—______ Shopping malls are always too crowded.
| A．Don’t ask me. | B．You are welcome. |
| C．You must be joking. | D．I couldn’t agree more. |
One cool April 22 morning, people started the day as usual. Yet it was not a normal day. What’s so special about April 22? The answer is simple. It is Earth Day. People all over the world celebrate this important day. The idea of having a special day to celebrate Earth began in the 1960s. Life was very different then. Few people talked or even thought about the environment. Most people had no idea how dirty our air and water were.
On April 22, 1970, twenty million Americans joined the first Earth Day activities. They showed that people really did want to do something about the environment. Since then laws have been passed to protect the air, water, land and animals.
The vehicles such as cars and buses you ride in must pass tests to make sure they don’t cause too much pollution. Thanks to this law, cars today release about half as many bad chemicals as cars did back in 1970. As a result, the air we breathe is cleaner than it once was.
Rivers and lakes are also cleaner today than they were in the 1970s. It’s a good thing because they needed a lot of help. The Cuyahoga River in Ohio was so polluted that rubbish and oil on the river even caught fire! Today, the river is cleaner. It no longer burns. It’s healthy enough for birds, fish and other animals.
Now the celebration has spread to other countries. More than 175 countries take part each year.
In 2007, people in China paid much attention to a big problem. People were throwing away 27 million plastic bags a day! People had “Bye-Bye Throwaway Culture Week”. They wanted everyone to see how polluted it was to throw away so many plastic bags. In 2008, China passed new laws against them.
Every April 22, millions get together to clean and protect Earth. They also celebrate how far we have come. Our job is to put this knowledge to work. You can help keep our planet healthy too!
1. What is so special about April 22? (no more than 5 words)2. When did twenty million Americans join the first Earth Day activities? (no more than 5 words)
3. What caught fire on the Cuyahoga River? (no more than 5 words)
4. How many countries take part in the celebration each year now? (no more than 3 words)
5. What can you do to celebrate Earth Day? (no more than 20 words)
| A．over | B．against | C．with | D．than |
—______. I’d love to.
| A．Good idea | B．Never mind | C．Help yourself | D．Go ahead |
| A．catch up | B．deal with |
| C．come across | D．take away |
