Tips for making family movie night a success

    We say this a lot, but we think it's worth repeating: It's important to get involved in your kids' media lives - and your kids will love it too.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} what's a good way to stay involved with your kids' media picks and create an opportunity to discuss them? Host a family movie night! Some tips for making it work:

    Schedule it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Turn off cell phones and avoid multitasking during the show.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you've pot little kids, pre-select a group to choose from. Avoid watching the same movie over and over again. If you've got teens, tell them you'll watch anything they choose as long as they return the favor when it's your turn. Obey a “no complaining” rule.

    Choose a location (场所). Hang a sheet in the backyard, prepare the necessary equipment, and sit on beach chairs to enjoy a classic like The Wizard of Oz.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Talk about it. The next day, make time to chat about what you watched. Kids might be interested in learning more about Hollywood's history.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Talking with kids about how movie characters handled fictional situations can be a way to form your family's values or get kids to open up about their lives.

A. Make it a theme night.

B. Take turns choosing the movie.

C. This can be simple or complicated.

D. Make it a regular date and time and don't break it.

E. Visit the library to follow up on interests excited by the movie.

F. But helping them become wise media consumers can be easier said than done.

G. Or spend the family movie night on the road during vacations or at the grandparents' house.

    How Fit Are Young Teens?

    How often do you exercise? A new study finds that most kids ages 12 to 15 aren't getting enough physical activity.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    U.S. fitness guidelines recommend (推荐) an hour or more of physical activity every day. According to the study, only 1 in 4 U.S. kids meet the recommendation. Few kids in the survey met the guidelines for physical activity that raises the heart rate and makes you breathe harder. However, most of those kids said they did at least an hour of exercise at that level during the previous week.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The study found fat teens were less active than normal-weight girls and boys. Overweight girls were slightly less active than normal-weight girls.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

     “There's always room for improvement,” said health expert Tala.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}She also said the results provide useful information to help with fitness campaigns such as Let's Move, which was launched by First Lady Michelle Obama. To inspire kids to eat right and get in shape, the First Lady visits schools and holds exercise events. She also calls on schools to offer regular gym classes.

    The research suggests kids who get physical education may get better grades.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It's concerning.

B. She is an expert on children's health.

C. She was the lead author of the study.

D. The results are based on about 800 kids.

E. Schools should give kids more time for physical activity.

F. But levels were similar among overweight and normal-weight boys.

G. Overall, about 25% said they got an hour of that kind of difficult exercise every day.

    Food safety is a problem in all places around the world and people in different areas of the world prepare foods in different ways. The WHO released （发布）five simple rules for preparing food in a safe way. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Key 1: Keep clean.

    The first key tells about the importance of washing. People should wash their hands often——before touching food, while they are preparing food, and any time after they go to the toilet. People should wash all surfaces and equipment used for preparing food. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Key 2: {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    People should separate raw生的, or uncooked food from foods that are already cooked and foods that will not be cooked. People should store raw meat, chicken, and fish in containers, or in separate areas. Raw foods should not touch prepared foods.

    Key 3: Cook completely.

    People should cook eggs and meat, like birds, seafood, and animals, especially carefully. These foods may carry more micro­organisms than other foods. Food like soup must be boiled for at least a minute to make it be cooked completely. It is also important that people re­heat cooked food completely.

    Key 4: Keep food at safe temperatures.

    When people are finished with eating, they should keep the left food in a refrigerator below 5℃ and shouldn't store it for too long. At room temperature, about 20℃, the amount of micro­organisms微生物 can increase增加 very quickly. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They cannot grow as quickly in a very hot or very cold environment.

    Key 5: Use safe water and raw materials.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Damaged or old food may develop harmful chemicals化学物 as it gets older.

A．They call these rules the “Five Keys to Safer Food.”

B．Eat cooked food immediately, while it is still hot.

C．People should also protect cooking areas and food from insects and animals.

D．Keeping everything clean helps people to avoid micro­organisms.

E．People should use safe water and choose fresh foods.

F．Separate raw and cooked.

G．But temperatures above 60℃ or below 5℃ control控制 the growth of micro­organisms.

