①Should we eat more meat or more vegetarian food (素食)? A recent study shows that there are more vegetarians (素食主义者). People become vegetarians for different reasons. Some choose a vegetarian diet because they believe killing animals is wrong. People who care about their health see it as a good way to keep fit and lower their risk of many illnesses. Lately, more people are having vegetables instead of meat because being vegetarians plays an important role in protecting the environment.

②For further research, researchers from China gave a report about the influence of eating behavior on the environment. It showed that meat consumption is one of the main ways that humans can harm the environment, second only to the use of cars. But how can changing our diets make a difference? We can compare the amount of water needed to produce meat and crops (农作物). For example, we need almost 20,000 liters (升) of water to produce a kilo of beef, but only about 150 liters of water are needed to produce a kilo of crops. It’s clear that we can make better use of land and water if we produce crops instead of meat.

③Feeding animals for food also leads to the rise of global temperatures. Animals such as cows, pigs and sheep give out a lot of greenhouse gas (温室气体).

④There are more and more people who support being vegetarians. For example, schools across many parts of the world hold “Meat Free Mondays” to show how easy it is to eat less meat. Some people go one step further and eat vegetables only all the time. Just being a vegetarian for one day a week or just eating less meat can go a long way.

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Have you ever noticed how many calories (卡路里) you eat in a day? There is a special convenience store opened in the Chengdu Youth Palace. If you “shop” there, you can find out how many calories there are in different foods.

The store was opened on May17th, 2022. It’s part of the “Know Your Food” program of the UNICEF. The purpose of the program is to make children and young people know more about foods and help them make healthy choices about their diet.

Instead of real foods, many imitation (仿制) snacks are put on the shelves in the store, including candies, sugary drinks and latiao. People can take them to the self-service counter (柜台) to see how many calories they have. In addition, the store offers many models and cartoons to help people understand which foods are very good for them and which foods they should eat less often.

At present, obesity (肥胖症) has become a serious problem among children. It is shown that nearly 20% of children between 6 and 17 years of age, and over 10% of children under the age of 6 in China are overweight. Experts also point out that the increasing availability of cheap, highly processed foods and drinks can lead to the rapid growth of children who are overweight.

Being overweight is known to have many bad influences, such as having a higher risk of getting disease and a higher risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems. Such a store helps to remind children to care about what they eat. At the same time, similar stores are opened in other cities, such as Weihai in Shandong Province.

I got your email about your lifestyle (生活方式). My lifestyle is different from yours (不同于你的). Let me tell you about my lifestyle. I usually get up at 6:00 a.m. and do some exercise. I enjoy running because it is good for my legs, heart and lungs.

I often drink a cup of milk and eat an egg for breakfast. Then I go to school on foot. I am active (积极的) and I like to answer questions in class. When I get home, I do my homework first. I seldom play computer games in my free time. After dinner, I usually take a walk with my parents. It makes me relaxed. Then I go to bed at nine. On Sunday, I go to the tennis club and play tennis for two hours there.

I don’t think your lifestyle is healthy. Don’t eat too much junk food. It is bad for health. Eat more fruit and vegetables. You play computer games on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday—that means (意味着) you play computer games four times a week. Playing computer games too long is bad for your eyes and studies.

Please try to do more exercise. It can help you keep healthy and it is also good for your studies.

Yours,

Li Ming