Bike-sharing has swept across China, with an increasing number of people choosing bike riding instead of driving. The bike that the service company provides has GPS or Bluetooth on it. And those bikes can be easily unlocked with a smart phone and left anywhere in public. Bike-sharing allows people to borrow a bike from one place and return it at another place easily.
In some cities, we can see more and more people riding this kind of sharing bikes. It's very convenient to use the bikes if you have a smart phone. First, you have to download such an APP on your smart phone. Then what you need to do is find a nearest bike through the APP, scan the QR code (二维码) on the bike or connect your phone with the bike over a Bluetooth wireless connection. You will find the bike can be unlocked itself.
Then you can enjoy your trip. What's more, the greatest advantage of bike-sharing is that you can easily find one and never worry about where to park it. The cost of riding depends on the time that you spend. Normally, every hour you ride, you need to pay one or two yuan. It doesn't cost so much, does it?
At the same time, some people park the bikes in their own homes. Besides, some people don't value the bikes. Now service companies are trying to solve the problem like being stolen.
Technology and science have changed our social lifestyles. We have to say bike-sharing brings us more convenience without doubt. And we also hope that people can not only enjoy it but also put it to good use.
One year, a college in the United States announced that it would offer a lot of money for the pure white marigold (金盏花). The high reward attracted so many people, but in the nature, besides golden, the marigold is brown, and it is not easy to get the white one. So after they were excited for a time, many people had forgotten the announcement.
One normal day after 20 years, the college received a letter and 100 seeds of pure white marigold. It was an old woman of over 70 years old. Some experts in the college doubted it, but in order not to let her down, those seeds finally took root (根) in the earth. The miracle appeared after one year; the field was covered by pure white marigold.
Therefore, the old woman who was always unknown to the public became a new focus.
The old woman was a flower-lover. When she read the announcement 20 years ago, she got very excited like others. But her eight children were totally against her decision. After all, a woman who never knew the seed genetics (遗传学) couldn't complete what the experts could never do, so her thought was only a day dream.
Still, the old woman didn't change her mind and went on working. She planted some of the most common seeds and took good care of them. A year later, when the marigold came out, she chose one faintest(最暗淡的) from those golden and brown flowers and got the best seed. The next year, she again grew them and chose. . . Day after day, year after year, through many seasons, the old woman's husband died, her children flew far, a lot of things happened in her life, but only the wish to grow the pure white marigold took root in her heart.
Finally, after 20 years on the day we all know, in the garden she saw a marigold, which was nearly white, but as white as silver or snow.
A problem even experts couldn't deal with was solved by an old woman who didn't understand genetics. Was it a miracle (奇迹)?
To take root in the heart, even the most common seed can grow into a miracle!
China is a land of bicycles. At least it was back in 1992 when I traveled the country. Back then everyone seemed to be riding a bicycle. Millions of them, all black. Cars were rare. Yet since my arrival in Beijing last year, I've found the opposite is true. There are millions of cars. However, people still use their bicycles to get around. For many, it's the easiest and cheapest way to travel today. Bicycles also come in different colors—silver, green, red, blue, yellow, whatever you want.
It's fun watching people biking. They rush quickly through crossroads, move skillfully through traffic, and ride even on sidewalks (人行道). Bicycles allow people the freedom to move about that cars just can't provide. Eager to be part of this aspect of Chinese culture, I decided to buy a bicycle. Great weather accompanied my great buy. I immediately jumped up on my bicycle seat and headed towards home.
My first ride home was orderly (守秩序的). To be safe, I stayed with a "pack" of bikers while cars on the streets came running swiftly out of nowhere at times. I didn't want to get hit. So I took the ride carefully.
Crossing the streets was the biggest problem. It was a lot like crossing a major highway back in the United States. The streets here were wide, so crossing took time, skill and a little bit of luck.
I finally made it home. The feeling on the bicycle was amazing. The air hitting my face and going through my hair was wonderful. I was sitting on top of the world as I passed by places and people. Biking made me feel alive.
How green are you? Do you know how to be green?
We all need a healthy environment, but we produce waste every day and it is harmful to our environment. Though we are young, we can still do something to help. Here are some ideas for you.
Reduce
Reduce means "use less". Don't waste things. This saves money and reduces pollution. Before we buy something new, think whether it is really necessary—or maybe the old one is still useful.
Reuse
Reuse means "use again". When we buy things, make sure that they can last a long time. When something is broken, we should repair it instead of throwing it away and buying a new one. Don't use a paper cup or a paper bag. It's better to use a china (瓷) cup and a lunch box because you can use them again.
Recycle
Recycle means "change things into something else". Though it takes energy to change something into something else, it's better than throwing things away or burning them.
So please remember these words: reduce, reuse and recycle.
Do you want to know how to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle? Here is a short list of ways that you can help protect the environment.
Prevent energy leaks (泄漏) at home.
