Protect the Earth

The Earth is a beautiful place.

There are forests and rivers, mountains and fields. Some places are very hot, and some are very cold. There are many different plants. Some are large. Some are small. All plants (A) ________ light and water. There are different animals on Earth (B) as well. Some live on the land. Some fly in the sky. Some live under the water. There are also many people (C) ________ you and me on Earth. (D) The Earth provides us with air, water and food. It is our home.

Today, there is (E) a lot of pollution. We burn things to make energy. This pollutes the air. We put our rubbish into the sea and under the ground. This pollutes the Earth and kills animals and plants. (F)我们必须停止做这些事情。It is important for us to protect the Earth for our future.

Why Live Near the River?

Imagine pioneers traveling west in the 1800s. In those days, it was hard to find running water and shops where to buy things. As time went by, most pioneers had to make their homes near a river so that they could get water easily.

Back in the pioneer days, people grew their own food, caught their own fish, and collected their own water. Staying close to a river was easy to get water for living. People also used river as roads, traveling on boats. Traders shipped goods to people from other areas.

When building many factories right next to rivers for the water’s power to make machines work, some people choose to live near a river for working. They use the river to ship large goods, and some of them work at these factories where power factories provide electricity to home and business. People who carry goods onto ships live near the river, too.

Some people are nervous about living near rivers because rivers can cause floods. Every once in a while, floodwaters rise higher than a house, ruining (泡坏) many things in the house.

Some factories put their waste into rivers. Such waste causes water to smell bad and pollutes the crops we eat. Water and crops in polluted areas can make people very sick.

People should think over the possible risks before deciding where to live. Rivers can provide jobs and fun activities in a beautiful place. However, those living by rivers should be willing to accept possible problems as well.

【推荐1】Some Advice on Safety

Always play in a safe place. A park is a safe place because there are no cars or trucks. But do not talk to strangers. Never go with a stranger into a car.

Before crossing the road, stop and look both ways. Look left, look right and look left again.

Keep away from houses or buildings that are being built or knocked down. Something might fall on your head, or you might cut yourself on broken glass.

Medicines or pills can be dangerous. Never swallow any pills or medicines you find in the cupboard.

Don't swim in the pool or river without adults. Wear a life jacket whenever you go out in a boat. Even if you are not in the open sea and the water is not deep, you should have your life jacket on. It's easy to fall out of a boat.

Do not put your head out of a car , bus or train. Many children have been killed by doing this.

【推荐2】Most people have ambitions. An ambition is something we want to do, want to be or want to have. A student’s ambition, for example, might be to pass his or her exams and then get a good job. An athlete’s ambition could be to win an important competition. A businessman’s ambition is usually to make a lot of money.

Not all ambitions are about success at work, however. Some people just want to be good people, have a family or help others.

Ben’s ambition is to be a sports writer. He writes the sports reports for his class newspaper. He likes most sports, and swimming and football are his favorites.

Trudy’s ambition is to be a concert pianist. She is very serious about it and practices every day with her best friend Lily. It is very important to her.

Harry’s ambition changes every day! One day he wants to be an astronaut. The next day he wants to be a pop singer. The next day he wants to drive a racing car. His mother would be happy his ambition was to get up in time for school every day!

Do you long to have garden-fresh vegetables on your plate every night? Read on for information on how to take care of a garden.

Never let the soil in your garden dry out. If it doesn’t rain for a few days and the soil feels dry, water your garden. Be sure the water gets all the way down to the roots (the parts that grow down into the soil) of the plants, but don’t water too much. You could drown(淹死) your plants!

You may see some plants in your garden that you didn’t put there. These are weeds. Pull them out when the ground is soft and wet. Be sure you pull out the roots, or the weeds(野草) will grow back. 

Tall plants such as tomatoes need sticks to hold them up. Without sticks, they’ll fall over. When your tomato plants get to be about two feet tall, it’s time to tie them to a stake(桩). Push a long stick into the ground next to each plant. Tie the plant to the stick with a string. As each plant grows taller, you’ll have to tie it up again.

If you’ve planted seeds, you can expect too many plants to come out. You have to clear some away so that the plants left will have room to grow. This is called thinning. If you’ve planted lettuce(生菜) seeds, wait until the baby plants are about 1.5 inches tall. Then pull some of the plants out so that you can leave about 8 inches between plants.

Now that you’ve done all the work to make a vegetable garden, it’s time to enjoy what you’ve finished. Pick a red, ripe and juicy tomato. Eat it while it’s still warm from the sun. If you have more vegetables from your garden than your family can eat, give them to friends and neighbors. It’s fun to have the joy you get from your garden together with others.