The population of Earth is still going up. There will be less and less 1 land for growing crops in the future. People worry that there will not be enough 2 for everyone in the middle of this century.3 scientists have discovered that one strange plant named fedtschenkoi (玉吊钟) may help. It can take up carbon dioxide (CO2) at night. It only needs 10 times less 4than food plants like beans. This means it can grow in the desert. in which ways could this plant help us? Since deserts are increasing in size 5 the changes in Earth's climate, growing plants in the desert will be more and more important.
Although it is dangerous to eat this plant, scientists can still 6 something about it: how it takes up CO2 at night while many other plants only do this during the day, and 7 it is suited to the desert.
There are 8 directions to take this research. Producing a desert plant to eat will be difficult, but it may be 9 to use the genes (基因) from this plant and put them into food plants.
The other direction is to grow this type of plant for fuel (燃料). At the moment we 10 plants for fuel in good land. If we do it in deserts instead, more good land can be used to grow plants for food.
High-speed trains, Alipay (支付宝), shared bikes and online payment are seen as the new Four Great Achievements of China by young foreigners, according to a video survey by Beijing Foreign Studies University. In the video, young people from different countries along Belt and Road Routes (一带一路) were asked to name great inventions that had influenced their lives in China. The following is what they said from 4 young people of them.
B . 
C . 
D . 
When I was young, my father often took me on short trips. On the way home from these trips, Dad often stopped at the Dairy Queen and bought me a 10-cent ice cream.
One day, we were on our way home and I was hoping Dad would do the same. And he did.
"Would you like an ice cream today?" asked Dad.
"That sounds great, Dad!"
But then he said, "It sounds good to me too, son. Would you like to treat me today?"
Twenty cents! I could afford it. But when it was my money, an ice cream just wasn't a good use of it.
Then I said those awful words to him, "Well, in that case, I guess I'll pass."
My father just said, "Okay, son."
But as we turned to go home, I realized how wrong I was. Why didn't I take it as a good chance to give something back to my father? Why didn't I think that he had bought 50 ice creams, and I had never bought him one? But all I could think was"20 cents"!
I felt awful for my ingratitude. Dad had done so much for me. Shouldn't I do something in return? Love is a two-way street. One must put into what he or she has taken out.
Dad and I went on another trip the next week, and as we passed the corner, I said, "Dad, would you like an ice cream today? My treat. "
It's nothing new to learn on the Internet, but since 2012, a new kind of online education has become more and more popular. Do you know what it is? It is called MOOC (大规模在线公开课程).
In 2012, two Stanford professors, Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig, decided to offer their lessons for free online. To their surprise, more than 160,000 students in 190 countries took their classes. This led them to build Udacity. com, the first website for MOOC. In less than a year, other
MOOC websites, such as Coursera. com and EdX. com, were also set up.
MOOC is different from usual online learning. Professors have been trying to keep it similar to a real class. You should sign up (报名)to take the class. You can communicate with other students in many different ways. You have to answer some questions when you watch videos, and you will have some homework to do after class. If you take the class on time, do all the homework, and pass the final test, you can get a certificate (证书) in the end.
Some people believe M00C will change the traditional education style. In the future, anyone at any age in any place can take classes for free. These classes are all from the best teachers of the best universities in the world!
At a farm off Narrow Lane near Lexington, Kentucky, US, there is a little red barn (畜舍). The farm is mostly empty now. Jim Mahan and his family, who lived there for generations (世代),have moved to a different place in northern Fayette County.
But during the summer, the barn is filled with city kids who have come to enjoy the farm.
They're members of the Fayette County Livestock Club. In this club, children learn many skills, such as cutting wool and taking care of animals.
"A lot of Lexington kids don't know anything about farm life," said Adria Meier,17, who has looked after goats (山羊) and sheep for three years. "There is so much to learn."
Children who take care of their goats and sheep at the little red barn must take a six-hour class before they get an animal of their own. They pay for their own animals but get special club programs for free, such as one that provides animal care.
Mahan lets the group use the barn for free. The kids spend up to three hours a day there during the summer.
There are valuable lessons learned along the way. For instance, don't cut the wool off your goats and sheep when there is wind. Sheep are social animals and they will cry loudly when they are separated.
"Looking after animals helps teach us responsibility. Unlike learning to swim or play soccer, caring for an animal isn't something you can simply abandon (遗弃),"said Carly Playforth.
a. cutting wool b. taking care of goats
c. planting crops d. having responsibility
文通顺、连贯，意思完整。
Aldo, an Italian violinist, is playing the Chinese song Butterfly Lovers from his balcony (阳台). "My gift for you from Milan, "Aldo said on Sina Weibo to his Chinese audience (观众).
Aldo is the top violinist of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Italy. While being isolated (隔离）at home because of COVID-19, His playing has deeply touched not only people in his neighborhood, but also internet users around the world.
"In times like this, we need more music than ever because it helps people say together and make us peaceful,"
When his neighbor Jing told him that his music was quite popular in China, Aldo decided to keep in touch with Chinese listeners on Sina Weibo. "I asked Jing to introduce me to the songs Chinese people love most. Spring is the season of love and it is perfect as a gift in this moment."
After Aldo posted the video, many Chinese musicians played along with him on other musical instruments.
"The first time I saw a piano player from China joining me, it was amazing. "said Aldo.
Although COVID-19 is forcing us to keep a distance from one another, music reminds us that we can stay in touch in other ways.
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A. I felt that we were together in this battle. B. Aldo told TEENS in an email interview. C. The video has received more than 3 million views. D. When she sent me Butterfly Lovers, I fell in love with the song and its story. E. Aldo started to play the violin on his balcony. |
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that 80% of the world's teens don't get enough exercise to live healthy lives. The report was based on research done with students aged 11 to 17 in 146 different (country). The WHO has been studying teen activity levels since 2001 and reports that not much has [tʃeɪndʒ] since then.
The WHO says that kids should get at least hour of exercise every day. This could include walking, running, biking, (dance), playing sports or many other activities.
More and more research (show) that exercise doesn't just help the body, it can help the brain, too.
One big ['ri:zn] for the lack(不足)of activity in today's teens is technology, such as smartphones, computers and TVs. Many teens find it very hard them to pull themselves away from playing games, or watching videos or movies.
The WHO warns young people need to do playing in the digital world, and more playing in the real world. Teens should take part in sports, ['weðə(r)] on official teams or just playing around in the playground.
Experts believe that it's very (importance) for young people to fall into these habits now, because the positive effects of those habits can carry on into adult life.