Heating and cooling can make up to 50 percent of your energy bill each month. So you'll save money and reduce your influence on the environment.
Plant trees in your yard and community.
Everyone knows that planting trees can help the environment. Trees cool your home, reducing the energy used for cooling. Trees improve mental health. Trees reduce noise pollution.
If you use ceiling fans during hot summer days, you can create a cooling environment. A few ceiling or regular fans properly placed in your home can reduce the amount of time you spend with the air conditioning on.
Use solar energy more often.
There are lots of inexpensive solar products you can try out. For example, solar-powered lights. How about solar cell phone chargers? Additionally, there are many forms of passive solar energy that can help you take advantage of the sun.
Think about green transportation.
Just sit and think about a few environmentally friendly ways you can get from one place to another. You can walk or bike to the corner store. Walking instead of driving to a store is a great way to help the environment!
A. Trees have many good influences.
B. Use natural wind to dry your clothes.
C. There are many ways to use solar power.
D. Use ceiling fans to cool off in summer.
E. You can take a bus when going to the movie theater.
F. Turn off lights and electronic devices when you're not using them.
G. You can heat and cool your home more efficiently by fixing leaks.
In our modern world, when something wears out, we throw it away and buy a new one. The1 is that countries around the world have growing mountains of 2 because people are throwing out more rubbish than ever before.
How did we become a throwaway society? First of all, it is now easier to3 an object than to spend time and money to repair it. Thanks to modern manufacturing (制造业) and technology, companies are able to produce products quickly and inexpensively. Products are plentiful and 4.
Another cause is our5 of disposable (一次性的) products. As 6 people, we are always looking for ways to save time and make our lives easier. Companies 7 thousands of different kinds of disposable products: paper plates, plastic cups, and cameras, to name a few.
Our appetite for new products also8 to the problem. We are addicted to buying new things. Advertisements persuade us that 9 is better and that we will be happier with the latest products. The result is that we 10 useful possessions to make room for new ones.
All around the world, we can see the11 of this throwaway lifestyle. Mountains of rubbish just keep getting bigger. To 12 the amount of rubbish and to protect the 13, more governments are requiring people to recycle materials. 14, this is not enough to solve our problem.
Maybe there is another way out. We need to repair our possessions instead of throwing them away. We also need to rethink our attitudes about15. Repairing our possessions and changing our spending habits may be the best way to reduce the amount of rubbish and take care of our environment.
Jane Goodall was born in London in 1934. She became interested in animal stories when she was a very young child. She always dreamed of working with wild (animal). When she was eleven years old, she decided that she wanted (go) to Africa to live with and write about animals. But this was not the kind of thing young women usually did in the 1940s. Everybody was laughing except her mother. "If you (real) want something, you work hard, you take advantage of the opportunity, you never give up, and you will find a way," her mother said to her. The opportunity (come) at last. A school friend invited her to Africa. Jane worked as waitress until she got enough money to travel there.
In 1957, Jane Goodall traveled to Africa. She soon met the well-known scientist Louis Leakey and began working for him as an assistant. He later asked her to study a group of chimpanzees (live) by a lake in Tanzania. Very little was known about wild chimpanzees at that time.
Jane spent many years studying chimpanzees this area of Africa. It was no easy work. They were very shy would run away when she came near. She learned to watch them from far away using binoculars (双筒望远镜). Over time, she slowly gained (they) trust. Watching the chimpanzees, she made many discoveries. They ate vegetables and fruit. But she found that they also ate meat. A few weeks later, she made an even more (surprise) discovery. She saw chimpanzees making and using tools to help them catch insects.
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
On a cold windy day, a poor boy tried to pay his way through school (支付学费) by selling goods door to door. Wandering on the street, he was not a successful seller. What's worse, he found that he only had one dime (一角硬币) left. His empty stomach reminded him constantly that for days he hadn't eaten anything. He had no choice but to beg for a meal at the next house.
Hesitantly he knocked at the door, thinking about what to say when it opened. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. "What can I do for you?" asked the young woman. The boy paused for a while, "Would you please give me some… a drink of water? "The boy dared not to look directly into her eyes. She looked at the bony boy and thought he might need something to give him energy so she brought him a glass of milk. His head rising and small hands taking the cup, he drank it up slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?" "You don't owe me anything," she replied with a warm smile on her face. "My mother has taught me never to accept pay for a kindness." Deeply moved, he said sincerely, "Then I shall thank you from the bottom of my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but it also increased his faith in God and the whole human race. As a matter of fact, he was about to give up and quit before that point.
Years later the young woman became seriously ill. However, the local doctors were unable to give the effective medical treatment. Finally they sent her to a hospital in the big city, where specialists can be called in to cure her rare disease. Among those famous specialists, Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation (会诊). When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately, he rose and went down through the hospital hall into her room.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
Dressed in his doctor's gown, he went in to see her.
……
The bill was sent to her room.
