The art of growing dwarf trees, or "bonsai"（盆景） as their Japanese planters call them, is increasing in popularity in the United States. Growing bonsai can make a fascinating hobby for anyone who enjoys plants and creating beautiful effects with them.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}．

    In growing bonsai, in fact, one must be careful in choosing the type of tree, as the growing conditions are unusual.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}．Varieties of pines with small needles and hardwood trunks are especially suitable.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}This is necessary because the major growth of bonsai is kept confined(被限制) to the tree's trunk and leaves, not its root system-a process quite unlike what is done with other plants.

    Another thing the bonsai-grower must do is to trim （修整） the roots and branches of the tree periodically （定期地）. Unless this is done, the plants will not have the proper proportions(比例) and will look unnatural.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The last thing one must do is to be careful to keep the tree well-watered. Because bonsai are grown in smaller-than-usual containers, they often need more water than ordinary houseplants do.

    As can be seen from the above, the art of bonsai-growing is one which requires a certain amount of time and effort.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Imagine having such a tree in your living room and passing it down through several generations of your family. That is exactly what bonsai-growing is all about: establishing a tradition of beauty which lasts for years and years and is a symbol of the beauties of the natural world.

    How can we all get more laughter into our lives? Here is what the experts suggest:

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    Nancy Alguire, a teacher in Clifton Park, N.Y. was once painfully shy and she seldom laughed. Then she married a circus clown (小丑). “I became interested in the clowns,” she recalls,“ One day I put on a costume and paint my face. That afternoon my whole life changed. I learned to laugh and enjoy life in a way I had never done before.” {#blank#}2{#/blank#} To this day, she still makes it a rule to be with people who enjoy life and laughing.

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    It doesn't take you too much time and can be easy. Collect favorite cartoons and jokes. Also, keep a paper for writing down humor you find in everyday life.“Good ideas come and go fast, you have to capture them quickly or they are gone,” says Virginia Tooper.

Laugh when you need it most.

    “{#blank#}4{#/blank#}” says comedian Bill Cosby.“And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it,” he insists.

    Gray Alan, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota, claims that laughter is a skill we can all gain—because it comes naturally. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Just remember: we are just here for a period, so get a few laughs.

    You might dream of fluency in this or that language, and maybe you've already achieved fluency in a foreign language.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Fluency, like all abstract terms, has no universal meaning. Each individual must determine what the term means.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Perfect fluency means knowing every word you encounter, speaking quickly, clearly and easily and having no accent.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. You aren't familiar with every word of your native language, and sometimes you have to search for the right word, even in your mother tongue.

    Quick fluency is the type of fluency you see in advertisements, because “Master a Language in Two Months!” sounds way catchier than “Fluency in Twenty Years!”{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. It is possible to achieve quick fluency, but the fluency achieved after such a short time frame will be a very thin, superficial fluency.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Native-like fluency means that you generally know all the same words that a native knows and can speak at the same pace with the same amount of ease as a native speaker. You will likely have an accent, but as long as your conversation partner can understand you, it doesn't matter.

    Literary fluency is like graduating from native-like to educated-native-like fluency. It focuses on the more intellectual（知识性的） side of a language: indulging in literature, attending university, composing song lyrics, etc.

    There are a ton of other things that fluency could potentially（可能地） be, but that's up to you to figure out.

A. It sounds too good to be true.

B. However, Nobody is “perfectly fluent” in any language.

C. Quick fluency is good if you have some sort of deadline.

D. But have you ever considered what fluency really means?

E. But does fluency have the same meaning to other person as it does to you?

F. Unlike perfect fluency, native-like fluency is a reasonable and attainable goal.

G. To assist you in determining what fluency is, I'll describe a few different types of fluency.

    Stress is so common that many people choose to ignore it. But without right management, stress can be something much more serious{#blank#}1{#/blank#} They allow you to continue living your life in a healthy, happy manner.

