Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Buy Nothing Day is November 29. It's 25 days before Christmas. It's after Thanksgiving and often the first day of Christmas shopping.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}In California, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don't need a lot of toys. This year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up in costumes to tell people that we buy too much.

    In Albuquerque, New Mexico, high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a spaghetti dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They made posters and talked to other students about it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The students at high schools liked the idea of this new tradition. Next year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day.

A. They asked restaurants in the neighborhood to donate the food.

B. At this time, we see ads in Newspapers and, on TV telling us to “buy, buy, buy!”

C. Buy Nothing Day has successfully persuaded people not buy anything.

D. Many people think highly of the idea of Buy Nothing Day.

E. They don't want anyone to go shopping on that day.

F. Now people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day.

G. The dinner was a big success, and many students agreed not to buy anything on November 29.

    At what age does a child became an adult?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are a few examples.

    First, in some North American Indian culture, a boy became a man around the age of 13. At that time, he would go into the woods alone, without food or water, for several days.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Girls became adult women as soon as they were old to have babies, also around the age of 12 or 13.

    In the Jewish religion, children spend years studying their history and religion. Then, at age of 13 for boys and 12 for girls, they go through an important religious ceremony.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    In Japan today, young people become legal adult at age 20. Each year on January 15th, they celebrate “Coming-of-Age Day”, when the 20-year-olds in a town are invited to attend to special ceremony.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Finally, in the United States, the passage into adulthood takes several years. American teenagers look forward to their 16th birthday because in most states that is the age when can get a driver's license. The legal age of adulthood is 18, when Americans can vote, get married and work full-time. However, they must wait until age 21 to buy alcohol.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Many people celebrate their 21^st birthday by having a drink with friends in a bar.

B. It's hard to answer the question.

C. The answer depends on your culture or religion.

D. From that day, they are adults, and they become responsible for their own religious development.

E. When he returned safely, he became an adult man.

F. The teenagers are not allowed to drink alcohol.

G. They wear traditional clothes, listen to speeches and visit old friends.

                      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.

The Advantages of Hobbies

    Hobbies provide entertainment and a chance to continuously learn something new and develop a skill set.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Hobbies are praised as a key to stress reduction. Becoming lost in the mental concentration or physical action which you are deeply interested in helps you shift focus from the parts of life that are stressful.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}And in turn you are more peaceful when working on other work.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Many people set goals with their hobbies that provide them satisfaction when these goals have been achieved. These goals can be simple, like improving a golf score, writing a certain number of pages for a novel each day or seeing an entire collection of classic films.

    Hobbies provide a sense of community when you meet other people who enjoy similar activities.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}More populated cities typically have numerous clubs or groups for people to share their knowledge and enthusiasm about a particular hobby. Becoming a member of one of these organizations allows greater growth within your hobby, as well as a chance to make new friends.

    Having a hobby can develop a talent that makes a person feel proud and satisfied. For example, a tennis hobby developed at a young age can lead to a career as a professional athlete one day.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}For example, writer Vladimir Nabokov also collected butterflies, which allowed him to do better in his chosen fields because he used learned skills from one to improve the other.

A.Focusing on something enjoyable can calm the mind.

B.Hobbies also provide a sense of achievement.

C.Some hobbies affect other aspects of your life.

D.There are a variety of hobbies.

E.They also provide many other social and health benefits.

F.Having a hobby increases the chances to interact with like-minded people.

G.Some hobbies containing physical activities offer an enjoyable way to stay healthy.

    Next time your plane lands, listen to the sound of the tyres hitting the ground. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The tyres of cars, motorbikes and trucks are also often made of the same stuff.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Workers cut the trunks of the trees and collect a white liquid called latex（乳胶）. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, huge numbers of rubber trees were planted in countries including Malaysia, Burma and Brazil. Nearly half the rubber which is produced each year is natural rubber and there is always a need for more.

    Rubber trees are not easy to grow. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some trees survive while others die and it is all decided by their genes. British scientists have been working together to look at rubber trees. They have now discovered the "genome" (基因组) of the rubber tree. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The genome contains all the information the plant or animal needs to grow. The genome for a plant such as a rubber tree is smaller than a human genome but it is still very long, which is why it has been so difficult to find. Scientists say the work has been like putting a picture puzzle together where all the pieces show blue sea and blue sky.

    Now scientists can use the rubber tree genome to produce stronger trees. By understanding the genome, they can change the DNA in rubber trees in useful ways. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Natural rubber comes from trees.

B. Regretfully, many forests are being severely destroyed.

C. This is the way genes fit together in very long chains of DNA

D. Stronger trees have played a more important role in producing tyres.

E. They are affected by changes in temperature, rainfalls, winds and diseases.

F. The reason why the tyres don't explode is that they are made of natural rubber.
G. In the future, it will be possible to grow trees which survive climate change and disease.

How to keep yourself safe from new virus?

After a new-type coronavirus was detected in viral pneumonia cases in Central China's Wuhan city three months ago, more cases have been reported in recent days. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}:

⒈ Wear masks outdoors

●Wearing a mask is one of the most effective ways to protect you from getting infected.

●Make sure to wear it properly by tightening up the nose clip and pulling the bottom of it over your chin.

●{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, a mask is also needed to prevent you from spreading germs to others.

⒉ Cover your coughs and sneeze with tissue

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or you can cough or sneeze into your sleeve, but avoid covering with your hands directly.

⒊ {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Wash your hands with soap and running water thoroughly for at least 15 seconds.

● Before eating and after using the toilet

● After returning home

● After touching trash or garbage

● After contacting with animals or handling animal wastes

⒋ Strengthen your immune system and exercise regularly

● Exercise regularly is one of the most important ways to help you stay away from catching any infections.

● Make sure that shared spaces have good air flow and avoid going to crowded places such as hospitals, railway stations and airports. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

● Seek prompt medical attention if you have symptoms of fever and respiratory infection.

● Avoid close contact with people who have flu or cold-like symptoms.

●{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Avoid contact with wild animals or farmed livestock without any protection.

A. If your hands are not visibly dirty

B. Eat thoroughly cooked meat and eggs

C. Wash your hands frequently and properly

D. Protect yourself and others from getting sick

E. Wear a mask if transport or movement is necessary

F. If you're not feeling well or have symptoms of fever

G. To prevent catching the infection, here's what you can do