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

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

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

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

Eating out is more popular in Britain today than it has ever been. It is reported that British people spend more eating out than cooking for themselves and eating at home. It seems that many British people are becoming more and more interested in how good their food tastes, and also how healthy it is.

However, eating out can also be expensive, so British people do not eat out every night. When having a date with friends, or having a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant, and people often also eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theater.

As in all cultures, there are many rules of manners about eating. The knife and fork should be used in the correct way. It is also impolite to speak with your mouth full then you are eating.
    Most British cities have a large collection of food as well as British food, from the very cheap to the very expensive—French, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese and many, many more.

When people are too tired to cook after work, they often get a "takeaway". This means that they order from a take－out restaurant by telephone, and then go to get it. Many take-out restaurants also send it to your house. All you have to do is to open the door, pay and eat!

    Maybe a lot of thin people will be worried about their health if the inside fat matters.

    Some doctors now think that the inside fat around important organs like the heart or liver could be as dangerous as the outside fat which can be noticed more easily.

    "Being thin doesn't surely mean you are not fat," said Dr Jimmy Bell at Imperial College. Since 1994, Bell and his team have tested nearly 800 people with MRI to create "fat maps" showing where people store fat.

    According to the result, people who keep their weight through the food they usually eat rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits (堆积物) of inside fat, even if they are thin.

    Even people with normal Body Mass Index (体重指数) scores can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside. Of the women, as many as 45 per cent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had too high levels of inside fat. Men were nearly 60 per cent.

    According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are actually on the edge of being fat. They eat too many fatty and sugary foods, but they are not eating enough to be fat. Scientists believe we naturally store fat around the stomach first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere.

    Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of inside fat, but some think it has something to do with heart disease and diabetes (糖尿病). They want to prove that inside fat does harm to the body's communication systems.

    The good news is that inside fat can be easily burned off through exercise or even by improving your eating habits. "If you want to be healthy, there is no other way. Exercise has to be an important part of your lifestyle," Bell said.

    The Spring Festival is a great festival. It's one of 1 festivals in China. People usually go home to be with their family2 the festival is coming.

    In fact, from Little New Year, people start 3 preparations for the Spring Festival. They want to have 4fresh beginning in the new year. The first thing that people usually do is to clean 5 houses. They believe good cleaning can sweep bad luck away. They also buy food to welcome the festival.

    There is a story about the Spring Festival. A long time ago, a monster called Nian6 people on New Year's Eve. People did not know what to do at first. Finally, they knew Nian was afraid7 red, fire and loud noise. Then they posted red couplets (对联), set off fireworks and played the drums. Later, Nian never came to the village again. Even today, people celebrate the festival in this way.

    During the Spring Festival, people usually visit their family members, friends and wish each other good luck. The traditional ways of 8 the Spring Festival are having a big family dinner on New Year's Eve and watching the Spring Festival Gala. In 2020, the Spring Festival 9 on January 25. Did you10a happy time? Did you do anything special?

Gardening is a popular activity all around the world. But what about people who do not have the space to garden? Not to worry! Today, we will give you information about growing beautiful window boxes. 

Location and safety

Window boxes are not just for the outside edge of the window, they can also sit on other places such as, walls, porches, or front steps. This window box can be on the front steps to a home and the owners can entered their window boxes. 

But safety first: People do get killed by falling window boxes. Make sure your window boxes are safe so they will not come down in a storm. If you feel your window box could be unsafe, you can have an indoor window box.

Light and water

Before you choose plants, check your window box location for light and rain. Window boxes dry out faster than in-ground plants, so they need more water. And if a window box is close to a wall or other structure, it may not get enough rainwater. 

Even if all your windows get little sun, do not give up. You can get a great look using plants that love the shade. Many shade-loving plants like spiderworts and verbenas，have leaves in beautiful colors and interesting shapes. 

The "wow" factor

What gives some window boxes their "wow" factor while others are just so-so? Create a theme! This is a central idea for the plants. For example, you may have a window box that is all cactuses or all edible plants. Or you could select only purple violets or green basil, then you'll have a color-themed window box. 

Besides having a theme, upkeep is also important. You should cut off anything dead, water your window boxes often and change things a lot.