Do you know mint(薄荷)? It may be added into summer drinks to let us feel cool. Mint plays an important role in our daily life. It keeps our breath fresh and gives food and drinks a kind of fresh smell. But why is this little plant so popular with people?

Mint is found almost everywhere in the world, except in South America and Antarctica. There are 600 varieties of the plant, but a lot of them are so similar that even scientists have trouble telling the differences among them. What we have known for thousands of years, however, is that eating mint is good for our body health.

For starters, if people’s stomachs are not very comfortable, mint can be used to relieve(缓解) that uncomfortable feeling in people’s stomachs. That’s because of the acid(酸) that it contains. What’s more, if you have a common cold, drinking mint tea can reduce your sore throat.

While mint is safe to eat and used to treat people, it has its disadvantages. First of all, eating too much mint can be harmful. If you’re taking it for any health condition, don’t use it too much. Also, mint oil should not be used on the faces of children. This could cause breathing problems.

This winter, Harbin appears to have become the most popular tourist spot (地点) in the country in a short space of time.

Among these beautiful sights there was a group of 11 attractive children from Nanning, Guangxi in South China, who bravely started an educational trip to Harbin, quickly winning the hearts of most online communities.

They are wearing bright orange clothing, known as “Little Oranges”. The oldest is only 6 and a half years old, while the youngest is only 3 years and 5 months old. This nickname stands for their cute orange clothing and the famous oranges production in Guangxi.

In Harbin, they tasted the local delicious food, and watched a firework display in the Ice and Snow World. Liang, the lead teacher of their tour, allowed their arrival in Mohe, the coldest place in their educational trip. At the northern most police office of China, they sang the national anthem (国歌) with the border soldiers, marking an important part of their educational trip.

A parent of one of the children expressed thanks for the support and attention by netizens (网民) and friends from Northeast China. The use of orange coats worn by the children was chosen by a vote among the parents, mainly for safety reasons.

Following their excellent online journey, these children have received an invitation from cultural and tourism authorities in the Xinjiang.

Do you know a large number of young people are influenced by all kinds of choices today? This can be a good thing or a bad thing, but it leads some young people to experience “mental internal friction (精神内耗)”.

Experts regard “mental internal friction” as the confusion (混乱).     17     They want to move “old ideas” to “new ideas”. They have to ask themselves such questions as “Are the new ideas good?”, “Do they fit me?” or “Will they make me feel happy?”. It is certainly not easy to discover the answers to these questions, especially when you are still too young to have enough life experience to make proper decisions. So there are some suggestions to help you.

First, be yourself. To this end, you will always need to check yourself.     18     You have to honestly think about your own personal habits, even your fears and worries.

Second, develop new interests.     19     This may sound strange, but he said that learning about “old things” made it easier for him to deal with the “new things” of modern life and all those changes.

    20     Society and technology may change, but nature remains the same. Being with nature takes some time, but it will help you to know yourself and forget the stress of your “mental internal friction”.

There was a party in a park. People could _________ something they don’t need and take away something they like for free. When I wasn’t sure about whether I should give up my mermaid palace (人鱼宫殿), my brother Clark was collecting some T-shirts and shorts that didn’t _________ him. My parents were also clearing up many things.

We walked to the park. There were so many bags. My eyes grew wide _________ I saw many toys on the blankets (毯子). My father _________ us to put our things on a red blanket. However, I asked, “Why do we have to give them away?” “Because we don’t need them anymore. They may be _________ to our neighbors,” my father explained.

At that time, Ms. Ruby stopped at a blanket. She was my neighbor. Ms. Ruby also brought many things to the _________. She said, “It’s very meaningful to give away my old things. And I really _________ they can help more people.” After hearing my neighbor’s words, I was able to understand the _________ of the party and put down my mermaid palace.

A little girl picked up my mermaid palace _________. I was very happy that the girl liked my toy. Finally, other things were also chosen by our neighbors. And we were thanked again and again. From the __________, I realized that sharing can make us happier than taking in. I looked forward to the next party to be like this.

45. 近日，我区多次出现雾霾（haze）天气，引发了人们对环境污染的广泛关注。为了提高同学们的环保意识，你们班将要举行“How to Protect the Environment”的主题班会。请你围绕“环境保护”这一主题，谈谈作为中学生该如何保护环境，写一篇发言稿。

Good afternoon, everyone! It’s a great honor for me to speak here. Now more and more people have realized the importance of protecting the environment. As students, it’s our duty to protect our earth. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

That’s all. Thanks for listening!