A Wonder Plant

    Every rainy season, the mountain gorillas (大猩猩) of Central Africa migrate to the foothills and lower parts of the Virunga Mountains to feed on bamboo. For the 650 or so that remain in the wild, it's a vital food source.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Gorillas aren't the only locals keen on bamboo. For the people near the mountains, it's a valuable raw material used for building houses and making household items. But in the past 100 years, resources have come under increasing pressure as populations have exploded and large areas of bamboo forest have been cleared to make way for farms.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} All over the world, the ranges of many bamboo species appear to be reducing, endangering the people and animals that depend upon them. A report published by the UN Environment Programme has revealed just how profound our ignorance of global bamboo resources is.

    Bamboo is a wonder plant. Its ecological role extends beyond providing food and habitat for animals. Bamboo tends to grow in stands made up of groups of individual plants that grow from root systems. Its extensive root systems are crucial in preventing water loss and soil erosion{#blank#}3{#/blank#}In India 25% of paper produced is made from bamboo fiber, and in Brazil, 100,000 hectares of bamboo are grown for its production. Because of its flexibility and strength, it has traditionally been used in construction. Bamboo is often the only readily available raw material for people in many developing countries.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ray Townsend, vice president of the British Bamboo Society, says, “Some plants are threatened because they can't survive in the habitat—they aren't strong enough or there aren't enough of them, perhaps. But bamboo can take care of itself-it is strong enough to survive if left alone{#blank#}5{#/blank#} When forest goes, it is transformed into something else: there isn't anywhere for forest plants such as bamboo to grow if you create a cattle grass land.

A. Sadly, this isn't a single story.

B. It is the physical disturbance that is the threat to bamboo.

C. Until now, bamboo has been viewed as a second-class plant.

D. Without it, their chances of survival would be reduced significantly.

E. Besides, bamboo's most immediate significance lies in its economic value.

F. More than a billion people rely on bamboo for either their shelter or income.

G. Despite bamboo's value in economy and ecology, its situation is all the more worrying.

    Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

    You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective (选择性的）process.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The following methods may work best for you.

    Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

    Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

    Write your notes in your own words. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time. Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.

A. Use words, not complete sentences.

B. There are three practical note-taking methods.

C. You must write your notes on separate paper.

D. As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand(速记),like symbols..

E. You will also want to develop your own method for taking notes.

F. That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.

G. First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it.

    Food safety is a problem in all places around the world and people in different areas of the world prepare foods in different ways. The WHO released （发布）five simple rules for preparing food in a safe way. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Key 1: Keep clean.

    The first key tells about the importance of washing. People should wash their hands often——before touching food, while they are preparing food, and any time after they go to the toilet. People should wash all surfaces and equipment used for preparing food. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Key 2: {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    People should separate raw生的, or uncooked food from foods that are already cooked and foods that will not be cooked. People should store raw meat, chicken, and fish in containers, or in separate areas. Raw foods should not touch prepared foods.

    Key 3: Cook completely.

    People should cook eggs and meat, like birds, seafood, and animals, especially carefully. These foods may carry more micro­organisms than other foods. Food like soup must be boiled for at least a minute to make it be cooked completely. It is also important that people re­heat cooked food completely.

    Key 4: Keep food at safe temperatures.

    When people are finished with eating, they should keep the left food in a refrigerator below 5℃ and shouldn't store it for too long. At room temperature, about 20℃, the amount of micro­organisms微生物 can increase增加 very quickly. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They cannot grow as quickly in a very hot or very cold environment.

    Key 5: Use safe water and raw materials.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Damaged or old food may develop harmful chemicals化学物 as it gets older.

A．They call these rules the “Five Keys to Safer Food.”

B．Eat cooked food immediately, while it is still hot.

C．People should also protect cooking areas and food from insects and animals.

D．Keeping everything clean helps people to avoid micro­organisms.

E．People should use safe water and choose fresh foods.

F．Separate raw and cooked.

G．But temperatures above 60℃ or below 5℃ control控制 the growth of micro­organisms.

