More and more people live in large cities these days,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} means that it is becoming more and more difficult to find space and time for{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (we). But for many people, personal privacy (隐私) is very{#blank#}3{#/blank#} (importance). In many homes, a few minutes in the bathroom is all the privacy that is available.

    Teenagers especially need their own personal space{#blank#}4{#/blank#} home where they can feel relaxed and private. But, of course, not all teenagers{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (be) lucky enough to have a room of their own. Where space is short, they often have to share a bedroom {#blank#}6{#/blank#}a brother or sister. In that case, it's a good idea for them to have a special area or corner of the room to call their own. It is {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (similar) important for young people to have somewhere to keep their personal things. This may or may not be a tidy place and it is not a good idea for parents to try and tell teenagers how{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(organize) their space as this is likely to lead to{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (argue). Parents can, however, make sure that there are enough storage (存储) spaces{#blank#}10{#/blank#}as shelves, cupboard and boxes. This will allow the teenagers to keep their space tidy if they want to.

—Yes, there's a high {#blank#}1{#/blank#} that it will, especially in this season.

    It seems that Chinese people have always loved to discuss {#blank#}1{#/blank#} differences between northerners and southerners. Now, another difference has drawn wide attention: the way northerners and southerners shop {#blank#}2{#/blank#} food at markets.

    People from southern China normally buy what they need for just one or two meals at a time. It's normal for {#blank#}3{#/blank#}to buy just half a Chinese cabbage, two {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (potato) and 25 grams of beef at a time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, a person may be laughed at {#blank#}6{#/blank#} they do this in the north. Instead, buying enough vegetables and meat for a week {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (be) normal.

    The difference could be because of the different climates. Food can {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (keep) for a long time in the north, as it's {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (usual) cold and dry there. Many northerners have the habit of {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (store) food for a long time. But due to the hot and wet weather in the south, southern Chinese people prefer to buy just enough food for one meal or one day. Otherwise, the food may go bad.

    Maybe these debates about different customs help us to understand each other better.

    Jane was walking round the department store. She remembered how difficult{#blank#}1{#/blank#}was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father. She wished that this year she could{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(easy) buy a special one {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(please) him, just like her mother, who was always delighted to receive her gift.

    Besides, shopping at this time of the year was not {#blank#}4{#/blank#}pleasant experience: people stepped on your feet or {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(push) you with their elbows (肘部)，hurrying ahead to get to a bargain.

    Jane paused in front of a counter {#blank#}6{#/blank#}some attractive ties were on display. “They are real silk,” the assistant tried to attract her.“ Worth double the price. ” But Jane knew from past experience that her {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(choose) of ties hardly ever pleased her father.

    Jane stopped where a small crowd of men had gathered. She found some good quality pipes on sale. She did not hesitate for long: although her father smoked a pipe only once in a while, she knew that this was a present which was bound to please {#blank#}8{#/blank#}.

    When Jane got home, with her small but well-chosen present in her bag, her parents were already {#blank#}9{#/blank#}table having supper. Her mother was excited. “Your father has at last decided to stop smoking,” Jane {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(inform).

How to Become a Morning Person?

You have grand ambitions: to start a business, to write a book. But chances are you work long hours, or household responsibilities consume your days. By the time you finish all you have to do, you will have had no energy {#blank#}1{#/blank#}anything you want to do beyond turning on the TV.

Yet some busy people do make time for their priorities. The secret is giving the most attention to {#blank#}2{#/blank#}at the very beginning of a day. They get up earlier than they have to. Morning by morning, they make progress on something {#blank#}3{#/blank#}matters.

It's not fun to force yourself out of bed, but these early hours are often the best time to do things for yourself. With a little schedule reorganization, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(become) a morning person is more doable than you think.

I first learned that mornings {#blank#}5{#/blank#}be transformational years ago, when I was studying a busy lawyer's schedule. She wanted to spend more time with her son, but she had little control over when she left work. This state of affairs kept her sad {#blank#}6{#/blank#}she realized she and her son were both early risers and the morning time could be made full use of. After thinking it through, the lawyer decided to get up even earlier. Then, when the boy stepped into the dining room, she {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(finish) preparing a rich breakfast so they two could enjoy the meal to the fullest together.

Mornings are also great for focused thinking. Getup an hour earlier, and you can knock out your most important task of the day. Or you can spare some time for those creative desires {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(bury) deep in your heart and hard to nurture.

But many will argue：I'm not a morning person! The fact is that there are not so many true night owls. When most people take an honest look at {#blank#}9{#/blank#}they're spending the hours before bed, they'll find they have wasted much time on the TV programs they don't mean {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(watch). Also, they often browse through photos on social media of people they didn't like in high school anyway.

A better approach is to sleep earlier, rise earlier and turn unproductive evening hours into productive morning hours.