Every living thing has genes. Genes carry information. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They make sure that humans give birth to humans and cows give birth to cows. They also make sure that a dog doesn't give birth to a frog, or an elephant to a horse. However, genetic engineers take genes from one species-for example, a snake, and transfer them to another-for example, corn. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Such new life forms have been described, by some scientists as a real-life Frankenstein(科幻怪人).

    Genetic engineers put duck genes into chicken to make the chickens bigger. They put hormones(激素) into cows to make them produce more milk. They put genes from flowers into beans and from fish into tomatoes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It just makes them easier and faster for the farmer to grow.

    The effects of genetic engineering on the natural world may be disastrous. The engineers may create strange life beings, or monsters. that we cannot control. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They'll have to find one, fight for one-or kill for one. It may be your land they fight for-or you that they kill. Moreover, the effects of these experiments can often be cruel. In America, pigs were given human genes to make them bigger and less fatty. The experiment failed. The pigs became very ill and began to lose their eyesight. We would all like a better, healthier and longer life, and genetic engineering might give us this. On the other hand, it may be a dangerous experiment with nature. In the story of Frankenstein, the doctor created such a terrible and dangerous monster that he had to destroy it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. The information tells us what to do or what not to do

B. We must make sure that this tale remains a story-and no more than that

C. This doesn't make them cheaper, tastier, or healthier

D. The new life forms have no natural habitat or home

E. Then they feed the tomatoes to the fish

F. In this way a new life form is created

G. They are passed on from generation to generation

    If you were like most kids, your mother told you there were three no-no's when it came to your fingers: Don't put them in an electrical outlet, don't stick them up your nose ( at least not in public ), and don't use them when you are counting.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But experts in education and cognition now believe that using your fingers to do math is not only a perfectly good idea but may even help children become superior students.

    It certainly makes sense. When children count on their fingers, they take an abstract concept— mathematics—and translate it into the most basic and visual form.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Even when we aren't actually counting on them, they still can help us on math problem,

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It activates when we respond to heat, pressure, pain, or the use of a given finger. Studying brain scans, researchers discovered that when students aged 8 to 13 work on subtraction (减法) equations, this region “lights up” on the scans, even if the students aren't using their fingers. The more complex the problem, the more activities are detected.

    The connection between finger use and math ability has been shown on old-fashioned math tests as well. With their eyes closed, first graders were asked to identify which of their fingers a researcher was touching,{#blank#}4{#/blank#}When college students were given the same quiz, the highest scores once again performed best on calculation tests.

    So what does all this mean? For one thing, parents and teachers shouldn't discourage children from counting on their fingers.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Memorizing the multiplication tables may help, but it is not the best option. “I would like to see interesting and creative representations of ideas.” says Jo Boaler, a professor of math education.

    Recently, a series of activities have been designed to strengthen students' perception of their fingers. Maybe in the near future, there will be only two no-no ¹s regarding the use of fingers.

A. The first two laws of fingers are as true as ever.

B. There is a section of the brain, called the somatosensory finger area.

C. Researchers also stress that students simply learn better using visual tools.

D. Researchers are unimpressed by those students who finish quickly as well.

E. In fact, experts believe the brain is able to “see” a representation of our fingers.

F. That may sound simplistic, but the researchers offer an interesting explanation.

G. Researchers found those scoring highest on the finger-ID questions scored higher on a math test.

    How to Help Children Learn From Their Mistakes

    Everyone makes mistakes.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}As parents, it's our duty to help our children learn from their mistakes. Turning a mistake into a learning experience will help your child grow. Here are some tips for helping children leam from their mistakes.

    Explain exactly what the mistake is. It's important to make your child accept the fact that he made a mistake. Talk with your child and help him exactly understand what he did is not right.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Never imagine he knows; always talk over the problem early.

    Ask your child to make an apology if his mistakes hurt others. This step takes a mistake that is connected with another person even further.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}By making your child go to see and talk with the person who was hurt, he will more fully understand the results of the mistake and learn from that bad experience.

