Since the day of its birth, the United Nations has been the subject of much debate.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Others think that it is too weak. We can better understand this debate if we learn more about the U.N. and its history.

        The U.N. was started for two reasons. First, when the idea wasborn, people all over the world were tired of war. They felt that there must be peaceful answers to the world's problems.

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        The second reason was that modern science had developed newbombs and airplanes.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} National borders were beginning to lose theirmeaning. Science would develop even more dangerous weapons in the future. Onlyan international organization would be able to control modern science.

        Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. President at the time, believed thatthe Allies (联盟) should plan for peace before the war ended. On December 1, 1943, Roosevelt, Britain's Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin from Soviet Union agreed to start anorganization for world peace.

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        During the next year and a half, the idea of such anorganisation was debated around the world. Then came the big day. On April 11,1945, the first international meeting of the United Nations took place in SanFrancisco. The goal of the meeting was to write the U.N. Charter (宪章). All of thefifty-one nations at the meeting had their own ideas to offer for the Charter.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Every nation present voted for the Charter. Noone voted against it.

A. The U.N. Charter is a beautiful piece of writing.

B. After a long debate, a final Charter was agreed upon.

C. Even the smallest country on earth can have its voice heard.

D. They asked all countries, large and small, to join theorganization.

E. These weapons made it almost impossible for a country todefend itself.

F. Some people attack the organization because they think it istoo powerful.

G. They also felt that only an international organization couldkeep world peace.

    Here are six diet foods that can hurt your weight loss journey.

    Diet soda.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Drinking diet soda can make you likely to overeat. The answer is because your body is tricked into believing you're ingesting sugar and it makes you crave more.

    Microwave popcorn.

    Microwave popcorn contains the organic compound diacety to give you that butter taste. Try to avoid this ingredient!{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Granola bars.

    Commercial granola bars can be loaded with corn syrup, salt and processed oils that can add to your waistline.   {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Veggie burgers.

    Say isn't so! Going veggie could damage your diet. Read the labels{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Also Hexane has been found in veggie burgers. This a gasoline by-product used during the process of separating soybeans into oil.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Yup. Low fat-products like yogurt can be loaded with sugar. In a cup of Stoneyfield Farm French Vanilla yogurt, there are 20-plus grams of sugar.

    Blue chips.

    Blue corn chips or vegetable chips are a great alternative to potato chips. But again, there needs to be portion control. They can be loaded with salt and fatty oils.

A. Roast meat.

B. Low fat yogurt

C. Diet soda can actually make you gain weight

D. You're better off making your own popcorn

E. Some are made with processed soy and loaded with oils and butter

F. It is as important for thinking as it is for lifting, especially as we age.

G. Opt(选择)for making your own granola at home, but watch your potions.

    Follow these steps and you'll be getting to bed earlier before you know it.

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    If you're currently going to bed at 11 pm, don't decide that tonight you're going to get to bed at 9 pm. But more generally, it's also important to give your body time to adjust as you start changing your bedtime. So you should take smaller steps.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Write down your new bedtime.

    Set up your environment to avoid objections.

    What you'll need to do is to think through your specific plan, and identify potential objections.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Imagine your routine for this evening, think through any possible obstacles and decide on specific ways that you'll avoid them.

    Set reminders for yourself to stick to your plan.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The idea here is that reminders not only alert you in the moment, but they also help you build tiny habits for certain behaviors.

    Decide what time you're going to begin the process of getting ready for bed. Add it to your calendar.

    Make a public commitment.

    Making a public commitment to getting something done is a great way to create responsibilities for yourself.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Decide what time you're going to go to bed tonight and find friends to tell them what time you're going to bed in case you miss your bedtime.

A. Make a change gradually.

B. Studies show that once we make it, we are more likely to honor it.

C. Remind yourself to go to bed as early as possible tonight.

D. Decide to go to bed 15 minutes earlier tonight than you usually do.

E. Make sure you get success in one time when you plan to change your bedtime.

F. Once you've mapped out a plan for your evening, you can set reminders for yourself.

G. The idea is to design your environment to make it less likely that you'll give up your plan.

    "Post-truth" was chosen by Oxford Dictionaries as the Word of the Year 2016. Indeed, digital misinformation is on the rise and it is hard for people to distinguish. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Before the dawn of the Internet, Canadians regularly turned to trusting their preferred newspapers or radio stations for the latest news. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's now coming at you from so many different sources that you need to take responsibility for what you're seeing.

    Experts recommend relying on a range of sources instead of just one, but looking into them first. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, the people connected where they're based, and their intention. A lack of information is certainly a warning.

    Next, learning to recognize misinformation is important. False news spreads mostly through social media. So if you're looking at news on Facebook, you have to handle it in a wiser way.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Is it from a well-informed relative or a friend who regularly expresses extreme views? And whatever you do, only by clicking through can you see whether the information is accurate.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It has no limits in achieving that goal, so it plays on feelings and uses improper language. Therefore, if you feel excited to share something immediately, that's the time you should stop and ask, "Is it accurate?" If we all take that extra little pause, we'll be able to stop this false thing from spreading.

A. Sources that are reliable tell you about themselves.

B. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to tell facts from fiction.

C. Consider who's sharing it if it's not posted directly from the source.

D. Today 42% of them use social media at least once a day to get their news.

E. Someone sets up "Hot Global News", hoping the ad dollars would pour in.

F. False news is designed to seek attention in order to sell ads or make an idea public.

G. Evaluating sources and getting reliable news is important in the age of misinformation.

    Last summer over 12,000 fans were at Wembley Arena in London, shouting and cheering. Thousands more were watching online. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It was esports, or competitive computer gaming.

    Millions of people in the UK play computer games for fun. Some of them have become professional gamers, playing games as their full-time job. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They practice for ten or more hours a day, five or six days a week. They do exercises like typing something and trying to type it faster and faster. They also study videos of other players and plan ways to beat them.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Are players athletes? Some say no. Esports players don't need to run, jump, throw or do big physical actions. At the moment, the UK government classifies esports as kinds of games, not as sports.

    But others say yes: esports are sports. Players do need some physical skills, especially hand-eye coordination, reflexes, accuracy and timing. If darts, snooker and shooting are classified as sports, then perhaps esports should be too.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}And they will be an official medal sport in the Asian Games starting from 2022. Next step: the Olympics?

    For many esports fans and players, though, the most important thing is that esports are growing in popularity and importance.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. But this wasn't a football, basketball or tennis match.

B. All like playing computer games.

C. It's not easy being a professional gamer, though.

D. But are esports really sports?

E. It is certain that esports will come into the 2024 Olympics.

F. In fact, China and South Korea do classify esports as sports.

G. If esports are not as important as sports now, they definitely will be in the near future.

    My name is Aaron and I'm 16 years old. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} . It's always sunny here, and we have lots of beaches. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} . Often, the temperature reaches 40 degrees!

    Seasons in Australia are different from seasons in many other countries. Summers here go from December to February. Our winter is from June to August. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} . I don't have to wear shoes! We wear shorts and go to the sea every day. How nice it is!

    On a windy day, I can ride the waves on my surfboard.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} .It is difficult, but very good exercise. My mum and dad often come and watch me surf. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But there are always so many people on the beach. He can never get a good picture of me.

    I hope to be a great surfer one day. I will work hard and practice every day.

A. Summer is my favorite season.

B. I live in Sydney.

C. Surfing is very popular here.

D. Our summers are always very hot.

E. The winter here is very cold.

F. My dad likes to bring his camera and take pictures of me.

G. Taking pictures is very interesting.