Thousands of years ago Britain was covered by thick forests, home to many animals which no longer live in the United Kingdom. There were wolves and bears, many different kinds of deer and large wild cows. People who lived in villages were well protected by wooden walls from the animals outside.

However, all this has changed with the development of the country. Today, the United Kingdom is a country with a big population—68.5 million people live there. If you travel, most of the time you’ll be looking at towns and cities. There are very few wild animals. Britain is one of the few countries in the world that does not have a large meat-eating wild animal.

Some people would like to change such things. Some organizations and nature lovers say that Britain needs to become more natural again. They suggest that trees and plants that grew in the UK before should be allowed to grow again. They even would like to help wild animals such as bears that grew in Britain in ancient times to return and live wild. They call this “rewilding”—making things wild again.

Other people do not agree. They strongly believe that it would be too dangerous to do so. What would happen if the wild animals left their new homes to kill sheep or even attack (攻击) people? Would people still be able to go walking in the mountains which so many people enjoy?

So far there are no wolves or bears in Britain’s forests, but soon there might be!

3 . Where is the best place to see animals? The answer is Australia. There are many cute animals there. The koala is one kind of them. Koalas like to sleep. They often sleep in the day, but at night they often get up and eat leaves.

There is another kind of animal. They can’t run but they can jump. They only live in Australia. They have pockets(口袋) in the front of them and they put their babies there. What are they? They are kangaroos.

4 . Running is becoming popular these days. Many of us run for our health. Doctors say many of the health problems come from these bad habits: eating too much, drinking too much, smoking too much and not having enough exercise. Doctors tell us, “Eat less, don’t smoke, and exercise more.”

Running is good exercise because it helps build a strong heart. It also helps most people lose weight. One 68-year-old woman runs three times a week. She runs to lose weight, “I love to eat,” she says.

Running is good for our health in other ways, too. Many runners say running makes colds and other small health problems go away. “Running is my doctor,” says one man.

Running can also help people to relax. So today men and women of all ages enjoy running.

5 . Look at the room! This is Bob and Tom’s room. It’s big but not tidy. A big bed, a desk and a bookcase are in it. Their shoes are under the bed. A computer is on the desk. Their books are in the bookcase. Their school things are everywhere. Their books are on the desk, on the bed and on the sofa. Bob’s keys are on the computer and Tom’s schoolbag is on the floor. Their pencil boxes are on the floor, too. They always ask their mother, “Where’s my pen? Where is my book? Where are my model cars?” Do you think they are tidy?

7 . In ancient China, willow branches（柳枝） were often used as a gift to friends and family members who would leave. Do you know why willow branches are a symbol of saying goodbye?

One reason is that willow trees are strong. They can live in any soil, wet or dry, north or south. Because of this special feature, when saying goodbye to loved ones, giving a willow branch is a way to tell them you hope they will easily get used to their new living environment.

Another reason is that, in Chinese, the pronunciation for the willow tree “柳” is similar to the character “留”. So giving a willow branch in ancient China was like asking the others to stay, even though you know that they must leave.

It’s said that this custom became popular during the Han Dynasty. At that time, Baqiao, a bridge in Chang’an, today’s Xi’an, was a common place to say goodbye. People often stopped there and handed willow branches to people who were going to depart.

Willow branches, as a symbol of saying goodbye, were often mentioned in poems, especially at the time of the Tang and Song dynasties.

8 .

9 . Do you know that the color words have other meanings（意义）? Now let me tell you.

First, some color words can be people’s last names, such as Brown, Black, Green, White and Red.

Second, some color words have interesting meanings. For example, blue means unhappy. A green hand means you are new to something. Black sheep mean bad people in a group（队）. Black coffee means coffee without（没有）milk. White coffee is coffee with milk. People tell a white lie（谎言）because they want to be kind. A white elephant is not an elephant but expensive（昂贵的）and useless（无用的）things.