1 . When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called "Brownie". My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.

One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up (咬破) one of my Dad's shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl,” she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.

Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked (吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is that she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.

Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us.

3 . Nola (August 21, 1974—November 22, 2015) was a northern white rhino who lived at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park near Escondido, California. At her death, she was one of only four remaining northern white rhinos in the world. The other three lived in Kenya. World Rhino Day,   held on September 2,   is to raise awareness(意识) of the less than 30, 000 other rhinos left on Earth.

''Rhinos need our help today, not tomorrow,'' Nola's lead keeper Jane Kennedy said. ''Last year we lost over 1, 200 rhinos just in South Africa. If we continue to lose more than 1, 000 rhinos a year, in 10 to 20 years all the rhinos on the planet will be gone. ''

''Unfortunately, most animals are in danger of dying out because of humans,'' Kennedy says. ''Humans have either poached animals, or because there are over seven billion of us, we've taken up too much of the world's resources''. Poachers illegally hunt rhinos for their horns. They sell the horns for thousands of dollars per pound, to be used for art, jewelry, and decorations. Experts believe that one rhino is poached every eight hours.

In 1975,   the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research started the Frozen Zoo,   a program through which researchers have collected cell (细胞) samples from more than 8, 000 different types of animals,   including the northern white rhino. Scientists hope that by studying the rhino cells, they will get greater understanding of it, and will find ways to increase its numbers.

Jane Kennedy describes World Rhino Day as a celebration of rhinos along with an awareness campaign for everybody across the world to know that rhinos need our help. ''At the San Diego Zoo, children and adults are welcome to visit and speak with zookeepers to learn about rhinos. But you don't have to live in San Diego to celebrate World Rhino Day. It is observed around the world, with zoos and wildlife parks holding special events and programs to teach people about rhinos, and enable them to see the animals up close. For more information, go to www. worldrhinoday. org.

Beijing Hutong

The real culture of Beijing     1    (lie) in the culture of Hutong and Siheyuan (courtyards). How true it is! They have special appeal    2     tourists at home and abroad.

Hutong is the name    3     (give) to a narrow lane or small street between rows of courtyards, where Beijingers lived in the past. When    4     (view) from the air, one can see that lanes are like a chessboard with delicate gardens, fine rockeries and ancient ruins which make them a wonder in the world.

Once one enters any of the lanes, one can feel the deep and warm relationships among people,     5     is rarely found in this modern world. On account of the lanes, every house is connected to the other, allowing the local people     6    (keep) in touch with their neighbors.

In the lanes one can experience the life of the     7    (local). The public bathrooms and toilets can     8    (find). Shops sell all kinds of goods that satisfy the local people's daily needs.

Gossiping in these lanes is a common scene as it is the main way for people to     9    (strength) their relationship.Where there is such a lane, there is a story.

If one wants to explore the culture and experience Beijing Hutong food and Hutong shopping, a Hutong tour is     10     must-see.

7 . Color is in everything we touch, taste, smell and feel. It evokes(唤起) emotion without any thought.    1    We are all familiar with it, but do you know the following facts?

Silver will save your life. When buying a new car and finding yourself facing various choices, you can’t think clearly. Your best choice is to go with silver. Silver­colored cars are least likely to be involved in a car accident.     2     Another reason is the silver color's ability to have a look of cleanliness.

    3     Tough prisoners and crazy patients？It is the color commonly used to help calm down those who are out of control. So it surely has a useful place and a purpose, other than decorating a dress or Barbie's dream house.

Yellow makes you hungry. Yellow and orange are not recommended for use in kitchens, as they have a positive influence on your appetite.    4     I’m not normally one for conspiracy(阴谋) theories­ but perhaps there’s something in it for them if we remain ignorant of yellow’s effects.

Color is an imaginary friend. Technically, it’s all in our heads: color does not exist at all.     5     So, if you start a heated debate over color combinations with someone that you are certain has a low IQ or is just color­blind，remember it's a pointless argument and you should drop it instantly. You're both wrong.

9 . Plastic straws (吸管) have been a major problem in global discussions of environmental damage. Maybe because of their small size, the production cost of straws is low. In many countries, straws are offered freely after buying soft drinks. Therefore, plastic straws are one of the most used plastics and pollutants in the world.

The plastic straw is light and small. Due to their small size, plastic straws are often eaten by sea animals. Environmentalists have shown that the death of many sea animals is caused by eating plastic straws. The other damaging characteristic of plastic straws is that they are made of materials which cannot degrade. That means the materials cannot be changed into small harmless (无害的) ones.

The most effective way of dealing with the environmental pollution caused by plastic straws is the reuse or banning (禁止) the use of plastic straws. Being plastics, the straws can be made new items. Many organizations around the world change used straws into new products. In Africa, local communities collect used plastic straws and use them to make mats and bags. Another way of dealing with environmental pollution caused by plastic straws is placing a ban on their production and use. Experts advise governments to ban using plastic straws to save the environment. A few countries in the world such as Rwanda, Macedonia, China, Kenya have already banned the use of plastic bags and are expected to include plastic straws and bottles. But it will be a long way to do this effectively.

There are few environmentally friendly and biodegradable productions to take the place of plastic straws. These productions include paper straws, bamboo straws. However, such straws are usually expensive as their production cost is high. It’s still a question whether they can entirely take the place of plastic straws.