We need animals. Every animal has its place in the balance(平衡) of nature. We should try to help save the animals.

    Some people think zoos are good places. The zoos give the animals the comfortable and safe living places. If the animals get hurt or ill, people will take care of them. The zoo is a good place to know the rules in the wild world. We can be much closer to nature. We can know more about the animals in the zoos by watching, listening even smelling instead of just looking at the pictures in books.

    Some people don't think animals feel happy in the zoos. Animals like pandas, wolves and bears usually live in the wild. They play and find food by themselves. They are free and happy in the wild. If they are in the zoos, food is enough and rooms are comfortable. They do not need to do their best to find food to eat or places to stay in. They just walk around, sleep day and night, but they are not free at all.

    I think we should build national parks as wild life nature reserves to protect animals. If we do nothing, animals will get fewer and fewer.

Dear Xia Yu,

    Do you know that there are two special days for parents in America? One is Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May, and the other is Father's Day on the third Sunday of June. On these two days, American children often give gifts to their parents or take them out for lunch or dinner. Common gifts are flowers and cards for mothers and shirts or ties for fathers. I heard that it is becoming more and more popular to celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day in China. I wonder if children over there also give similar gifts to their parents. I believe that there, are many ways to show our love. Actually, we don't have to spend a lot of money. It is also a good idea to help parents to do something instead.

—June

Information card

    We have found plastic in the ocean and in animals like birds, fish and whales. But for the first time, scientists have found plastic in human poop (大便) , USA Today reported. The findings came from a study led by scientists from Environment Agency Austria {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The volunteers wrote down what they ate for a week and then provided a stool sample (大便样本) for testing.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}About 20 small plastic particles (IM) were found in every 10 grams (克) of stool. "The smallest plastic particles can enter the blood, the lymphatic system, and may even reach the liver (肝脏)," said Philipp Schwabl, who took part in the research. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They're not sure how the plastic got in the volunteers' bodies, either. But most of the volunteers said they drank from plastic bottles and also ate seafood that could include plastic from ocean pollution.

    In fact, plastic is everywhere around us. Every year, lots of plastic waste goes into the ocean.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Most of the particles stay in the ocean. Others can spread into the soil, and air. Could plastic in the air fall onto food and get into the human body?

    Some past studies may also give us a clue. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}And even some drinking water has been found to have tiny plastic particles in it.

An American in Beijing Lives His Chinese Dream

    Wearing his bright red armband (袖章) and speaking fluent Mandarin (普通话), 62-year-old Terry could be taken for any regular Chinese man from a distance.

    His Chinese name is Gao Tianrui. He became interested in Chinese culture as a teenager when he read the Tao Te Ching by Laozi. At 18, he took a ship to Taiwan to learn Chinese. On the ship the captain advised him to have a Chinese name." He named me Gao Tianrui, based on the pronunciation (发音) of my English name," he said. Then he first visited Beijng in 1987 on business.

    Gao Tianrui lives in a Siheyuan with other three families. His neighbors are very helpful and friendly. Gao Tianrui once didn't know much about Chinese living habits and his neighbors helped him to overcome difficulties. Gradually, he could speak Chinese fluently.

    Having lived in Beijing for more than 20 years, Gao Tianrui has also finally achieved his Chinese dream: becoming a public security (安全) volunteer. Life as a"Xicheng Dama" has even made him an' online celebrity. Xicheng Dama is a club for volunteers, usually women in late middle-age, who roam (漫步) the streets of downtown at Beijing's Xicheng district. And now Gao Tianrui has joined their club.

    "I like helping others", he said. "I live in the Siheyuan and my neighbors and I usually help each other…This is where I live, where my friends are and where I call home."

Information Card

    Everyone loves chocolate- kids and grown-ups alike, and no matter what your age is, you are sure to enjoy learning more about chocolate. Read on to learn some fun facts.

    All the chocolate we eat comes from a special plant- the cacao tree. These trees produce a special kind of seeds. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Then they are used to make chocolate.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So they grow best when under the branches(树枝) of taller trees in the forest. They won't begin to bear fruit, however, until they are at least three to five years old. Cacao trees produce beautiful flowers all the year round. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A kind of small flies pollinate(对......授粉) these small flowers. These flies are so small that they easily stand on the head of a needle(针状物). They beat their wings very fast—1, 000 beats a second! {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A cacao pod(可可果) has about 30—50 seeds. This is enough to make about seven milk chocolate candy bars!