additional      advantage      attended      business      change      classes     
compared      compulsory      economy      everyday      expanding     
government      jobs      offer      official      overtake      popular      qualified
soak      spread   

Many children in school ____________ all over America are

taking _______________ language courses in Chinese. The concept is easy.
On one day they learn everything in English and the next they __________
to Chinese.
It is an ___________  to learn languages when you are young because small
children ___________  up the language and use it in ___________
situations. Chinese has become so ___________ that schools also want
to __________ parents Chinese courses.
Because of China’s growing __________, Chinese has become a language
many people want to learn. In the United States about 50,000 students from
kindergarten to eighth grade  are taking Chinese, ___________ to only 5,000
in 2004. About 100 million people worldwide are studying Chinese as a
second language.

The Chinese _________ has started a number of Confucius Institutes

to _________ the language and the country’s culture. Currently, there are
such institutes in over 60 countries. 2,000 students have __________ the
program in the last two years.
In the Philippines people think that learning Chinese will allow them to get
better ___________ in the future.  As more and more Chinese travel to
other countries as tourists or on _________, people who can speak Chinese
have an advantage over others.
In Panama one government ___________ has even thought about making
Chinese ____________ in public  schools, however it is so hard to get
enough ___________ teachers to teach Chinese.

In the future Mandarin Chinese might not ___________ English as the

world’s number one language but because China is __________  further it
will become an important language.
 air pollution      biodegradable       drought     
energy-saving       environment-friendly      
global warming      landfill       natural resources       toxic chemicals     
water consumption
Although environmental problems can seem overwhelming, there is hope if
everyone gets involved in protecting our ____________. Here's what you
can do:
Consume less energy - Climates are changing and ocean levels are rising
because of ___________. This growing problem is due to increased levels of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as a result of the burning of coal, oil and
gas. In order to save electricity, use ________ light bulbs, and turn the air-
conditioning down or off whenever possible. Turn the heat down by 2°F and
you'll also cut 10% off your bill.
Don't use your car if you don't have to, because cars consume energy and
also cause ___________. So, instead of driving everywhere, use public
transportation. Or ride a bike - you'll get good exercise and it will help
improve your city's air quality.

Avoid toxic cleaning products - Look for ___________brands even if they

are more expensive. This helps cut down on the ___________ that
contaminate our rivers and oceans, and that are generally harmful to the
environment.

Recycle your garbage - Recycle newspapers , magazines, batteries and all

packaging such as cartons bottles, cans and plastics so that they don't end
up in a ______________. Packaging that is not _________ can take years to
decompose. And recycling paper, glass and metal saves energy.

Conserve water - Even though 1.2 billion people in the world lack safe
drinking water , people in developed countries use 15 bathtubs full of water
a day ! You can cut your ____________ in half by taking showers instead of
baths. And water your lawn only once a week. Some people do it daily in
spite of water shortages and ___________ warnings.