Lindsay Renwick, the mayor of Deniliquin, a country town in New South Wales, misses the constant whir（嗡嗡声）of the rice mill whose giant fans dried the rice. The Deniliquin mill, the largest rice mill in the Southern Hemisphere (南半球), once processed enough grain to meet the needs of 20 million people globally. But six years of drought have had a destructive effect, reducing Australia's rice crop by 98 percent and leading to the mothballing of the mill last December.

    Drought affects every agriculture industry based in Australia, not just rice – from sheep farming, the country's other backbone, to the cultivation of grapes for wine, the fastest-growing crop there, with that expansion often coming at the expense of rice. The drought's effect on rice has produced the greatest impact on the rest of the world, so far. It is one factor contributing to skyrocketing prices, and many scientists believe it is among the earliest signs that a warming planet is starting to affect food production.

    Researchers are looking for solutions to global rice shortages – for example, rice that blooms earlier in the day, when it is cooler, to fight against global warming. Rice plants that happen to bloom on hot days are less likely to produce grains of rice, a difficulty that is already starting to emerge in inland areas of China and other Asian countries as temperatures begin to climb. 'there will be problems very soon unless we have new varieties of rice in place,” said Reiner Wassmann, climate change director at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The recent reports on climate change carried a warning that could make the news even worse: that existing models for the effects of climate change on agriculture did not yet include newer findings that global warming could reduce rainfall and make it more variable.

    Yet the effects of climate change are not uniformly bad for rice. Rising concentrations (浓度) of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, can actually help rice – although the effect reduces or disappears if the plants face unnecessary heat, inadequate water, severe pollution or other stresses. Still, the flexibility of farmers here has persuaded some climate experts that, particularly in developed countries, the effects of climate change may be relieved, if not completely avoided. “I'm not as negative as most people,” said Will Steffen, director of the Fenner School of Environment and Society at Australian National University. “Farmers are learning how to do things differently.”

    Meanwhile, changes like the use of water to grow wine grapes instead of rice carry their own costs, as the developing world is discovering. “Rice is an essential food,” said Graeme Haley, the general manager of the town of Deniliquin. “Wine is not.”

    Oral English, also known as spoken English, is the form of English that is used when people are speaking to one another . Students who are learning English as a second language often feel uncomfortable using oral English because they fear that they will not be understood. It is important that a person who is learning to speak English practice using the language.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Listening is important to learning spoken English.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Pay attention to conversations that happen around you while you are shopping . Watch the news every evening while you have supper .Part of learning spoken English is in understanding how English words are formed . Watch the mouths and tongues of native English speakers carefully.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Notice how the lips form certain sounds. Imitate （ 模仿）what you see .
       Rent movies over the weekend. Try to follow the story line of comedy shows.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Not having to respond in English lets you concentrate on simply understanding what is being said. Understanding how English is used in conversation will help you to better communicate in the language.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}When you are reading, pay more attention to the correct pronunciation of the words you are reading rather than comprehension of each word. Read easy books that were written for children. Reading simple books takes away the frustration of sounding out hard words.

A. Read out loud for twenty to thirty minutes every day .

B. Listen to English radio while getting ready in the morning .

C. Observe how much the mouth is opened to say certain words .

D. Find a friend or teacher who is willing to help you learn English .

E. Repeat the conversations several times to increase your speaking speed .

F. Watching TV shows and movies allows you to hear English used in conversation .

G. The more a person practices his or her skills , the more easily speaking English will become .

    Most people know that chocolate is made from cocoa and that the origins of chocolate can be traced back to Central and South America. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But how did chocolate go from being the food of the gods to being the food of love?

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} They established the first cocoa plantation and used the cocoa beans as the main ingredient in a dark，bitter drink that we would call “chocolate”. The Mayas believed that chocolate had mystical properties.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} In fact，cocoa beans were used as a form of currency that was worth its weight in gold.

    Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez was the first European explorer to realize cocoa's commercial possibilities.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} In 1529，Cortez returned Spain and introduced chocolate—as a drink mixed with sugar，vanilla，and cinnamon—to European society.

    It caught on，especially with the nobility. As its popularity spread，people found new ways to make and use chocolate.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Whether it is in delectable desserts or crunchy candy，people all over the world are still in love with chocolate.

