【推荐2】My name is Julie. I'm a middle school student. I have a friend. His name is Richard. For breakfast he has bread, two eggs and some milk. He eats chicken, rice and fruit for lunch. For dinner he eats hamburgers, fish and salad. Hamburgers are his favorite food. He eats hamburgers every day. After dinner, Richard likes eating ice-cream. Richard is fat. His mother doesn't want him to be a fat boy. She thinks it's not healthy to eat too many hamburgers and eat ice-cream after dinner.

Richard's mother is a teacher. She eats well and healthily. She eats bread and a banana for breakfast. For lunch she eats sandwiches and some fruit. For dinner she eats salad, fish and an egg. Richard's mother doesn't eat sweet (甜的) foods. She thinks too many of them can make her fat. She does a lot of sports to keep (保持) healthy, too. Her favorite sport is tennis. She thinks it's relaxing and interesting.

【推荐3】One day, you open the fridge and find some mold (发霉的) food. But before you throw it away, your mother stops you. She doesn’t want to waste (浪费) food. She cuts off the molds part and eats the rest. Is it safe to do this?

Mold can grow on almost all kinds of food. It is usually green, white, black or gray. Mold makes food soft and changes its color. Mold food tastes quite bad, and it’s not safe to eat.

If you find mold in soft food, just throw it away. Soft food, such as bread, tomatoes or hot dogs, usually contains (含) water. This allows mold to easily grow. Bacteria (细菌) can also grow along with it.

But it’s easy to remove (去除) mold from hard food. The mold can’t grow very deep in this kind of food. You should cut about 2.5 cm around and below the mold to remove it. It’s OK to cut the mold parts out of hard food and eat the rest. But if the food is covered with mold all over, you should still throw it away.

________. But some kinds of mold can be used to make food. For example, penicillin (青霉菌) can be used to make many kinds of cheese, such as blue cheese. These cheese are safe to eat, and they are quite delicious.

【推荐1】Seventy percent of our planet is covered by one huge body of seawater-the ocean. In 2008, the United Nations recognized(确立) June 8 as World Oceans Day. It's a day to think about the important role that the oceans play in our lives, the dangers that our oceans are facing and the action we can take to protect them.

The ocean is home to the most of plants and animals on Earth. Plants in the sea provide us with 70 percent of O₂ we breathe. The ocean controls our climate (气候), providing heat in winter and cool air in summer. It also provides us with food and medicine. No matter where you live on the planet, no matter how far from the sea, your life is dependent on the ocean.

The biggest problem facing the ocean at the moment is plastic pollution. Reducing single-use plastic, including plastic bags and plastic bottles, has been an important theme for World Oceans Day for a number of years.

Climate change and rising sea temperatures are also a huge problem. Rising sea temperatures have a direct influence on weather patterns and are seen as partly responsible for an increase in extreme (极端的) weather.

The day is celebrated in all kinds of ways, including special events on the beach, river clean-ups, school activities, art contests and film festivals. You can join in to remind people about the importance of our oceans and to make a difference.

【推荐2】Electives (选修课) are always popular with students because they offer the chance to learn something exciting, and they’re a welcome break from regular courses like math and physics. Here are just a few of the exciting electives lucky teenagers can take in some of China’s middle schools.

Self-defense (防卫) skills A school from Chongqing The school offers a self-defense course-just for girls. Those who attend the lessons have the chance to study basic self-protection skills in a one-on-one practice. They learn how to get away when they need to and defend themselves against attacks. “I feel safer by myself now,” said Zhang Yi, 15, a girl student.

Pottery A school from Tianjin The famous pottery scene in a movie called Ghost is a lasting memory for many movie-goers. Young artists at the school love to get their hands dirty creating beautiful pieces. Students learn how to design and make various clay projects. At the end, they have the skills to make their own clay bowls, cups, vases and pots.

Horse riding A school from Beijing Equestrians (马术) can look pretty cool, can’t they? Teenagers at this school can now choose a course in riding skills. They’re taught to communicate with their horses and how to use reins (缰绳).To ride a horse in the proper way, a student must hold the head forward and keep his back straight. Students come away from this elective not only knowing how to ride a horse gracefully, but also physically fitter!

Couplets(对联) A school from Nanjing         How many of you can write a couplet? This old literary (文学的) form is slowly disappearing, but Chinese culture lovers at the school are trying to make it alive. For their elective, teenagers study old couplets and try to rhyme (押韵) their own lines. Many of this year’s students can’t wait for the Spring Festival, when they’ll be able to show off their new skills.