Every year there is a Spring Festival in China. Usually it is in January or February. It is the most important festival in China. So before it comes, everyone has to prepare things. They buy pork， beef, chicken, fruits and many other things. And they often make a special kind of food—“dumplings”. It means “come together”. On the day before the festival, parents buy new clothes for their children. Children also buy presents for their parents. On the Spring Festival Eve (除夕)，all the family members come back to their hometown. This is a happy moment. Some sing and dance, some play cards and others get the dinner ready. When they enjoy the meal, they give each other the best wishes for the coming year. They all have a good time.

    There is an old style out there of young girls talking endlessly on the phone with one another. It's an idea that is far from untrue in many families. I remember being a twelve-year-old and spending some quality time on the phone with my girl-friends, even though we'd seen each other at school. I didn't really have anything to talk about, I guess, but I think I was just happy to have someone else to talk to and that someone wanted to talk to me.

    We call this phenomenon (现象) of girls going on forever over the regular phone “girl talk”. And these days, girl talk has spread far beyond the old phone-teens communicate with each other pretty much nonstop through cell phone, texting，online chat. Is girl talk a good thing? According to experts, it can be-in limited quantities.

    Girl talk has its place. But too much of it, especially the kind during which problems are talked about endlessly can be not such a good thing. Psychologists (心理学家) think that too much of that kind of talking can lead to emotional problems such as depression (沮丧) and anxiety. Girls, much more so than boys, will always think of a problem and get worried, making the problem worse other than solving it. The best way is to try to guide the conversation toward something positive, or to do something about the problem rather than sit around and chat about it endlessly.

    Besides studying and tests, teens need to learn some life skills for the future. These skills can help them live by themselves. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Managing money

    You often get a little money from your parents, {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

You can make a list of the things that you want to buy, and plan how to spend the money. Don't waste.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Doing laundry correctly is important. You should first read the instructions on clothing, and then check the pockets of the clothes. Pay more attention to different colors of them.

    As for cleaning, you should learn how to use brooms, mops (抹布) and so on.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} , the people who live with you will thank you for the efforts you make.

    Cooking your favorite meals

    You should learn how to cook a few of your favorite meals. First ask your parents for help to decide on the menu and ingredients（材料）, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. How to use brooms, mops.

B. and you may spend it as you like.

C. If you often do more cleaning.

D. and your parents know you how to spend your money.

E. Washing and cleaning.

F. and then you can go shopping, cook the meals and clean up the kitchen together.

G. The following are some necessary skills.

One Canada, Two Languages

    Canada is one of the few nations in the world to have two official languages: English and French. There are 10 provinces in the country but only one of these—Quebec is known as "French Canada". This is because it was founded by French explorers while British adventurers discovered the rest.

    Canada left the British empire(帝国) in 1867 to become an independent country and English and French have been recognized as the official languages ever since.

    Most people speak English as their first language and the two national television networks broadcast in English throughout the country. Apart from in Quebec and a few places on the east coast, French television is very rare.

    The same goes for traffic signs and menus, for example, outside of Quebec, there are only a few places where you'll see traffic signs in French. In restaurants, it's almost impossible to find French on the menu unless you are in the heartland (中心地带) of French Canada. However, all products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels (标签) and instructions in both languages.

    In Canada's English-speaking provinces, official bilingualism (双语) means that students can choose to complete a special French language course. Under this program, they are taught most of their subjects in French.

    If a student begins the course in kindergarten(幼儿园) or Grade One, it is likely that all their lessons will be in French. However, if they start at junior high school, 25 percent of the teaching will continue to be in English.

    Over the centuries, people have created many rituals (仪式) to accompany the consumption of their favourite drinks, tea and coffee. Just think of the Japanese tea ceremony, British afternoon tea or the morning coffee ritual in countless societies. Why are these drinks so popular? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In the modern world, the new caffeine delivery systems are canned energy drinks. And the more modern our world gets, the more we seem to need caffeine.

    Most people don't think twice about their caffeine intake. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So the widespread use of caffeine is now a cause for concern among scientists and public health authorities. One result of this concern is that you are not allowed to sell energy drinks in France or Denmark. And in other European countries, manufacturers have to label cans with warnings. The United States has no such rule, but many canned energy drinks sold in the USA carry warnings anyway. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Studies have shown it helps relieve pain, reduces asthma (哮喘)symptoms and increases reaction speed. Despite this, a study in Ireland recommended that children and pregnant women, among other groups, shouldn't drink energy drinks.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} "For most of human existence, the pattern of sleeping and waking has followed sunrise and sunset." explains Charles Czeisler, a neuroscientist(神经学家)at Harvard Medical School. "Then, the way we work changed from a schedule built around the sun to an indoor job timed by a clock, and consequently humans had to adapt. Electric light, and caffeinated food and drink allowed people to follow a work schedule set by the clock, not by daylight or the natural sleep cycle. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Without enough sleep the human body will not function at its best, physically, mentally, or emotionally."

A. The answer is their secret ingredient — caffeine.

B. But we need coffee to get us out of bed and back to work.

C. The main reason that people want caffeine is to stay awake.

D. But research suggests that caffeine may have benefits for human health.

E. Nevertheless, there is a heavy price to pay for all this extra wakefulness.

F. However, it raises blood pressure and thus increases the risk of heart disease.

G. Most babies in the developed world are born with traces of caffeine in their bodies.