Are you suffering from FOMO—that is, Fear Of Missing Out? Research shows that a growing number of young people are, with worrying consequences for their sleep and schoolwork.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}You aren't able to do your best unless you sleep well. Most experts agree that the optimum(最适宜) number of hours is eight, and this has been accepted as common sense for as long as I can remember. However, I was young once and know most of you get much less sleep than that.

    I read an interesting article in a teachers' magazine recently.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Worryingly, the results showed that teenagers are facing a new problem. They may go to bed and get up at appropriate times, but a growing number are waking up in the middle of the night, not to use the bathroom or have a snack, but because of FOMO.

    According to the article, the number of students waking up during the night to check social media is growing. Afraid of missing a comment or opportunity to take part in a chat, teenagers are waking at all times of the night, going online and getting involved.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Experts are worried about this growing trend and the report reveals some worrying statistics: 23% of 12-to 15-year-olds wake up nearly every night to use social media.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}One in third of the students are constantly tired and unable to function to their full capacity.

    So I'd like to ask you to be responsible when it comes to social media. Switch off your devices at night. The world won't end and your social media will be waiting to greet you in the morning!{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A.But things are getting out of hand.

B.They did a study of 848 students in Wales.

C.Another 15% wake up at night once a week for the same reason.

D.I give you my word that you won't have missed anything important.

E.All happens when they should be sound asleep.

F.FOMO is the fear that everyone else is having more fun and more excitement than you.

G.Everybody knows how important it is for students to get a good night's sleep every night.

Plan your answers beforehand

    The holiday season is a favorite for many. There are always parties with family, friends, relatives or work colleagues. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But at the same time, it can also make you feel unhappy, especially because there is always the chance that you will be asked to answer awkward questions during these gatherings.

    I think you had better have a general idea of who you might meet or the questions some people may ask you. You may prepare answers to some awkward questions. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Think of ways you might be comfortable answering questions, and have some basic answers in your head.

    My family and I recently attended a holiday event. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}However, because I knew several people who would most likely be attending the event, I was able to take some time to think about how I wanted to answer the questions they could ask me. This doesn't mean that I spent the days before the party memorizing answers and recited the answers to the questions like a robot. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}So I found it most effective to prepare by having several stories and answers, or even questions for your companion, in order to make sure the conversation runs smoothly.

A. Ask some questions of whoever you are speaking with.

B. Communicating with others around you can be fun.

C. And you may even practice a bit beforehand if necessary.

D. You have no way of knowing exactly what questions you may be asked.

E. Some awkward questions might be asked at the holiday parties.

F. I was asked a few awkward questions about my work situation.

G. Rather, I simply decided what I was comfortable telling them.

    China has been the birthplace of many of the world's greatest inventions. It was, for example, the first country to produce paper money. Before the invention of paper money and coins, people used many different kinds of things for buying and selling{#blank#}1{#/blank#}This exchange of goods and services for other goods and services is called bartering.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}In 1200 BC, people in China began to use shells (贝壳) as money. Usually the shells used as money were very small. This made it easier for people to carry money over long distances, and allowed for trade to develop between different parts of the country.

    In the years which followed this invention, many other countries around the world began to do the same.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The next development was in 1000 BC, when China started making bronze and copper shells. It wasn't long before the Chinese made round coins out of metal.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}By 500 BC, metal coins had begun to appear in countries like Persia and Greece, and later in the Roman Empire.

    About 1,000 years later, leather was used as money in China, and in 806 AD, the first paper banknotes were produced by the Chinese people.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. People also began collecting foreign coins as souvenirs.

B. During that time, for example, buying a chicken might cost several potatoes.

C. It was still many years before paper currency appeared in Europe.

D. However, as economies developed, such exchanges became impractical.

E. They also used tiny shells as money for buying and selling.

F. As time went by, trade between countries increased.

G. The first coins often had holes in them so that people could string them together.

Apologizing the Right Way to a Friend

    Why are apologies so difficult? Saying you are sorry can be one of the most difficult things you do. But we all make mistakes, so you'll probably have an occasion when you need to apologize.

