The Vine That Ate the South

    Kudzu is a fast-growing vine (蔓生植物) that covers a large area in the southern United States. It is so common that one might think it is a native plant, but it is not. Kudzu was brought to the United States from Japan in 1876. Many Americans thought it was beautiful, and they began to plant it. They didn't know it could grow up to a foot a day during the summer months. Nor did they know it would grow up and over anything in its path (路径).

    In Japan, kudzu experienced cold winters and a short growing season. But in the United States, it has a very long growing season with warm and wet southern weather. It is fine weather for the vine to grow fast.

    In the 1920s, people used the vine to feed farm animals. Ten years later, the government supported to plant kudzu because it kept soil (土壤) from washing away. However, by the 1950s, the government no longer wanted people to plant the vine. Twenty years after that, the government said it was a harmful plant.

    The vine grows up trees and buildings, making some beautiful shapes. However, trees die after kudzu covers them because they cannot get enough light. Scientists are looking for ways to kill the vine. They used poisons (毒药)to kill the vine. However, some of the poisons made it grow even better. Scientists also find it difficult to dig up Kudzu. The plant is really tough.

    Because kudzu is so hard to kill, some people are making the best of it. So they try to find different uses for the vine. They find the vine can be used to make paper and baskets, it can be used to feed the goats, and it can even be eaten by people. Scientists are studying it in the hope that the vine can be used as a medicine. At the very least, kudzu serves as an example of the unexpected results that can come from non-native plants.

    There are some easy things you can do to protect the environment and the earth. Choose ideas from the list or come up with a few of your own.

    •Plant flowers, grass or trees.

    •Whenever you visit a park or beach, take away what you bring there—keep rubbish in a bag until you can put it in a dustbin.

    •Turn off the lights and TV sets when you leave the room. This can save a lot of electricity.

    •Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth. You can save some water by not letting it run. Also, use a glass cup instead of a paper cup because this saves paper.

    •Keep the doors and windows closed in winter to keep warm air in.

    •Give your old books and magazines to a library instead of throwing them away.

    •Give your old clothes to poor children you know instead of throwing them away.

    •Use both sides of paper.

    •Stop pouring dirty water into the rivers or lakes nearby.

    •Encourage all your friends to do the same things you do to help protect the earth. You don't have to wait until Earth Day to do these things. Make every day Earth Day. If everyone makes a contribution to protecting the environment, the world will become much more beautiful.

In recent years, more and more farmers in China have moved to cities to work. Many of them leave their children behind in villages. These children are called left- behind ones. In China, there are more than 60 million left-behind children. It is about a third of the children in the countryside and almost a quarter of the country's children. 40% of them are under age 5. 

Left- behind children often face more problems than others. Safety is a big problem. Many children are too young to look after themselves. It is even sadder that some left- behind children die from drowning(溺水) or traffic accidents. 

Another problem is about psychological(心理的) health. Left-behind children are hungry for love. A report says that more than 16% of them think parents don't love them and over 80% always feel not safe. They are usually oversensitive(过度敏感的), and don't get along with others. 

Their education is also serious. According to a research, about 20% of left- behind children think they are not as good as others. Many are not interested in studying at school. They often don't do the homework and go to school late. Some children even take part in criminal(犯罪的) activities. 

To make left- behind children live a happy and healthy life, our government as well as many people has done a lot. Every one of us should give a hand to them. 

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In {#blank#}8{#/blank#} of years， new robots will have many different shapes. Some will look like humans，and others might look like animals. If buildings {#blank#}9{#/blank#} down with people inside，the snake robots can help {#blank#}10{#/blank#} for people under the buildings. It seemed impossible 100 years ago. We never know what will happen in the future！