【推荐1】Scientists have developed a water treatment system that they say is a powerful but simple way to save lives. Four grams of chemicals can treat ten liters of dirty water for a low cost, about ten cents.

Experts say infections (传染病) from dirty water kill several thousand children in developing countries every day. The Procter and Gamble company has been developing the “PUR Purifier of Water” system since nineteen ninety-five. The company has been working with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tested it in Pakistan and Kenya. Procter and Gamble researcher Greg Allgood says cases of diarrhea (腹泻) in those studies fell by about fifty percent.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland tested the system at a refugee camp in Liberia. Mister Allgood says that study found a reduction of more than ninety percent.

Use of the system is being expanded (扩张) worldwide. Findings were described last week at an American Chemical Society meeting.

Mister Allgood heads the Children’s Safe Drinking Water program at Procter and Gamble. He says about forty million packets of the treatment have been given to countries for free. They have been used in emergencies and in areas with limited supplies of clean water.

Clean water is a limited resource in many parts of the world. Delegates from about one hundred and thirty nations attended the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico City.Scientists, policy experts and others discussed ways to provide clean water to the world’s poor. Organizers say more than twenty percent of the world population lack (缺乏) clean drinking water.

He final declaration (宣言) did not go so far as to declare water a human right. But it did say that governments, not private companies, must take the lead in improving the public’s ability to have clean water.

Title: A Small Packet of     1     a big Effect on Water

【推荐2】Restorers piece together Terracotta Warriors

Lan Desheng, the 52-year-old conservator-restorer（修复者） is part of specialist team pieces together and repairing the Terracotta Army.

Pointing to life-size, Terracotta Warriors, Lan said “These are pieces of history that have been vividly preserved（保存）. More than 2000 years have slipped by, and you can still sense the huge amount of talent that went into making these figures（塑像）.”

Lan said the team aims to restore the relics’（遗物） original appearance by applying the principle of minimum intervention（最小干预）. On-site, “first aid” is a key element of the work. Using his experience, Lan can tell precisely whether the Terracotta Warriors were made by craftsmen from the Qin Court or by local artisans, as their work is quite different.

During the past 25 years, as a researcher with the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum, Lan has restored more than 150 of the figures. He said he was anxious when he first started work in this field. Even though it was his ideal job, in 1993 Lan graduated from Northwest University in Xi’an with a major in cultural heritage（文化遗产） and three years later he started work on restoring Terracotta Warriors.

The conservator-restorers face a strict training program. In the first two years, Lan was not allowed to touch the relics. And was told to “observe, remember and read” His first task after his training ended was a locate fragments（碎片） and search for missing parts of the figures among the piled remains. Sometimes he was unable to find a single missing piece and often asked his teacher when he could start to repair a complete Terracotta Warrior.

The technology used to restore the figures has changed over the years. But the basic methods remain the same. After fragments of the warriors and horses are collected. The restorers attempt（尝试） to piece them together before using glue to bind them. Over the years, the restorers have become used to delays and the fact that hardly anything can be done immediately. Patience is necessary.

Across the country, rural libraries are playing a big role in the lives of villagers. They are loved for many reasons. Believe it or not, you may fall in love with them at first sight.

On Xidao Island of Sanya, there is a library called “Study Over the Sea”. It’s the first public library on the island. It was turned from three old boats. Also. the decorations (装饰品) inside the library, like the postcard wall, the pictures, the desks and chairs, were built out of used old fishing nets, wooden parts and nails (钉子) from the boats. People can read, study and hold activities there.

In the middle of a pear orchard (梨园) in Xiyu Village, Pengzhou, Sichuan Province, there is a three-story library. It has become a place for villagers of different ages to read books and enjoy their free time. The library is a 500 m² building with glass walls. On the first floor of the library is an exhibition room. It shows old photos of Xiyu Village, local food and so on. On the second floor is the reading room with about 4, 000 books. The reading room also provides drinks. On the third floor is a multifunctional room (多功能厅) where people can enjoy DIY activities.

These two libraries are amazing, don’t you think so? In fact, every rural library has its own beauty. Rural libraries help villagers learn and communicate more. With them, villages are becoming better places to live. That’s why more and more rural libraries are being built.