In many countries of the world, people do what is called housesitting．It means that if owners of the house are going away, they wantsomeone to come into their home and look after the house and maybe pets whilethey are away．

        In Australia, many people travel．After peopleretire, they might buy a van and travel all over the country．{#blank#}1{#/blank#}．

        So if someone wants to travel or go away for some reason, theymight want someone in their home to care for it and keep the gardens tidy．House sittersmight have to care for pets．Also, quite afew people have swimming pools in their back yard and they need cleaning．{#blank#}2{#/blank#}． I feel it isa great way of seeing the country, because you go and stay in a new city, getto meet new people, and have time to go sightseeing in a new area．

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}．There arewebsites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel, and byreplying to the advertisement, you can make arrangements to go and look aftertheir home．

        There are some requirements to be a house sitter．You must be atrusted person, so that the home owner knows you will not steal anything．You must beable to go when the house owner wants you to go, so you need lots of free time．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}．You need to begood with pets, able to care for cats and dogs, or other pets they may have．

        Some house sitting jobs are just for a few days or a couple ofweeks while the house owners have a short holiday．Sometimes itis for much longer．We have hadone house sit for six months, while the home owner travelled to Europe．

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you can travel to many differentcountries and stay there．One of theimportant things to get is references from the home owners where you havestayed． A reference is a written letter to say that you are trustworthyand have looked after their home well．You can showthese letters to possible house sitting jobs and they know you will do a goodjob．

A．I have donehouse sitting many times．

B．Thousands ofpeople do this all the time．

C．It is alsopossible to do house sitting in other countries．

D．Generally youhave many opportunities to get a house sitting job．

E．You must takea little care over what your description says about you．

F．This is aninternational house sitting service for all city and country areas．

G．Youmust have a good car, so you can travel to different parts of the country．

    There are a lot of people who are overweight all over the world. What causes obesity? If you get the gene(基因), well, probably you are going to be a few more pounds heavier compared to the rest of your classmates or friends. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Obesity can not only make a person look heavy, and not in the usual sense of being handsome, but can also lead to serious health conditions and life-threatening diseases.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Indeed, junk food has been blamed for the prevalence(流行）of obesity. It is called junk food, because hamburger, pizza and the like contain high calories. If you eat a Big Mac (a super hamburger), an order of large fries, and a large Coke, you will need to walk non-stop for six hours to burn off the calories you have gained. And don't be fooled by soft drinks, which are high in sugar and are a major cause of obesity.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Popular sugary drinks, of course, include Coca Cola, Pepsi(百事) Cola, and many new brands that appear on the market every couple of days.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Just one 20-ounce (about 567g) bottle of soda can have 250 calories, which are equal to more than 16 teaspoons of added sugars. Even a lemon-flavored iced tea can have 210 calories.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Next time, when you are ready to eat that huge Mac and to drink that two-liter bottle of Pepsi, probably it's a good idea to give it a second thought.

A. Obesity is more common in women than men.

B. Most people don't realize how easy it is to gain weight from drink sugar-sweetened beverages(饮料)

C. When we talk about obesity, the first thought that comes to mind is: junk food.

D. The unburnt calories will put weight on you.

E. Keeping healthy is our own responsibility.

F. Because of their high content of sugar, soft drinks are also called sugary drinks.

G. However, the most common cause of obesity is eating too much, especially too much junk food.

                                                                                Avoid Internet Addiction

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many people suffer from addition to the Internet and have a hard time paying attention to the important things around them. How can we prevent ourselves from going online too much?

    Admit you have an addition. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Realize more and more people in the world are becoming addicted. You are not the only one with this problem. Do not be embarrassed; find others with the same problem and help each other beat it.

    Limit your computer time. Make sure not to turn it on too many times a week. Before using your computer, decide on a time limit such as 30 minutes. Set the clock and make sure that you get off the computer when the time is up. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Try using the computer at the library. You won't be as attracted to look at certain websites and they do have a limit on how long you can stay online. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} . So you won't be as attracted to be on the Internet as at home.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Go for a run with a friend or get exercise some other way. Keep up with the local events in your neighborhood. There may be talks, films, concerts and sports events etc. Find some, as long as it is not on the Internet, and get involved.

