【推荐1】We have to admit that many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and lack of consumer demand for environment friendly products have actually contributed to the pollution problem. One result is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced and these are difficult to get rid of.

However, today, more and more consumers are choosing “green” and demanding that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. Before they take action to buy a product, they ask questions like these “Will this shampoo add damage to the environment?” “Can this metal container be reused or can it only be used once?”

A recent study showed that two out of five adults now take the environmental safety of a product into account before they buy it. This means that companies must now adjust the way they make and sell their products to make sure that they are “green” that is, friendly to the environment

Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds of them advocating green. In addition, some supermarket products carry labels (标签) to show that the product is green. Some companies have adopted the manufacturing (生产) of clean and safe products as their main selling point and emphasize it in their advertising.

The concern for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink how they do business. No longer will the public accept the old attitude of “Buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it.”   The public pressure is on, and gradually business is cleaning up its act.

【推荐2】Binge-watching (刷剧) is when a person watches more than one episode (集) of a show in quick succession (连续). With developments in the speed and connectivity of the Internet, increases in technology and the rise of on-demand entertainment companies, people can now have their favorite shows streamed directly to their television at their convenience.

This behavior is nothing new. In fact, “binge-watching” has been officially listed in dictionaries since 2015. The entertainment companies recognize this behavior and many take steps to encourage it. Often, instead of releasing each episode on a week-by-week basis, an entire series will become available at the same time. Once the episode finishes, many platforms will display pop-ups with “you might like” suggestions, or will automatically (自动) play the next episode.

However, recent research suggests that out of the more than half of British adults who watch more than one episode of a show back-to-back, almost a third have admitted missing sleep or becoming tired as a result; and one quarter have ignored their household chores. Next weˈll be missing work!

Being has other connections — binge eating, binge drinking and binge smoking. All of them are often associated with a lack of (缺乏) control and a possible route to addiction. Lindsey Fuss, consumer group director, said, “The days of waiting a week for the next episode are largely gone, with people finding it hard to resist (抵制) watching multiple episodes around the house or on the move.” If people find binge-watching hard to resist, are we witnessing the birth of a new type of addiction?

The countless amount of information and entertainment that television and online media can bring us is, many would say, a good thing. However, when the activity begins to bleed into other areas, causing us to stop functioning and then it becomes a problem. So, whatˈs the answer? Moderation (适度) ! Neither a tiny amount, nor too much. After all, as the old proverb says, “A little of what you fancy does you good.”

【推荐3】We know that cigarette smoking kills. So, producers made electronic cigarettes as a safer smoking choice — safer than tobacco. Although e-cigarettes contain the drug nicotine like cigarettes, they do not use tobacco and you do not light them. They are powered by battery.

However, if e-cigarettes are so safe, why has the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) seen an increase in telephone calls about e-cigarette poisonings?

The answer is children. Most of the calls are from people worried about children who have played with the devices. In the period of one month this year, the Center said 215 people called the Center with e-cigarette concerns. More than half of these calls were for children aged five and younger. The devices had made them sick.

Tim McAfee is director of the Center's Office on Smoking and Health. He says the problem is regulation, meaning, the U. S. federal government does not control e-cigarettes even though they contain liquid nicotine. Mr. McAfee adds that liquid nicotine is a well-known danger. Mr. McAfee explains that nicotine poisoning happens when it gets into the skin, gets into the eyes or is swallowed. It can cause stomach pain or a sense of unbalance. And too much nicotine can kill.

Tim McAfee says e-cigarettes do not create the level of risk to people that tobacco products do. He notes that almost 500,000 Americans die each year from cigarettes. “So, cigarettes are the winner in that contest.” E-cigarettes do not contain hundreds of harmful chemicals that are found in real cigarettes. So, the U. S. Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak has suggested that e-cigarettes may be a useful tool for adults trying to end their tobacco use.

But McAfee worries that teenagers may think electronic cigarettes are harmless. They could become addicted to the nicotine and then start smoking real cigarettes. In other words, he fears that for young people fake e-cigarettes could be a “gateway” to the real thing.