Breathe

    The stress-relief technique that pretty much everyone's heard of, the act of breathing nonetheless remains an important point as any when it comes to cooling down the angry blood that's raging (发怒)around your body{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Write

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Scribble (涂写) your feelings onto a piece of paper. They don't even have to make sense. Just punch (按键) away at your computer on a day-to-day basis for five or ten minutes, and you might be surprised at how light, and carefree you feel afterwards.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Laughing allows us to take in a momentous supply of fresh oxygen from the air, stimulating (刺激) the muscles and providing our system with some healthy shock treatment that eases tension brought on by stress. Laughing is something we need to do everyday to stay healthy, and is a great way to keep the bad effects of stress at bay.

Sleep

    Sleep is absolutely essential for avoiding high stress levels. Everyone needs good amounts of rest, and by remaining glued (寸步不离) to a computer screen for the entire day without taking a break, your body will suffer the consequences, and stress will rise as a result{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Cry

B. Laugh

C. Stress can build up in anyone.

D. Listed here are 4 ways to cope with stress.

E. Type away at your desk and channel your emotions into your hard-drive.

F. Taking along, deep breath to calm yourself is medically proven to be beneficial.

G. Take frequent breaks away from the screen, get some sleep, and see your stress ease up,

    A strong memory depends on the health and vitality（活力）of your brain. They say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but when it comes to the brain, scientists have discovered that this old saying simply isn't true. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Give your brain a workout. Memory, like muscular strength, requires you to “use it or lose it”. The more you work out your brain, the better you'll be able to process and remember information.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Don't skip the physical exercise. While mental exercise is important for brain health, that doesn't mean you never need to break a sweat. Physical exercise helps your brain stay sharp. It increases oxygen to your brain and reduces the risk for disorders that lead to memory loss.

    Get enough sleep. There is a big difference between the amount of sleep you can get by on and the amount you need to function at your best. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Keep stress in check. Stress is one of the brain's worst enemies. Over time, stress destroys brain cells. Studies have also linked stress to memory loss.

    Have a laugh. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} That holds true for the brain and the memory, as well as the body. Unlike emotional responses, which are limited to specific areas of the brain, laughter engages multiple regions across the whole brain.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Just as the body needs fuel, so does the brain. You probably already know that a diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, “healthy” fats and lean protein will provide lots of health benefits, but such a diet can also improve memory. For brain health, though, it's not just what you eat—it's also what you don't eat.

    My mother is a diligent and kind woman. She is very busy from morning till night. As a teacher, she works hard.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Both my brother and I love her dearly as she loves us.

    My mother has been teaching math at a middle school in my hometown. She goes to work early in the morning and does not return home until late in the afternoon. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} She treats them with patience and teaches them well. For her excellent quality and very good teaching results, she has been elected as a model teacher several times.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Every day, when she comes back home from work, she sets about doing housework, sweeping the living room and bedrooms or cleaning the furniture, and putting everything in good order. She seems to be busy all the time. As she has been very busy working every day, she looks older than her age. But she looks as cheerful and happy as ever. Mother never buys expensive dresses for herself, but she often buys some inexpensive but high quality clothes for us.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}She just eats a plain meal outside when she is too busy to cook herself. She lives a busy yet simple life, without any complaints.

    Often she says to us, “Work while you work, and play while you play. That is the way to be happy and gay. If you do not work, you will become lazy and be of no use to society”. What a piece of good advice this is! {#blank#}5{#/blank#}This advice of hers will always serve as a guide to my behavior. My mother is great indeed, and I always feel proud of her.

A. She enjoys listening to classical music.

B. As a mother, she takes good care of us and gives us every comfort.

C. She loves her students and cares for them.

D. She never goes to expensive restaurants to enjoy meals.

E. My mother is hard-working and never wastes money.

F. I never forget it and always bear it in my mind.

G. Can you tell us something about your mother?