    Offer suggestion in different ways to lead your child to avoid making the same mistakes again. You can choose to share your personal examples if you had the same problem before. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}He may not want to do exactly the same thing, but it will get him to start in the right direction.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Having your child try to work through the problem and know how to deal with it on by himself will help develop his reasoning skills, which is good for his self-development. In this way, he will know what he should do if a similar situation appears in the future.

A. Tell your child how you dealt with the problem.

B. Now it's time to help him properly correct mistakes.

C. Praise him if he fully understands the- mistake he made.

D. Children need to learn the results of their mistakes.

E. Learning from mistakes is what makes us become better people.

F. Encourage your child to find a way to deal with the problem alone.

G. Sometimes a child fails to know why the things he did are wrong.

How parents can help with cyberbullying（网络欺凌）?

    43% of kids have been bullied online. One in four has had it happen more than once.70% of students reported seeing frequent bullying online. Many studies suggest that cyberbullying has become a serious problem worldwide and makes many kids suffer. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Let teachers know about the situation. Many schools have protocols（协议）for responding to cyberbullying. Before reporting the problem, let your children know what you want to do so that you can make a plan that makes you both feel comfortable.

    Encourage your children not to respond to cyberbullying, because doing so just fuels the fire and makes the situation worse. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Instead, you should keep the threatening messages, pictures, and texts, which can be used as evidence for the bully's parents, schools, or even the police.

    Limit your kids' access to the Internet. Though hurtful, many kids who are bullied can't resist the temptation（诱惑）to check websites or phones to see if there are new messages. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Many websites and smartphones include parental control options that allow parents to control kids' online life.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Follow your children on social media sites, but do not make comments or post anything on your children's whereabouts online. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And also tell them why it's a bad idea to share it online.

A. Know your kids' online world.

B. But that doesn't mean you can do nothing.

C. Remind your kids of the seriousness of cyberbullying.

D. Make sure your kids figure out what to do about it.

E. Talk to them about the importance of private information.

F. So if you know how to deal with it, things will get much better.

G. Keep the computer in a public place and set limits on the use of cell phones.

    Futurologists (未来学家) predict that life will probably be very different in 2050.

    TV channels will have disappeared. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Today, we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometers away. By 2050, music, films, programs, newspapers and books will come to us by computer.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Cars will have computers to control the speed and there won't be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Many factories already use robots. Big companies prefer robots—they don't ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere—in factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Today, there are devices (设备) that connect directly to the brain to help people hear. By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people to see and hear again with the help of new technology.

    Scientists will have discovered how to control genes. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people, and decide how they look, how they behave and how clever they are. Scientists will be able to do these things, but should they?

Top 3 Self-Discipline Techniques

    Self-Discipline is the key to leading a healthier, happier and more successful life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} We have shared some self-discipline techniques below. Follow these self-discipline techniques to start living a better life.

    ⒈Start small

    The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, as the proverb goes. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Instead, stamina(耐力) is built up by doing a little more than the previous day's target.

    The same goes for discipline. Start by trying to carry out self-discipline techniques little by little every day for big results. Increase your goals over time.

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Staying self-disciplined requires motivation. It can be hard to stay motivated if you feel like you haven't made any progress so far. Tracking progress makes you aware of how much you've done and encourage you to keep going.

    ⒊Exercise your willpower

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Some days, sticking to the task is going to be difficult but by reminding yourself of the end in mind and how much the goal means to you, you will be able to ignore temporary temptations for long term gain.

    The above-mentioned self-discipline techniques have been proven to be extremely effective.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And it is the key to living a happy and fulfilling life.

A. Measure your goals.

B. Build a support system.

C. However, it is easier said than done.

D. Willpower and self-discipline go hand in hand.

E. Self-discipline is linked to effective time management.

F. Self-discipline is a feature found in many successful people.

G. You don't train for a marathon by running 10 Kilometers on the first day.