The art of growing dwarf trees, or "bonsai"（盆景） as their Japanese planters call them, is increasing in popularity in the United States. Growing bonsai can make a fascinating hobby for anyone who enjoys plants and creating beautiful effects with them.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}．

    In growing bonsai, in fact, one must be careful in choosing the type of tree, as the growing conditions are unusual.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}．Varieties of pines with small needles and hardwood trunks are especially suitable.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}This is necessary because the major growth of bonsai is kept confined(被限制) to the tree's trunk and leaves, not its root system-a process quite unlike what is done with other plants.

    Another thing the bonsai-grower must do is to trim （修整） the roots and branches of the tree periodically （定期地）. Unless this is done, the plants will not have the proper proportions(比例) and will look unnatural.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The last thing one must do is to be careful to keep the tree well-watered. Because bonsai are grown in smaller-than-usual containers, they often need more water than ordinary houseplants do.

    As can be seen from the above, the art of bonsai-growing is one which requires a certain amount of time and effort.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Imagine having such a tree in your living room and passing it down through several generations of your family. That is exactly what bonsai-growing is all about: establishing a tradition of beauty which lasts for years and years and is a symbol of the beauties of the natural world.

    It's well-known by all the people to greet friends with a smile and a wave.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, what happens if your face and body send mixed messages? Would someone tend to believe the look on your face or the way you behave?

    Recently, scientists have dealt with these questions. They found that when a person is staring at your face, he might not believe what he sees if your body doesn't match the feeling that your face shows.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Previous study had showed that the tone of a person's voice can be more important than the words spoken. For example, most people are more likely not to believe a person who says in a flat voice, “I'm so excited.”

    When talking about emotions conveyed by facial expressions and body language, most scientists suspected that the face was more important. To test if this was true, psychologists from the Netherlands and Boston showed people a number of pictures of isolated faces and isolated bodies that showed anger or fear.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    An angry face had low eyebrows and tight lips. A frightened face had high eyebrow and a slightly open mouth.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}A scared body had arms forward and shoulders square, as if ready to fight back.

These results told the researchers that mixed messages can confuse people. Even when people pay attention to the face, body language surely influences the emotion they read.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}And if you want to be understood it helps to avoid sending mixed messages.

A. Studying such mixed messages is nothing new for scientists.

B. So, your body language is important for telling people your feelings.

C. Scientists feel new to study the mixed message that puzzles people.

D. An angry body had arms back and shoulders at an angle, as if ready to fight.

E. Body language can sometimes be misunderstood in different culture backgrounds.

F. They also showed pictures where angry or scared faces were paired with angry or scared bodies.

G. When doing this, your face and body work together to show your friends that you are happy to see them.

                                          How to Care for Your Ears?

    Ears not only let us hear, but they also play a role in maintaining our balance, which is vital to our ability to function in daily life. Yet, we ignore them. We can't even see our ears, except in a mirror. We take it for granted what they do for us day in and day out—until we notice something wrong, such as when an earache strikes or when we start having to ask people to repeat what they say.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ◆Clean your ear with a washcloth—covered finger only.

     Never put anything inside your ear canal, including cotton swabs(药签).{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    ◆Leave earwax（耳垢）alone.

    Wax is your ear's way of eliminating（消除）anything foreign that gets into the ear canal.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}If you find you have too much earwax, use a few drops of earwax remover in the canal. After a few minutes, wash the ear with warm water.

    ◆Avoid noisy places.

    Rock concerts and construction sites are just a few places that frequently have noise levels that can damage hearing. Any place where you have to shout to be heard should be avoided.

    ◆{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Be careful not to play MP3 too loud, especially if using earphone.

    ◆Be careful with illness and medications.

    Respiratory（呼吸的）illnesses should be treated to avoid their spread to the ears. Certain medications can damage hearing, so follow the directions carefully before taking them.

    See your doctor if you suffer from sudden hearing loss or hear noises in your head.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Turn the volume(音量) down.

B. Avoid using earphones while listening to MP3.

C. In such case, go to see a doctor as soon as possible.

D. This article will show you how to care for your ears.

E. Most people don't need to clean wax out of their ears.

F. Your ear canal is very narrow and a swab can damage it.

G. These can be symptoms of a serious illness which needs to be treated.

    Culture means any human behavior that is learned in human society. All of the meaningful parts of a culture are passed on to different generations through tradition or social learning. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Culture exists in agricultural as well as industrialized societies.

