Do you know how to give a good talk? Before the talk, you are supposed to choose a topic carefully. You can talk more easily about something you like and know about.

It is a cold and dry winter morning. When you wake up, you feel that your throat hurts. You begin to sneeze and later you may cough. You must have a cold! Wait a moment. Could it just be a common cold or the flu（流感）that’s been going around?

A cold gives you a runny nose and cough. But it’s usually easy to deal with. Some take medicine while others drink herbal（药草的）tea or chicken soup. Usually you feel better after a week.

On the other hand, the flu can be much more dangerous. It usually gives you fever. Sometimes it can cause death. According to an American magazine, the worst flu killed about 50 million people from 1918 to 1919.

Don’t worry. If you get a flu vaccine（疫苗）, it can stop you from getting the virus（病毒）. Flu vaccines work by giving the body a small amount of flu viruses. This causes your body to develop antibodies（抗体）. So next time you get the flu, the antibodies should help you.

The flu virus changes every few years. So there are so many types of flu, such as H1N1 and H5N1. The antibodies for one type of flu can’t help us against all types of flu. That’s why we need to get the vaccine every year.

However, good health habits（习惯）may also help stop you developing a cold or flu. Washing your hands often helps stop you from getting viruses. It is also important to get regular exercise and eat healthy food. All these can help you strengthen your immune system（增强免疫系统）.

Did you know that each day one person in the US throws away 4.4 pounds of rubbish? Almost every month, we throw away our own rubbish in packaging alone. Packaging (including boxes , bags, etc ) comes to our homes with the things we have bought. Several weeks ago, the TV news said that in a city in Italy tons of rubbish were piled up in the streets, and the smell was rather terrible. What can we do to help? We should get to know the following Rs.

Reduce

To reduce means to make less rubbish. That is one of the first things we all should do for the environment. Reduce your rubbish by doing things like packing your lunch in reusable containers(可在利用的容器), taking smaller potions (份) at dinner so you don’t waste food when you have had enough, writing on both sides of paper, and using less water when taking a shower.

Reuse

To reuse is to use things again. Think about the bags you get from the store. They can be reused to carry your lunch, to hold your rubbish, or to collect used cans. You can even take them back to the store the next time to carry your things instead of getting a new bag!                    

Recycle(回收利用)

Recycling is an important part of keeping our planet clean and green. It can also save energy. Be sure that you don’t throw things in the rubbish that can be recycled to make something else. Paper, plastic, cans and bottles can all be recycled, but food, electrical waste and mobile phones can’t. When you are not sure whether something can be recycled, go to your parents and teachers for advice.              

Follow the three Rs, and every one of us can do something to save the earth. It is also the best way to save ourselves.