huawei both showed foldable phones, The Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X respectively. Mobile phone use has entered the "foldable future", The Verge noted.

    The technology could change our lives in unusual ways. These devices, due to their foldable screens, give us the larger screens we want. At the same time, they still fit easily into the pocket. As USA Today noted, they're "the combination of a small tablet and smartphone, all in a single device".

    The technology could change other devices too. For example, we could make TVs that stick to walls like posters, or fold up easily to hide away in drawers. In crowded modern cities, they will help us to make full use of available space.

    In a keynote speech, Samsung's senior vice president of mobile product marketing, Justin Denison, called the foldable screen "the foundation for the smartphone of tomorrow". "It's a piece of white paper for us to paint something beautiful on together," he said.

    So is there nothing to stand in the way of the foldable future?

According to technology news website Android Authority, the necessary displays* were difficult to produce. At present, these foldable devices cost too much. For example, the price of Huawei Mate X is 17,500 RMB. That's a price that few people will be able to afford.

    But if the foldable device isn't going to change the world overnight, there is no doubt that it is coming.

    Patrick Moorhead, an industry expert told The Verge, "Few are debating if foldable mobile displays are the future of smartphones; the only question is when and by whom."

    In most parts of the world, many students help their schools make less pollution. They join environment clubs. In an environment club, people work together to make our environment clean.

    Here are some things students often do.

    No-rubbish lunches. How many lunch bags do you throw away after lunch? Environment clubs ask students to bring their lunches in bags that can be used again. Every week they will choose which classes make the least rubbish and report them to the whole school.

    No-car day. On a no-car day, nobody comes to school in a car including the students and the teachers. Cars give pollution to us, so remember:

    Walk, jump, bike, or run!

    Use your legs! It's lots of fun!

    Turn off the water! Do you know that some toilets can waste twenty to forty cubic (立方) meters of water an hour? In a year, that would fill in a small river. In the environment clubs, students repair those broken toilets.

    We love our environment. Let's work together to make it better.

The kites in Weifang never disappoint. Every year the Weifang International Kite Festival amazes visitors with creative kites, as "paper birds" of varied designs keep appearing in the sky.

Kites in China can originate from the Warring States Period when Mozi made the first "wooden kite". Kites didn't actually become popular until the Ming Dynasty. By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, artists who were good at kite making began to appear in Weifang. In 1984, the first Weifang International Kite Festival was held.

Kites were used in China during the wars at the very beginning. For example, they can be used to record wind readings, similar to ship flags at sea. Over time, kites became connected with relaxing activities, and were often flown during festivals and holidays.

Today, kite-flying is a popular activity in China, and the Weifang International Kite Festival is one of the largest kite festivals in the world. In 2024, 622 kite artists from 59 countries and areas took part in the event. Zhang Xiaodong,74, has attended all the festivals. In the early days, he only brought traditional kites to take part in the competitions, but this time, he used sound and light to make the story of Chang'e flying to the moon come "alive".

The festival is a great platform to share kite-making skills. It also brings the people of China and other countries closer. As one citizen put it, "No matter how far away kite lovers go, there is always a 'thread' in their heart that can pull them together."