Last weekend, I took part in a forest clean-up activity. It was organized by Green Hope, an organization devoted to protecting forests.起初，我不想参加，    1    but then I thought, “What if nobody goes?”

Our team leader, Joe, took us to a forest outside the city. I was sad to find rubbish everywhere.     2    There was a “No littering” sign at the entrance to the forest, but that didn’t stop people from throwing their rubbish on the ground. Joe divided us into two groups:    3     one group cleaned up the north side of the forest, and the other the south side. After several hours’ work,看到森林比以前看起来要干净些，我们很开心    4    It was absolutely worth our effort!

There will be another clean-up activity in the greenbelt next Saturday. You can call Joe and sign up    5     if you would like to help. Everyone who takes part in the activity will receive a medal. I’ll join you too if I have time.

An Accidental Invention

Did you know that tea, the most popular drink in the world (after water), was invented by accident? Many people believe that tea was first drunk nearly 5,000 years ago.     1    It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong first discovered tea as a drink.   One day Shen Nong was boiling drinking water over an open fire.     2    Some leaves from a tea plant fell into the water and remained there for some time.   It produced a nice smell so he tasted the brown water anyway. It was quite delicious. In this way,     3    世界上最受欢迎的饮品之一被发明了。

It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries.     4    In England, tea didn't appear until around 1660, but less than100 years later. it had become the national drink. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world.     5    尽管现在很多人都了解茶文化, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.

Four rules for a healthy life

    1     Thanks to better health care, most people are living healthier and longer lives. It’s even thought that in the future more and more people will celebrate their hundredth birthdays. Here are four rules for a healthy life.

1. Get off the sofa!

Sure, it’s comfortable to sit on the sofa and watch TV. But doctors say you should get off the sofa.     2     要保持健康，你每天至少应走10000步。In the past, people’s jobs required more physical effort. They often had to walk for miles every day. When farmers were working, they were keeping fit at the same time. Think about it: Do you get the same amount of exercise today as they did in the past?

2. Eat healthy food!

    3     吃新鲜自然的食物很重要，for example, fruit and vegetables. Fast food is not healthy. You should only have it once in a while. Eating too much of the wrong food will harm your health.

3. Rest while you can!

    4     When we were babies, we slept for much of the night. Teenagers do not need as much sleep as babies, but it’s important for you to get about eight hours’ sleep a night. At weekends, you’ve got more time, so use it not just for your friends, but for rest too.

4. Don’t worry. Be happy!

    5     许多人认为幸福对我们的健康很重要。Sometimes it is not easy to be a teenager because of the difficulties of school, exams or friendships. If you’re worried about something, talk to your parents or your teacher.

Anger is a kind of feeling.    1     很多事情能使你愤怒。When your teacher gives you too much homework, when your team loses an important game, and when a friend borrows your favorite thing and then breaks it, you may get really angry.

    2     Usually, your body will tell you when you are angry. For example, you breathe faster, your face turns red, and you may want to break something or hit someone, but sometimes, you hide your anger.

For example, you may hide it in your heart. he problem is that if you do this, you may get a headache or your stomach may hurt.

In fact, it’s not good to hide your anger, and it’s normal for you to get angry sometimes.     3     But anger must be let out in the right way, ithout hurting others or yourself.

When you get angry, you can talk about it with other people. It’s helpful to talk about your anger with an adult such as parents, a teacher, etc.     4     When you talk about anger, those bad feelings can start to go away. Here are some other things you can do when you start to feel angry: talk to a good friend; count from 1 to 100; give someone a hug; go for a bike ride; think about good things, etc.

Remember that how you act when you are angry can make everything better or worse.    5     不要让你的愤怒控制你。

In the West, if you are going to visit someone’s home, it is polite to take a present with you. Flowers, wine and sweets are all good choices. However, if you want to impress the host or hostess,     1     why not bring with you something handmade?

It is always wise to bring books about China to your foreign friends     2     目的是为了让他们更多地了解中国. If you think books are too ordinary, you can bring some traditional handicrafts such as fans.     3     In the past, fans were used not just to cool oneself. Sometimes fans were decorated with paintings or poems. When you give your friends the present, you can tell them a little about Chinese history. For the hostess, you can give her silk or a present with beautiful Chinese decorations, such as a handmade purse or a Chinese comb. I’m sure she will like it.

You can also give your foreign friends something to eat or drink.     4     你可以做一些中国菜and take them to your friends’ house. You can also bring Chinese tea. Tea is a national drink in China. It is an important part of Chinese culture.

    5     If you need to bring a present to children, toy pandas are a good choice. The giant panda is China’s national treasure. It is popular around the world.

It is just past five o’clock on the Chinese New Year’s Eve, and Luo Yan lifts the cover of a large bowl to breathe in the rich smell of the soup     1     his wife and mother have prepared.

Luo Yan and his wife and son have settled in the big city far away from their hometown. Their journey from the city where they live and work back to their hometown was a     2    漫长而又疲乏的 one just a few years ago. However,     3     the high-speed train has made it more convenient for them to go back home. During the four-hour trip, they chatted happily with each other.

    4    一到家, they find Luo’s parents eagerly waiting for them. Indeed, the family couldn’t be happier to be together. As midnight approaches, Luo Yan takes his parents, wife and son outside to set off firecrackers.     5     The whole village is lit up with the flashes of fireworks.