【推荐2】    1     He can’t watch TV after school. He can’t go out on school nights. He has to do his homework first after school.     2    

It’s six o’clock now.     3     He has to do his homework. But it’s noisy outside. Oh, six boys are playing volleyball. Three girls are talking about interesting things.     4     A boy on the chair is listening to music. “I want to relax like them, too,” says Sam. “    5    ”

【推荐3】Lifestyles of children around the world are very different.

In Colombia, family relationships are strong and children usually live close to their parents all their lives.     1     Colombian children like to play chess. They play the game well.

Children in Sweden experience a different lifestyle. Their school day begins at 8:15 a.m. and most of them cycle to school. After school, many of them go to clubs or take part in sport until their parents pick them up. In the summer, days are long and nights are short.     2    

Traditional opinions influence the lives of many children and this is also true in Japan. Japanese children today are surrounded by the very latest and most modern inventions and technologies.     3     They are also expected to study hard and succeed in life.

The children of Uganda also enjoy parties and special days but these parties are organized for them by the “Save the Children Fund”, rather than by their parents.     4     Because of this, many children have lost one or both of their parents to the disease called AIDS. During the weekends, they join group meetings that are run by trained volunteers. These groups give children the chance to play with one another.

    5     However, whatever their lifestyles, children should be loved and supported, especially during the early years of their lives.

【推荐2】Plants don’t suffer in silence-they get noisy. Scientists at Tel Aviv University in Israel have recorded noises made by plants, and the team think this can help identify (识别) whether the plants are healthy or stressed.

The six-year study focused on several plants, including tomato plants. The researchers put the plants in a soundproof (隔音的) greenhouse, then set up microphones about 10 centimeters from each one. The team recorded the sounds made by the plants in different conditions.

The study found that when plants are healthy, they make regular clicking and popping noises. However, when they had their stems (茎) cut or hadn’t been watered, the noises came in very quick bursts. The sounds were very high-pitched (声调高的), so they couldn’t be heard by human ears. Professor Lilach Hadany, who worked on the study, told the Guardian newspaper, “When these plants are in good shape, they produce less than one sound per hour, but when stressed they make many more, sometimes 30 to 50 per hour.” On average, “thirsty” tomato plants made 35 sounds an hour. When plant stems were cut, tomato plants made an average of 25 sounds in the following hour.

Using the recordings, the researchers trained a computer program. The program could identify the plant and the reason that it had become stressed. The program recognized 70% of the sounds correctly. One day, perhaps it could be used to look after plants better on farms by finding out when they need more water.

If farmers could understand these sounds, they could give water to the plants that need it most. As climate change causes more droughts (干旱), this would be important information for farmers. The sounds that drought-stressed plants make could be used in precision agriculture (精准农业).

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【推荐3】One day my dad said, “Why don’t we have a street party?” This means that the street is closed so cars can’t use it, and people put tables and chairs out in the street, then have a party! Dad said there was one in 1977 and he still remembers it well. Everyone loved it! I couldn’t believe that since (自从) 1977 they never had another one. If it was so good, why not do it again?

We started to organize it, together with some other people. I helped to make the web page, so everyone on the street knew about the party and could post their old photos from the party in 1977. There were some pictures of my dad when he was a kid, together with his friends. Some of his friends have moved away from the street now. It was interesting to see that the street didn’t change at all!

My mum was a bit worried about the party. “But a lot of people on the street don’t really know each other”, she said. “What if they don’t have anything to talk about?” I just said, “Relax, Mum. It’ll be great.”

What was the party like? It was wonderful! My friends and I really liked speaking to an old lady called Louisa. She’s 89 and was telling us about when she and her friends were our age. So now I always chat to her when I see her on the street. I didn’t know who she was before, but I’m glad we had the party together.