If you need to call your parents but your smartphone(智能手机) is not with you, can you remember their numbers? To remember 11 numbers is not difficult. _______, many of us can't because of the smartphone. What's more, people are not good at giving directions and face-to-face talks because of smartphones. Even when friends are having a meal together, it's common to play with their phones. Smartphones weaken（削弱） our skills in many ways.

    According to a study, Chinese people spend about 170 minutes on their smart phones every day. For students, spending much time on smartphones isn't good for their study. The study shows children who spend more than four hours a day on their phones get much worse grades in school tests than those who play with their phones for 30 minutes.

    It's true that the smartphone makes our lives easier. But many people also think spending too much time on it is bad for their study or work. People are trying to change that.

    People make a new game called Forest. It lets users plant a seed that grows into a tree over the next 30 minutes. During it, users can't use their phones, or the tree will die.

    There is a restaurant in the USA. It gives people a discount(折扣) if they don't play with their smartphones during a meal. Owner Mark Gold said that he hoped it gave people a way to enjoy their meal and talk with friends and family.

    Say the words “reality TV” and the show that comes into most people's minds is Big Brother{#blank#}1{#/blank#} There have been varieties in more than seventy countries. The basic form is simple: put a group of strangers into a house, record everything they do and watch how they live together.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}A similar show, the Real World, was broadcast in 1992 on MTV. But the form really became popular with the success of Big Brother, and it was copied again and again{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For examples, in wife Swap, a mother went to live with a family of strangers and tried to run their home.

    So what makes these shows so attractive? As we all know, living with people you don't know is full of pressures and personality problems are common{#blank#}4{#/blank#} A TV presenter thought it was all about relationships and real people and if you were not interested in reality TV, you were not interested in people.

    But is it healthy to be this interested in other people's private life?{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Not everyone prefers such shows, including the first winner of Big Brother, Bart Spring. He said he wasn't a fan of the programme or of people becoming famous for being stupid.

A. In similar shows, competitors were sent to different places, being with strangers.

B. And what kind of people want to appear in front of TV cameras twenty-four hours a day?

C. Competitors often have to share tasks and this also brings disagreement.

D. Love it or not, the programme is worldwide popular.

E. Actually the idea wasn't original.

    In the Charles E. Johnson Elementary School in New York, there is a special radio. It gives people warnings (警报) about bad weather.

    One day, there came a sound from the radio. This sound brought the piece of news: a heavy storm was coming. William Tomic, principal (校长) of the school, he asked teachers to bring children indoors and put them in a safe place at once.

    Minutes later, the storm came. However, because of the warning of the radio and the quick work of the principal, no one was hurt. “The radio really did work very well. 我们对它的工作感到很高兴,” William Tomic said. “The parents were as well.” The US government hopes there will be more such success stories. It plans to give this kind of radios to all 97, 000 public schools in the country.

    Every year, more than 10,000 big thunderstorms, 2,500 floods, 1,000 tomatoes (龙卷风) and some hurricanes (飓风) take place in the US, so the warning radios are very useful.

    They not only give people warnings about bad weather, but also give warnings about other dangerous things.

    When you speak, write a letter, or make a telephone, your words carry a message. People communicate with words. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears (眼泪) in your eyes tell others that you are sad.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions, You shake your head and people know you are saying "No". You nod and people know you are saying "Yes".

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the door tells you where to go in or out. Have you ever thought that there are a lot of other signs around you and that you receive messages from them all the time? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} An artist can use his drawings to tell about the beautiful mountains, the blue seas and many other thing. A writer writes books to tell you about all the wonderful things in the world and also about people and their ideas.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They can help us lo know what is going on in the world and what other people are thinking about.

A. B. C. D. E.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Wear right clothing. At least, you have to wear a safety helmet.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Avoid speeding. Use a" SpeedLimiter" to control the speed.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Keep a safe distance between you and other riders when using the Segway.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Keep a firm hold on the Segway at all times. Always have both hands holding the handlebar.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Learn how to operate the Segway before using it. Read the user manual carefully.