A taxi hit a truck. A policeman spoke to the taxi driver and to the truck driver. He also spoke to Tom. He was a witness (目击者). This is what they said.

    TRUCK DRIVER: I was driving from the airport to Newton. A car crossed the road, so I slowed down. I did not stop. A taxi hit the back of my truck. Nobody was seriously hurt but both cars were damaged（受损害）.

    TAXI DRIVER: I was driving behind a truck a few kilometers from Newton. The truck stopped suddenly. The driver did not give me a warning (警告). I was driving very slowly. I could not pass the truck because there were two cars coming near from Newton. My taxi hit the truck, and some glass cut my left hand.

TOM: I was watching the traffic about a kilometer from the airport. A truck was going to Newton. It was not going very quickly. There was a taxi about two hundred meters behind the truck. It was going fast. When the truck slowed down, the taxi hit it. The taxi driver was not looking at the truck. He was looking out of the window at something. My friend saw the accident, too.

    Tom's friend spoke to the policeman and agreed with Tom.

    Have you ever stayed in a hotel? Most Chinese hotels often provide guests with things like disposable(一次性) toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and slippers. Many guests like the idea because they don't have to bring their own. But, if you travel to Beijing, remember to bring your own things. Starting from June, some hotels in Beijing will no longer provide guests with these disposable things. They want to ask people to use less disposable things.

    Many disposable things are made of plastic. People throw them away after only using them once. It is a waste of natural resources(资源) and is very bad for the environment. Do you know, one Chinese makes as much as 400kg of waste a year! Most of that waste comes from disposable things. In Beijing, people throw away about 19, 000 tons of plastic bags and 1, 320 tons of plastic lunch bowls every year! Plastic can take between 100 and 400 years to break down. So the less plastic we throw out, the better. So, wherever you travel, bring your own things and use them again and again.

    Back at home and at school, you can also do something, you can also do something to make our world a better place. Try to do these things in your daily life: Use cloth shopping bags, not plastic ones. After using a plastic bag, wash it out and let it dry. Then you can use it over and over again. Do not use paper cups. At your school canteen(食堂), use your own bowl and chopsticks instead of disposable ones.

    To protect our environment and our home, it is very necessary and important for us to save natural resources(资源).

    If you want a more interesting experience when you arrive in a new city or country, here are some better ways to travel, both for you and for the environment.

    Way 1 Get out of the car and walk. It's slower but it's the greenest way to travel. It's also the most rewarding（有益的）way to see a city, but remember to wear comfortable shoes.

    Way 2 Cycling is also  a good choice. Many hotels now  offer free bikes to guests. It is convenient for people to travel around the city. Some also provide electric bikes that make it easier to go up hills and on longer journeys. Some cities also have mobikes, and you can pick up one easily. It's not free but very cheap.

    Way 3 If you have to take transport in a city, try to take public transport. Most cities now offer lots of information and very clear maps at the city's website.

    Way 4 If possible, take buses, trains or ships to travel from city to city. They are usually greener than cars and planes.

    Way 5 When the only way to travel is by car, rent(租) an electric car. Many car rental companies now offer them, so always ask!

    Can animals be made to work for us? Some scientists think that one day animals may be taught to do a number of simple jobs. They say that in a film or on TV .We may see elephants, or monkeys, dogs, bears, or other animals doing a lot of things. If you watch carefully, you may find that those animals are always given something to eat in return(作为回报) for doing them. The scientists say that many different animals may be taught to do a number of simple jobs if they know they will get something to eat in return.

    Of course, as we know, dogs can be used to guard a house, and elephants can be used to do some heavy jobs. And we can also teach animals to work in factories. Apes(猿猴), for example, have been used in America to help make cars and scientists believe that these large monkeys may one day get in crops(收割庄稼) and even drive trains.

    Many people know Shanghai's beautiful night view(景色), especially the colorful lights from the buildings. Light helps us see and makes the environment more beautiful. However, too much light becomes a kind of pollution but many of us pay little attention to this pollution or even ignore it. In fact, it causes a lot of problems. Light pollution can be almost as bad as carbon dioxide pollution.

    Too much light can do harm to our health. First, it can make us feel bad and we can't sleep well. Second, lights need electricity, and creating electricity will give off greenhouse gases. This affects the air and causes breathing problems. Third, study shows people living under bright light for long can have cancer more easily.

    Too much light may be even harmful to wild animals. Thousands of birds die from it each year. Some hit into the light buildings, because they can't see clearly in the strong light. Some birds sometimes lose their ways in the bright light Sea turtles(海龟) can't find the dark beaches to lay their eggs.

    To protect humans and wildlife, we should take measures to reduce the use of lights at night.

    How do you pay for your meals at a fast food restaurant? With change(零钱)? Nowadays we have We Chat wallet and Alipay.

    I use my tap-and-go card(感应式信用卡). I don't even need to enter my PIN number(SIM卡密码)or a signature(签名)to pay money. It's quicker and everybody in the queue(队)is happy.

    Contactless payments(非接触式支付)are more and more popular, but the safety (安全性)still needs improving(改善). And people shouldn't pay too much at a time-in the UK it's ￡30. If you use the card a few times, you will need your PIN number.

    Some things, such as your clothes, have been combined with electric technology(与电子技术联系起来). Kenneth Cukier, the writer of the book Big Data, says, "You can take any card and put it in a coat. When you make a payment, just wave your arm in front of the terminal(终端)." This is for people who don't want to take their card out of their pocket, or use their phone or watch.

    Good, isn't it?

    So spending money is becoming easier at the time. And people are buying more and more things. But making money still needs the hard work.

    Back to work then!