At long last, Stefano Boeri Architects' brilliant Bosco Verticale towers are finally completed. The “world's first vertical forest” consists of a fantastic pair of costly towers that add nearly 2.5 acres of lush vegetation to the sky line of Milan, a city notorious (声名狼藉的) for its air pollution. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Like a pair of green lungs, its forested appearance of 21,000 plants will absorb CO₂, control noise pollution, lessen the urban heat island effect, and create oxygen and favorable micro-climates.

    The Bosco Verticale mixed-use towers are constructed with a $2.5 billion public-private investment as part of the re-development of Milan's Porta Nuova district. The towers, measuring 260 feet and 367 feet, house 800 trees between 9 and 30 feet tall, over 4,000 shrubs (灌木) and 15,000 ground cover plants. Bosco Verticale is created with LEED Gold Certification (绿色建筑黄金认证) in mind. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    The buildings shrub have welcomed their first residents. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}  A fast-growing bird population has already begun to nest in Bosco Verticale's rich leaves, of which over a hundred different species of trees and shrubs are represented. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    The superstructure is also selected for the world famous International Highrise Building Award as one of the five most beautiful and original high-rises in the world that is completed. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

A. “We take great pride in this project, which may earn us an award” says Boeri.

B. Boeri is currently in China, where he plans to build another Bosco Verticale project.

C. It is also equipped with a gray water recycling and irrigation system.

D. However, Bosco Verticale will be more than just a beautiful sight to enjoy.

E. “The real key to this project is biodiversity,” says Boeri.

F. It is also well received by the Chinese experts in the field.

G. But those families aren't the only ones to call the vertical forest home.

    The Internet, social media, and smart phones allow you to learn many things.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, just like in the real world, not everyone online is your friend. Some may use these tools to send unpleasant messages to you, and some may use your information to do something bad. It's very important to know how to stay safe and have positive experiences online. Here are some tips for you.

    Be careful about friend or follower requests. When you have a friend or follower request, check the person's information first.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Only accept friend or follower requests from people you have met in the real world. Don't chat with people you don't know or trust. This is a good way to keep you safe.

    Review location(定位) services on your phone and other mobile devices.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}They may put you in danger because others can find you easily. To make sure of your safety, turn off the "location services" or "locations settings" features on your mobile devices. Also turn off GPS for the camera, chat and other social media apps.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Strong passwords (密码）should have some upper and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols. If you have a strong password, it'll be difficult for others to know it. Also, avoid having the same password for all your social and education accounts (账户). It is really not safe for your accounts.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If someone sends unpleasant messages to you online, find someone you feel safe talking to. For example, you can talk to a parent, a teacher or a trusted adult and ask him to help report and block(屏蔽) the person. Don't try to do the same thing when others do something that hurts your feelings online.

A. Create strong passwords.

B. Try to get help when necessary.

C. Find out if he or she is someone you know.

D. Friend requests can tell a lot of information.

E. Talk to someone you find safe to talk to online.

F. They also allow you to talk with friends online.

G. Location services can tell others where you are.

How to Age Well

    Getting older is inevitable, but you can slow the decline of aging with smart choices along the way. From the foods you eat and how you exercise to your friendships, it all has an effect on how fast or slow your body ages.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Lose just a little bit of weight.

    Small changes in body weight can have a big impact on health risks.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}While we'd love to lose our extra pounds, it's easier to start with a 5 percent weight loss goal and keep on.

Avoid processed meat.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}A number of studies have found associations between eating a lot of processed meats and poor health. Other research has implicated processed meats in a higher risk for cancer. But there was no increase in risk associated with eating unprocessed red meat.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The best eating strategy for aging well is to skip processed foods and drinks. That will immediately reduce added sugars from your diet. Once you cut out packaged foods, you will start eating a lot more fruits and vegetables, lean meats and fish and whole grains.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Meanwhile, invest in a new pair of walking shoes, a gym membership or a delicious healthy meal with your family and oilier loved ones. All of those are likely to do much for your emotional and physical health.

A. Skip packaged foods.

B. Save the money you would spend on rich food.

C. And the good news is that it's never too late to get started.

D. This has been shown in numerous studies to be good for you.

E. There's some evidence that vitamin B12 is good for the aging brain.

F. Losing just 5 percent of your body weight has been shown to reduce your risk for diabetes and heart disease.

G. Processed meals like hot dogs and sausages have been salted, cured or smoked to improve preservation.

    When home is far away, the sense of ease and belonging that so many people feel can transform into painful feelings of longing, commonly known as homesickness. Along with feelings of insecurity, loss of control and nervousness, physical effects, including sleep issues, tiredness and loss of appetite, are also caused by homesickness.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Check them out below:

    Realize that feeling homesick is 100 percent normal.

