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 is 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 a balanced diet as a vegetarian especially when meat substitutes(替代品)are becoming much easier to get.

    Meat-free Mondays is a campaign 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.

    “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, so when you want to do business in France, you have to get to know French culture, to make marketing plans, and to run your business by local laws.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The French take great pride in their language, so anyone who does not speak it may run the risk of being disrespected by his French colleagues or business partners. Also, another reason why learning French is important is that it is a great way to show every possible French business partner that you care and respect their country's culture and language.

    There are obvious ways of greeting people in French. When you meet someone new, it's usual to shake his hand firmly and always look at the person in the eye.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Dress well.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Your business clothing is a reflection of your success and social status. Always try to be stylish. Women are advised to dress simply but elegantly. Wearing make-up is practiced widely by business women.

    The French are passionate about food, so lunches are common in doing business in France, which usually consist of an appetizer, main meal with wine, cheese, dessert and coffee, and normally take up to two hours{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Do not begin eating until the host says, “Bon appetite”. Pass dishes to the left, keep wrists above the table and try to eat everything on the plate{#blank#}5{#/blank#} This may suggest that you find the food tasteless. If eating in a restaurant, the person who invites always pays.

A. The French draw information about people based on their appearance.

B. This is a time for relationship building.

C. Maybe you have heard the expression.

D. Language should be the focus of anyone planning to do business in France.

E. Be careful with adding salt, pepper or sauces to your food.

F. When you meet a friend, kissing is common.

G. English and French are both spoken in formal occasions.

                      How to Love Your Parents

    Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling（有意义的） part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part, a source of who you are. Here are some ways to love your parents. 

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. A gentle “good morning” and “I love you” will warm a coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into this world. Without your parents, we might still wander at an unknown corner in an unknown world.

    Respect them more and cherish(珍惜) these moments. You can use these moments to learn from them, preparing yourself for when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, write down your feelings, or talk to a friend. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean. However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it's cold, raining, snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Since you can forgive your friends, why not forgive your parents?

    Keep company with them. Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Listen to their old stories and learn from them. You will find they are your teachers in this way or another.

    Some people simply may not be able to love their parents. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Seek help if you are being abused（辱骂） in any way. Parents do not have a right to harm you.

A. Forgiveness is the key.

B. Parents will in turn express their love to you.

C. Tell them you love them every morning.

D. After this, share your feelings with your parents.

E. Please remember parents are as important as friends.

F. Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can.

G. There can be realistic reasons for this, family violence（暴力） for example.

    In 2015, motorcyclist Robert Jan kicked off a three-month solo(独自的) ride from the Netherlands to India.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} One day when he was watching a TV show about a man documenting his travels across countries, Robert decided he wanted to do something similar. About a decade later, he got his driver's license. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Two years after that, Robert began a solo motorcycle trip from his home in the Netherlands to India. He traveled more than 10,000 miles in just under three months.

    Robert, who is today a 30-year-old graphic designer (平面设计师), began planning the trip in September 2014, shortly after his graduation from Willem de Kooning Academy. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} He secured the necessary paperwork, got cash, and supported the adventure through a graphic design job. He and his blue motorcycle—which he nicknamed Perry—took off in late August of 2015.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} He met fellow travelers along the way and slept outside, all the while writing about his experience on his blog, Going Eastwards.

    But the three-month adventure also came with its challenges. Sometimes, he would go miles without spotting a much-needed gas station, and money eventually grew scarce(不足的). {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In the end of November, Robert finally reached Mumbai, India. There, he shipped his bike back to Houten in the Netherlands and put himself on a plane back home.

    “Took 81 days to get there,” he posted on Instagram, “back within 18 hours.”

A. And in 2013, he bought his first motorcycle.

B. From a young age, Robert has been an adventurer.

C. By the time he arrived, all the beds were occupied.

D. They helped Robert get the motorcycle out of the freezing cold water.

E. Riding through 14 countries, Robert met a diverse set of people and landscapes.

F. Closer to the end of the trip, the motorcycle broke down—but a local helped him out.

G. He spent the next several months reading stories of motorcycle adventurers like Paul van Hoff and Gordon G. May.

    Every animal sleeps, but the reason for this has remained foggy. When lab rats are not allowed to sleep, they die within a month.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One idea is that sleep helps us strengthen new memories. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We know that, while awake, fresh memories are recorded by reinforcing (加强) connections between brain cells, but the memory processes that take place while we sleep have been unclear.

    Support is growing for a theory that sleep evolved so that connections between neurons (神经元) in the brain can be weakened overnight, making room for fresh memories to form the next day.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Now we have the most direct evidence yet that he is right.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} The synapses in the mice taken at the end of a period of sleep were 18 per cent smaller than those taken before sleep, showing that the connections between neurons weaken while sleeping.

    If Tononi's theory is right, it would explain why, when we miss a night's, we find it harder the next day to concentrate and learn new information — our brains may have smaller room for new experiences.

    Their research also suggests how we may build lasting memories over time even though the synapses become thinner. The team discovered that some synapses seem to be protected and stayed the same size. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} “You keep what matters,” Tononi says.

A. We should also try to sleep well the night before.

B. It's as if the brain is preserving its most important memories.

C. That's why students do better in tests if they get a chance to sleep after learning.

D. Similarly, when people go for a few days without sleeping, they get sick.

E. The processes take place to stop our brains becoming loaded with memories.

F. Tononi's team measured the size of these connections, or synapses, in the brains of 12 mice.

G. “Sleep is the price we pay for learning,” says Giulio Tononi, who developed the idea.

Dangerous Driving Habits

Approximately 1. 3 million people around the world die in road accidents every year, making it one of the top ten causes of deaths. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}To prevent these consequences, here are some dangerous driving habits you should avoid.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Were you actually surprised by this one? Here's the truth — you're 23 times more likely to crash if you text while driving. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Disturbingly, 77 percent of young adult drivers say they can safely drive while texting. Actually, distracted driving accidents, including those caused by the use of handheld devices, form the No. 1 killer of teens, according to the NHTSA and others.

Drive when you're tired.

Avoid driving when you're tired, since you will have slower reaction times and you are very likely to fall asleep at the wheel. If you're exhausted and your body needs sleep, it is going to get it, one way or another. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you're already in the car, pull over and take a nap and then continue when you've woken up. Having someone with you in the car can help prevent accidents, since you are more likely to be alert if you have company.

Keep an eye on the kids.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, passengers are ranked by drivers as among the most frequent causes of distraction（分心）. Young children are four times as distracting as adults, while infants can be eight times more distracting, the AAA Foundation reports. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Talk on the phone.

B. Text and update social media.

C. Therefore, keep an eye on the kids if you drive fast.

D. It takes about five seconds of attention to send a brief text.

E. If you're very tired, avoid driving home and take a cab instead.

F. So think twice before glancing at your little one at the backseat.

G. Another 20-50 million people are injured due to road accidents every year.