A. But cocoa also had commercial value.

B. But not all the people all over the world love cocoa.

C. For centuries，the native there regarded cocoa as a gift from the gods.

D. When he arrived in the New World in 1519，he soon established his own cocoa plantation.

E. Around A.D.600，the Mayas were the main aboriginal group in Central America.

F. These days，chocolate is enjoyed as both a tasty treat and a romantic indulgence.

G. Doctors said cocoa plays an active part in medicine.

    When it comes to the benefit of volunteering, a lot of people think it's all about the warm feeling after helping someone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}As is known, charity work requires a wide variety of people to do a wide variety of things for everything to work. It means that there are some surprising benefits for volunteers. For example, volunteering:

    Teaches you new skills.

    From helping making websites to teaching immigrant kids your native language, or to arranging events for charity, volunteering can really be almost anything. It means that when you get involved charity work, a lot of the time you will face challenges. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Can teach you what truly matters.

    It's a great way to find new perspectives（角度）on life. When you've been at it for a while, you just might find yourself re-evaluating your advantages.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} One of my friends went from wanting U be a lawyer to discovering a true passion for teaching

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Maybe it is not surprising, but what might surprise you is how genuine these friends are. Some oi my long-term friends are people I've met through volunteering. I'm not that kind of guy that makes friends purely for connections, but sometimes it's very convenient to have a broad network.

    Summed up in one line: volunteering helps you grow. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You meet a wide variety of people who don't have a lot in common with. You learn to get along with people involved in many different walks in life. You learn to know what you are to do. So if you've ever considered volunteering, what are you waiting for?

A. You might even decide on a completely new path to take in life.

B. Helps you make new friends

C. As it turns out, that's far from the only benefit.

D. Volunteering helps you look outside yourself and your problems.

E. Through overcoming the challenges, you learn completely new skills.

F. Not only as a person, but it helps you develop your skill as well.

G. Can help improve social skills

    You may have heard that some plants and animals are endangered. What does that mean exactly?

    Endangered means there are very few of that kind still alive. Someday they might become extinct. You may wonder what people can do to help them.

    Plant trees

    As the date of Earth Day roughly coincides with U.S.Arbor Day, planting trees is a popular Earth Day activity. Trees helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clean pollution, secure soil in place to prevent erosion, and provide homes for many birds, insects and other animals.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. And plant them in your garden or on nature strips where plants are usually grown. Restoring the local plant life will help attract native bird life, pollinators and local mammals.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    Why not welcome these nonhuman neighbors into your yard？ Here is how to do it. Instead of mowing the entire yard, leave a few sections unmoved.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Provide a source of water, like a bird bath or a small pond. Don't try to get rid of snakes, lizards, frogs, moles, squirrels, and the other creatures, many of which are beneficial.

    Clean up litter in your community

    Many groups use the weekend of Earth Day to clear roadways, highways and neighborhood streets of litter that has accumulated since the last clean­up day.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Welcome animals into your yard

B. Choose flowers that are native to your area.

C. One way is to protect the animals' or plants' habitats

D. Bees, butterflies, and many other insects will find this inviting

E. It's a wonderful community project that you can do as an individual or with a group

F. So planting trees is a long ­lasting act you can do to celebrate Earth Day

G. Encourage people to respect wild spaces by not damaging animal habitats, littering, and dumpling in the water.

How to make friends at a new school

    Starting with a new school can be difficult. Everything seems to be different, and you don't even know where to go for your own classes. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, if you use these skills, you can quickly turn some of those strangers into friends.

    Be yourself.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If some people don't accept you, they're not the kind of friends you need. People often stay together because they have similar interests. For example, someone who does a lot of sport may make friends with those who also run or swim a lot.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Remember to be nice to the people you meet at your new school. If you think that you will say something that may make them feel sad, do not say anything and just nod your head if they talk to you. Also, remember to be as helpful as possible!

    Believe in yourself.

    A smile goes a long way. When you walk in the halls, don't keep your eyes on the floor. Raise your head and make eye contact (目光接触) with other people. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Introduce yourself. Tell them your name and where you're from.

    Remember people's names.

    You like it when people use your name, and so do other people. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Besides, ask them in a kind way if they have a nickname (昵称). You'd be surprised how often this might come in handy.