The Sahara is as big as Canada but has very few people. Less than two and a half million people live there, most of them nomads. Nomads are people who have no permanent (固定的) homes. They move from place to place, carrying everything they need to live. The nomads of the Sahara are called Bedouin, which means "desert people". They depend on goats, sheep, and camels for food and transport. Water is the most important for them, they need water to live, so they must carry enough water or know where to find it. Without water, life is impossible.

A desert is not defined (定义) by sand but by the lack of rain. To be a desert, a place must get less than 250 mm of rain each year. Surprisingly, only 25% of the Sahara is covered in sand. The rest is rock and gravel (砂砾).

Long ago, the Sahara was covered in ice and later turned into grasslands. Over time, it became the desert we see today. Truly, the Sahara is a place of history and change.

Replacing Real Meat

Do you know plant-based meat(植物肉)? A few years ago, one of my friends asked me to try a burger. It tasted a little different from a "real" burger, but it wasn't bad either.

Plant-based meat is meat made out of plant protein(植物蛋白). For example, wheat and peas(豌豆) can be used to make it. But plant-based meat looks and tastes just like real meat. It's becoming more popular around the world these days.

Experts say this food is good for physical health. If people eat too much meat, it will lead to many illnesses such as heart problems.

Environmental protection is another reason for people to choose plant-based meat. Most greenhouse gases (温室气体) in the world comes from the meat industry. If everyone stops eating meat, it will cut down greenhouse gas emissions(排放) by two-thirds.

However, some people still like to eat real meat more than plant-based meat. They wonder if plant-based meat is safe or healthy. Higher prices also hold some people back. For example, Burger King's plant-based burger is one dollar more expensive than a real meat burger.

On February 7th, the 9th Asian Winter Games opened in Harbin, China. The theme (主题) of this year's Games is "Dream of Winter, Love among Asia." It was a night filled with excitement and hope, bringing together athletes from all over Asia.

The opening ceremony (仪式) was a beautiful display of light and ice. The stadium was decorated with traditional ice lanterns, which are a symbol of Harbin's winter culture. Athletes from 34 countries and regions marched in, each team showing their pride and joy. The audience cheered loudly, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

One of the most touching moments was the lighting of the cauldron (火炬台). A young girl holding a small ice lantern walked onto the stage. She was joined by Zhang Hong, a celebrated speed skater. Together, they lit the main torch (火炬). The flame rose high, symbolizing (象征着) the shared dreams and unity (团结) of all Asian nations.

The ceremony also featured wonderful performances with music, dance, and technology. It showed the spirit of winter sports and the cultural charm (魅力) of Harbin. The Games will not only be a competition but also a celebration (庆祝) of friendship and dreams among Asian people. The theme "Dream of Winter, Love among Asia" truly captures the spirit of this event.

A man lived happily in a village because everyone praised him. One day, he happened to hear some people (talk) about him. But what they said made him sad. They said he was too proud. From then on, when he (hear) others saying something, he thought they were saying something bad about him. He was (happy) all the time.

His wife noticed this and took (he) to a wise old man. The wise old man said (patient), "Stay in my house tonight." The man agreed immediately (立刻). As soon as he fell (sleep) at night, the noise of frogs troubled him. The next morning, the man told the wise old man he couldn't sleep well last night. It felt like there were hundreds of frogs in that pond. He wanted to put them far away? The wise old man nodded (点头). So the man went to the pond. the man's surprise, only ten frogs were there. The wise old man said, "Because you paid too much attention to the noise, you thought there were hundreds of them. It is same in your life as well. There's no need to care too much about others' (view)." The man replied, "In my future life, I (pay) more attention to my own life. Thank you!"

In order to make people believe their idea, the two scientists did the experiment（实验）in the lab at first. They asked 20 college students to take a math test. Before the test, half of the students sat quietly and the other half wrote about their feelings on the coming test. They found that the writing group did much better than the students who sat quietly. Their marks were 12% higher.

But did writing really do the trick in our real life?To answer it, the two scientists ran the experiment again before a real exam. This time, they worked with 51 ninth-grade students. The students were required to have a 10-minute writing exercise before the exam. Half of them had to write about their thoughts on the coming exam, while the other half had to write about an unrelated（不相干的）topic. Their final scores showed that if the students wrote about unrelated topics, their scores were lower. If they wrote about their worries, their bad feelings had no influence on their marks.

But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam?Mr. Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance.

This study has obvious practical effect. The scientists found a simple way of helping the anxious students to perform at their true level. They've also shown that the key to controlling our worries is not to push them away, but to face them.

请你根据下表内容用英语写一篇短文进行交流，并说明你自己的方式及理由。

注意：（1（1）短文必须包括表中所有内容，可适当增加细节；

（2）你的理由至少两条；

（3）词数：80—100；

（4）短文首句仅供选择使用，不计入总词数。参考词汇：学伴study partner   方便的convenient

短文首句：I have recently done a survey about how students find study partners.

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Jenny is a six-year-old girl. She likes to fly kites with her father on the grass in spring. It's really fun.

Jack is a cyclist in Hong Kong. He practices riding his bike with his teammates almost every day, except when there is a storm. He loves riding his bike, especially in cool autumn days.

Mary is on the school swimming team. Summer is her favorite season because she can swim in the cool water to keep off the heat.

Kate works in New York. She is often stressed out, but jogging helps her to relax. She thinks jogging in the drizzle(毛毛雨) is the best. After jogging, she takes a shower and feels refreshed.

A. Summer vacation is coming. It will be sunny and hot these days. It's the best time for swimming.

B. Heavy storms this week mean that skiers will enjoy large amounts of snow in Swiss Alps resorts this Christmas, changing the piste(滑雪道) conditions from "good" to "excellent".

C. The temperature has risen and it will be sunny and windy this weekend. Such weather is suitable for outdoor activities, such as bike riding and flying kites, after a long period time of rainy days in March.

D. Autumn lasts from October to December in Hong Kong, which is cool and comfortable, known as the best season of Hong Kong. During this season, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold.

E. It is cloudy with drizzle in New York. It won't be too hot or too cool.