C

    Waste can be seen everywhere in the school. Some students ask for more food than they can eat and others often forget to turn off the lights when they leave the classroom. They say they can afford these things. But I don't agree with them.

    Waste can bring a lot of problems. Although China is rich in some resources, we are short of others, for example, fresh water. It is reported that we will have no coal or oil to use in 100 years. So if we go on wasting our resources, what can we use in the future and where can we move? Think about it. I think we should say no to the students who waste things every day. Everybody should stop wasting as soon as possible.

    In our everyday life, we can do many things to prevent waste from happening, for example, turn off the water taps when we finish washing, turn off the lights when we leave the classroom, try not to order more food than we need, and so on. Little by little, everything will be changed. Waste can be stopped one day, if we do our best.

    Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history. Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the earth forever. It's a great pity. It is reported that about 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.

    Therefore, we must take care of the animals around us. Once they are gone, they will never come back again. Animals are more than just beautiful or interesting. They are more than a source of food. Every animal has its importance to nature. Destroying one kind of animal can cause many problems. For example, when farmers kill large numbers of hawks(鹰), their eat rats and mice, with fewer or no hawks to keep down their numbers, rats and mice multiply quickly.

    Luckily, many people have realized this and have begun to do something to protect animals. Some groups put on performances to make people know the importance of protecting animals. Some raise money to help set up more zoos to keep them safe. Some try to get the government to pass laws on protecting the animals in danger. As a result, the number of these animals is growing.

    Information Card

    English dictionaries which were written before 18^th century had only words which were not common, or words which were difficult to spell. Then, in 1755, Dr. Samuel Johnson, a great English writer, wrote a famous dictionary. This dictionary contained common words as well as unusual ones. It also showed how words should be used in sentences.

    In 1858, a group of people who study language started to write The Oxford English Dictionary (OED). They wanted to list all the words of the English language. They even included words which were not used any more. They also wrote sentences that show the meanings of words. They also described the history of words, saying when words were first used in English, and which languages they came from. The OED tells us, for example, that "algebra" comes from Arabic and was first used in English in the 16^th century. The dictionary took hundreds of people over seventy years to complete. It has been improved many times, as the number of words used in English has increased. The more recent dictionary gives the meanings of over one million words. It is put into twenty-one books: each one is over one thousand pages long.

    Although Americans speak English, they use some words that are not used in British English. For example, the season an English person calls "autumn", is called "fall" by an American. The first dictionary of American English was published by Noah Webster in 1828. He also decided to spell some words in a simpler way. For example, he wrote "colour" as "color", "centre" as "center", and "plough" as "plow". These spellings are still used in America today. Since 1828, Webster's Dictionary of American English has been improved and made bigger many times.

    A good dictionary is a very important tool for every reader. Many modern English dictionaries are now available. They give different kinds of information. It is very important to choose the best dictionary for your needs and to use it often.

    Do you think that you are not outgoing enough? Do you want to make more friends, but are too shy? Read the following rules, they will help you.

    1. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Always be clean. Take a bath, brush your teeth, and try to look nice. Dress in clothes that make you feel good and comfortable. Those make you feel more confident.

    2. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Try to smile more often at people. It will get them to think that you are friendly. Then they'll talk to you more, even if they don't know you.

    3. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Some people worry about talking because they think, "What am I going to talk about with that person?" Outgoing people don't even think about it. They just go up to people and say what they think.

    4. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}You can't just talk. People will think that you are self-centered(以自我为中心的). You have to listen to others and give your opinions. Let them know that you care.

    5. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Don't just stay at home and do nothing. Surf the Internet for news and information, and talk about it when you are with your friends.