Standing in the shower waiting for the water to het up could be a thing of the past, along with all the wasted water. Three and a half years ago, Lindy Honeychurch, a thirty-year-old Australian full-time mum living on a farm outside Launceston, didn't consider herself a very good water saver. Neither did her partner who often complained about it with good reasons. Their farm had to rely on tank water and solar power, which meant water had to be trucked in if he tank water ran out in summer.

    “I looked at where I could save because I could lead an easier life without the complaint,” she said. Modeling her idea on a car thermostat(恒温器), Lindy used her kids' magnetic(磁的)drawing board to design a device that diverts the cold water back down the hot water pipe. “The first aim when I started designing was to keep it really small and simple without having to use power. I wanted to keep it as something that everyone could use,” said Lindy.

    She got a patent for her design and took it to some engineers to have it tested out. At first, even though the engineers were amazed that she wasn't an engineer, she said she sometimes found it hard to be taken seriously. “My age was a real factor because in the plumbing(管路系统)and manufacturing industries you're dealing with people who've got a lot of experiences,” she said. But the engineers soon saw the potential of her design, which she estimated would save average families between 14,000 to 22,000 liters per year.” when you transfer that to the dollar savings on tank water that you have to buy, it can be a saving of $600 per year,” said Lindy.

    Armed with positive feedback from engineers and people using rainwater tanks, her design proved a great success. Soon she found a manufacturer early this year, and completed a state government commercial ready course to help her research, her markets and distribution channels. With an Australian Standard for her device just approved, she's about to start manufacturing and wishes to see her products on the shelves within the next few months. Once that happens, Lindy plans to return to being a full-time mum.

阅读短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

    Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and, at its best, it makes little environmental influence. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness, it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively（不引人注意地）and leave no mark.

    Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are, find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For example, it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner's permission, except in natural parks.

    Camping is about having relaxation, sleeping outdoors, experiencing bad weather, and making do without modern conveniences. A busy, fully-equipped campsite（野营地）seems to go against this, so seek out smaller, more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still, find a campsite with no road access: walking in makes a real adventure.

    Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night's sleep. Choose a campsite with privacy and minimum（最小化的） influence on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new spot. When camping in woodland, avoid standing dead trees, which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and caves, and possible homes of biting insects. Make sure you have most protection on the windward side. If you make a fire, do so downwind of your shelter. Always consider what influence you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite is found, not made—changing it should be unnecessary.

    There once lived in China a very foolish king and queen. One day the queen had a baby daughter. When they saw their baby, they both cried out, “My goodness! How small it is! It's hairless and toothless! It's a monster!” they sent for all the doctors in the country and ordered them to prepare some medicine for her.

    “When she drinks your medicine, she must grow to the right size and have hair and teeth,” the king said, “If you don't do this, you'll have a beating.”

    The doctors thought it impossible, but they dared not say anything against the king's order. Just then and old doctor stepped forward. “Oh, we shall certainly obey your order,” he said, but it takes time. We have to dig a mineral from the KunLun Mountains when the snow melts for the second time. The snow melts on those mountains only once in six years. So we need twelve years.”

    At last the king agreed and the doctors took away the little princess. On her twelfth birthday, they brought her back to her parents with long black hair and beautiful teeth. The king and queen were very happy and gave the doctors expensive presents.

    The World Health Organization says that the disease polio is no longer widespread in India. In 2009，half of the world's cases of polio were there. But In 2011, there was only one new case of polio in the country.

    Polio is caused by a virus. It spreads very quickly from one person to another. Victims often lose the use of their arms and legs. In the most serious cases, polio can kill a person.

    Twenty-five years ago, polio affected about 200, 000 children in India each year. The United Nations children's organization, UNICEF, sent teams of health workers into local villages. Team members told families in their neighborhood about the importance of giving liquid medicine to children to protect them against polio.

    But it was not easy at first. A member said, “They used to think that our children will not be able to have children when they grow up if they get the drop. They used to think like this. But now they don't. Now they allow their kids to get the drops.” Now things have changed. Asma Khatun is a mother in the town of Ghaziabad in the northern state of Utter Pradesh. She said, “Whenever anyone comes, we get the children vaccinated(接种疫苗). Even if nobody came to our house, we would send our children to a clinic to get vaccinated.

    A local Muslim leader says the vaccination campaign has been successful because it is supported by religious leaders. He said, “The polio vaccination campaign has been successful here because our Muslim scholars are with us.

    With their support, we are able to make people understand that giving children the vaccine is beneficial and crucial.”

    The Indian government has now launched a new campaign to vaccinate 170 million children under the age of five. The campaign will target newborn babies, migrants and people living in poor, crowded areas where the disease spreads more quickly.

    If you're encouraged by the tiny house movement and think 160 square feet is just enough for your needs, you may want to contact the Academy of Construction and Design (ACAD) at IDEA Public Charter School in northeast Washington．

    Students in the program built a micro house with a kitchen, a bathroom, a sleeping loft with space for a queen-size bed and a storage loft, all set on a trailer for mobility. The exterior (外部) of the house was part of a continuous living exhibit in 2015and was moved to the IDEA campus so students could work with builders to complete the interior earlier this year.

    McMahon said the D.C. government's approval to push companies to hire District residents (居民) was at odds with the school system not preparing students for careers in construction, exploring or electrical work. McMahon gathered industry and community leaders to establish ACAD in 2005 and he said 100 percent of the companies he contacted responded positively to the idea, including major firms such as JBG, Clark Construction, Hines Construction and Boston Properties.

    “When students make the connection between what they are learning a potential career, their academics improve dramatically,” said Carol Randolph, chief operating officer of the D.C. Students Construction Trades Foundation. “Some of them who didn't think college was an choice now have a better chance because their classes have become relevant to a job.”

    “We teach them life skills and explain that even if you start as a laborer, there are opportunities to move up quickly,” he said. “We rewrite the story for them and explain that they can work for a few years, make good money, get promoted, and start their own business or go to school with less debts.”

    “Parents and school advisors can be the biggest obstacles because of the negative idea of construction as a blue-collar career,” Karriem said. “I get middle-school advisors on board to talk about the opportunities this education provides. These kids are learning lifelong skills that can help them in other fields, provide them with income and allow them to take care of their homes.”

As summer approaches, many kids and teenagers may find that they have more time in hand. One great way to make use of the extra time is to go on an adventure and travel. Clearly, I am not a naturally adventurous person, but I have found that taking the risk and challenging myself to explore and travel to unfamiliar places can be a very rewarding experience.

Because I am usually quite busy during the school year, most of my travels take place during the summer. Over the past few summers, I have hiked in the Grand Canyon, explored Niagara Falls, and camped out in upstate New York. Although these experiences are varied, they are similar in that they instil （逐渐灌输 ）a sense of appreciation for nature and a more balanced view on life. When I hiked in the Grand Canyon, for example, I was in awe （敬畏） of the geological influences that shaped the canyon.

Adventures, of course, are not limited to hiking. There are many other choices, such as camping, volunteering in a foreign environment and travelling to different countries. In my opinion, adventures are more enjoyable with family or a few friends. There is a sense of bonding that one only gets through spending time together in outdoor adventures. For example, when I was in Boy Scouts, I often went on weekend camping trips with my friends. When I came back from a Boy Scouts camping trip, I often was eager to go outside more and explore the parks and nature around me.

Next fall, I will attend college. In the meantime though, I hope to make the most of my summer to explore and travel. Now, I am planning on hiking and camping out in Maine.

When I visited Maine last fall, I was amazed by how beautiful it was and the tall trees and coasts that exist, and I really hope to enjoy the beauty of nature there this summer.