【推荐2】Do you know where we get our sense of taste? Well, it is from about 10,000 taste buds(味蕾) on the top of our tongues(舌头). And how about the most popular food to many of us? That must be chocolate, candies, cookies and all different kinds of desserts!

Most sweet foods have sugar in them. That’s the main reason why it always makes us feel great. When any kind of sugar touches the tongue, taste buds will send a message to the brain. Then the brain will react in a way that makes us feel happy.

Scientists think the brain’s reaction is a reward(回馈) for eating the foods we need. But why does the body reward us for eating sweet foods? In fact, sugar is an important source(来源) of energy that our bodies need. Thousands of years ago, people lived on wild plants and animals. At that time, sweet foods, such as fruit, were hard to find, so it was nearly impossible for people to enjoy a lot of food with sugar. However, sugar was actually good for their health. The body rewarded people for working long and hard to find these sweet foods.

Since people learned to grow the plants they needed for food, sweet foods have become much easier to find. Today, most foods we eat have extra sugar added to them. As a result, many of us eat so much sugar that may have a terrible influence(影响) on our health.

【推荐3】What is a wave? A wave is a disturbance (震动) that moves through matter (物质). Energy creates the disturbance that makes a wave. Ocean waves are created when energy disturbs the water. Most water waves are caused by wind blowing across the water’s surface.

Tsunami waves are not like most water waves, however. The energy that creates tsunamis is a disturbance in the Earth-an earthquake. The shaking energy of an earthquake pushes the water.

Tsunami waves can be more powerful than ordinary water waves, too. Tsunami waves in deep ocean waters can be huge. They can be miles long and lift up the water by about 3 feet. These waves move with the speed of a jet plane until they approach land. Then they slow down and grow taller.

Scientists study tsunamis in order to be able to warn people. They use tools that measure seismic waves (地震波). Seismic waves are the shaking energy that moves through the Earth during an earthquake. Seismic waves tell scientists where and when earthquake are happening under the ocean. They tell how much energy is in an earthquake.

Tsunamis do not happen very often, but they can be very dangerous. For your safety, know if there you live or travel is in a tsunami zone. If there is an earthquake, a tsunami could follow. So listen to a radio or watch TV for instructions. The important thing is to get to higher ground and go as far inland as you can. You could be told you have two hours to get to safety, or only minutes.

Sometimes, people at the beach observe the water pulling back unusually far from the shore. This is called “drawback”, and it can happen before a tsunami hits. People may be curious and go towards the water when they see the water drawing back. NEVER do this! Run to safety in the opposite direction, away from the water.

【推荐3】

In ancient(古代的) China, most kids never got a chance to go to school. They had to plant rice and vegetables, feed chickens or take care of their little brothers or sisters.

But if you were a boy, your father could spare you from the fields and send you to school. If there wasn’t a school in your village, you might have to live with your relatives or strangers in a town. Luckily, beginning in the Han dynasty, the school fees(费用) were paid by the emperor(皇帝). Boys worked very hard in school, because the school prepared them for the government tests. And whoever scored highly in the tests could get a good job.

Boys usually started school when they were about six years old. Elementary schools were very small with only one teacher for the whole school. Boys went to school every day, with no weekends, from about 6:00 in the morning to about 4:00 in the afternoon. There weren’t any Maths or science lessons. The students learned how to read and write, and how to paint pictures.

【推荐1】Tomato and egg soup? Yes, and you won’t believe how delicious it is. It is a really popular kind of home-made soup. Everybody can make it, can you? Let’s see!

Ingredients: (serves 3 people)

1. One tomato, cut into four pieces;

2. Two eggs;

3. I spring onion (青葱), cut into pieces;

4. Oil, salt.

Instructions: First, pour oil into a pan, fry (煎) the eggs. Take the fried eggs out.

Then, fry the tomatoes. Take the fried tomatoes out.

Next, put the pieces of spring onions into the pan. Pour some, water after a few seconds.

Finally, put the fried eggs and tomatoes back into the pan, boil (煮), for a few minutes.

Add some salt. Now you can have the delicious soup.