During the winter holiday season, we often see an increase in the amount of rubbish we produce in our homes. As you prepare to celebrate the holidays, follow the simple instructions in this article to help cut the amount of rubbish produced in your home.

For gift-giving:

◆ Homemade gifts, such as cards, often produce less rubbish and can be a treasure to receive. This is a great idea for children to try.

When wrapping (包装) gifts:

◆ Use gift bags instead of wrapping paper. Gift bags are reusable and not as likely to go out with the rubbish. If you receive gifts in gift bags, be sure to store them away for future use.

When entertaining:

◆ Avoid the use of plastic forks, spoons and knives as much as possible. Bring out your favorite

dishes for special holidays, and buy a holiday tablecloth to avoid using disposable (一次性的) paper or plastic ones.

After the holidays:

◆ Store your reusable decorations until next year.

◆ Sort out and store reusable gift bags and gift wrap.

By making a few simple changes in our holiday habits, we can cut the amount of rubbish we produce between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. And remember to continue these habits year round for a better environment for today and tomorrow’s world.

51. To have less rubbish, children can        as a gift.

A. give a homemade card

B. send some disposable paper

C. choose a plastic knife

D. buy an expensive toy car

52. It’s better for us to store gift bags because       .

A. they are beautiful

B. they are large enough

C. we can reuse them

D. we can wrap gifts easily

53. The writer advises us to       .

A. hold some parties during the winter holiday

B. keep the gifts for next year after the holiday

C. buy cheap gifts for our friends on New Year’s Day

D. make small changes to reduce the amount of rubbish

There are many ways for us to reduce (减少) waste. For example, we can reuse paper and plastic bags. We can also recycle newspapers, glass, and cans (易拉罐)      1    new things. Here are some useful      2     to reduce waste.

Write on both sides of paper

Many people write on only one side of their paper. Why not try using both sides? Some students only use half the pages of their      3    before getting new ones. Try to use up all the paper. People often give cards on birthdays or festivals. How about trying to     4      e-cards (电子贺卡) instead?

Don’t throw away your old batteries (电池)

Maybe you do not know that old batteries make the soil      5     . This is because they have poisonous (有毒的) parts in      6     . So, don’t throw away batteries.     7    them together. Try to use rechargeable (充电的) batteries for your games and CD players.

Give     8    all your unwanted clothes

There are many poor families in China. You may ask your mother to keep your unwanted clothes. Then you can pass them on to those poor children. You will feel happy that you are      9    someone else. Also, you can see       10    your friends or relatives (亲戚) want them before throwing them away.

There are many ways for us to reduce(减少) waste. For   16 , we can reduce paper and plastic bags. We can also recycle newspapers, glass, and cans(易拉罐) to make new things. Here are some useful ways to   17  waste.
Write on   18  sides of paper
Many people write on only one side of their paper. Why not stop wasting the other side? Some students only use half the pages of their   19  before getting new ones. Try to use up all the paper. People often give cards on birthdays or festivals. How about trying to   20  e-cards instead?
Don’t throw away your old batteries.
Maybe you do not know that old batteries make the earth   21 . This is because they have poisonous parts in them. So, don’t throw away batteries.   22  them together. Try to use rechargeable(充电的) batteries for your games and CD players.
Give off all your unwanted clothes
There are many poor families in China. You may ask your mother to   23  your unwanted clothes. Then you can pass them on to those poor children. You will feel
  24  that you are helping someone else. Also, you can understand   25  your friends or relatives(亲戚) want them before throwing them away.