You probably don't think about soil often, but the following report may help you learn about science of soil.

What is soil made of?

Soil is made of sediments (沉积物) and humus(腐殖质). Sediment is small pieces of rock broken down over time by rain, ice, and wind. Sediment is often found in water. Humus comes from decayed(腐烂的) plants and animals. It helps give plants a lot of the food they need to grow.

How does soil form?

Over centuries, rock breaks down into very small pieces.

The rock pieces mix with humus.

The humus gets thicker and thicker over time. Soil is formed(形成)l

How are soils different?

Soils can be different colors and have different textures(质感). Texture is how the surface of an object feels. Color and texture are two features(特征) of soil.

Plants and soil

Plants do not grow well in some soils. Sandy soi1 is too dry. It does not hold water. Soil with too much clay is too thick. Most plants grow well in dark, rich garden soil that has different sediments and a lot of humus in it.

E.  Do you like the NIKE T-shirts?

The Secret of Success

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Your best chance of success is by doing what you really want to do. Ask yourself, "If money for free?" Then just do what you like to do.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Think about what you are going to do. You have to start somewhere and it may be quite a real beginning. Whether you are beginning in business or you're dreaming to be a star, you have to start at the bottom.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Great ambition(目标) is necessary. An English student called Richard Branson opened a student magazine when he was only 16 years old. But he didn't stop there. He also opened a record business with many shops, and now his company has planes, trains and cars.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The only people who succeed without hard work are lottery(彩票) winners. You need a "can do" attitude(态度) and you must work step by step, which will help you get what you really want. You are on the right way to win the success.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you always say someone is successful, it doesn't mean anything to you. Learn from those who have already succeeded in something, especially where they do the same as you want to do.

A. Think big                     

B. Start small

C. Follow the leaders             

D. Find the work you love

E. Be prepared to work hard

    To protect the environment, China has put a ban(禁令) on thin plastic bag (plastic bag thinner than 0.025 mm). From June 1,2008, China stopped the production, sale and use of these plastic bags to the public.

    Plastic bags can cause "white pollution", because they can take 400-1,000 years to break down. They pollute the soil(土壤) and water. Plastic bags also cause a serious danger to animals. Animals often mistake plastic bags for food. Thousands of them die each year after eating plastic bags.

    So what kind of bags will be the best to use when we are shopping? Recently some students made their own shopping bags. Most students used old clothes to make their bags. They painted pictures like the Olympic rings on them. But Li Mei had a more traditional way to make her hag. She weaved(编织) a bamboo(竹子) basket. It was not an easy job. With her grandfather's help, Li Mei spent the whole afternoon making it.

    What can we do? Use environmentally friendly (环保的) shopping bags instead of plastic ones and try to recycle the ones we have.

Information Card

    Mr. Guo is a teacher from Xi'an.  He asked his students to hand in their homework through a QR code(二维码). "We spent an hour or two in class learning how to generate(使产生) the codes, and in the end everything gets easier. "Said Mr. Guo, "When students finish the homework, they keep it on WeChat. Then, each student makes his own QR code and gives it to me. So I can cheek their work anywhere using my computer or telephone. "

    The QR codes can be sent to Mr. Guo by email, QQ and WeChat. When Mr. Guo scans (扫描) his students' QR codes, their homework appears on his phone, lie finds that their homework becomes more creative, with many pictures, music and even videos.

    Mr. Guo's students like the new way and think it is interesting. "We are living in the information age. Many students like to work with computers, which makes learning more fun. "Said Tingling, a student of Mr. Guo's.

    "The paper is not easy to keep, hut the code is easy to keep and share." Mr. Guo said," It is worth trying to use new technology in education. Education itself is a kind of creation. I don't want my students to fall behind the times. "

    However, some parents are worried. They are afraid that their children will spend too much time on computers and less time communicating with teachers. But in fact, it's unnecessary. Students still need to look up information in books and write it down when they do their homework. They only use the codes when they hand in their work, which doesn't take them too much time.  Also for teachers, it allows them to cheek the students' work at any time.  And it's also an easy way to share homework with other students.

    Tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have different ideas about tea-drinking.

    Chinese people drink tea at any time of the day at homes or in teahouses. They prefer their tea with nothing else in it. The Japanese way of having tea is very old and full of meaning. There is even a special room for tea-drinking in Japanese homes. In England, almost everyone has a cup of tea in the late afternoon. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with cream and sugar. They also eat cakes and cookies with tea. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. It's faster and easier. They drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. In summer they drink cold tea or iced tea.