China is making great effort to protect its cultural relics. In early May, State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) added 1,943 unmovable cultural relics sites to the list. So the number of these sites on this list will increase to 4,295.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}The newly added sites were reviewed(评审) by more than 130 experts. They spread around Shanxi, Henan, Hunan, Hebei and Jiangsu provinces, including 795 pieces of ancient architecture and 516 ancient ruins.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}In an interview, the head of the SACH said that new types of cultural relics sites have been newly listed to get protection at first, including industrial relics, rural architecture and cultural landscapes.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}For example, some are in the north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.Despite great achievements during the years of effort, problems still exist.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Historic relics get stolen and antiques are taken abroad secretly.The head of the SACH said that people has faced a challenge to the protection of cultural relics for a long time. So, balancing the relationship between economic development and protection of history is important. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} He also used good examples of protection, describing how some cultural relics sites have become education bases for young people and popular tourist places, where a lot of people spend their holiday.

    Waiter Scott was born on August 15, 1771 in Edinburgh, Gotland. At the age of two, Scott suffered from polio (小儿麻痹症) which left him with a limp. He was sent to live with relatives to try and find a cure. In 1783 he attended the University of Edinburgh. He had to leave for a year because of health problems. In 1786, Scott worked in his father's law firm. He returned to the university in 1789 to study law, graduating in 1792. The same year he became a lawyer and was accepted into the Faculty of Advocates (苏格兰律师公会).

    Scott did some translation work from 1796-1798. In 1799, Scott became sheriff-deputy of Selkirkshire, a post which he held until he died. In 1800, Scott rewrote a ballad collection called Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. In 1805, he became part owner of The Ballantyne Press which had published his The Eve of St. John in 1799. His poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel was published that same year and became very popular. He was a co-founder of the Quarterly Review, a literary journal. Scott continued to write poems and ballads, each one becoming more popular than the last. In 1810, The Lady of the Lake was published and sold 25,000 copies in less than 9 months.

    Scott moved his family to Abbotsford in 1812. In 1813, The Ballantyne Press collapsed, which caused Scott to have serious financial problems. In 1814, he wrote a novel called Waverley to earn money and it became the most successful English novel of the time. He went on to write 26 novels in the series.

    In 1826, Scott faced financial ruin again when his publisher failed, which him to work even harder. In 1830, he began suffering from diseases and he died at home on September 21,1832.

    The number of insects in the world has fallen by 45 percent in the past 35 years. Scientists say this could be dangerous for humans. A report on insect numbers has been published in the journal "Science". It says the human population has doubled since 1980 while the number of insects has nearly halved. One of the biggest reasons for this loss of insects is the act of cutting down trees or burning them. Many of the places where insects live are disappearing because of new cities and land being used for farming. Another reason is global warming. Scientists say that in the UK, the number of butterflies, bees and wasps(黄蜂) has fallen by up to 60 percent. Many countries are worried about the disappearance of them.

    Scientists say the decline in insect populations will lead to many problems for humans. One of the biggest dangers is that there will be fewer insects to pollinate flowers. This means that farmers will have problems growing food. The lead author of the report, Professor Rodolfo Dirzo, said falling numbers of insects could also lead to more diseases in humans. He said rats and mice would have less food to eat so they will move to cities and bring diseases with them. Dr. Ben from London University said we needed to stop more insects from dying. He added that scientists must understand what species(物种) are winning and losing in the fight for survival. He said this knowledge would help us to protect the "helpful" insects.

    Skeptics are a strange lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment, and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The "eco-guilt" brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews.

    Perhaps that explain why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg received so much publicity. That book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, declares that it measures the "real state of the world" as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr. Lomborg's views are similar to those of some Industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities though the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming.

    So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg's book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that "After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down."

    Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg's "preference for unexamined materials is incredible (不可信的)".

    A critical (批判的) eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interests. People might become half-blind before a world partially exhibited by the media. That's a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly.

    Babies born in summer are more likely to become short-sighted in late life, a study has shown.

    As many as a quarter of all cases of short-sightedness are caused by too great an exposure to sunlight in the first weeks of life, say eye experts.

    They are advising all parents to put sunglasses on their babies during the first weeks.

    Scientists had already established that over-exposure to sunlight caused shortsightedness in animals.

    Researchers who compared the months in which babies were born with whether they needed glasses later on say the principle also applies to humans.

    A study of almost 300, 000 young adults-the largest of its kind-showed that those born in June and July had a 25 per cent greater chance of becoming severely short-sighted than those born in December or January.

    Research leader Professor Michael Belkin, of Tel Aviv University, said it was because prolonged illumination(光照) causes the eyeball to lengthen-causing short-sightedness.

    Hence the more light a newborn is exposed to, the more the eyeball lengthens and the worse the short-sightedness will be.

    The mechanism which lengthens the eyeball is associated with levels of melatonin(褪黑激素), a pigment (色素) which protects the skin against harmful rays of the sun.

    In young babies not enough melatonin is released as protection, meaning they are more vulnerable to sunburn and changes to eyeball shape.

    Sight expert Professor Daniel O'Leary, of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said "At the moment we don't know the precise cause of why light exposure affects sight, but the evidence seems to prove that it is one of the reasons for people becoming shortsighted."

Consumer behavior is the study of how people make purchase decisions to satisfy their needs or desires and how their emotional, mental and behavioral responses influence the buying decision. By understanding it, businesses can make their marketing efforts to focus on specific groups, improve brand images, and predict the trends. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Anyway, understanding consumer behavior is vital to any successful marketing strategy.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Among them, marketing campaigns influence purchasing decisions a lot. If done right and regularly, with the right marketing message, they can even persuade consumers to change brands or choose more expensive alternatives.

For expensive products, like houses or cars, economic conditions play a big part. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The consumer's decision — making process is longer for expensive purchases and it can be influenced by more personal factors at the same time.

Consumer behavior can also be influenced by personal factors: likes, dislikes, morals, and values. In industries like fashion or food, personal opinions are especially powerful. Of course, advertisements can influence behavior. However, finally, consumers choices are greatly influenced by their preferences. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Last but not least, our purchasing power plays a significant role in influencing our behavior. Unless you're a billionaire, you'll consider your budget before making a purchase decision. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

However, if you don't have the money for it, you won't buy it.

A. Education levels and social factors can have an impact.

B. Consumer behavior is often influenced by different factors.

C. The product might be excellent and the marketing could be great.

D. This knowledge can also help businesses stay ahead of their competition.

E. Vegetarians, no matter how many hamburger ads they see, won't start eating meat.

F. A positive economic environment can make consumers willing to buy them.

G. A consumer purchases a different product just because he or she wants to seek diversity.