When the kids are out of school, parents are eager to use the holidays for some quality family time.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} While there's great concern among parents about the impact of screens on physical activity and face-to-face communications, parental use of screens is often overlooked. One recent report found that parents spend over nine hours per day with screen media. It's no wonder that families find it hard to have high-quality social interactions.

    Want our kids to put down the phones and tablets?{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's necessary that we unplug when we ask our kids to do the same. Some family activities we create can help us engage with our kids without the concern of screen time.

    Why not leave the devices at home and go for a tech-free nature walk? It will be an opportunity to make us more connected to the world beyond the screen. Focus on being in the moment and kids may enjoy collecting plant seeds or stones.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    A board game night is ideal for bringing family members together and being engaged. Moreover, playing games together fosters social interaction, cooperation, and the development of Social Emotional Learning (SEL).{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Some other family activities are wonderfully fun without the use of electronic devices. For example, take the kids swimming, or bring them to an indoor rock climbing gym. Bake a cake for a neighbor or plant a garden.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your kids will get lost in the activity, forgetting the devices.

    To be clear, technology has many benefits to parents and children. However, creating some tech-free time can help parents and kids feel more connected to each other.

A. We parents must model that behavior.

B. Even so, too much of a good thing can be bad for family time.

C. However, many of us find it hard to compete with electronics.

D. Parents may learn from their kids about science and nature as well.

E. Best of all, family members can enjoy being engaged in a shared experience.

F. The kids are more likely to have buy-in when they feel like they have a say.

G. All these activities require family members to focus their attention on the task at hand.

Meat-free Mondays

    In the United Kingdom, vegetarianism (素食主义) is becoming very popular, with around 3 million people in the UK vegetarian.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, here in France, I often struggle to find a meat-and-fish-free choice on a menu, which can make eating in restaurants a bit of a challenge.

    People are often curious why I choose to limit my diet in the way I do. There are many reasons why people may choose to be vegetarian. Many people give up meat or fish simply because they do not enjoy the taste. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They believe it has a bad effect on the environment or it is bad for health. Furthermore, many people are vegetarians to avoid wasting food. In addition, some religious beliefs forbid eating certain meats. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}However, although sometimes vegetarian food requires a little more creativity, it is very easy to enjoy a healthy and balanced diet as a vegetarian especially when meat substitutes (替代品) are becoming much easier to get.

    Meat-free Mondays is a campaign (运动) to encourage every family to eat just one main meal a week which does not contain meat or fish. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}This is a great challenge for anyone who would like to try out some vegetarian cooking and is a wonderful way to contribute to slowing down climate change.

A.   Young kids prefer meat and fish than vegetables.

B.   Some feel that killing animals for meat is wrong.

C.   Vegetarian food can be delicious and easy to prepare.

D.  The city where I grew up is known as the „vegetarian capital' of the UK.

E.   Overall, vegetarians usually have different reasons for choosing their lifestyle.

F.   The purpose of the campaign is to protect the environment and to improve health.

G.  A common misunderstanding about vegetarian food is that it is not tasty or healthy.

    Some students prefer to learn by themselves. They think they can learn better in this way because they have more freedom, pressure and independence. There is some truth in their way.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}It is better to have a teacher, especially when they learn something more difficult. First, a teacher can act as a guide to lead you to success. When you learn, you need help and advice. A teacher will give you a hand when you face difficulties. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    What is more, a teacher puts real pressure on you.  If you study by yourself,you must be strong-minded enough to keep on.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} But under the guidance of a teacher, you will feel there is always someone to watch you. The teacher may give you homework to do. You must complete the homework, or you will not pass the course.

    Last but not least, studying with a teacher will help you receive the benefit of the teacher's knowledge {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.They teach students how to learn and how to obtain information. They guide all of you in class to discuss the material and provide extra material to broaden the scope of the topic.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}I choose to learn in a big family—my school. Without a teacher, I would feel there would be no fun and no pressure. I could not learn well in such dull and depressing circumstances.

A. Besides, teachers are connected with our life.

B. Teachers can help you solve all of your problems.

C. In short, I prefer to go to class studying with a teacher.

D. Without a guide, you would be searching in darkness.

E. And you may become inactive for lack of a strong will.

F. But they fail to see the advantages of learning with a teacher.

G. In class, teachers do more than just going over the material in the text.

    The jobs of the future have not yet been invented. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} By helping them develop classic skills that will serve them well no matter what the future holds.

