Squirrels(松鼠),asanimals loved by many people, are getting ready for winter. They are looking for nuts(坚果), digging(挖) holes in the ground or finding holes in trees. They keep the food they will need during the coming months there, when the weather is cold and sometimes snowy.

Squirrels spend a lot of time in trees which are like restaurants for them. Among their favorite things to eat are nuts and other parts of trees. Squirrels may also eat other animals. And anyone who has a bird knows squirrels love bird food!

Squirrels stay active all winter, so they need plenty of food to help keep their energy. Squirrelstend to bury(埋) food underground, piece by piece. Some squirrels may collect food together and bury underground.

When they need the food in the winter, squirrels use their memories and sense of smell to help them find what they buried. Sometimes, you’ll even see them digging through the snow just to find food.

Squirrels build home in trees. Some squirrels spend much of the winter in underground holes which are warmer.

When spring comes, squirrels change their eating habits to new plant growth. Sometimes they forget to dig up all their buried nuts. That’s why you’ll sometimes find a little tree growing in a place you know, but neither you nor your family planted it. It must have been the squirrels.

Jim and Mike are talking about the year 2030.Jim asks, “What will our world be like in the year 2030?” “I don’t know,” says Mike.“What do you think?” “Well, no one knows, but it’s interesting to guess.” “In the year 2030 everyone will carry a pocket computer(便携式电脑).The computer will give people the answers to all their problems.” “A lot of people will live and work under the sea. Perhaps there will be big towns, factories and farms under the sea, too.” “Robots will do most of the work, so people will have more holidays, perhaps they’ll work only two or three days a week. They’ll be able to fly to the moon by spaceship and spend their holidays there.” “I’m looking forward to the year 2030.I hope to go to the moon!” “And I hope I’ll be able to live under the sea,” says Mike.“Won’t that be very interesting? Just like a fish!”

Do you often throw away things you don’t need anymore? Have you ever thought about how these things can actually be put to good use? Nothing is a waste if you have a creative mind.

You have probably never heard of Amy Hayes, but she is a most unusual woman. She lives in a house in the UK that she built herself out of rubbish. The windows and doors come from old buildings around her town that were pulled down. The top of the house is an old boat turned upside down. And the gate in front of her house is made of rocks and old glass bottles. Amy recently won a prize from the Help Save Our Planet Society. The president said, “ Amy is aninspirationto us all.”

Amy isn’t the only one who is good at recycling. Jessica Wong fromHong Konguses old clothes that people don’t wear anymore to make bags. She has been doing this for a few years now. She opened a small shop where she sells her bags, and she has also set up a website to sell them online. She especially likes to use old jeans to make handbags. Her bags are cute and useful. “I plan to write a book about new ways to use old clothes,” she said. “ I hope people can read my book and enjoy it.”

Wang Tao set up a small business in Shanghai four years ago. He is known for using iron and other materials from old cars to make beautiful art pieces. Some are large pieces that look like animals or humans, and some are smaller pieces you can put at home. The more popular works can even be seen in art shops around the city. Wang Tao hopes to set up a “metal art” theme park to show people the importance of environmental protection. Not only can the art bring happiness to others, but it also shows that even cold, hard iron can be brought back to life with a little creativity.

Have you ever wished to have an umbrella that makes your hands free? Alan Kaufman has come up with the “Nubrella”, which means “new”+ “umbrella”. It is the first truly hands-free umbrella in the world. The inventor says that it stops rain, wind and snow and can keep your head, face and hair dry.

   “I never planned to invent a product. I just noticed a problem and came up with a solution.” said the inventor. The idea for the invention began on one rainy day. Mr. Kaufman was standing in one of his stores. He began to look at people's umbrellas. He found that they had to try very hard to keep their umbrellas in the right place. At that moment an idea came into his mind. He ran to his desk and drew a picture. In this way, the Nubrella was born.

One cool feature of the Nubrella is that you don't hold it like a normal umbrella, you wear it. The shoulder straps(肩带) of the Nubrella allow people to be fully hands-free, so when walking in the rain with the Nubrella, you are able to use your cell phone or drink a hot cup of coffee. Also, the Nubrella will never be inverted(颠倒) in the wind. The new umbrella is far safer than traditional ones, because it has no sharp points.