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.

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    Mike likes sports and travel．He would like something that he can take with him on his journey, especially when he is camping or hiking, because sometimes it is hard to find the directions(方向)．

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    Mary likes parties and discos．She likes to look smart, and she is very fond of music．She says she tikes books, but she never reads any．Now, she wants to learn ho musical instrument(乐器)．

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    Robert is an 80-year-old mail．He likes doing exercise in the morning．But one week ago, the doctor told him that he suffered from osteoporosis(骨质疏松)in a common health  examination．

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    Lily is a beautiful girl．She sings well and is going to perform at the New Year's party．She'd like to wear something that is attractive at the party．

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    Tom is a junior student．He likes reading and playing basketball．He would like to read something about adventures．

    Anne Zhang is a 21-year-old girl from Hangzhou, China. Now she studies in Britain. One day, when she was taking a train from London to Oxford, she heard loud noises on the train.

    Before, the train had been very quiet. Some people were resting while others were reading books or listening to music. Suddenly, a group of Chinese people laughed loudly as they played a game of cards.

    As it becomes easier for Chinese people to get visas(签证) to foreign countries, more and more of them are traveling abroad. However, their bad manners have given them a bad reputation (名声).

    Chinese always talk loudly in places like cafes and museums. They also spit (吐痰) and litter whenever they want and jump queues. Some Chinese tourists also like to write or draw pictures on famous buildings. In Singapore, Chinese tourists are fined(罚款) because they were smoking in Non-smoking areas.

    Some people may say that they can do everything that they want because they spend money in the country. In fact, this is not true. Besides enjoying ourselves, we should respect local customs and take care of the environment.

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    Don't be surprised if you see a car going down the road without a driver in Beijing these days. In March, 2018, Baidu was given a license to test its self-driving cars in Beijing, China Daily reported.

    Self-driving cars have been in development since 2010, when Google announced that it was making such cars. Since then, companies like Tesla, Uber and Baidu have been working to produce and test their own self-driving cars.

    Self-driving cars are expected to change the way we get around. They are safer and more environmentally friendly than regular cars. They can remove the stress(压力) of driving and allow disabled or blind people to get around more easily.

    But self-driving cars have their own disadvantages as well. In one test, researchers pointed a laser pointer (激光棒) at the car's sensors (感应器) while it was moving. The car mistakenly thought that the laser beam (波束) was in its way and slowed down or changed directions.

    The software (软件) that is used to direct the cars may not be safe enough. Reported Live science. Sometimes, without any reasons, it may break down when we use out computers or smart phones. If the software in a self-driving car happened to crash, the results could be deadly. Maybe improvements to the software could solve this problem.

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