“Mirror (镜子) mirror on the wall, what film is on in the cinema?”

    Now with this new mirror, you can brush your teeth and read news at the same time in your bathroom. Now not many people have this kind of mirror, but it will be popular very soon.

    The mirror works with new software (软件). You can use it to get news. You can also make your calendar (日程表) on it. It can also tell you what to wear because it knows the weather (天气). The mirror is very clever. You can write notes on it for family members.

    There's another kind of new mirror, too. It can get much information from the user's clothes. It tells the user what clothes make him or her look good. Going shopping or eating out? Wait a minute! The mirror can give you coupons (优惠券), too.

    There are many wetlands(湿地)in China and some of them have become the world's important wetlands. The Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands are among them. They are in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. They are home for many different kinds of birds and animals. The world's largest Milu Deer Nature Reserve(自然保护区) is in them. More than 700 milu deer live freely there. In winter you can see some red-crowned cranes in the Yellow Sea Wetlands though there are not many in the world.

It is not too hot nor too cold in the wetlands. There is a lot of rain and sunshine, too. They are really good places for wildlife. Offering food and home for some special kinds of animals and birds is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood(洪水). But some people want to change the wetlands to make more farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife.

    Luckily, more and more people are beginning to realize the importance of wetlands and wildlife. Every year, on February 2nd, many activities are held to tell people more about wetlands.

We've talked about snails (蜗牛) and their slow move. But much of the time snails don't move at all. They're in their shells —sleeping .

    Hot sun will dry out a snail's body. So at the least sign of hot sun, a snail draws its body into its shell and closes the opening with a thin cover. Then it goes to sleep. A snail will die in a heavy rain. So whenever it rains, it goes inside its shell house and goes to sleep. A snail can sleep for as long as it needs to. It can take a short sleep. Or it can sleep for days at a time. And it spends all the winter months in its shell, asleep.

    In spring the snail wakes up. Its body, about three inches long, comes out of from the shell. When hungry, the snail looks for food. It can't see very well. Its eyes, at the ends of the top feelers are very weak. But its sense of smell is very strong. It helps the snail to the new greens. Then the snail's little mouth goes to work.

    A snail's mouth is no longer than the point of a pin(针). Yet it has 256,000 teeth! The teeth are so small that you can't see them. But they do their work. If you put a snail in a hard paper box, it will eat its way out. And if a snail wears out its teeth, it will grow new ones.

    Mostly, a snail looks for food at night .But on cloudy days it eats in the daytime. It eats all day long. A snail can go on eating for hours and never feel full.

    The population of the world is still going up and scientists are worried that there will not enough food for us in the middle of the century. One plant from Madagascar, the Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi, may help. It takes in carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) at night and it needs 10 times less water than food plants like rice. This means it can grow in the desert(沙漠).

    It is dangerous to eat this plant, but scientists can study two things about it: how it takes in carbon dioxide at night when other plants only do this during the day, and why it is so good at living in the desert. There will be less good land for growing food in the future because deserts are increase in size. There, growing plants will be more and more important.

    There is a possible way to take this research. To grow a desert plant to eat will be difficult, but it may be possible to use the genes(基因) from this plant and put them into food plants like beans or potatoes. And the food plants with the genes can grow in the desert. We hope the plant could be an answer to our future food.

    Gardening is popular in many parts of the world. It brings us sweet smelling flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables. But you can get more from your garden.

    Gardening helps to keep healthy. Today's people sit indoors for too long and don't get much exercise. When you garden, you have to move around. It's a good chance for you to exercise your body by watering flowers or doing some digging. Besides, when you are in your garden, you can feel the warm sunshine. This means you are getting Vitamin D. It helps your bodies use calcium (钙), which is necessary to keep your bones (骨骼) strong.

    It gets them off computers, televisions and phones. Gardening can be a great teacher to teach children about nature and healthy eating. It can also help them to understand the meaning of "No pains, no gains."

Gardening is a great way to meet people and build relationships. When you are gardening, you are outdoors. So it is a perfect time to communicate with your neighbors. Most people love to talk about their hobbies, and so do gardeners. They usually enjoy showing people what they are growing. And most enjoy sharing advice and stories about their gardens.