2 . Bamboo is a wonderful plant for many people around the world. There are over 1,000 uses for it. People make tables, clothes, medicine, and musical instruments with it. Pandas may eat bamboo every day, and people can also eat it.

The fastest growing plant in the world is bamboo. Some bamboo grows so quickly that people say they can watch it grow. The speed of growth depends on the type of bamboo, the earth and the season. Normal bamboo grows 3—10 cm a day. It usually grows in tropical (热带的) areas. It can also be found in other parts of the world. Bamboo plants are found in Asia, Australia, parts of Africa, and South America.

One of the world’s oldest building materials is bamboo. Like today, people use it because it’s very strong. They use it to build houses, boats, and bridges. The Chinese made a bamboo bridge over the Min River in Sichuan, China almost 1,000 years ago. You can still visit it today. Also, bamboo is still used to build houses today, especially in China and Philippines.

As a part of history, bamboo is very important. The great scientist Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb (灯泡), but he made it perfect. He wanted the material inside to burn for a long period of time. He tried over 1,000 different types of materials. However, none worked very well. One day, he tried to use a piece of bamboo and the light bulb lit up for over a thousand hours. This invention helped other scientists to make the modern light bulb we use today.

Some people see a hobby as a waste of time. They think a hobby is only something to pass the time. In fact, a hobby is much more than that. Its advantages (优点) are as follows.

★People can have time for themselves.

If one has a hobby, he or she can enjoy quiet time. People usually think more clearly when they enjoy their favorite hobbies. People often get some good ideas at that time.

★People can discover their talent.

People often find new talent of themselves when they enjoy their hobbies. Some people find their talent for playing the piano only when they sit down and play. The only way to find this talent is to try. The first thing you should do is to find something that you are interested in.

★People can feel relaxed.

Most hobbies are good ways to relax. Coming home from work and sitting down to enjoy things you like help you relax. Hobbies also help you get a better sleep.

A large number of emojis (表情符号) are sent online every day. Emojis are pictures used in texts and web pages. Since emojis were invented in the late 1990s, they have been used as a modern international language.

We like emojis for different reasons. A written message is always black and white, but emojis can show meanings beautifully. Sometimes emojis also change the way we write. The more emojis we use, the fewer words we use.

There are many emojis with different meanings. They are easy to understand. For example, a smiling face means “I’m happy”. A cake with candles means “Happy Birthday”. When we want to say “goodbye”, we use a smiling face with a waving hand. When we are in a terrible situation but we have to laugh to cheer ourselves up, we can use a “cry-laugh” emoji.

Now emojis have great influence on us. Sometimes, emojis can be helpful to people from different countries in understanding each other. And when we are communicating online, we can’t see the person’s face and there is no feeling exchange. Then the invention of emojis helps change the situation. For example, when we receive a smiling face from our friends online, we try to exchange our feelings by sending the same picture.

It seems that emojis change as time goes by. However, we should be careful when we use them online.

The Slender West Lake Scenic Spot (瘦西湖风景区) lies in the northwestern part of Yangzhou, with its south gate facing Great Rainbow Bridge Road. It covers an area of about 123.6 hectares (公顷). The Slender West Lake was named a National Key Scenic Spot in 1988 and National AAAAA Tourist Area in 2010.

The Slender West Lake used to be a long river named the Baozhang Lake, which is 4 kilometers long and less than 100 meters wide. A famous poet Wang Hang in the Qing Dynasty once wrote a poem, from which the Slender West Lake gets its present name and for which it is well known all over the world.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, many gardens were built along the Slender West Lake. Following the lines of the natural landscape (景观), a large number of houses along the moats (护城河) were built in different locations (位置) during different periods. Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty both visited the Slender West Lake.

The Slender West Lake Scenic Spot is a symbol of the lake gardens in China. In a word, the Slender West Lake not only stands for the beauty of natural landscape but also has a long history and rich culture.

“I sometimes get up at three or four in the morning to surf the Internet.”

“I browse (浏览) Douyin almost 20 times a day.”

“I spend more time in chat rooms than with my ‘real-life’ friends.”

Do you know any people like this? They are part of a new addiction (瘾) called Internet addiction. The people with Internet addiction spend more than 30 to 40 hours online every week.

A study shows that about 10% Internet users have Internet addiction. They can’t get off the Internet easily. Some young people spend more time on the Internet than with family and friends. That’s why some experts (专家) worry most about them.

Is “surfing the Internet” a hobby or an addiction for you? You may have a problem if you have one of the following symptoms:

①You go out with your friends less and less.

②You can’t wait to get online again.

③You want to cut short the time online, but then you still spend several hours.

④You do not take part in important family events or you do not do school projects because you like to spend hours on the Internet.

How to solve the Internet addiction? Some experts advise people to set strict limits (限制) on their time for Internet use. You have to learn to control it, or the Internet will control you.

8 . On December 26th, 2020, China passed a new law to protect the Yangtze River, the “mother river” of China. It is Yangtze River Protection Law. It took effect (生效) on March 1st, 2021. It’s the first law to protect a waterway in China.

The 6,397-kilometer Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia. It provides one third of the freshwater resources (淡水资源) for Chinese people, but it has met lots of environmental problems in recent years, such as heavy pollution and overfishing. Especially, the river’s Chinese paddlefish (白鲟) has died out. So the “mother river” is in great need of protection. To solve these problems, China put a 10-year fishing ban (禁令) to protect fish resources.

According to a report of the government, the fishermen said they would give up fishing along the Yangtze River to protect the “mother river”. Chinese officer Han Zheng said that more support should be given to the fishermen to help them find new jobs and places to live.

Yangtze River Protection Law includes resource protection and green development. The government says the purpose of the new law is to strengthen (加强) environmental protection, use resources well and make the development sustainable (可持续的).

9 . The earth is a ①['bjuːtɪfl] 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 the plants need sunshine and water. ②There are different animals on the earth. Some live on the land. Some fly in the sky. Some live under the water. There are also many people like you and me on the earth. The Earth provides us with air, water and food. ③It is our home.

But there is a lot of pollution today. We burn (燃烧) things to make energy (能量). This pollutes (污染) the air. We put the rubbish into the sea and under the ground. ④This may pollute the earth and kill animals and plants. We must stop doing these things. It is ⑤i________ for us to protect the earth for our future.