How to Make Your House More Energy-efficient

Using less energy around the home is easier than you might think, saving your money while creating a healthier, more comfortable living space for you and your family. Changing a few old habits can make an impact on your energy bill, your comfort and the environment. Here are some handy tips to make your house more energy-efficient.

1 If your home has adjustable central heating, lowering the room temperature even slightly can make a difference. You may not feel it, but your wallet will. It is even more advisable to control temperatures at different times of the day.

2 If the weather allows it, head outside and dry your laundry on a clothesline. The sunlight will help eliminate bacteria and dust. While clothes dryers get the job done faster, they also use up energy. By hanging your clothes out you’ll be cutting greenhouse gases by about three kilograms per load.

3 Installing large windows on the northern side of your house can help you make use of sunlight’s natural warmth. To stay cool indoors on hot summer days, install blinds（百葉窗）to block the heavy sun. Put your desk near the window, then you don’t need a lamp in the daytime.

4 Be sure your hot-water pipes are properly wrapped. In an average home heating water accounts for more than one-quarter of the energy bill. Why let warmth go to waste before it reaches you?

5 When the time comes to replace appliances, select those that are both energy-efficient and of the appropriate size for your needs. Don’t buy bigger ones just because you can.

近些年，西方文化看起來比中國傳統文化還要吸引年輕人，有些年輕人不喜歡春節，甚 至覺得春節沒有圣誕節有意思。談談你對此現象的看法。

Life is Difficult

What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems cause 31________ , anger, fear or despair. These are 32________feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life 33________an endless series of problems, it is 34________difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.

Yet it is in this process of 35________and solving problem that life has its meaning. Problems call forth our 36________and our wisdom. It is only because of problems that we grow 37________ and spiritually. When we want to encourage the 38________ of the human spirit, we encourage the human capacity to solve problems, just as in school we deliberately 39________ problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of confronting and resolving that we learn. It is for this reason that 40________people learn not to fear but actually to welcome problems and actually to welcome the pain of problems.