In the past, man did not have to think about the protection of his environment. There were not many people on earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.

Today, things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue like this, human life on earth will not survive.

Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow on the land. Yet, we continue to use bigger and more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees.

We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries waste products are still put into rivers or into the sea, and there are few laws to stop this.

We know, too, that if the population of the world continues to rise at the present rate, in a few years, there will not be enough food.

What can we do to solve these problems?

If we eat more vegetables and less meat, we will easily get more food. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.

The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.

Finally, if we educate people to think about the problems, we shall have a better and cleaner living place in the future.

In the past, man did not have to think about the protection of his environment. There were not many people on earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.

Today, things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue like this, human life on earth will not survive.

Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow on the land. Yet, we continue to use bigger and more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees.

We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries waste products are still put into rivers or into the sea, and there are few laws to stop this.

We know, too, that if the population of the world continues to rise at the present rate, in a few years, there will not be enough food.

What can we do to solve these problems?

If we eat more vegetables and less meat, we will easily get more food. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.

The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.

Finally, if we educate people to think about the problems, we shall have a better and cleaner living place in the future.

Do you have a mobile phone? Do you send text messages to your friends and family?
Text messaging or “texting” is becoming very p__1__. But scientists have p__2__ that texting can give us problems with our h__3__. Be careful! Too much texting can cause RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) in our thumbs (大拇指) and wrists (腕关节). We spoke to a doctor called Harriet Wilson, who treats many patients with RSI. She says if we spend more than 10-15 minutes texting each time, we could have p__4__ in the future.
Dr. Harjeet Deepa, who treats RSI patients, said that the y__5__ patient she had treated was a 5-year-old girl. She had s__6__ bad RSI in her hands that she couldn’t hold a pencil.
As mobile phones d__7__, they are getting smaller with buttons c__8__ together. Texting with a smaller phone is worse than using a larger phone with b__9__ buttons. Using computers and playing video games can cause the same problem. So more and more people could find t__10_ with RSI.
Many university students and teenagers have RSI. If we don’t do anything about this, too many young people could grow up in terrible pain.