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.

Questions you should ask yourself when you fail

    The more new things we try the more failure we are likely to have.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Experiencing failure can be a learning experience and an opportunity for a fresh start. A good way to begin this process is by asking yourself some tough questions.

1）What can I learn from this?

Take responsibility for what went wrong. OK, so it was not all your fault—but some of it was. Successful people don't make excuses or blame others.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So you should look at the experience objectively(客观地).

2）Do I need to acquire or improve some skills?

Did the problem reveal some lack of skill on your part? How could you learn or improve those skills? Perhaps there are books or courses or people you could turn to.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

3）Who can I learn from?

Is there someone to whom you can turn for advice? Did a boss, colleague or friend see what happened?{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Most people do not ask for help because they believe it to be a sign of weakness rather than strength. It's not. It shows that you are ready to learn and change.

4）What will I do next?

Now draw up an action plan. Will you try something similar or something different? Revisit your goals. Failure doesn't mean you have to give up; maybe you just need to change it in another way.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. You can now reset your sights on your destination and plan a new course.

B. Make them step stones to future success.

C. They take responsibility for the failure.

D. In fact the only way to avoid failure is to do nothing new.

E. The important thing is how we deal with failure.

F. Make a self-development plan to acquire the skills and experience you need.

G. If they are constructive and supportive then ask them for some feedback (反馈) and guidance.

    Everyone has heard of Groundhog Day (土拨鼠日).{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    People in America think that the groundhog awakens from its winter's sleep on February 2^nd. The groundhog comes out of its hole. If the sun is shining, it will see its shadow. The shadow scares it. So it runs back into its hole. This means six more weeks of winter. If the day is cloudy, it will not see its shadow. Since it is not scared, it stays out of its hole.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. These are the same things we say on Groundhog Day today.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They are known mainly to country people. City people just don't know how to look for them. City people think that a groundhog sitting by its hole may look like a root(根). It could also be seen as a clod (块) of earth. Or it may look like a broken fence-post(栅栏柱). But a farmer sees groundhogs anywhere he looks. They'll be watching like guards.

    The groundhog is a native American.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It may also appear as far north as Alaska. It is hated by farmers. The groundhog eats a third of its weight in a day. What a big appetite(胃口)！It may eat about a half-ton of alfalfa(苜蓿) in a summer. So 10 groundhogs in a big field would eat five tons.

    Why do groundhogs eat so much? To prepare for winter.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} .This extra food is changed to fat. This fat is what they live on during their long winter's sleep.

A. It is an American holiday.

B. Groundhogs are strange animals.

C .This means that spring will soon come.

D. There are several ways to protect the groundhog.

E. In the fall, when there is a lot of food, they fill up.

F. It is found in most states east of the Rockies(落基山脉).

G. While it is not one of your major holidays, it is one that children love.

    Have you ever cleaned and organized your increasingly high-tech households, your hard drive, phone or tablet? It's not just stuff. Your privacy needs a cleanup too. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒈Clean up your browsers（浏览器）

    Cookies are blocking everything up and keeping your computer from running fluidly. A free program called CCleaner helps you sort out the cookies and archives（存档）you don't really need. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Cleaner analyses its backlog of information and lists the data that seems unnecessary.

    ⒉Speed up your smartphone

    Most of us already know about e desktops, but what about smartphones? Our phones are essentially handheld computers, and when they overflow with useless information, their operations can also slow down. These aren't necessarily apps, but overburdened call logs, search history, and saved texts.

    For Android users, there's 1Tap Cleaner, an app that earns its name. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Most of us are surprised by how many updated messages and URLs get archived, a data stream that we will probably never refer to again. Then again, you do want to make sure irreplaceable bits (landmark texts, unsaved photos) survive the deep clean.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Digital photos are easy to shoot, upload and copy, which is handy in almost every respect, especially if you grew up lugging rolls of film to the one-hour photo lab. The downside is that you may end up with multiple copies of the same picture. If you're shooting with a decent camera, each shot could take 10MG or more of space. This volume adds up.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This is the premise behind Duplicate Photo Fixer, which is designed to filter through your photo collection in search of double takes.

A. Make your photos shine.

B. The app gathers that data in one place, letting you decide what to keep.

C. This aim of this app is to clean your smartphones.

D. Remove redundant images.

E. When you download the app, you can focus on a specific browsers that you would like to clean up.

F. Here are three tools that can help you organize your virtual (and real) environments.

G. The trick is to safely delete redundant photos without losing the original image.

    Your children are watching you. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} According to the Health Program, developing healthy habits is an important part for your children. And when it comes to developing healthy habits, parents influence their children more than anyone else.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} What happens during those early years can influence children for the rest of their lives. This includes some eating and exercise habits. Children are very careful, even at a young age. Children watch what others do carefully and imitate the behaviors of those closest to them. As parents, you should do the following: {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you do that, your children are more likely to be enthusiastic about developing theirs.

    Let your children see you taking care of your own physical health by eating fruit and vegetables. Talk to them about healthy habits in appropriate terms and at a proper time. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Computers, televisions and other forms of technology are a major part of life in the 21st century. Unfortunately, as the use of technology in the home increases, so does the time spent watching TV or playing on the computer. So as parents, you should also arrange the time for your children wisely.

A. Don't get rid of technology, but use it wisely.

B. Take part in physical activities and exercise regularly.

C. Be enthusiastic about developing healthy habits of your own.

D. Your actions are speaking to them louder than your words will.

E. Children prefer to imitate their parents rather than listen to them.

F. This can be helpful to teach your children to form good eating habits.

G. It's easy for the children to form their healthy habits when they are young.

    A dog's mind is only equal to that of a two-year-old baby. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Therefore, they are probably the first to notice any change in the behavior of their masters. Let's do some deep-digging to understand the amazing ability of a dog.

    They sense your feelings. Isn't it strange? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This is true. A study published in the Animal Cognition journal says that dogs are known to come to people who appear sad or depressed. It doesn't matter if the person is their owner or a stranger. They have an ability to sense sadness and are attached to troubled souls.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Dogs can easily tell when you're playing with favorites, and if you reward or play more with other pets, your dog might notice it and feel uncomfortable. As they can't say how they feel, they will scratch, yawn or lick their mouths.

    They smell fear. Let's say you're faced with your worst fear. Would you get scared and run away or just face it? Before choosing how to deal with it, you should remember one thing. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Research shows that dogs often sense their masters' responses in dangerous situations. If you fear something and choose to back away, chances are that your pet is going to do the same thing.

    They're watching you. We are all raised as respectable individuals who are taught to respect elders, obey the law and help out people in need from time to time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But if you have a dog at home, it is time to be serious about them. Dogs like generous people. So just be careful around your pet; it may judge you on how you behave with others.

A. They sense health problems.

B. They understand when ignored.

C. They know when no one's looking at them.

D. You would be setting an example to your pet.

E. Every time you feel sad, your dog just know it.

F. But dogs are able to sense everything around them.

G. However, not all of us take these three things seriously.