阅读理解

When settlers (移民）came to America during the 1600s, they were surprised to find so many trees. Some trees were so huge that a large man could not put his arms around them. Those trees helped the settlers a lot. They were glad and thankful to have these trees. They used them to build houses and make fire. From the wood of the trees, they made furniture, tools and so on.

Most people thought the forests would last forever. However, by 1800, America had its first wood shortage (短缺). How did it happen? People had not known that trees were being cut down faster than new ones could grow.

Some American people made trips to foreign countries. There they saw destroyed forests and learnt the importance of protecting forests. They came back to the United States and warned that if Americans didn't use trees more carefully and wisely, someday the forests would all be gone. However, people were not ready to listen. Years went by, and America's forests kept disappearing. It made some people really worried. But they did nothing.

Finally, J. Sterling Morton, the man who is remembered as the father of Arbor Day (过节), got people to listen. He named a Tree-Planting Day, or Arbor Day. He worked hard to make Arbor Day a national holiday. On that day, people usually plant a lot of trees.

Today, millions of trees have been planted in the United States because of Arbor Day. Arbor Day is such a good idea that many other countries now also have Arbor Day. Many, many trees are being planted all over the world because of J. Sterling Morton's work.

    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, TV sets when you leave the room. This saves 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 cold 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.

New Science and Technology

Look carefully before you cross

    The city of Daye in Hubei Province is using new technology to stop people from crossing against red lights. The city has set up special posts (杆) on its sidewalks. The posts can recognize (识别) human faces. If they catch a person crossing at a red light, they will send water drops at him or her.

High-tech building

    China not only builds things quickly, but also tries to use new and high technology. About twelve years has passed since the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. About 550 kilometers of the railroad runs over ice-covered earth. When the ice-covered earth gets warm during summer, it can make the railway move. Chinese scientists built special structures to solve this problem.

Musical road in Holland (荷兰)

    In a village of Holland, there is a musical road. With the help of something special, the road can play a song. But if a car drives at a speed of over 60 km/h, the sound will become noisy. The local government thinks it will encourage drivers to control the speed. They will have to slow down in order to hear the song instead of the noise.

    How green are you？Do you know how to be green？

    We all need a healthy environment, but we produce waste every day and it does harm to our environment. Though we are young, we can still do something to help. In fact, even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference to the environment. Here are some ideas for you.

    Reduce

    Reduce means" use less". Don't waste things. This saves money and reduces pollution and waste going into the environment. Before we buy something new, think whether it is really necessary﹣or maybe the old one will be just as good! When we do buy things, choose local products if possible, and try not to buy too many things from abroad.

    Reuse

    Reuse means" use again". Use things for as long as possible. When we buy things, make sure that they last a long time. We should look after them so that they will last, and we should repair them if we can instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. Don't use a paper cup of a paper bag. It's better to use a china cup and a lunch box because you can use them again.

    Recycle

    Recycle means" change things into something else". Though it takes energy to change something into something else, it's better than throwing things away or burning them. Find out what can be recycled in your neighborhood and take part in recycling programmes. We should also buy products made from recycled materials, such as recycled paper, to help save trees.

    So please remember these three words: reduce, reuse and recycle.