Canada 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

    Canada is a big country with six time zones. In the west, it is four a.m., and everyone is asleep, but in Halifax on the east coast it is eight o'clock and people are having breakfast. It is a cold Friday morning in November, and the temperature is ten degrees below zero Centigrade(度).
Argentina 9:00 a.m.
    In Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, it is nine a.m. on a warm summer morning, and people are starting work or school. November is a summer month in Argentina because it is in the southern hemisphere(半球).
Scotland 12:00 noon
    Scotland is part of the United Kingdom. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, and the capital of the UK is London. It is twelve noon, or midday, in Edinburgh. Children are having lessons, but they are looking forward to the weekend because there is no school on Saturday and Sunday.
Egypt 2:00 p.m.
    Friday is already the weekend in Egypt. Friday is a special day for Muslims, so schools, offices and shops are closed in all Arab countries. So now, at two p.m., most people in Egypt are having lunch with their families.
Japan 9:00 p.m.
    Japan is seven hours ahead of Egypt, so it is already Friday evening there. The weekend is beginning. Most people are out with friends or watching television or playing computer games.
New Zealand 12:00 midnight
    It is late on Friday night, so most people are asleep. Now Saturday morning is arriving. It is morning in Canada too, but that is Friday morning!

阅读理解

    You've got plenty of emails from your mom, and maybe even a few from dear old grandma. But have you ever received a message from a river?

    Now, Ireland's River Lee is sending out much information, thanks to wireless(无线的) technology. In a program called the DEPLOY project, scientists have put some sensors(传感器) in rivers that can find pollution levels.

    Instead of asking scientists to collect water samples several times a day, the government can now examine pollution levels in the water, and find out if there is anything polluted entering the river. This makes it much easier for scientists to protect the environment, since problems can be discovered before a serious pollution accident really happens.

    People in the area can also receive free reports from the river, so that they can find out whether the water is safe for swimming or boating on a certain day. And people can also know if the water is clear enough for them to drink and use.

    The DEPLOY project has not only started in Ireland, also the same programs have started in thousands of places around the U.S. Now you live in a world in which you could receive information with your mobile phone about environment. The technology should help to make us know more about the pollution that surrounds us—which just might get us all a little more involved with trying to clean up our world.

    People and animals live in the same world. We should keep the balance（平衡）b{#blank#}1{#/blank#} people and animals. If the balance is destroyed，there will be bad result to both people and animals. Wild animals are friends of people. We have to p{#blank#}2{#/blank#} them， or there will be no wild animals in the future. Now we know that there are  n{#blank#}3{#/blank#} 2，000 nature reserves(自然保护区) in China

    There is a black and white animal l{#blank#}4{#/blank#} in China. It is always known as the national treasure(国宝) of China. Everyone knows it is c{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Giant panda. Now there are f{#blank#}6{#/blank#} pandas than before. Most of them live in Sichuan and Gansu Provinces. There are also some other rare animals in China. H{#blank#}7{#/blank#}， the n{#blank#}8{#/blank#} is becoming smaller and smaller than before. So people should try t{#blank#}9{#/blank#} best to help these animals. They are in d{#blank#}10{#/blank#} of disappearing from the world.

    Anyone who has had a long-term illness knows that recovering at home can be boring. This can be especially true for children. They may feel cut off from their friends and classmates. Now, these children may have a high-tech friend to help feel less lonely. That friend is a robot.

    The robot is called Avatarl (AV1). It takes their place at school. Through the robot, the children can hear their teachers and friends. They can also take part in classes from wherever they are recovering. And the children's school friends must help. They carry the robot between classes and place the robot in the classroom.

    A Norwegian(挪威的) company called “No Isolation” created the robot. There are another two co-founders, Karen Dolva and Marious Aabel. Dolva explains how the robot works. She says from home the child uses an iPad or a phone to start it, control the robot's movements with touch and talk through it. The child can take part in classroom activities. The robot is equipped with speakers, microphones and cameras that make communication easy. So it's the eyes, the ears and the voice of the child at school. Inside AV1 there is a small computer connected to a 4G network.

    AV1 is designed to be tough. It won't allow water to pass through it and can take a fall from a desk without damage. AV1 is large and looks like a human for a reason. Dolva says it can't be just a tiny camera because the other kids can't pick it up and take it with them. This is important because the robot is supposed to be a friend to the children. Hopefully AV1 will help some children feel less lonely while they were absent from class.

    Scientists in Britain and the United States have made a new kind of enzyme(酵素) that eats plastics(塑料). With its help, plastics can be turned into smaller parts and go away quickly.

    Scientists believe that, in the future, it could solve the problem of plastic pollution.

    The enzyme is able to break down PET, a form of plastic. PET was first made in the 1940s and is now widely used to make plastic bottles. It can remain in the environment for many years and pollute large areas of land and water. So it has always been a headache to deal with the waste from PET and other plastics.

    The researchers made the discovery(发 现) while examining the structure of a natural enzyme in Japan. They found that the natural enzyme was helping to break down PET plastics. So, they

decided to make small changes to the enzyme by adding some amino acids(氨基酸). It made the natural enzyme's plastic-eating abilities work faster and better.

    John McGeehan, one of the lead researchers, said, "We've made an improved enzyme. It's better than the naturl one. And we are trying to make more improvements to it." He went on."

    The enzyme is not harmful to humans or animals, and it is friendly to the environment. So we are considering putting it into wider use."

    The team is now trying to make the enzyme break down PET in large quantities(大量的). "We'll see that the plastic pollution may be stopped with this technology. However, there is still a long way to go," John McGeehan added.