Since the one-baby policy {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (carry) out in China, Chinese families have been shrinking from one with over 10 members to the other with only three including parents and one baby. Things are usually out of our expectation. Apart from the benefits {#blank#}2{#/blank#} have been mentioned enough, small families are now beginning to have {#blank#}3{#/blank#} own problems. Because parents are having fewer children, they increasingly feel the need {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (control) the lives of those children. As a result, many children are becoming less {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (depend), determined and ambitious than in the past.   

Parents today discourage their children from doing housework, extracurricular activities and socializing {#blank#}6{#/blank#} they fear it will interrupt their education. For example, when I was younger I wanted to learn the guitar {#blank#}7{#/blank#} my parents wouldn't allow me because they believed it would distract me from my studies. They are happy as long as I perform {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (wonder) in my exams but don't seem concerned about how I develop {#blank#}9{#/blank#} a person.

To some extent, I understand parents' concerns, but I think they should love their children for {#blank#}10{#/blank#} they are, not what they want them to be. We deserve the chance to chase our own dreams and learn on our own. Even if we fail, we can learn from those failures.

    Once there lived a rich man {#blank#}1{#/blank#} wanted to do something for the people of his town. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} first he wanted to find out whether they deserved his help.

    In the centre of the main road into the town, he placed {#blank#}3{#/blank#} very large stone. Then he {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (hide) behind a tree and waited. Soon an old man came along with his cow.

    “Who put this stone in the centre of the road?” said the old man, but he did not try to remove the stone. Instead, with some difficulty he passed around the stone and continued on his way. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} man came along and did the same thing; then another came ,and another. All of them complained about the stone but not tried to remove {#blank#}6{#/blank#}. Late in the afternoon a young man came along. He saw the stone, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (say) to himself: “The night {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (be) very dark. Some neighbors will come along later in the dark and will fall against the stone.”

    Then he began to move the stone. He pushed and pulled with all his {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (strong) to move it. How great was his surprise at last! {#blank#}10{#/blank#} the stone, he found a bag of money.

    When Robert Lee was in primary school, he hated to see his classmates throwing away half-eaten sandwiches after lunch. His parents had taught him and his older brother not to waste food. “They said it was bad,” says Robert, 27.

    While {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (study) finance and accounting at New York University, Robert remembered this lesson and joined Two Birds One Stone, a food rescue club at school {#blank#}2{#/blank#}delivered, five days a week, uneaten pasta, vegetables and other leftovers (剩余食物) from the dining hall to nearby homeless {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (shelter).

    When Robert and fellow club member Louisa Chen entered a college {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (compete), they came up with a slightly different idea for a food rescue non-profit group—{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (it) program wouldn't have a donation minimum, would operate seven days a week, and would be staffed {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (entire) by volunteers.

    Surprisingly, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} idea stood out. Robert and Louisa Chen won the first place. {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the $1,000 prize, they founded Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC) in July 2013. In just the first few weeks, Robert steam delivered a donation of enough noodles and meatballs to feed 20 people in line at a New York City homeless shelter that had run out of food. Only a year into his finance job, Robert gave up his six- figure salary {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (focus) on RLC. So far the organization {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (reach) sixteen cities around the country.

Meet Alexa, Your Digital Roommate

    Who is Alexa? She is a digital assistant that is part of the voice-activated Echo Dot "smart speaker" produced by Amazon. This year Saint Louis University in Missouri has placed one of the speakers in every dorm room {#blank#}1{#/blank#} its campus. Students can ask the virtual assistant anything from "When are the football teams playing?" to "What's the square root of 1440?"

    SLU student Brendan McGuire said: "Instead of searching on the Internet while I {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (tap) away at my computer, I can just ask Alexa: Hey Alexa, ask SLU what's the molecular(分子的)weight of water? And I can have the answer without {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(interrupt) my process." That's exactly {#blank#}4{#/blank#} school officials had in mind when they decided to provide the smart speakers free of charge for students.

    "The students we attract {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (drive) to achieve success in and out of the classroom," David Hakanson, SLU's vice president, said. "Every minute we can save our students from having to search for the information online is another minute {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (commit) to their education."

    Saint Louis University is the first in the U.S. {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (include) an Echo Dot smart speaker in every campus living space. Other colleges have also found ways to offer the technology to students. This year Northeastern University in Boston installed 60 speakers in public places {#blank#}8{#/blank#} students could get answers to common questions.

    At Arizona State University, engineering students living in the brand-new residence hall have the option of adding an Amazon Echo Dot to their rooms. "Our focus is putting this technology into the hands of our students in a way{#blank#}9{#/blank#} will build an ecosystem. {#blank#}10{#/blank#} supports voice technologies throughout the ASU campus," said Heredia, a director at ASU.