Most cars run on gas. Gas cars work verywell. But there is a problem. Cars that run on gas make the air dirty. Thedirty air is not good for people, animals or trees. Gas cars make the air dirtyfor all living things. What can we do? We can drive electric cars!

    Electric cars do not use gas. These cars donot make the air dirty. These cars have batteries that power their motors (马达). The batteries can be charged (充电) manytimes. They can be used again and again. This makes electric cars great.

    But electric cars have problems too. Theyare slower than gas cars. They are also very quiet. This means that some peoplecan't hear them when they go by. They may not think a car is coming. So theyhave to be careful.

    People are finding ways to make electriccars better all the time. Maybe one day all cars will be electric. That wouldbe much better for the world.

    Imagineyou are taking a walk on the beautiful beach. Just then, your feet step oversomething and you hear a crack (噼啪声) —an empty plastic bottle. Things like thisare happening more often because of sea rubbish.

    Studiesshow that 80%of all the waste is from the land. The waste is mainly plastics (塑料制品) which are really hard todegrade (降解). So the rubbish will remain there for along time. Some of the pollution is caused accidentally. For example, about10,000 product-filled boxes are lost at sea every year from business ships.Sometimes people just throw things into the water from boats or land. Manylarge rubbish areas are formed in the North Pacific Ocean.

   Thankfully, the situation isn't ignored (忽视). Groups like the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAssociation (NOAA) are taking action to help clean the sea. Since 2006, 76projects have cleared out 3,814 metric tons (公吨) ofrubbish from the sea. Methods of rubbish cleaning include using machines toremove (移除) the waste away from the surface of seawater. Besides, special nets are set by the mouths of rivers to stop therubbish before it reaches the sea. If everyone does his part, sea rubbish seemslike a problem that can be solved.

    There are some skills for students to listen to the teachers in class, which means you're going to have to practice them. Just as you would have to practice basketball to be a better player, you also have to practice listening. How to listen in school? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One of the things you'll need to do is to make sure that your mind doesn't wander(漫游). It's easy to start thinking about other things, especially when you are not interested in the subject. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

   Next, listen for the main ideas. If you want to catch every little piece of information, you'll feel tired and bored. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Not only does this show respect to the teacher, it also helps prevent your mind from wandering. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Or it could just be someone talking to their neighbors who shouldn't be, it can even be some birds outside the classroom window, or a group of kids who are talking loudly as they pass the door to your room.

    Finally, you need to take notes because you will not remember everything the teacher said. You'll have to take down the notes so that you can study it after class. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Listening isn't always easy, but if you follow these simple steps, you'll be much more successful in your classes.

Until the beginning of July, there has been no rain in northern Italy for over 100 days. Add to that the high temperatures, and the locals get very dry conditions. This is the most serious dry spell（干旱期）for that area in the past 70 years. Because of this situation, the country's longest river, the Po, is drying up!

This is bad news for several different reasons. The fresh water of the Po provides drinking water for northern Italy. Besides, farmers in this area need the water of the Po to keep their crops growing. What's more, the flowing river water is used to create about half of the hydroelectric power（水力发电）for Italy. Its drying up means that more natural gas（天然气） will be used, which is bad for the environment.

There have been some interesting discoveries from this lack of rain, however. Between Florence and Milan, a long ship sunk （沉没）in 1943 appeared because of the low water levels of the river. Now many tourists and locals come to see this ship. A German tank has also appeared out of water near Mantua. At other places along the river, people can even walk on the sandy river bed. Although this may be interesting, people in Italy and around the world are hoping for the return of rain to refill the Po!

Every year the students at Harry's school put on a concert. Their friends and parents go to the concert. Some students sing and dance. Others act in plays.

Harry likes to act. He also likes to write plays. For one concert he wrote a play about a spaceman. He called it Lost in Space. He acted in his play. He was the spaceman.

Harry made his own costume. It was a spacesuit. He used plastic bags to make the pants. He wore a shirt that belonged to his mother. It was an old shirt. It was made of silk. She did not want it anymore.

His shoes were an old pair of his father's. He didn't want them anymore either. They were made of leather.

Harry's helmet was an old motorcycle helmet. 

Harry painted his costume with silver paint. He looked like a spaceman. 

There was only one problem. No one could hear what he said! 

①Eleuthera is a great place for people to enjoy pineapples. There is a big festival—— Eleuthera Pineapple Festival. It has a history of over 30 years. It is in early June on the Island of Eleuthera. The festival of 2024 is from 7 June to 8 June. Every year people from all over the Bahamas and other places come here to enjoy this festival. Delicious foods and drinks are everywhere at the festival. Everyone can find something to enjoy.

②Not only the foods and drinks, there are also many interesting activities(活动) for visitors to enjoy. One fun activity is the pineapple- eating race. People must eat a pineapple without using their hands. The one who eats up the pineapple first wins.

③Visitors can also make different kinds of foods like cakes, salads, juices and ice cream by using pineapples. Some people try the dishes and find the best one as the winner. Another cool activity is the music show. Some musicians sing and play music there. You can watch them sing and dance to the music together.

④For the people who live in the Island of Eleuthera, the festival is also a big thing. They show and se ll beautiful things that are made with their hands. Some people sell food and drinks. Some even ask the visitors to have meals with them.

⑤The Eleuthera Pineapple Festival is a big party for everyone. Do you know other fruit festivals around the world?