Many years ago, people lived a hard life. They couldn't use modern machines, because there was 1one at that time. Today people have a better life but there are new problems. One of biggest problems is it has 2our rivers and lakes dirty. It kills our fish and affects our 3water. We call it water pollution. Noise pollution makes us talk more 4and become angry 5. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution. It affects all living things in the world. Machines and factories 6our air every day. Sometimes the pollution is so 7that it is like a blanket (毯子)covering a city. Many countries are making new laws to reduce pollution. We must clean 8water before we 9them into some place. We need to do many other things to protect our environment. We must put rubbish into dustbins 10throwing them about. We can go to work by bus, on foot, or with friends in a car. If we do like that every day, our environment will be better.
Have you ever stayed in a hotel? Most Chinese hotels often provide guests with things like disposable(一次性的) toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and slippers.
Many guests like the idea because they don't have to bring their own. But if you travel to Beijing, remember to bring these things of your own. That's because some hotels in Beijing have no longer provided guests with these disposables (一次性用品). Many disposable things are made of plastic. People throw them away after only using them once. It's a waste of natural resources(资源) and is very bad for the environment.
In Beijing, people throw away about 19,000 tons of plastic bags and 1,320 tons of lunch bowls every year!
Plastic can take 100 to 400 years to break down. So the less plastic we throw away, the better environment we will have.
So, wherever you travel, bring your own things and use them again and again. Back at home and school, you can also do something to make our world a better place. Try to do these things in your daily life:
Use cloth shopping bags, not plastic ones. After using a plastic bag, wash it out and let it dry. Then use it over and over again. Do not use paper cups. At your school canteen (餐厅), use your own bowls and chopsticks instead of disposable ones.
