When you hear about trees cut for paper, you might think of your favorite trees in the backyard, nearby parks or wild forests being cut to pieces.

 The good news is that production and use of paper will not cause forests to disappear. Most trees used for paper come from timberlands(林地). People plant trees here for use. It usually takes 10 to 20 years for trees to grow big enough to be cut down. During that time, trees provide a home for animals and produce oxygen(氧气) for the earth. And after people cut down the big trees, they plant small ones again.

 Often, a tree is not cut down for making paper at all. People use the big part for buildings. Paper is then made from the left small part.

 We also recycle paper—People collect used paper and turn it into new products, likes boxes, newsprint and writing paper, in the factory. So it's important for us to recycle paper and reduce(减少) the amount(数量) of it in landfills(垃圾处理场).

      Have you seen Avatar（《阿凡达》）? It's a popular 3D movie, and you may have to wear 3D glasses to see it. The 3D glasses make the images(图像)from the movie look as if they were coming straight towards you. 

More and more 3D movies are coming to theaters. Some say that 3D TV sets will come into our homes in the near future. 3D technology can make TV and movies are more exciting. However, people with eye problems may get headaches if they spend too much time watching 3D movies. Why?

      When we look at an object(物体), each eye sees it at a different angle(角度). Our eyes send the two images to our brain(大脑), and the brain puts them together. 3D technology uses two film projectors(投影机). One projects a left-eye-image and the other projects a right-eye-image. 3D glasses allow us to see a different image in each eye. So, when we are watching a 3D movie, our brain can't put together the images sent to our eyes. The brain needs to work harder at “reading” the images. That makes it easier for people with eye problems to get dizzy(头晕的) or have headaches. A famous eye doctor said if your eyes can't focus(聚焦) on the same object at once, you will have trouble watching 3D movies.

    Today there are 6 billion people on the earth. By the year 2050 there may be 12.5 billion. There are a lot of people to feed. We need more food.

One way to produce more food is by growing stronger plants. For thousands of years，farmers have made plants better. Every season, they pick the best plants for the next season. It works very slowly. Since 1983, scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic material (遗传物质). Foods from plants grown in this way are called genetically modified foods (转基因食品), or GM foods.

    By changing the genetic material of a plant, it is possible to make new plants. They make plants which are strong against plant diseases. They can also help with our diseases: a kind of rice is being prepared, for example, which stops people from becoming blind.

    Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and bring in more money. Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food.

    GM plants are not natural. No one knows how good or bad they are. Making GM foods is only one way of feeding people in 2050. There are strong feelings against them, because they are unnatural. They may feed people, and then hurt them or their children later. But, both rich and poor countries are very interested in their use, and they are not going to go away. In 2050, we may think differently about them.

    Zhalong is a nature reserve in Heilongjiang in northeast China. It is one of the world's most important wetlands. The reserve offers food and places to live in for wildlife. It is an ideal home for different kinds of plants, fish and birds.

    Many birds live comfortably in Zhalong Nature Reserve all year round, but some only stay there for a short time. There are many fish in the wetlands, and the birds can easily catch them for food. Zhalong Nature Reserve is an important living area for red-crowned cranes. There are not many red-crowned cranes in the world. Some of them live in Zhalong.

    Some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife.

    More and more birds are in danger because they do not have enough living space. Many of them died. The Chinese government wants to protect these endangered* birds, and they can be safe in Zhalong.

    Every year, a lot of visitors go to Zhalong to watch birds. This year, members of our Birdwatching Club are going to study the different kinds of birds in Zhalong and the changes in their numbers.

    We do a bird count once a year. We are now inviting middle school students to help. We need more people to help us count and do something to help the birds. Many people do not understand the importance of the wetlands. We hope this information will help them understand and make them do something to protect wildlife. 

    Like humans, dogs donate blood too, and not every dog can donate blood. The dogs are screened(检查) for health first. Dogs must have the correct blood type, weigh at least 55 pounds and be younger than 8 years old. They may donate three or four pints(品脱) a year, which can help animals that are suffering from illnesses like cancer or an accident like being hit by a car. One pint can save up to three dogs.

    Owners volunteer their pets for the short procedure (程序), which requires no sedative, a kind of medicine given to calm him or her down. It's the dog that finally chooses to lie still and give. If the dogs want to get up and leave, they can.

    Sandy Lucas brought her 7-year-old black German shepherd, Rains, to the bloodmobile(流动血站) when it was parked at her small village. Sandy said she wouldn't have troubled herself with highway traffic and city parking problems to take the dog to Penn Vet's animal hospital in downtown Philadelphia, which is twice as far as her home. But the bloodmobile made it easy to find out if Rains could donate. "I was very, very excited that she had the right blood that was needed to help another dog out," said Sandy. "We'll surely do it again."