    Perhaps you had a big blow up and realized later you reacted poorly.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Whatever the reason, apologizing can help you both heal and move on from the situation.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} First, you acknowledge that you did something wrong. With an apology, you take responsibility for your actions, which allows your friend to forgive you. Second, an apology gives you sincerity as a friend.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}, but that doesn't mean you still shouldn't apologize.

Now,  what are elements of a proper apology? {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, depending on what the offense was, where it was done, and who you are apologizing to. In general, a good apology should include the following: a request for their attention, an acknowledgment of what happened, sincerity in admitting you did something wrong and the words. "I'm sorry" or "I apologize."

    Here are things never to say when apologizing. Note that the art of apologizing involves taking responsibility. Never apologize as a way to "shut someone up" when they are saying you hurt their feelings and you don't think you did.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}, you should talk things through with your friend until you see why they are hurt or how you came across. You'll really need to self﹣reflect so you can see things from your friend' s point of view.

A. When you make your apology in person

B. If you really believe you did nothing wrong

C. Apologies benefit friendships in a variety of ways

D. The way you apologize is going to be slightly different

E. Or maybe you just didn't show support when you needed to

F. Apologizing the right way, however, may take a little practice

G. Sometimes our pals forgive us easily for the minor things we do wrong

    The history of writing instruments, with which humans have recorded and conveyed thoughts and feelings, is the history of civilization itself. This is how we know about our ancestors and their life.

    The handy sharpened-stone was adapted into the first writing instrument. Around 24,000 BC, the cave man started drawing pictures with the stone onto the walls of his cave. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Walls at the Apollo site in Namibia are believed to be the oldest rock paintings to date.

    Before paper came along, people used clay or wax tablets on which they wrote with sharp objects such as metal sticks or bones. Around 6000 years ago, the Egyptians invented the first paperlike material called papyrus. The word "paper" actually comes from the word "papyrus".

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Bones or metal sticks were no longer useful as the papyrus could not be scratched. So the Egyptians created a reed-pen perfect for the papyrus. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} And thus, ancient Egyptians transformed bamboo stems (茎) into an early form of a fountain pen.

    Another writing instrument that remained active in history for a long period was the quill (鹅毛) pen. Introduced around 700 AD, the quill was a pen made from a bird feather. Goose feathers were most common. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For making fine line drawings, crow feathers were the best.

    When writers had better inks and paper and handwriting had developed into both an art form and an everyday occurrence, man's inventive nature once again turned to improving the writing instrument. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Now something was needed to write upon the papyrus.

B. The papyrus became the most popular material at that time.

C. Swan feathers were of a high quality, being rare and most expensive.

D. Bamboo stems were better and much more expensive than goose feathers.

E. This led to the development of the modem fountain pen in the 19th century.

F. These were mostly the stems of grasses, especially from the bamboo plant.

G. These drawings showed events in daily life like the planting of crops or hunting victories.

Do you have plastic bottles at home？Did you throw empty plastic bottles into the trash，just because you didn't know how to use them？However，there are many interesting things you can do with empty plastic bottles! {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

● Spray for your garden. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Then adjust the rubber bracelet to the mouth of the bottle，and make sure the plastic bottle mouth neatly fits through the hole in the lid.When everything is ready，you will have a spray bottle for your garden! 

● Separate eggs.Do you find it challenging to separate eggs？In some recipes，you just need the yolks （蛋黄） or the whites，but the process is a bit complicated. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Break the egg into a bowl.Remove the lid from the bottle and pinch a little.Then continue the pressure，put the ends into the yolks and stop the pressure.In this way，the yolks will be absorbed into the bottle while the whites will remain on the plate. 

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} When making biscuits，you may need tools to cut them.Plastic bottles will do again.Making a homemade biscuit cutter from plastic bottles is the best way to reuse plastic bottles，as you never know the situation when you need to use it.You just need a small or a large plastic bottle depending on your needs. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And then take one of two sections to cut the biscuits. 

A.Cut off the biscuits. 

B.Make biscuits easily. 

C.Cut the bottle into half. 

D.So next time take advantage of them. 

E.Use bottles to kill garden pests effectively. 

F.Don't worry，and you can solve this problem with a plastic bottle. 

G.For this trick，you only need to drill a few holes in a plastic bottle.