The Bermuda Triangle(百慕大三角)is in the Atlantic Ocean, near Florida in the USA. During the past 60 years, more than 1,000 seamen in ships and pilots in planes have lost their lives. It is known as "The Triangle of Death”for its strange seawater and sudden storms. What's the strangest is the light of the seawater, which looks so bright that it can be seen even from an outer spaceship.
　　At 2:00 p.m. on December. 5, 1945, five planes took off in fine weather from the airport of Florida, on a training task. Two hours later, the leader in the sky radioed that he was "completely lost". Then there was silence. Another plane was sent to look for them and also disappeared.
　　One of the largest ship that had disappeared in the triangle was an American coal ship, 500 meters long. The weather was good, and there were no messages for help before it was "gone". No broken ships or dead bodies have been found so far.
　　No one is able to tell how all these accidents have happened. A group of Japanese scientists were there to see what it was really like in 1995, but nothing has been heard of them ever since.

      The Milu deer is a kind of animal with large horns(角). They were very common in China long ago. They lived together and ate grass and the soft parts of trees. In the past, people did not protect the Milu deer and killed them for food or sport, so they disappeared(消失) from China .

      Luckily before all of them disappeared, the Duke of Bedford(贝德福特公爵) took some to Britain. The Milu deer like the cool, wet weather in England and their numbers increased(增长) year by year. As a result, when in1985, the government of China wanted to bring back the Milu deer, the Duck of Bedford was able to help. The first deer came back to China to the Nanhaizi Milu park near Beijing and to Dafeng, Jiangsu Province.

      Since they returned to China, their number has grown quickly .There are now so many of them that a new park has been opened for them in Hubei Province. Now the Milu deer live in the wildlife parks and have good protection. We hope that one day they can live in the wild again.

    In northern China during spring, big sandstorms often make trouble for people. When the sky is dark with sand, buses and cars all move much more slowly. Sometimes, people can't even see for 20 metres.

    Sandstorms usually happen in spring. Big sandstorms happened in more than 10 provinces in northern China last year. More than 70 million people have had problems in those places because of the sandstorms.

    People in southern China don't have to worry about this kind of bad weather. Most of the sand comes from the north of China. In northern China, lots of places have few trees and don't get much rain. People there have been cutting down too many trees. When there aren't many trees, the ground can't keep enough water. Over the years, the ground dries up and turns to sand. When spring comes and the ice melts (融化), the ground becomes looser (更松散的). Strong winds take the loose sand into the sky.

    Sandstorms are bad for people's health. If people take in too much sand, they could cough or have asthma (哮喘).

    Sandstorms also give farmers lots of problems. Sometimes their sheep get lost in the storms and never get back home. The winds also tear down farmers' houses.

    What can you do to stop sandstorms? Here's an idea: Ask your parents to help you plant some trees this spring.

    If you see people cutting down too many trees, tell them about the dangers of sandstorms, and ask your government to stop them from cutting.

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.