【推荐3】Growing Adoption of Green Cleaning

When we clean the bathroom, we’ve got all kinds of stuff to help us out: a cleaning solution that removes dirty marks from the shower walls and something in a squeeze bottle that makes the toilet sparkling clean. When all is done, the room is neat and clean,_____________dirt and bacteria. There’s just one problem—the_________ we used to clean can be harmful to people   and the environment. For this reason, many people say that traditional cleaners should be_______and replaced with less harmful “green” products.

The problem_________the fact that some cleaning products contain harsh chemicals that just aren’t healthy for humans, animals, or the planet. Think of the_______coming from a factory and getting into the air. The smoke creates air pollution, which harms the environment and makes us feel ill when we breathe it in.___________, the chemicals in cleaning products pollute the air and can hurt us when we breathe them in or when they get on our skin. However, not all cleaning products are harmful. Green products, which do not contain harsh chemicals, are said to be good_______ because they are effective at cleaning and are safe for people and for the planet.

___________about chemicals has led many states to require schools and government buildings to use environmentally friendly cleaning products instead of products containing   poisonous chemicals. Last year, 10 states required the use of green products and at least 5 other states were considering_________in support of these products. A proposed bill would apply to bathroom and floor cleaners, hand soap, toilet paper, paper towels, and etc.

Many green cleaning products are widely available at prices__________traditional products. In some cases, manufacturers receive green certifications for products they have long had on the market, and the prices of these products remain low. But not everyone shares the view about the

____________of green products. Toilet paper, trash bags and paper towel made from recycled materials can cost up to 20% more than traditional products, said Stephen, director of the Green Cleaning Network.

So,____________of the proposed legislation are concerned about the potentially higher costs for some green products. These critics say that states should not determine which products________ institutes and agencies must buy, especially if they increase costs, since many universities are already struggling financially. Some states have made compromises ( 妥 协 ) to help________ concerns about costs. In Wisconsin, a recent adjustment to the bill would give schools and agencies three years instead of one to begin using green products. It would also________them to quit if they could show that their costs would increase.

【推荐1】The beauty, majesty, and timelessness of a primary rainforest are indescribable. It is impossible to ________ on film, to describe in words, or to explain to those who have never had the awe-inspiring experience of standing in the heart of a primary rainforest.

Rainforests have ________ over millions of years to turn into the incredibly complex environments they are today. Rainforests represent a store of living and ________ renewable natural resources that for ages, by virtue of their richness in both animal and plant species, have ________ a wealth of resources for the survival and well-being of humankind. These resources have included basic food supplies, clothing, shelter, fuel, spices, industrial raw materials, and medicine for all those who have lived in the majesty of the forest. ________, the inner dynamics of a tropical rainforest is an intricate (错综复杂的) and fragile system. Everything is so ________ that upsetting one part can lead to unknown damage or even destruction of the whole. Sadly, it has taken only a century of human intervention to destroy what nature designed to________ forever.

The scale of human ________ on ecosystems everywhere has increased enormously in the last few decades. Since 1980 the global economy has tripled in size and the world population has increased by 30 percent. Consumption of everything on the planet has risen — at a cost of our ________. In 2001, The World Resources Institute estimated that the demand for rice, wheat, and corn is expected to grow by 40% by 2020, increasing irrigation water demands by 50% or more. They further reported that the demand for wood could double by the year 2050; ________, it is still the tropical forests of the world that supply the bulk of the world’s demand for wood.

In 1950, about 15 percent of the Earth’s land surface was covered by rainforest. Today, more than half has already gone up in ________. In fewer than fifty years, more than half of the world’s tropical rainforests have fallen ________ to fire and the chain saw, and the rate of destruction is still accelerating. Unbelievably, more than 200,000 acres of rainforest are burned every day. That is more than 150 acres lost every minute of every day, and 78 million acres lost every year! More than 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest is already gone, and much more is severely threatened as the destruction continues. It is estimated that the Amazon alone is vanishing at a rate of 20,000 square miles a year. If nothing is done to curb (抑制) this________, the entire Amazon could well be gone within fifty years.

Massive________ brings with it many ugly consequences—air and water pollution, soil erosion, malaria epidemics, the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and the________ of biodiversity through extinction of plants and animals. Fewer rainforests mean less rain, less oxygen for us to breathe, and an increased threat from global warming.

【推荐2】Many of us like to eat out and treat ourselves to delicious food. We are used to choosing large, fat-filled dishes and sugar-charged desserts, which are not ______ cooked at home.

The recent rise of light meals, however, gives dinners a ______ choice. According to Economic Daily, low-calorie, low-fat and high-fiber（纤维）meals have become ______ in China's restaurants and online delivery platforms.

Having a light meal, however, doesn't ______ eating only vegetables. Different from the meat-free lifestyle, a good light ______ avoids oily, salty and hot food. _______, it contains things like boiled meat, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Healthy nutrients are the ______ of the light meal.

