| A. They also celebrate how far we have come. B. It's healthy enough for birds, fish, and other animals. C. Few people talked or even thought about the environment. D. As a result, the air we breathe is cleaner than it once was. E. Rivers and lakes are also cleaner today than they were before. F. Many animals near and in the river come back again after that. |
One cool April 22 morning, people started the day as usual. Yet it was not a normal day. What's so special about April 22? The answer is because it is Earth Day. People all over the world celebrate this important day. The idea of having a special day to celebrate the Earth began in 1960s. Life was very different then. Most people had no idea how dirty our air and water were.
On April 22, 1970, twenty million Americans joined the first Earth Day activities. This showed that people really want to do something for the environment. Since then laws have been passed to protect the air, water, land, and animals. The vehicles(汽车) such as cars and buses you ride in must pass tests to make sure they don't cause too much pollution. Thanks to it, cars today give out about half as many bad chemicals as they did in the past.
It's a good thing because they have got a lot of help. The Cuyahoga River in Ohio was so polluted that rubbish and oil on the river even caught fire! Today, the river is cleaner. It no longer burns.
Now the celebration has spread to other countries. More than 175 countries take part each year.
In 2007, people in China paid much attention to this big problem. People were throwing away one million plastic bags( 塑料袋) a day! People had "Bye-Bye Throwaway Culture Week." They wanted everyone to see how polluted it was to throw away so many plastic bags. In 2008, China passed new laws against them.
Every April 22, millions of people get together to clean and protect the Earth. Our job is to put this knowledge to work. You can help keep our planet healthy, too!
