Many animals do strange things before an earthquake. This news may be important. Earthquakes can kill people and knock down homes. The animals may help to save lives.

Some animals make a lot of noise before an earthquake. Farmers have told about this. Dogs that are usually quiet have started to bark(吠). Horses on farms have run around in circles. Mice have left their holes and run away. Cows have given less milk.

In a town in Italy, cats raced down the street in a group. That happened only a few hours before an earthquake. In San Francisco, a man kept tiny pet frogs. One Sunday, the frogs jumped around more than ever. They made loud noises, like bigger frogs. That night, an earthquake struck the city.

    People want to know when an earthquake is coming. Then they could get away safely. Right now, there is no sure way to know ahead of time. Maybe the best idea is watching the animals.

    A recently study found people's lives are made shorter in North China. It is showed the life expectancy(平均寿命) had been cut down by 5.5 years there. Researchers think that the heavy air pollution in China should be to blame. It's really the truth. Our government has already done something. However, it doesn't seem to work so well.

    “Air pollution in China is doing harm to people's health. The harm is much more serious than we can imagine,” said Chen Yuyu of Beijing University, one of researchers of this study.

    Dirty air brings serious problems in North China. In January this year, the air pollution was worse than that in other places. That was caused by rising temperature and waste gas from coal heating.

    Chinese government should strongly fight against air pollution. They should think of more proper ways to deal with the problem. People should be encouraged to take buses, ride bicycles or walk, instead of driving cars. The factories that pollute heavily should be closed.

    “We need to improve our environment, although it might be expensive. Protecting our environment means protecting ourselves,” Li Hongbin, another researcher of the study said.

    Let me tell you something about sharks. Sharks are among the oldest animals in the world. There are over three hundred and fifty different kinds of sharks in the world. Most sharks are about two meters long and live in the seas.

    A shark can smell something in the water, for example, the blood of animals. That helps them find their food. Sharks mainly eat fish, other sharks and plants in the sea.

    Most sharks bite people by mistake. They think a person is a large sea animal. When the sun goes down or comes up, sharks are looking for food. So at these times people shouldn't go swimming in the sea.

    Today people kill sharks for food and their skin. The number of sharks in the world is dropping fast.

Most parents don't know what their teenage children are talking about when they are having a chat with their friends. This is also true when teenagers are using the language of texting to send messages. Words like 18r are easy to understand, but what about"POS"? I asked some parents what it means and only 28% got it right! It means that a parent is near and that they are watching what their child is doing.

Parents worry a lot and like to know what is happening in their children's lives at all times. This means they try to control as much of their children's lives as possible. However, they have no control over the language that their children use, so it is a useful way for children to keep parts of their life secret.

Parents also complain that they never have serious conversations with their teenage children. Teenagers are always busy phoning or texting their friends- even when parents are trying to talk to them. And there are times when teenagers aren't busy, but they just don't feel like having a serious chat with mum or dad!

One way to start real conversations is to make sure that the whole family eats together at mealtimes and that everyone has a chance to talk. Teenagers are trying to find out who they are. They aren't adults yet, but they are learning how to act like big people.

This means that it is a good idea to speak to teenagers like they are adults and it helps to listen to their ideas and opinions carefully. When parents talk to their teenagers, some good ad vice is" Don't sound like your own parents!". In addition, parents who try to use the language of teenagers often sound very silly. And that's because most times when an adult tries to use" teen talk", the words are probably already unfashionable!

Traveling can be expensive. But there are some ways to save money when traveling. Try the advice below on your next vacation and your wallet will thank you.

Look for city tourism cards (旅游卡). With the card, you can pay less at restaurants and shops. You don't have to wait for a long time at busy tourist attractions(旅游景点). You might even get free tickets to top tourist attractions. City tourism cards can save your money and time without question.

Don't get the best room. How long will you stay in your room? Will you just be sleeping there? Do you really need a bigger room with a good view? Find a hotel outside a city. It can help you save some money by choosing a hotel away from big tourist attractions, because you are always doing the same— go to the attractions and then return to your hotel to sleep.

Book a room with a kitchen. Although some people might not like to cook on vacation, I don't mind making breakfast in my room. We always eat at a nice restaurant on our last night of the vacation. I always prefer(更喜欢) to eat breakfast and lunch at the hotel and then spend much money on a delicious supper.

注意：1. 语句通顺，表达准确；

2. 词数:80~100。

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