These dishes are useful for keeping healthy and ______ your weight. That's probably why so many people, ______ millennials（千禧一代）, are into them. Diners see it as “a great way to avoid getting fat,” wrote the Telegraph.

“ ______ eating several light meals, I felt my appetite（胃口）has reduced. I now ______ light flavors（口味）,” Zou Jing, a college teacher in Wuhan, told China Daily. She shared a picture of her lunch: a ______ of beef, eggs, corn, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.

These changes in eating behavior are in ______ with deeper changes in how people think about food, says Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health, US. “Diet ______, not quantity, is important for both weight control and long-term well-being,” Willett told The New York Times.

So the next time you have a party with friends, try a light meal. It will ______ not only your stomachs but maybe also your hearts.

【推荐3】Today there is more to read than ever before. The websites try their best to ________ with each other by offering reading updates. The social news sites are always filled with the ________ news and stories one can read everywhere online. However, there is no lasting value amid the whole competition. As far as their value is ________, I assume it makes no much ________ whether you find one to read or ________ it. If you are someone who tends to ________ meaning in life, I am sure you've felt this way as well.

Whenever this happens, I choose to turn back to the ________, the old enduring meaningful books that have ________ the test of time. Most people believe, with our modern technology we have invented new life. But this is not the ________. When they think they are leading a life completely different from what their ancestors had decades ago, they are ________ still surrounded by minor details and their life remains unchanged.

Everything has its particular place. Old books teach you how to live and what it ________ to be human, with moral standards. This is why they still play an important part in our life. I'm glad that I am not ________ in this opinion. Many people agree that the wisdom of the greatest human minds ________ through centuries is the most valuable ________ of mankind.

To make classic books ________ to youngsters, schools should make it possible for their students to find the books recommended by their teachers on the book - shelves in the library.

【推荐1】Charlotte Whitehead was born in England in 1843, and moved to Montreal, Canada at the age of five with her family. While _____ her ill elder sister throughout the years, Charlotte discovered she had an interest in medicine. At 18 she married and _____ a family. Several years later, Charlotte said she wanted to be a _____. Her husband supported her decision.

_____, Canadian medical schools did not accept women students at the time. Therefore, Charlotte went to the United States to study medicine at the Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia. It took her five years to _____ her medical degree.

Upon graduation, Charlotte _____ to Montreal and set up a private _____. Three years later, she moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and there she was once again a busy doctor. Many of her patients were from the nearby timber and railway camps. Charlotte _____ herself operating on damaged limbs and setting _____ bones, in addition to delivering all the babies in the area.

But Charlotte had been practising without a licence. She had ______ a doctor’s licence in both Montreal and Winnipeg, but was ______. The Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons, an all­male board, wanted her to complete her studies at a Canadian medical college! Charlotte refused to ______ her patients to spend time studying what she already knew. So in 1887, she appealed to the Manitoba Legislature to ______ a licence to her but they, too, refused. Charlotte ______ to practise without a licence until 1912. She died four years later at the age of 73.

In 1993,77 years after her ______, a medical licence was issued to Charlotte. This decision was made by the Manitoba Legislature to honor “this courageous and pioneering woman”．

【推荐2】The life of Andrew Carnegie is an inspiring “rags to riches” tale that saw him ________ from being extremely poor in Scotland to become America's richest man. Carnegie showed a willingness to move from job to job to ________ better wages and a broader range of experience.

Carnegie was born in Scotland in 1835, the son of a weaver. In 1848, the family moved to the United States and at 13 Carnegie began to ________ in a cotton mill, earning $1.5 per week. About three years later, So he found a better job as a telegraph messenger boy. At work, his superiors（上级）were ________ by his abilities and willingness to work hard. In 1853, Carnegie's determination and carefulness ________ when he was offered a post with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as a secretary and telegraph operator. ________ came quickly, and he rose to be the Superintendent of the Railroad's Western Division. Through training by Thomas A. Scott, Carnegie learned about the skills that were very helpful in his future business.

Carnegie took every opportunity that     ______ itself to him over the next years, building up a combination of investments in railroads, ironworks, bridge companies, and steel plants. Carnegie was popular and always drew ______ attention. Moreover, he was good at taking ________ of the connections he made through his business and the social ________ he attended. Eventually, he set up s own business. owning several iron and steel plants. This was where he made his ________. By the 1890s, the Carnegie Steel Company was the biggest and most' profitable business in the world.

In 1901, at the age of 66, Carnegie retired from business and began to value ________. His friendship with Enoch Pratt made him interested in establishing free public libraries. Carnegie spent the second half of his life ______ his fortune. Free libraries were a(n) ________ part of this practice of helping those in need, and even today, there are libraries in many places bearing the Carnegie name.

Carnegie's life gives us many clues to his ________.Always be the best in everything you ________. ________ you don't think the impossible, you won't be defeated. Know what you can do, but know where others will ________ better than you. Carnegie was ________ that concentrating on what you know best was the wisest approach. If you have ________ for whatever you feel happy doing, you will succeed.