—Very important. Without health, life is lifeless.

    Believe it or not, oceans and seas are easy to be harmed by the development of human society. They are also influenced by man-made pollution easily. It is human beings that do great harm to the ocean ecosystems (生态系统).

    The coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are fine ecosystems that provide food and protection for many ocean creatures (生物). The coral in almost all of the oceans is in danger from pollution. Chemicals from factories end up in the seas and oceans and destroy (破坏) coral reefs. If the coral systems die, some ocean creatures will be sure to die out.

    Protecting the ocean also has something to do with the protection of ocean wildlife like dolphins. The fishing industry depends on modern ways to catch many fish in order to earn more money. But the nets for fishing also catch other sea animals. The fishing boat workers are advised to check their nets and set other ocean animals free. But the boats are in a hurry to make money and often other ocean animals are caught with fish.

    Oil spills (泄露) can destroy the ocean environment because oil kills all ocean life. The world depends on oil and because there is plenty of oil off the shore (岸) in many countries, the need for oil is more important than the risk of the oil spill. However, the fact is that one ocean mistake can lead to an ocean environment accident that will cause years of damage to the fine ocean ecosystems. Oil spills will kill all the creatures in the area of the spill. The oil will be washed up on the shore and destroy the ecosystems along the shore, including birds.

    Everyone who cares about the environment should pay more attention to protecting the ocean, and all of us should do something for the protection of the ocean.

    The homestay (寄宿家庭) provides English language learners with the good chance to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of an American home.

    What to Expect

    The host will provide places to live and meals. Rooms will be cleaned every day. And the host is there to offer help and advice on your physical and mental (精神的) health.

    Living Area

    Host families are mainly in Zones 2, 3 and 4. Most hosts don't live in Zone1 because much of central New York is trading center. Zones 3 and 4 often offer larger houses in uncrowded areas.

    But it's very convenient to travel to the center of New York by subway.

    Meal Plans

    It's important to know that few American families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast.

    Your breakfast mainly includes fruit juice, bread and coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not part of the breakfast. Dinners are usually made up of meat or fish with vegetables followed by dessert, fruit and coffee.

    Friends

    If you want to invite a friend to visit you, you must ask your host for permission (许可) first, because some families feel uncomfortable when there are strangers at their home.

Dear Larry,

    It was lovely to hear from you again and to know that things are going well with you.

    Thanks for telling me all about the Chinese Moon Festival. It you enjoyed a great party in Inner Mongolia (内蒙古). It makes me think of the festival we in when we travelled in South Africa. The people there kept many goats (山羊), sheep and cows. Beef was expensive and was only for very special time. In all our time there we were never served beef in the villages, because beef is not usually served to visitors.

    , I happened to see these pictures and thought you'd like to see them. A Chinese girl gave Tang Suit to Joan and me when she left school. We tried them on in the university car park. Someone took photos for us though I was wearing my kilt (苏格兰短褶裙)! It seemed to be so different that some suggested that I could start a new look.

    We wore Tang Suit to a dinner which was held on the ship in August when we visited Germany. Some Chinese ladies came and spoke to us. They were interested in my traditional Chinese clothing.

    We both hearing from you again. Best Wishes!

Yours,

Ken and Joan

It was heavy, but I managed it up the stairs.

    Some countries are building a great wall of trees across Africa. It is called the Great Green Wall. The aim is to bring life to the dry lands and help to fight the bad environment.

    The wall is 8,000 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide. It covers from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east, on the south of the Sahara Desert (撒哈拉沙漠). So far, Senegal has made the best progress by planting about 11,000,000 trees.

    Many years ago, there were few trees in that area and the winds used to be very strong. It was harmful to the fields. Also, there was little rain, so few plants could grow and many people went hungry. Since the tree planting project started, the trees have provided food for the local people and increased the wetness (湿度) of the air. Little by little, there appeared green fields for people to grow plants.

    The project which began in 2007 is supposed to cost a total of 8,000,000,000 dollars. Many countries are trying their best to help to continue the planting. So we will be able to see the whole green wall across Africa in the near future!