    ⒈Curiosity

    Your children need to be deeply curious. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Ask kids, "What ingredients（配料）can we add to make these pancakes even better next time?" and then try them out. Did those ingredients make the pancakes better? What could we try next time?

    ⒉Creativity

    True creativity is the ability to take something existing and create something new from it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} There are a dozen different things you can do with them. Experimenting with materials to create something new can go a long way in helping them develop their creativity.

    ⒊Interpersonal Skills

    Understanding how others feel can be a challenge for kids. We know what's going on inside our own head, but what about others? Being able to read people helps kids from misreading a situation and jumping to false conclusions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} "Why do you think she's crying?" "Can you tell how that man is feeling by looking at his face? If someone were to do that to you, how would you feel?"

    ⒋Self-expression

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} There are many ways to express thoughts and ideas-music, acting, drawing, building, photography. You may find that your child is attracted by one more than another.

A. Encourage kids to cook with you.

B. And we can't forget science education.

C. We can give kids chances to think about materials in new ways.

D. So how can we help our kids prepare for jobs that don't yet exist?

E. Gardening is another great activity for helping kids develop this skill.

F. We can do this in real life or ask questions about characters in stories.

G. Being able to communicate ideas in a meaningful way is a valuable skill.

    Many people believe that there is some truth in the saying Laughter is the best medicine.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Laughter helps relieve pain, strengthen the immune system and reduce stress. Laughter stimulates(激发) hormones which make us feel happy. Laughter also increases the flow of blood throughout the body and has benefits which are similar to the ones you get by doing exercise.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Children exposed to funny films and cartoons before major medical procedures are able to cope better with pain and anxiety.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. These are professional clowns who are sent to hospitals and wards to entertain and distract sick children.

    Laughter therapy has become very popular in recent years and as a result, more and more laughter clubs are starting to open up in cities and towns all over the world. At a laughter session, a trained therapist instructs the group to perform a series of exercises which are designed to produce laughter. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}And it takes them some time to get rid of their inhibitions（心理抑制）.They might even start off with fake laughter, but this doesn't matter because our bodies can't tell the difference, and the results are the same. Moreover, laughter is contagious（传染的).{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    So next time you feel ill, stressed out or depressed, try watching a funny film or try remembering an amusing incident in your life. You will soon feel better.

A. If one person starts giggling, it is unavoidable that everyone else will be drawn in.

B. Laughter helps you focus.

C. This finding has led to so-called clown doctors.

D. In fact, research done by scientists has shown that laughter has a lot of health benefits.

E. Laughter makes the world a better and more colorful place.

F. Some people may find the idea embarrassing at first.

G. Using laughter therapy in children's hospitals has proven to be invaluable.

    Most people will agree that it is good to read, but not all reading is equal. Here are some tips for productive reading.

    ⒈Take notes.

    Even if you never refer to your notes again, the process of taking notes helps you sort out something important and will help you remember it. You can choose between computers or paper for your notes. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. On the other hand, many people feel they recall information better when they write it by hand.

    ⒉{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    If you are like me, once you commit to reading a book, it is very hard to give up until you've finished it. Given the number of books that are available and our limited life, it just doesn't make sense to read a book that you aren't getting anything from.

    ⒊Variety is good.

    While you don't want to give up on a book that you are benefiting from, it is important to give yourself variety. You can pick up a book at random or intentionally looking for something different from what you normally read. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    ⒋Review what you've read.

    If you want to remember what you read, take the time to review. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. When you finish a book, spend 15 minutes examining your notes in 2 to 4 days. Then 2 to 4 weeks after that and then 2 to 4 months after that. This will strengthen the knowledge in your mind.

    ⒌Discuss what you read with others.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If you can talk with people in person, that is ideal, but don t overlook the power of the Internet in connecting people with similar interests but different geography.

A. Don't be afraid to give up

B. Make full use of reading time

C. It's hard to get more out of your normal reading

D. This can be very valuable in giving you a different opinion

E. And you，d better go over things at ever increasing time intervals

F. Using computers will make it easy to find your notes later by search

G. The best way to get more from your reading is to discuss it with others