【正文】 Protecting the Yangtze River As the third longest river in the world, the health of the Yangtze River has raised concern both in China and abroad. Rapid development and an increase in population have meant that the amount of water taken from the river is rising, and the waste being put back into the river has been increasing. This is not good news for the people who rely on the Yangtze River for water. Nor is it good news for the wild range of fish and wildlife that live in or along the river. Many people have recognized the importance of protecting the Yangtze River, and anizations and projects have been set up to deal with the problem. The Green River anization, for example, educates people on the importance of protecting this great river. It also watches the river and stops the illegal hunting of animals, which has put the wild animal population in danger. Two special government projects are also under way. The first project, a water and soil conservation project, was set up in 1989. This project resulted in farmers replacing their crops with trees or grass. It has already been a success because it has helped improve the local environment and the land around the river. The second project includes nature reserves for whiteflag dolphins, one of the rarest animals in the world. The number of whiteflag dolphins in China has dropped because of pollution in the Yangtze River. The whiteflag dolphin was last seen several years ago, though scientists are still hopeful that the animal has survived. We still have a long way to go to solve all the problems in regard to the Yangtze River. However, people have finally realized that it is their responsibility to protect this great river. Because of this, the situation on the Yangtze River is improving. The efforts of the Chinese government and people to protect this muchloved river will be appreciated for years to e. Project 2: Climate change and a lowcarbon life There is no doubt that the world climate has been changing in recent years. Many people blame this change on gases such as carbon dioxide. Animals and humans produce carbon dioxide when they breathe. However, many other human activities also let off carbon gases. Anytime something is burnt, carbon is put into the atmosphere. Cars and other vehicles burn petrol in their engines, and electrical power plants most often burn fuels such as coal and oil in order to produce electricity. Therefore, the more petrol and electricity we consume, the more carbon we are letting off. One thing we can all do to help solve this problem is to walk or use a bicycle when possible. Although we produce carbon when we breathe, the carbon we produce is much less than that produced by a car. Of course, there are times when we need to travel long distances. In this case, public transport such as buses and the underground are always much better choices than a private car or a taxi. If you must drive a car, it is never good to travel alone— you should try to find other people to travel with you. At home, you should use as little energy as possible. Turn off the lights and anything else electrical when not in use. Since factories use a lot of energy and also let off carbon gases, it is important to recycle as much as possible. In particular, metal products and paper products require a lot of energy to produce, so you should find ways to use these again without throwing them away. Last but not least, you can plant a tree, because trees absorb the carbon dioxide in the air to produce oxygen. Planting a small tree is cheap and easy, and two decades from now, when you look at what will have bee a large tree, you will find a sense of satisfaction knowing that you did your part to help solve the problem of climate change. Step 1: Read and learn ◆ Listen to the text and grasp the general spirit of the text Language focus: ◆ 1. range n. （在一定范圍或幅度內(nèi)）變動(dòng)，變化 知識(shí)探究： (1) It is beyond the range (同同) of my ability. (2) It will encourage a greater range (種類 ) of animals— all of which will make life for human beings better. (3) The range (幅度 ) of prices was great. (4) I ranged (排列 )the books on the shelf by their authors. (5) He ranges (位居 ) among the great poets. 題練落實(shí)： 1. The prices of beer ________ from 50 cents to $ 4 per liter during the summer season. A. ranged B. differed C. altered D. separated 2. The exchange program between the UK and China may affect various schools, _____ from kindergartens to high schools. A. spreading B. locating C. ranging D. including 聯(lián)想拓寬： 1)同同同同,同同同同。同同同同 in / within range of 在可及的范圍內(nèi)；在視覺、聽覺范圍內(nèi) out of range在視覺、聽覺范圍外 range from A to B同A同B同同。 I would appreciate it if you could help me. 如承蒙您的幫助我將不勝感激。 tell C. hearing。 ◆ 3. absorb vt. (1) 吸收 (2) 并吞 (3) 使 (精神 )貫注 知識(shí)探究： This job absorbs all of my time. 這件工作占用了我的全部時(shí)間。 He is so clever that he can absorb the knowledge easily in class. 他很聰明，能夠在課堂上輕易地吸收知識(shí)。s attention 吸引某人注意 be absorbed by 被 ...吞并 , 為 ...所吸收 寫作能力培養(yǎng)： ◆ 假設(shè)你是高三學(xué)生李華。開頭和結(jié)尾已經(jīng)寫好，不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)。 the first C. the fourth one, first D. fourth one。 Dear Li Hua, How are you doing? Our teacher asks us to do some research on senior students’ dream careers in different countries. Our team is interested in Chinese senior students’ choices. Collecting information and data is first thing now. I’ d appreciate it if you can tell me: (1) what your dream career is (2) why you choose this particular career (3) what you will do to achieve your goal (4) what if your dream can’ t e true Looking forward to your reply. Yours Jack Dear Jack, I’ m glad that you’ re interested in Chinese senior students’ choices on dream careers. __________ ____________________________________________________________________. I hope the above will be