In the world today, pollution is one of the worst effects (影响) made by people. Pollution is just around us. Because of different human activities, the different kinds of pollution have terrible effects on people’s life.

Air Pollution

Air is becoming dirty because of some bad things. Some human activities make the air around us become dirtier and dirtier. As a result, sometimes, we can’t see the clear sky for days, even more than a week. The terrible air makes rain become dreadful (可怕的) for fishes, birds and other animals. Even some trees and flowers die because of it.

Water Pollution

When dirty polluted water goes into rivers or lakes, it’s directly called water pollution. _▲_ This pollution can do harm to living things. Almost all the living things that depend on the water may become ill, even lose their lives.

Noise Pollution

Noise pollution is becoming more serious in cities now. This pollution is caused by many things like cars and loud music. Many old people dance to loud music in the open air here and there. It makes the people around fail to have a good rest and sleep.

Please think about the question—what can we do to stop polluting the world?

The most popular teen band was coming to town. Both Alice and her twin sister Amanda really wanted to go to the concert. They had never been to a concert because their parents didn’t allow them to go there until they were in the sixth grade. They were only in the fifth grade.

“Please, Mom and Dad. We will do anything if you let us go,” they begged (祈求)their parents.

After about a week’s time, their parents agreed. But they made some conditions.

“First, work very hard and get an A on your next book report. Second, pay for the concert tickets yourselves. Third, find an adult to go to the concert with you because Mom and I will have a charity dinner (慈善晚宴)that night.”

Alice and Amanda smiled at each other because they could easily meet the first two conditions. The only problem was the third one. Suddenly they looked across the table at the oldest sister Andrea who was 18 years old. Andrea could drive them to the concert.

The day of the concert finally arrived. When they got to the concert, the three sisters had the seats with the best view. Then the music began. It was so loud that they couldn’t hear each other talk, but they didn’t mind. It was amazing to watch the band members play different musical instruments and hear the elements of the music coming together with the band’s voices.

The world is a much smaller place now. A person can fly from New York at lunchtime and arrive in London in time for dinner. People like to enjoy local food when they are in different countries. The following will help you avoid making mistakes while dining around the world.

FRANCE

◆Keep your hands above the table. Do not rest them on your lap.

◆It is OK to use bread to soak up sauce (吸收酱汁).

◆If you haven’t finished eating, cross your knife and fork on your plate with the fork over the knife.

◆Finish everything on your plate. Leave your wine glass nearly full if you do not want more.

◆JAPAN

◆Drink directly from a soup bowl as spoons are uncommon.

◆Do not cross your chopsticks or stick them into a bowl of rice.

◆Make a loud noise while eating to show that you like the food.

◆Do not pass food using chopsticks, which takes place at funerals (葬礼) only.

◆ITALY

◆Always follow the lead of the host.

◆An honored guest should make a toast (祝酒) later in the meal.

◆The host is the first to sit, eat, give a toast and get up at the end of the meal.

◆It’s very impolite to put extra (额外的) cheese on top of your pizza, and worse still to add it to seafood.

The Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas is larger than any other desert in North America. There winters are cool and summers are very very hot. This area is also home to a mysterious phenomenon (神秘现象) called the Marfa Lights.

The Marfa Lights are bright lights that appear in the night sky all of a sudden and then fly to faraway places and disappear. They are about the size of basketballs and are often described as white, blue, yellow, red or other colors. The lights sometimes even get close to people’s houses. One woman who lived on a farm told the story of what she experienced one night. She was in bed and suddenly she saw the lights shining through her bedroom window. She watched them change color for a few minutes. Finally, they went away. Pilots who used to train in the desert in the 1940s also reported that they once saw these mysterious lights.

What causes this phenomenon? People have different opinions on this. A popular interpretation is the lights might have something to do with headlights from cars on the road nearby. Scientific research also suggests that some of the lights are caused by the refraction (折射) of light between layers (层) of air that have different temperatures. However, not all of them can be explained so easily.

Anyway, people will continue to study the lights to find out where they come from. No matter what these lights really are, they are as mysterious today as when they first appeared. But it is certain that the mystery behind them will ever be solved one day.

This is Mike. He is my good friend. He is from Canada. His spoken English is     41     (good) than mine. His parents both work in Beijing, China. His parents work hard. They don’t have time to look     42    Mike. Mike always has lunch outside. He usually has some junk food. He often     43     (drink) some Coke after lunch.

One day, Mike felt sick. He had     44    stomachache. His mum took     45     ( he) to the hospital. The doctor said he     46     (eat)   too much junk food and drank too much Coke. They were     47     (healthy) for people. His stomach hurt a lot. He had to stay in the hospital for a week.

When he was in the hospital, the doctor looked over his     48     (tooth). They were badly hurt, too,     49    the Coke was bad for them. Drinking too much Coke makes them become bad     50     (quick).

So tell your family members and friends: Don’t eat too much junk food or drink too much Coke.