    Culture is necessary for the survival and existence of human beings as human beings. Practically everything humans know, think, value, feel, and do is learned through taking part in a sociocultural system.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Here is one of the cases of children growing up apart from human society. In the province of Midnapore in India, the director of a children's home was told by local villagers that there were “ghosts” in the forest. Upon looking into the case, the director found that two children, one about eight years old and the other about six years old, appeared to have been living with a pack of wolves in the forest {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In his diary, the director describes his first view of Kamala (as the older child was named) and Amala (the name given to the younger child):

    Kamal was a terrible-looking being, the head, a big ball of something covering the shoulders.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Their eyes were bright and sharp, unlike human eyes. They were very fond of raw meat and raw milk. Gradually, as they got stronger, they began going on all fours, and afterwards began to run on all fours, just like squirrels.

    Children learn human language in the same way they learn other kinds of human behavior—by taking part in a cultural community.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. From this viewpoint, all human groups have a culture.

B. Close at its heels there came another terrible creature exactly like the first, but smaller in size.

C. Human beings can only develop human abilities by the local people.

D. This statement is well supported by some well-written cases.

E. These children were the ghosts described by the local people.

F. Culture refers only to the high art and classical music of a particular society.

G. They learn a certain human language as well as certain kinds of human behavior through their membership in a certain cultural community.

When to Say “No” to Antibiotics (抗生素)

    Although they know that antibiotics kill only bacteria but not viruses and the obvious risk of antibiotic overuse to personal health, many doctors still use antibiotics when the drugs are not necessary. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In some serious cases, the patients with them failed to respond to any medical treatment and died within days. Therefore, several medical organizations have tried to correct antibiotic misuse by explaining when the drugs are not needed.

    Ear Diseases

Earaches account for over half of ear related diseases for children. Most earaches gradually heal with no antibiotic in days, especially in children two and older. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In severe cases or when children under two years old experience moderate to severe pain, antibiotics might be required.

    Eye Diseases

    Doctors often use antibiotic eye drops after treating related diseases. Macular Degeneration, for example, is an eye disease generally treated with injections or laser operation. But those drops are rarely needed after such procedures and can even damage patients' eyes.

    Lung Diseases

    For older patients, particularly those who live in long-term care centers, doctors need to use antibiotics when a routine test finds bacteria in lung. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Throat Diseases

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Therefore, antibiotics shouldn't be widely used in treatments for such diseases. Only less than one third of strep throats are bacterial. If you suspect bacterial throat, get tested to find out for sure.

    Another report, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also indicates that antibiotic misuse affects at least two million people annually, killing more than 23,000. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Therefore, health experts urge all doctors in practice to follow the above instructions.

A. Most throat diseases are caused by viruses.

B. Just wait two days to see if symptoms disappear.

C. But if the result proves normal, the drugs won't help.

D. In this case, antibiotics are the most effective for the old.

E. Most doctors already know it, so they say no to antibiotics.

F. Under such circumstances, limiting antibiotic misuse is a must.

G. This may develop the “superbugs”, which can't be easily controlled.

    Word travels quickly in the small fishing village of Port Washington, Wisconsin. So when Mardy McGarry wanted to build a playground for kids with special needs, she knew it wouldn't take long to create interest in the project. But she never expected that a third of the town people would join in it.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    "A lot of learning comes through play," says McGarry, a special education teacher for 28 years. She'd seen the wood chips and sand of traditional playgrounds stop wheelchairs dead in their tracks.

    When a piece of land became available, the city council agreed to choose a part for a playground.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}She asked classrooms of kids for their wish list. She also asked experts for help. And she brought on board her friend Sue Mayer, whose eight-year-old son, Sam, has a serious disease.

    Her Kiwanis Club chapter came through with $ 7,000, and that's when the grassroots movement really got started. One woman gave $ 25,000 and had her company donate the same amount.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}There were silent auctions(拍卖) and T-shirt sales. The local Pieper Family Foundation offered to donate half of the remaining $170,000 balance if McGarry could raise the rest. The $ 450,000 covered materials, but the actual construction would cost an additional $ 900,000. Not a choice. But the community could build it.

    On September 16, 2008, the first day of construction, they came. Two women heard about the project on the radio on the way to work and took the day off to help.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Ten-year-olds sanded surfaces.

    Today, Possibility Playground is one of the most popular destinations in Ozaukee County. There's a giant pirate ship, a rock-climbing wall, high and low rings, monkey bars, sandboxes, swings, slides, bridges and so on.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}It's exactly what McGarry wanted. People used to ask why she wanted to build a playground just for children with disabilities. "They didn't get it. It's only when you build a playground for children with disabilities that you build one for all children," she said.

A. Soon smaller businesses were helping.

B. All children play shoulder to shoulder.

C. But her students were too often left out.

D. Everyone thought it was really a great wonder.

E. A couple in their 80s operated their own trucks.

F. McGarry started researching play equipment and contacting design firms.

G. They rolled up their sleeves and used their weekdays to bring her idea to life.