I’m in favor of future city (1)_______ in schools. Such contests encourage students to think about modern life and help them (2)_________ their understanding of how cities will develop. Besides, while preparing themselves for the contests, students have a chance to learn more about smart technology, green energy, and public transport. Contests among classes provide students (3)_____________ opportunities to work with team spirit, thus enabling them to learn how (4)_______ with other people. Some students may think that preparing ideas about future cities is time-consuming. However, in my opinion, such preparations are worth spending time on. My classmates and I have found that we speak English better after each contest. In sum, future city (5)___________ contests in schools are useful to students.

Global Warming

One warm spring day, Mrs. Baker went to the park near her house. She sat down on a park bench and started to read an article about global warming in a newspaper. The article talked about rising temperatures, melting ice, and how climate change affects people’s lives around the world.

Mrs. Baker read the article carefully and felt worried about the future of the Earth. While she was reading, a strong wind suddenly blew. Some pages of the newspaper flew out of her hand and fell onto the ground. They began to blow away.

Mr. Marks, sitting at the other end of the bench, quickly reached down and helped Mrs. Baker pick up the pages. Mrs. Baker thanked him, and they started talking about environmental problems and how people should protect the planet. It was the beginning of a very pleasant friendship.

 Global Warming

Global warming is a big problem today.
It makes the Earth hotter.

People can help reduce global warming in simple ways.
When we go shopping, we should use less plastic.
Plastic is bad for the environment.
We should use old bags again.

We should not throw things away too fast.
Old clothes can be given to charity shops.
Other people can use them again.

Pollution also causes global warming.
We can help by keeping our area clean.
We can collect rubbish with our friends.

Cars make the air dirty.
We should not use cars too much.
We can go by bike or bus.

Small actions can help reduce global warming.

TV presenter: Today I'm chatting to Jason Smith about his new TV show Travel Asia, Jason, tell us about your latest trip.

Jason Smith: I was just in Bangkok, a city with almost 11 million people in Thailand's. I was staying in a hotel in the center. It was crazy. There were people, vehicles and animals everywhere. It certainly wasn't a peaceful place to stay, but I loved it.

TV presenter: How long did you stay in Bangkok?

Jason Smith: I was supposed to be there for three days, but I ended up staying a week. It was the last stop on a month long trip that we booked last year. We didn't plan anything in advance. We were just travelling around Asia using the public transport that ordinary people use every day.

TV presenter: So you didn't hire a car or use a taxi? That sounds like a challenge.

Jason Smith: It really was. In Bangkok, there was plenty of public transport, but once we got up into the villages in the mountains, it was difficult.

TV presenter: So when you're getting around Bangkok on the bus and train?

Jason Smith: Well, mostly we were getting around in river taxis, they were cheap and helped us avoid the traffic completely.

TV presenter: How interesting!

Jason Smith: Yes, people walked a lot there, too. I think it's the best way to travel. It's slow and hot, but I saw lots of things on foot that I missed when I was in a car or a bus.

TV presenter: Well, we look forward to seeing all those things when your show comes out this November.