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.

Chopsticks

    ⒈When chopsticks were invented?

    In fact, before the invention of chopsticks, Chinese ancestors actually used hands to eat, but how did they eat soup（汤菜）and porridge? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Chinese started to use chopsticks about 3,000 years ago in Shang Dynasty.

    ⒉Who invented chopsticks?

    The records of using chopsticks have been found in many written books but lack physical evidence. However many stories are about the invention of chopsticks. One says that Jiang Ziya, an ancient wise man, created chopsticks. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But there is no exact history record about the invention. We can only say that smart ancient Chinese invented chopsticks.

    ⒊How to use Chinese chopsticks.

    Using two slim sticks to pick up food is actually not difficult. You can do it if you practice it for some time, even if you are a foreigner. The key to managing chopsticks is keeping one chopstick in position while moving the other to pick up food. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ⒋Chopsticks Manners

    Chopsticks are usually held in the right hand, and left-handed chopstick use is considered as improper in China. Playing with chopsticks is thought to be impolite. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ⒌The philosophy of Chinese chopsticks

    Chinese philosopher Confucius advised people to use chopsticks instead of knives because the metal knives remind people of cold weapons, which mean killing and violence.

    ⒍A chopsticks-themed museum can be found in Shanghai

    If you are truly interested in chopsticks, you can pay a visit to the Shanghai Chopsticks Museum. The museum gathered more than 1,200 pairs of chopsticks from China, Korea, Japan and Thailand.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Chopsticks were introduced to many other neighbor countries due to its lightness and convenience.

B. It is considered to be polite and thoughtful to pick up food for the elderly and children.

C. Bamboo chopsticks are most frequently used in Chinese daily life.

D. The oldest one was from the Tang Dynasty.

E. There also go around some other stories.

F. Remember to practice with patience.

G. They had to use sticks to eat them.

    Are you often upset about your failure in daily life? In fact everyone has gone through failure. In most cases you fail because of a lack of persistence(坚持不懈). Being persistent is a skill that can help you reach a dream more easily, get what you desire and even be a way in which you defend your idea or right before difficult people. Being persistent is a kind of quality most people who are successful have.

    Failure is often used as an excuse or reason not to go after a goal. Yet, getting over failure is a good way of being persistent. So to be persistent, you should accept that we all experience failure in life. The most successful people in life have ever failed. The difference between them and people who fail is that successful people face the failure, learn from it and use it fully and wisely to inspire their next attempt.

    You should keep on trying at the first sight of difficulty. Anything that is worth doing or achieving is sure to be difficult. Treat that as the challenge and as something that will test your courage, shape you for the better, and make you stronger and wiser. If at first you do not succeed, try it again and again.

    More importantly, you need to learn to give up where necessary. If the constant facts tell you that you should let go of an realistic goal despite your efforts, be wise about devoting your energies. Don't waste time and energy, for you have just learned what does not work and is not worth persisting with.

    In addition, it is also important to be persistent when refusing or demanding something. So you have to be persistent in what you say so that other people truly understand your meaning and know that you mean it. Whether it that will be remembered by others. Thus, when making your request or refusal, make eye contact with the person you are talking with, and this shows you are serious. Avoid saying sorry unless it is necessary because an apology usually is a sign of guilt, uncertainty or fear. Always state what you want to do or what you refuse to do clearly and exactly.

    Daily overuse of media and technology has a bad effect on the health of all children and teenagers by making them more open to anxiety, and more at risk of future health problems.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many newer apps automatically show where the users are when they're used. This can tell anyone out there exactly where to find the person using the app.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They are also upset about their kids spending time on Facebook accounts instead of getting down to their homework assignments, and are afraid of what can come out of their online connections.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} One way is to make a “social media agreement” with your kids—a real contract they can sign. In it, they can agree to protect their own privacy, consider their reputation, and not give out personal information.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    In turn, parents agree to respect teens' privacy while making an effort to be part of the social media world. Parents also can help kids spend less time on the computer by putting limits on media use.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Avoid laptops and smartphones in bedrooms, and set some rules on the use of technology. And don't forget that setting a good example through your own virtual behavior can go a long way toward helping your kids use social media safely.

A. Trust their children more.

B. Keep computers in public areas in the house.

C. It's important to be aware of what your kids are doing online.

D. Besides, they promise never to use technology to hurt anyone else.

E. Spending too much time on social media can make kids feel upset, too.

F. Kids also can face the possibility of meeting the wrong person lace to face.

G. Parents often say that kids would rather be online than hang around with them.

    Screen Time: How Much Is Too Much?

    Many children spend a lot of time watching or playing with electronic media—from televisions to video games, computers and other devices. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Perhaps parents now should ease up on their concerns about screen time, at least for older boys and girls.

    Until last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggested that children and teenagers have no more than two hours of screen time a day. It also suggests that parents balance a child's screen time with other activities.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Christopher Ferguson, who teaches psychology at Stetson University in Florida, notes a lack of evidence supporting reports that too many hours spent playing video games or watching TV is truly harmful.

    Ferguson seems interested in one idea: the link between video games and violent or risky behavior. When he saw results from a recent British survey on screen time, he wanted to know more. The British study found a small negative effect—about a one percent increase—in aggression and depression among children who had six or more hours of screen time a day. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So, Ferguson and his team examined answers from a survey on risky behaviors. The study involved about 6,000 boys and girls in Florida, whose average age was 16.

    Data from this survey found that American children are also fairly resistant to the negative effects of electronic media. Among those who used screens up to six hours a day, the survey found: a 0.5 percent increase in criminal behavior; a 1.7 percent increase in signs of depression; and a 1.2 percent negative effect on school grades. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} To further argue his point that screen time is not harmful, Ferguson adds that children should become familiar with screen technology. Electronic devices, he says, are a part of our everyday lives.

A. Some negative experiences on social media can and do affect some children.

B. However, some experts question claims that too much screen time is harmful.

C. He wanted to see if there was a similar effect among young people in the United States.

D. So, it is natural that parents should wonder about all the time children spend looking at a screen.

E. The researchers found no increase in risky sex or driving behaviors, use of illegal substances or eating disorders.

F. The researchers suggested that for those children, technology use might get in the way of taking part in other important activities.

    Directions: Complete the following passage by using the sentences in the box. Each sentence can only be used once. Note that there are two sentences more than you need.

    Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they are meant to be there. They serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be your roommate, neighbor, professor, long-lost friend, lover or even a complete stranger whom you lock eyes with. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Sometimes things happen to you. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}But in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength and willpower. Everything happens for a reason and nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck.

    The people you meet affect your life. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most important ones.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possible can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people you have never talked before, yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself. You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your won life and then go out and live it.

A. And the successes and downfalls you experience, create who you are.

B. At the time they may seem horrible, painful and unfair.

C. Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very long time.

D. Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else's.

E. But you know that every moment they will affect you life in some deep way.

F. Make every day count.