Last year, some tall trees on both sides of a road needed to be watered. These trees were beautiful, but some branches of them were sick. A team of workers were sent to water the trees and cut down the old and sick branches of the trees. They had to do this because these branches were dangerous for the trees and for the cars on the road.
The workers started to water the trees and cut down the sick branches. These workers were watering the big trees one by one carefully. They found the sick branches of each tree and cut them down. They watered the first tree and cut down the sick branches. They watered the second and third trees. When a worker climbed up to the fourth tree to see which branches of the tree were sick, he saw something surprising. There were five baby birds in the tree!
The worker climbed down the tree. He told the other workers about the baby birds. They decided not to cut down the branches of the tree. They waited until the birds were older. They did not cut down the sick branches of the tree until the birds flew away.
Do you know the way of using wind power to make electricity? There are many advantages （优点） of using wind to make electricity. Here're some of them.
First, it may be one of the cheapest ways to make electricity. Second, it can make and store hydrogen gas （氢气）. The most important one is that it won't pollute the environment. Besides, the wind power can be reused.
But large wind farms might kill birds, too, because the birds always fly into the wind turbine （风力涡轮机）. Scientists are looking for ways to stop it.
Experts said that by the middle of the 21st century wind power could supply （供应） more than 10% of the world's electricity. The wind really helps us a lot.
①All over the world, thousands of animals are used for wildlife tourism. People travel to watch monkey shows, hug baby tigers and swim with dolphins. It might look like fun, but there are reports that animals are hurt now and again. The World Animal Protection (WAP) says that up to 550, 000 wild animals are exposed (暴露) to ill treatment around the world; in Cambodia, for example, it's been reported that elephants have died after carrying tourists for long in hot weather. This is getting changed--over 100 travel companies have promised that they will no longer open up such places. However, some people argue (争论) that animal tourism isn't always as bad as it seems. So what do you think?
Group Yes
②Animals weren't put on this planet for enjoyment. They should be free to live as they choose.
③The way animals are treated is often cruel and causes much pain. Even if treated well, they cannot act in the same way as they would in the wild.
④We don't need wildlife tourism. We can see animals close up in their natural home in TV programs. There's no need to disturb them in real life.
Group No
⑤It is enjoyable and educational for people to communicate with the wonderful animals. The more people know about them, the more they want to protect them.
⑥Wildlife tourism brings money to poor areas and may be the only way for some people to make a living.
⑦Not all animals are treated badly. Some endangered animals are under the protection of programs that look after rare species.
Animals can do amazing things. Different kinds of animals live in different places. They also have different habits. Here are some examples.
Cats and dogs live with people in houses. Bats live in caves. Monkeys live in tall trees and camels live in the hot deserts. Hippos live in mud (泥浆). Penguins and polar bears live in snow and ice. Kangaroos live in Australia and they can jump on the plain (平原). Zebras and ostriches(鸵鸟) can walk and run a lot. Crocodiles live in lakes and rivers. Fish, dolphins and whales can swim in the blue ocean.
Animals are our friends. They are sharing the world with us.
Although visiting outer space is still a far dream for anyone who isn't an astronaut, a day trip to stars is already open for people to order!
A new company, Space Perspective, is planning tests with passengers. It has big plans to run up to 500 flightsfrom different places across the USA by 2024. If successful, reaching the outer side of space could be as easy as flying abroad in a few years' time. Spacemen and passengers will travel in Neptune, a capsule (航天舱) tied to a huge balloon.
They will move slowly upwards right to the side of space, 30 km away from the Earth. There, space tourists will be able to look back at the Earth and out to dark space and the sight of millions of stars. Because the capsule remains within the Earth's atmosphere (大气层), special clothing or training is not needed. It means that older people or those with health problems will be included.
One problem may be the method of landing back on the Earth. The balloon moves back down from space until it falls down in the sea. Passengers, spacemen, the capsule and the balloon are then sent back by ship.
Now Neptune faces competition from the Stratollite, a balloon being developed by a company called World View Enterprises, while the super-rich Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are all pouring money into developing business space flying machines. The advantage of the balloon is that it will be cheaper than a space plane.
Space travel may soon be a reality, but how visitors get there is still a very open question.
Taiwan island, the biggest island of China, is between the South and East China Seas. Almost two-thirds of the island is covered by mountains.
Traveling in Taiwan, you can do lots of things. In Taipei, you can taste all kinds of delicious food from the mainland, as well as some local delicacies. Standing at the top of Taipei 101, one of the world's tallest buildings, you can get a view of the whole city. In Tainan, the oldest city on the island, you can visit different temples. Known as the "City of 100 Temples", the city in fact has 220 temples in it.
Taiwan has a nice natural landscape (景观) as well. Sun and Moon Lake is a beautiful lake. On one side of the is land it looks like the sun; on the other side it looks like the moon. That is why people call the lake Sun and Moon Lake. Ali Mountain is the nearest mountain around Sun and Moon Lake. You can enjoy a nice experience with Gaoshan people. It's a wonderful place to see a very beautiful sunrise. If you enjoy swimming, fishing, boating and eating delicious fruit and fresh fish, Peng Lake must be a good place to visit. The East Rift Valley is where the world's largest continental plate (大陆板块) and largest oceanic plate meet. In this area you can see mountains, valleys, and hot springs (温泉), together with fields of rice, oranges and tea.
