Many people know that rubbish is a big problem on planet Earth. What many people don't know is that junk (垃圾) has become a problem in outer space too.

    According to BBC News, there are more than 22, 000 pieces of space junk floating around the earth. Andtheseare just the things that we can see from the surface of the earth by telescopes (望远镜). There are also millions of smaller pieces of junk that we can't see.

    Objects, like bits of old space rockets or satellites, move around the planet at very high speeds, so fast that even a very small piece can break important satellites or become dangerous to astronauts. If the tiniest piece of junk crashed into a spaceship, it could damage the vehicle.

    To make things worse, when two objects in space crash, they break into many smaller pieces. For example, when a U. S. satellite hit an old Russian rocket in 2009, it broke into more than 2,000 pieces, increasing the amount of space junk.

    To reduce additional space junk, countries have agreed that all new space tools can only stay in space for 25 years at most. Each tool must be built to fall safely into the earth's atmosphere after that time. In the upper parts of the atmosphere, it will burn up.

    Many scientists are also suggesting different ways to clean up space junk. In England scientists are testing a metal net that can be fired into space junk. The net catches the junk and then pulls it into the earth's atmosphere to burn up. The Germans are building robots that can collect pieces of space junk and bring them back to Earth to be safely destroyed.

    "The problem is becoming more challenging because we're sending more objects into space to help people use their mobile phones and computers," says Marco Castronuovo, an Italian space researcher.

    "The time to act is now. The longer we leave the problem, the bigger it will become," he says.

    You eitherhave it, or you don't—a sense of1that is. But2isit that some people could find their way across the Sahara without a map, whileothers can3themselves in the next street?

    Scientistssay were all4with a sense of direction, but it is notproperly understood how it works. One theory is that people with a good sense ofdirection have worked hard at5it. Research being carriedout at Liverpool University supports this idea and suggests that if we don't useit, we lose it.

    Childrenas young as seven have the ability to find their way6,"saysJim Martland, Research Director of the project. "However,7theyare not allowed out alone or are taken everywhere by car, they will8developthe skills. "

    Jim Martlandalso emphasizes that young people should be taught certain9toimprove their sense of direction. He makes the following suggestions:

    If youare using a map, turn it so that it10to the way you are facing

    If youleave your bike in a strange place, put it near11likea big stone or a tree. Note landmarks on the route as you go away from your bike.When you return, go back along the12route.

    Simplifythe way of finding your direction by using lines such as streets in a town, streams,or walls in the countryside to guide you.13yoursteps14you know how far you have gone and note anylandmarks such as tower blocks or hills which can help to find out were you are.

    Now youwill never get lost15!

When I was about ten, I was woken up by the shouts（喊声）of my sister one morning. She was hungry, but my mother wasn't at home, so I made a banana cake for her. Let me share the recipe with you.

What you need:

2 eggs  3 bananas  2 cups of flour(面粉)

2 spoons of baking powder(发酵粉)

1/4 spoon of baking soda (小苏打)

1/2 spoon of salt

2/3 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of vegetable oil(油)

What to do:

l  Mix(混合) together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

l  Add the vegetable oil. Then add a little sugar, and stir (搅拌) it.

l  Pour the eggs into the bowl and stir them well.

l  Add the bananas and stir them.

l  Turn the oven to 180℃.

l  Pour them into the oven（烤箱）. Bake（烘焙） the cake for 20 minutes.

l  Get the cake out of the oven, and cut it into pieces to eat.

Alex set his lunch tray on the table near his friend Leo. "Trade you some fries for some pretzels" Alex said. 

"Deal," said Leo, taking his bag of pretzels out of bis lunchbox. 

Alex noticed a folded piece of paper at the bottom of Leo's lunchbox. 

"What's that?" asked Daniel, another boy in their class. 

Before Leo could answer, Daniel grabbed the paper. He unfolded it and read in a loud voice: "Dear Leo, I hope you have a great day. Love. Mom."

Daniel snorted. "Your mom puts notes in your lunchbox?"

"Yes," Leo said. 

Daniel read the note again, to himself. It almost looked as if he wanted to keep it.

"Give it back to Leo," said Alex. 

"Well, who wants a note anyway?" Daniel said. 

"I do," said Leo. 

Alex liked getting notes too. 

Daniel tossed the note and it fell to the floor. 

Alex picked it up. He handed it back to Leo, who put it into his pocket. 

On the bus that afternoon, Alex thought about what had happened. 

Alex's older brother, Mateo, arrived home just after Alex did. "How was your day, little dude?" Mateo asked. 

"A boy in my class was mean to Leo," Alex said. He explained the way Daniel had acted. 

Mateo shook his head. "How would Daniel like it if people picked on him for getting a note?"

"Daniel never gets notes," Alex said. Suddenly, he had an idea. "That's it! I know how to help Leo and Daniel."

Alex explained his idea to Mateo. Mateo agreed to help, and they worked on the plan all afternoon. 

At lunchtime the next day, Alex hurried to the cafeteria. He set out 23 folded pieces of paper on a table by the entrance. Each piece of paper had the name of a classmate on it. 

"What are these?" asked Mira. 

"We all have notes," said Sabrina. 

Alex watched as Daniel picked up the note with his name on it. Alex knew that the note said Daniel,  ▲  Have a great day.

Alex saw Daniel smile as he put the note into his pocket. 

"Great idea, Alex," said Leo. 

"Now everyone knows how it feels to get a lunch note," Alex said.

Which season do you like best? For me, I like spring best. It starts in March and e{#blank#}1{#/blank#} in May. In spring, everything turns green. Green trees provide us w{#blank#}2{#/blank#} fresh air. 

When the weather gets w{#blank#}3{#/blank#}, we can go out and take part in many activities. I usually climb a m{#blank#}4{#/blank#} and fly a kite with my parents. What's more, it is a good idea to go on a picnic o{#blank#}5{#/blank#} or twice a month. My parents and I sometimes ride a bike in the park and enjoy the fresh air.

I always have a good time in spring and I hope you can like it too.

Lin has a few e-friends from different countries. He is telling something about them.