Taking a Child Fishing

    There is nothing quite like seeing the smile on a young person's face when they catch their fish. Here are some simple steps that can be taken to help children and parents enjoy these early fishing experiences.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It's easier to teach young children to fish if your attention is towards them and not towards your own fishing. If you are also trying to fish, this can make that difficult for both of you. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When they need your help, you can hand down your tool and they can keep fishing.

    Keep trips short.

    Children have short attention periods. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Take this into consideration when planning a trip. When it stops being fun for them, it's time to call it a day.

Bring plenty of snacks and drinks.

    Even though most of these trips will be short, they will get hungry and thirsty. Bringing plenty of snacks and drinks gives them a little break from fishing. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can use this time while they are eating or playing to do some fishing yourself.

    Other than fishing.

    Just because they are on a fishing trip doesn't mean that they have to finish all the time. Let them do things besides fishing as long as it isn't interfering (打扰) with the people fishing around you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    A stop on the way home for ice cream or other treats can also be a fun part of the trip. Remember it's all about them having fun and hopefully wanting to go fishing with you again.

A. Let them help make choices.

B. Make the fishing trip about them.

C. Children love to feel like they are helping out.

D. This can be more exciting to them than the actual fishing.

E. The same is true if you bring a few small toys for them to play with.

F. One way to solve this problem is for you to use the tool the child can use.

G. An hour or possibly two will be about all of the fishing they can handle in a day.

    Taking care of a sick loved one can put stress on your health. When taking care of other persons, you may ignore your own physical needs. You may find that your health is failing. If you fall ill, you won't be able to help. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Eat well. When things seem out of control, you may have no time to focus on good eating habits. You may not eat much; {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Both of those put stress on you. Try to eat as healthily as you can, even if sometimes you have to rely on simple meals like salads.

    Try to get enough sleep. Sleep can also be difficult when you're caring for a loved one. You may be too worried to sleep at times, {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Not getting enough sleep can make you less effective in the task. Therefore, try to get as much as you can.

    Take time to exercise. Exercising will also help you keep healthy while you're caring for a loved one. Exercise can reduce your stress level. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. So you'll need to find ways to work it into your schedule. You can take a short walk a couple of times or do yoga at home.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It can be easy to overlook the health problem in yourself when you're caring for someone else. If you fall ill, that does not do anyone good. So it's best to make sure you're in good health.

A. or you may end up eating junk food

B. or the task may interrupt your sleep

C. Don't ignore signs of illness in yourself

D. It can help you get recovered from illness

E. Therefore, it is important to take care of yourself

F. However, it can be difficult when you're taking care of a loved one

G. The best plan is to visit the doctor regularly to make sure you're in good health

    Being overweight is one of the biggest problems that many men and women of all ages suffer from. Although everyone wants to lose weight quickly, burning fat is no easy task. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Don't expect to just read these tips and expect to lose weight while you sleep. It will take a lot of effort on your part to succeed.

    It's very important to drink lots of water while reducing the use of salt. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

Try not to eat the foods that contain high amounts of fats and instead focus on eating foods rich in fiber.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This is the best way to lose weight, as playing a sport can give a person a sense of confidence.

    Avoid taking medicines that help reduce your appetite, as they usually have many side effects and can do you more harm than good. Also, you shouldn't follow unusual diets such as those that focus on drinking large amounts of vitamin-concentrated liquids. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    Finally, everyone should know and understand that being overweight will eventually lead to bigger and more dangerous diseases and conditions, so it is best for us to stay fit before we gain weight while we still have a chance. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It's better for you to take things slowly and start with losing just a few pounds a month and then increasing that.

A. Just stick to the most popular diets

B. Here are a few tips on weight loss

C. Exercise regularly while you're on a diet

D. Salt tends to store water in the body leading to weight again

E. And in case you feel hungry you should eat low-calories foods

F. Also, make sure you don't try reducing too much weight too fast

G. When in doubt, don't be afraid to ask your doctor for suggestions