Cars make our lives much easier. But they can also be a problem, especially fossil fuel (化石燃料) cars. 【小题1】

To improve the environment, many countries are developing electric vehicles (EVs,电动车). 【小题2】 China has created the world’s largest EV market, according to the Wall Street Journal. In 2021, over 30 percent of the EVs sold worldwide were sold in China, more than twice as many as the number sold in the United States. 【小题3】 Chinese auto companies, including BYD and BAIC, have been among the top in the world in EV sales.

“Charging (充电) an electric car is cheaper than filling up a fossil fuel car with gas,” said Wu Hao, who bought an electric car from BAIC this year. 【小题4】 It can be hard to find charging stations and the cars can’t go far before needing to be recharged.

Some of these problems are being solved. 【小题5】 There are more than 2.6 million charging stations in total.

Developing EVs is one of many efforts China has made to protect the environment. “As China goes, so will the world’s auto industry," the Wall Street Journal said.

Every time you turn on the television or take a ride in a car, you could be adding to a problem called acid rain (酸雨). In this article, you’ll learn how acid is created, and how it affects us, and more importantly, what we all can do to prevent it.

How is acid rain created?

When people use fuels (燃料), such as coal and gasoline, poisonous gases are given off. When these gases mix with rain, acid rain forms. Many power stations burn fuels in order to create the electricity (电) that we use in our homes and offices every day. Cars and trucks also send these gases into the air when they burn gasoline. When rain mixes with these gases, harmful things called acids form. This is acid rain.

How does acid rain affect us?

Acid rain damages (毁坏) everything that it touches. It poisons our rivers, ponds, lakes, and oceans along with all the life in them. It pollutes our soil and crops, harms trees, and can even kill fish and plants. Acid rain also eats away at buildings.

How can we prevent acid rain?

We need to cut down on the pollution that gets into our air. Turn off lights, television, and other electrical appliances if you are not using them. Walk or take a bike whenever possible. If you are travelling a long distance, take a bus or train to save fuel.

As research shows, acid rain harms our environment. But people everywhere can take small steps now to help protect our environment for future generations.

Different Ways to Save Energy

What are some good ways to save energy? We have interviewed some teenagers around the world and they talk about some ways that everyone can do to save energy.

	Li Hua from China “We should recycle and reuse more in our life. It is a good way to reduce energy by recycling what we can. It’s very important for us to save energy because the energy on the earth is limited.
	Mike from America “We should save water around our house. Finding ways to save water at home can help you save energy. Some quick ways to save water include: taking shorter showers and turning off taps when you’re not using. We should save energy all the time because energy is very useful in our life.”
	Maria from Germany “Lights, televisions and computers use lots of energy. You can save energy by turning off lights when you leave a room, turning off the television when you are done watching. We could save lots of money by saving energy each year.”
	Jason from Canada “If your house has central heating, you can save energy by setting the temperature at or close to your comfort limits. In summer, this is around 26 degrees. Saving energy is good for our environment.”