    A volunteering vacation can be a meaningful way to spend your time off, but to make the trip satisfying both for you and the cause you are supporting, several factors need to be considered. Here is some advice on planning the satisfactory vacation:

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There are hundreds of causes to volunteer for, and finding one close to your heart will lead to a more worthwhile trip. Possibilities include wildlife conservation, education, environmental protection, health and nutrition. Also, consider any personal and professional skills that you can contribute. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Choose your destination and setting. Your volunteering trip will be more enjoyable if you use it to reach a favorite destination. Southeast Asia is on your mind, helping with tree­planting programs in Bali would benefit the environment and let you appreciate the scenic island. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Is volunteering outdoors in a hot or snowy climate attractive, or do you prefer being in an air­conditioned office?

    Ask the right questions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Be aware that most volunteering programs require a week-long stay. Ask other questions like: How many hours of work per day is required? Are there days off? Will you be working individually or as part of a team? And what are the goals of your efforts? {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Ask if the cost includes only accommodations or meals and transportation too.

A. Figure out your cause.

B. Find a well­respected organization.

C. And think about the surroundings you want.

D. Your duty there is to rest and play.

E. The more you know about your trip, the more successful it will be.

F. Despite the word “volunteer”, these vacations usually cost you some money.

G. If you're a doctor, for example, working at a health clinic could be an ideal fit.

    We need to be responsible for our environment. Being a frugal consumer (节俭的消费者) is one way to help. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Use It Up.

    You can use things up instead of wasting them. Squeeze (挤) that last bit of toothpaste out of the tube.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Don't throw away any bits of the biscuit at the bottom of the box.

    Wear It Out.

    You do not always need to have new things. Suppose your sneakers (运动鞋) have broken laces (鞋带) , but they still fit you. Repair them and wear them longer. You don't have to have the latest iPhone until the old one doesn't work any more. Then you can get a new one. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Make It Do.

    When something you want is not on hand, look for something else that you already have to take its place. Suppose you are packing your lunch for tomorrow and want a butter sandwich. You are out of butter. Have a cheese sandwich instead so you can use all of the cheese. Learn to fix broken toys instead of just throwing them away. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Think about all those things that you would like to have. Do you really need them? How long will you really play with that new toy you saw on TV? Making the things that we want uses up our world's resources (资源). And, getting rid of the things we don't want any more takes up even more resources and space.

A. Do without it.

B. Throw it away.

C. What exactly does that mean?

D. Do you know what to consume?

E. Use the last little piece of soap.

F. With a little thought, you can make something do.

G. Think twice before replacing something that still works.

If you text often, you likely have a "texting style". Do you often use emojis? Or what about using correct punctuation (标点)? What do all these texting habits say about you? To help you understand yourself, here are some texting styles that can tell you a lot about your personality.

Do you always use emojis when you're texting? You're most likely someone who is open to showing your emotions and is truthful. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} To make sure the other person doesn't get the wrong idea about your messages, you make sure to express the tone of messages with an emoji, which can be often used as effective signals in modern social communication.

If you like to respond in one-word texts like a quick "Good", then you most likely have a more reserved personality, and aren't as open with your true thoughts and feelings. Because you are not as open with your emotions in texts, you may not care how lengthy your response is. But be careful. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

Do you value punctuation and grammar in your writing? This love of grammar goes straight into your texts as well as your emails. This seems like a great thing, doesn't it? But in texting, people seem to think otherwise. Simply placing a period at the end of sentences in texts can make you come across as untrustworthy to others. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} With this texting style, you are rooted in logic and always pay attention to the little details.

Are your texts lengthy and thoughtful? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Similar to someone who texts with perfect grammar, you are a thoughtful and detail-oriented person, who enjoys deep conversations and likes things that are controlled and stable.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Which texting personality are you? Are you a mix of several types? It's important to note that everyone has different ways of texting in different situations. Everyone texts their colleagues in a different style from their family or their friends. If you ever think someone may have left you an unclear or rude text, it's better to just ask them in-person what they meant or what they were feeling.

A. Do you relate to any of these texting personalities?

B. Do you know that you and your friends may have different styles?

C. Such texts may also be rated as less sincere than those that do not.

D. You may be the busy type who doesn't have a lot of time to respond.

E. You're the type of person who understands the importance of context.

F. You want others to know how you're feeling when you're using a message.

G. If you're texting someone with a different text personality, they may view your text as negative.