    Almost everyone experiences homesickness when moving to a new place—some people might just be better at hiding it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Homesickness is a normal and evolutionarily healthy reaction.

    Make connections with new people in comfortable settings.

    Feeling homesick when separated from loved ones motivates people to be with those supportive people.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} When making new connections, it's best to stick to the style that works for you in order to ease homesickness.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    This point is vital and also one of the hardest to accomplish. Self-compassion is loving yourself just as you love the ones you care about. The most important step in practicing self-compassion is substituting negative, critical and, sometimes, automatic thoughts about yourself with thoughts that are more supportive and kind.

    Keep tabs on your negativity.

    It's also useful to ask yourself how much of your homesickness is due to an event, such as being separated from loved ones, and how much is from how you're understanding a situation.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}A positive outlook on a situation can do wonders for your mood, but it often can be hard to practice. You can silence negative thoughts in many ways, including reciting positive mantras（祷文）, keeping a journal or even taking a walk in a park.

    If you're dealing with feelings of homesickness, remember you're not alone. Even though there's no place like home, give yourself some time and care, and you might find yourself falling in love with a new place.

A. Learn to help others.

B. Practice self-compassion.

C. Being homesick is abnormal.

D. Being homesick is not a sign of personal shortcoming.

E. We gathered a few psychologist-backed tips to help ease homesickness.

F. Taking a step back is recommended, instead of falling into the trap of a negative outlook.

G. But keep in mind that everyone is different when it comes to forming those new relationships.

How the Elderly Are Treated Around the World

    How cultures view and treat their elderly is closely linked to their most prized values and qualities. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    In the US and UK, Protestantism (新教) is at play. Western cultures tend to be youth-centric, stressing qualities like independence. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It ties a person's value to his or her ability to work – something that becomes weaker in old age. As their health becomes worse, the elderly in these cultures often move to old people's homes and nursing homes.

    In France, parents are protected by law. It is difficult to imagine an Elderly Rights Law being a focus in the laws of many Western cultures. France did, however, pass a similar law in 2004. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} One was a group of official statistics showing France had the highest rate of pensioner suicides in Europe, and the other was the aftermath of a heat wave that killed 15,000 people, most of whom were elderly and had been dead for weeks before they were found.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Native American cultures traditionally accept death as a fact of life. In many Native American areas, elders are respected for their wisdom and life experiences. Within Native American families, it's common for the elders to be expected to pass down their learning to younger members of the family.

    The way to care for Chinese elders is changing. Chinese families traditionally view respect for one's elders as the highest virtue, according to the Confucian tradition. Adult children are generally expected to care for their parents in their old age. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Nursing homes are beginning to become a more socially acceptable option for elderly care.

A. However, this tradition is beginning to break down due to rising lifetime and an aging population.

B. In the African-American area, death is seen as an opportunity to celebrate life.

C. Here's what we can learn from other cultures about treating the elderly.

D. But China faces the unique problem of tending to an increasingly elderly population.

E. Native American elders pass down their knowledge.

F. It was only passed following two disturbing events, though.

G. This relates back to the Protestant work rules.

Sad Tale for Sale

    Hundreds of thousands of puppies (小狗) are born in puppy factories each year. Because the main purpose of the puppy factory is to make money, puppy factory owners fail to spend enough money on the dogs. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The animals almost never get exercise or attention. Their cages (笼子) are often dirty, with little protection from sun, wind or cold.

    Many puppies born in puppy factories are taken away from their mothers before they are ready. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The moms left behind are then bred (繁殖) again to produce more puppies.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Although the puppies may seem healthy, these problems can show up when they're fully grown — sometimes even sooner. Some of the puppies die within days or weeks of purchase (购买).

    Kind kids and their families can help. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Even if a pet store says that they don't sell dogs from puppy factories, chances are they really do. And don't trust newspaper or website ads made by people who sell puppies.

    If your family is ready for a dog, your best choice is to adopt one from an animal shelter (收容所). Animal shelters have different kinds of dogs just waiting for homes.   {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Puppy factories need to stop.

B. In the future, don't buy puppies from pet stores.

C. To save money, they keep dogs in packed cages.

D. By doing this, you're in the business of helping pets!

E. There are many puppies killed in puppy factories.

F. Then they are shipped cross-country to be sold in pet shops.

G. Many of the dogs born in puppy factories have serious health problems.