仁爱科普版初中英语九年级上册Unit 2 Topic 1 Section A

What !

As we all know, the environment around us is getting worse and worse. In some places we can't see fish1in the river or trees on the hills. Some people even have no clean water to drink.

Recently, a new life style called low carbon（低碳）life is spreading every corner of our country. The meanings of low carbon are2energy and no waste. It is such an important project that I can't wait to express my ideas on how to promote it.

First, we should 3a no-car day every week in our school. Because cars not only cause serious air pollution but also waste energy. 4the no-car day, neither students5teachers are allowed to drive to school. At the same time, just walk or run. Use our legs and enjoy the fun.

Second, we had better not use plastic bags6. No one can stand the"white pollution"，7 it is wise to use cloth bags which can be used again and again.

8 ， one thing that we should keep in mind is that every big thing comes from the small details. So, as students, we ought to turn 9 the lights the moment we leave, use 10 sides of the paper, and reuse our textbooks and so on.

All in all, it weighs greatly for all of us to put the low carbon lifestyle into practice. Just set our mind to these：no-car days, no plastic bags, and no waste. Let's do it now.

    Deep in the forest of southeastern Mexico, scientists found a surprise. They found an ancient pyramid. There were colorful murals (壁画)in it. A mural is a painting on a wall. Those murals are helping scientists unlock a mystery about people who lived in ancient times.

    The murals are about 1,350 years old. That's more than five times older than the United States. Scientists say the paintings belonged to the Mayas. That was a group of Native American people. They lived many years ago in what is now Mexico and Central America.

    Scientists are excited about the discovery because they don't know much about the Mayas' daily life, explains Michael Coe, an expert on the Mayas. The paintings show how the Mayas worked, shopped and dined. One mural shows a man drinking from a bowl. Another shows a woman selling food to a crowd of people.

    "Mostly we get the murals that show gods and kings, never anything about the daily life," Coe said. "This is like walking into a Maya supermarket." So far, scientists have found more than 30 murals in the pyramid. They are not sure why the Mayas created them. The experts hope to learn more as they continue their search.

    "We never had anything like this before," said Coe. "These are really special murals."

    Scientists learned a lot about the Mayas from the murals. The Mayas were known for more than paintings. Now the murals tell us some fun facts about the Mayan way of life.

    Sweet Home

    The Mayas lived in what is now Central and North America. Today the area includes parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.

    Smart Starts

    The Mayas invented a type of Maths. They also created a type of writing that used symbols or pictures. Mayas used bark (树皮)to make books.

    _____

    The Mayas often ate com and used it to make other foods. They grew many crops (庄稼), including beans and sweet potatoes.

    Cool Clothes

    Mayan men dressed themselves up with some cloth while women wore long dresses. Rich Mayas wore jewelry (珠宝).