Are you the type of person who always says “yes”？I've come to learn that it is very important to learn to say “no”．It's okay.People are still going to like you.They may even respect you more because they know you are honest.

I'm not saying to say “no” to someone who really needs your help.I'm talking about turning down that meeting that you really do not want to attend or that birthday party that you don't want to be a guest at.

Think for a moment how you feel when you say “yes” to something that you really don't want to do.If you're like I once was，you can't sleep at night and you think about it too much.It weighs on your mind.You try to find ways out.Whatever you're saying to yourself，if you really wanted to go，you wouldn't have all of these thoughts.

So，why not just say “no” from the beginning？Maybe you feel like if you don't show up at the meeting (by the way，it is not one you must attend)，your boss isn't going to like you or your coworkers won't respect you.Maybe you feel as if your mom，dad or sisters won't love you as much if you don't do everything for them what they ask every occasion.

If these people are your true friends，family members，or a good boss，they will like or love you the same no matter what.People treat you the way you teach them to，and if you're someone who always says “yes”，then that's what they're expecting.

        You need to do what is right for you.Of course we do have real obligations in life to fulfill，but we do not have to do everything others want us to do.

       It's come to this：Climate­conscious policymakers are beginning to consider the possibility of playing God with the weather in the hope of slowing global warming.

      For years it was considered completely stupid in official Washington to discuss geoengineering：changing the climate by reflecting sunlight back into the sky, sucking carbon dioxide from the air—or a number of other surprising plans.But in the past year the thought won in part by the recent collapse of climate legislation as well as by growing interest among private entrepreneurs and foreign officials.

      House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon(D­Tenn.)，whose group will jointly release a report on climate engineering with the British House of Commons this month, said the subject is“just now starting to get some attention” even though people recognize the danger in trying to change a complex weather system.

   “The more you know about it, the more you're concerned about it if we can ever carry it out，” Gordon said in an interview.“However, there may be a point where we're up against the tipping point, and the consequences of climate change are even worse.”

      Over the next few months, whispering about changing the weather will evolve into written recommendations.Several key groups—including the Government Accountability Office—will issue their thoughts on how best to start a modest federal research program on geoengineering.

   “We're getting a sense that agencies are interested in this topic and would be open, on a certain level, to letting this program go forward，”said Jane Long, who co­chairs the National Commission on Energy Policy's task force.

Notes：

①geoengineering n ． 岩土工程　②collapse n ． 瓦解　③legislation n ． 立法　④entrepreneur n ． 企业家　⑤play God扮演上帝 ⑥be up against面临；面对

       The earth is dying before us yet we sit and watch. If the TV or the game system breaks, we run off to the stores to get it fixed immediately no matter what the cost. Why aren't we willing to fix our earth? Are our televisions and game systems more important to us than where we live? Where shall we continue to live, until the end of time?

      The earth is our home and cannot be replaced. We must take care of it. We have come up with so much technology that limits us instead of helping us. Take that game system we run to repair. What does it do? It occupies kids' time! The earth has already given kids plenty of entertainment in the forms of fields and hills, forests and plains, water and land. However, instead of using what the earth has given us, and helping kids by giving them exercise as they run around, we decide to ruin kids' minds with game systems that glue them to the screen for hours, and make them ignore their homework and chores. We have polluted this earth by making these things which do not even help us in any way!

       We have already messed up this world. We have ruined the air, water, and animals that it has so willingly provided for us. We need to stop this destruction of life and bring back the world we had before. It will not be easy, but everybody can help! What about something as simple as turning the lights off when you leave a room? Recycling what can be recycled? Picking up litter? Donating money to an environmental organization? None of these things are very hard. We can't just always say, “Oh, the earth is a mess. Ah, well, those big companies that are polluting so much can stop and fix it.” Instead, we need to help out. It's not only those big companies; it's everyday things that we do too that are ruining the earth. So stop and think about what you can do to make a difference to our world!