A. Get a hobby or an interest.

B. There is no use avoiding the truth.

C. Internet addition affects a lot of people.

D. You will be happier if you use the Internet less.

E. Try to reduce the amount of time by 5 minutes each time.

F. Get your family to remind you if you've been on a long time.

G. Also, it is a good place to get some good books and magazines to read.

Tips to Be an Expert at Managing Your Time

    Do you have too much to do and too little time? Of course! Actually, it's the biggest problem facing most people today. The key to becoming more efficient is the ability to set priorities (优先顺序) and focus on one task at a time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Learn from the experts.

    If you want to be a big success in any area, find out what other successful people in that area are doing. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} And do the same things until you get the same results.

    Be open to new ideas.

    The most foolish person of all is either the person who feels he has no time to learn about time management or, the person, who feels that he already knows all that's needed to know on the subject. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Develop a plan.

    Successful men and women are both effective and efficient. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Develop a plan, then decide what is the most important thing to do and how to do it.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Start with your top tasks. Focusing on your highest­value tasks is the starting point of getting your time under control, though small things are easier and are often more fun than the big, important things.

A. Focus on the key tasks.

B. Start from small things.

C. They do the right things in the right way.

D. But never forget to learn from their failures.

E. However, the truth is that we have much to learn.

F. Study the interviews, speeches, biographies of them.

G. Here are several ways to get organized and get started.

Getting Along Well With Parents

Getting along well with parents is a big problem for most teenagers. Teenagers are gradually getting more mature—or at least they think they are. So they can't wait to get themselves free from their so—called bondage. Their parents are in their 40s and they are annoyed by their aging.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} But people prefer harmony. How can we achieve it? Here are some tips:

    First and foremost, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We can't be sure if we are created by God, yet people worship him, but we are absolutely sure that our parents created us. Isn't a good enough reason why we should respect them?

    What's more,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} We can't just take their payment for granted or become apathetic to their kindness. We are always impressed by strangers' occasional kindness. How can we be insensitive to our parents who worry about us all the time?

    In addition, don't forget to communicate with your parents.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, they may read our private diaries or follow us everywhere even to the bathroom. This will definitely cause strife in the family.

    Last but not the least, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It may be difficult at first, but once you do it, your parents' actions will suddenly be clear.

    If parents and teenagers work a little more we can all get something back.

A. we need to switch places with our parents.

B. As we get older, we begin to realize that our parents are not as perfect as we thought.

C. That's why people say families at this time are a confrontation between adolescence and the climacteric.

D. we must respect our parents from the bottom of our heart.

E. Gradual disappointment with patents is, in some degree, inevitable.

F. If we refuse to communicate with them, parents will fell so frustrated that they will do anything they can to know us.

G. it's important to be grateful to our parents.

    Britain's high streets are dying slowly

    Twenty years ago, the prosperous high street(繁华商业区) was the heart of most cities. It was crowded with customers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Nowadays, high streets are declining, with very few shops and shoppers. With about 14 shops down every day, Britain's high streets are dying little by little. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's fairly easy to understand. To start with, people are spending less because of the economic recession(衰退). On top of that, more and more people are using the Internet to do their shopping. And it is not easy for shopkeepers in the high streets, either. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Finally, there are the out-of-town retail parks with free car parking that sell just about everything at very low prices. What can be done? Prime Minister David Cameron has hired Mary Portas, a British business woman and star of TV show Mary Queen of Shops, to bring some life back into Britain's high streets. She's talked about creating "magnets(磁石)" to attract people back to the centre. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}In one town, a bicycle rickshaw(人力车) service is delivering people's shopping to their homes. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}where children can be cared for while parents are shopping. Members of the public have also voiced their opinions. "My ideal shopping center is one where there's a wide selection of attractive looking shops, with cheap parking and good public transport links," said a 28-year-old man. "I'd like to see Night Shopping evenings where shops are open through to 10 pm or later," said a 22-year-old girl.

A. They have to pay increasing high rents.

B. But he is not the only one to solve the problem.

C. But that's all changed.

D. In another town, they set up night shopping centers,

E. In another town, they set up a nursery,

F. They can make a fortune overnight.

G. Why are high streets in such a desperate situation?