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　　First it was an earthquake．Then came a terrible tsunami．These natural disasters killed thousands of people in Japan on Mar．11, 2011．Then a nuclear crisis(核危機(jī))put the island in danger and shocked the world．

　　Damaged by the earthquake and tsunami, Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant(福島第一核電站)has put out dangerous radioactive(放射性的)materials．Experts from several countries are working to control the crisis．

　　Although the reports say the leak so far will not cause huge health problems, people are worrying about nuclear safety．Switzerland has stopped plans to build new nuclear plants．Germany raised questions about its nuclear future．

　　As for China, the government has suspended approving(暫停審批)new nuclear power stations and stepped up safety checks at existing plants, Xinhua reported．But it is reported that all nuclear power stations in China are safe．

　　A nuclear power plant creates electricity．It is a clean energy source．In 1954, the world's first nuclear power plant was built in Russia．From then on, nuclear power has been widely used．

　　But nuclear power plants have hidden problems．If radioactive materials get into the air or water, they can pollute soil and plants and harm humans and animals．Nuclear accidents, such as the Chernobyl(切爾諾貝利)disaster in 1986 in the Ukraine, have caused great damage to the nearby people and the environment．

　　Will there be another choice for energy that we can use in the future? In recent years, scientists have found ways to make electricity from sunshine, wind and garbage．

　　Some scientists say hydrogen(氫氣)may be used to create power．Hydrogen is a clean resource to use, and will never disappear．Some car companies have already developed cars powered by hydrogen．But still, the technology for its production is only in early stages of development．

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　　April 21^st in 2006 was the 80^th birthday of Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ．She is one of the most famous woman in the world．Here are some interesting stories about the Queen．

　　Queen Elizabeth Ⅱis the fortieth monarch(君主)since 1066．She has been the queen of Great Britain for 54 years．During her 54-year reign(統(tǒng)治), she has made over 250 official visit to 129 different countries, including China in 1986．She has also hosted more than 90 formal dinners for those important people from foreign leaders．When she visits foreign countries or hosts formal dinners, the Queen often receives presents from foreign leaders．Some unusual presents include animals like jaguars and sloths from Brazil, and black beavers from Canada．

　　The Queen is a great animal lover and she is known for her love of dogs．So far, the Queen has had more than 30 dogs．She is also really fond of horses and good at feeding horses．Her horses have won major races several times．

　　The Queen usually sends a telegram(電報(bào))of congratulations to her people who are 100 years old on their hundredth birthday．Perhaps she will send herself on in twenty years．It’s not impossible, since all her family members have enjoyed a long life．The Queen’s mother died in 2002 at the age of 101．

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　　As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture．We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used．Let’s look at the words about animals and plants．Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example,“a homeless dog”,“a mad dog”,“a running dog”and“a dog catching a mouse”, have negative* meanings．But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans．In English, people use the dog to describe positive* actions．For example,“you are a lucky dog”means you are a lucky person．And“every dog has its day”means each person has good luck sometimes．To describe a person’s serious illness, they say“sick as a dog”．The word“dog-tired”means very tired．However, Chinese love cats very much．But in western culture,“cat”is often used to describe a woman who is cruel*．

　　The rose is regarded as a symbol* of love in both China and some western countries．People think the rose means love, peace, courage and friendship．And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries．

　　The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures．We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used．

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