【推荐1】More than 1,000 different kinds of pieces of plastic, including 115 cups, 25 bags, four bottles and two pairs of shoes, have been found inside a dead whale(鲸鱼) in Indonesia, according to local officials.

When the whale was found on the island, it was already decomposing when animal doctors arrived. So they were unable to be sure if the plastic caused its death, said Lukas, the leader of the World Wildlife Fund in Indonesia. The plastic weighed about 6 kilograms, or 13 pounds, he said.

But pictures of the dead whale caused a warm discussion. The people in the country have started to realize that it is because of using too much plastic. So has the government. Indonesia, a nation of about 260 million people was the world’s second-biggest producer of plastic waste in 2018, behind only China.

If the whales eat too much plastic, they will have a wrong feeling. They think that they are full. And that will lead them to eat less food that provides all the good things they need, said Nicholas who is the leader of the Ocean Conservancy. Moreover, eating too much plastic can make them reduce their weight, their energy and slow down their swimming. As a result, whales are easier to be hurt by the sharks and many other dangerous animals in the sea.

More than 800 kinds of animals in the sea are affected by about 8.8 million tons of plastic which is thrown away freely in the ocean each year. Plastic can also stop the animals moving freely and sometimes they will cause them to die because they have to be under the water for too long. Some plastic can make a small hole in their stomachs after they eat it.

【推荐3】As we all know, environmental pollution is still serious nowadays. Our group wanted to know how many students knew about each kind of the pollution and we wanted to learn how often they sorted (分类) rubbish. So we did a survey among the students in our school. Here are the results of our questionnaire (问卷).

The results of the questionnaire

【推荐1】Emily St. Denny is fifteen years old. She was born in Beijing, China, where her mother worked as a French teacher and her father taught English. When she was five years old, Emily and her family moved to Belgrade, Serbia. When she was seven years old, they moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where her little sister was born. Two years later, her family moved to Hong Kong, where she attended a French international school. After five years, the family moved to France.

Emily's mother was born in France. Emily's father is American. Emily says her little sister is very French, like her mother. However, after living in so many places, Emily does not really know who she is. She says she feels more American than anything else, as English is her first language, but she has never lived there! Emily is a "Third Culture Kid".

This term (shortened to "TCK") was made up in the 1960s by doctors Ruth and John Useem. They used it to talk about the experience of mainly immigrant(移民)children growing up between two cultures: their culture of "origin"(or that of their parents), and the place they are presently living.

Today, TCK also refers to children who have travelled a lot and who are "culturally blended". These are children who are familiar with many cultures, but not as familiar with their parents'.

【推荐2】According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the year starting on Feb 12th will be the Year of the Ox. Many Chinese people believe it will be a good year, partly because they have a strong liking for the animal itself.

In Chinese culture, the ox stands for the spirit of hard work and unselfishness. We often say that the ox is hard-working and generous (慷慨的). The term “laohuangniu” describes those who help others and ask nothing for themselves. Just as Chinese writer Lu Xun once wrote, “Cows eat grass, but give milk.”

But in the West, people have a different opinion about the animal. “Bullheaded” people are very stubborn (固执的) and will not listen to suggestions.

If you search on the Internet for the word “ bull”, you’ll also find other interesting English expressions. For example, if someone behaves “like a bull in a china shop”, he or she behaves in a clumsy (笨拙的) manner when they should be more careful.

In the new year, we hope that all of the readers will work just as hard as the ox does. Avoid anything that might make you as angry as “a red flag to a bull”, We hope you can always “take the bull by the horns (不畏艰险)” when you have to deal with a difficult situation. Come on! Wish everyone a lucky year of the ox.