Teenage life—better now, or in the past?

    Does this situation sound familiar（熟悉）?

    You are complaining（抱怨）to your parents about something. Maybe your computer isn't powerful enough to play the latest games.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.Then you hear…

    “When I was your age, there weren't any computers or video games. And I didn't get a bike until I was sixteen. And it was second-hand.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}”

    So, is it really true that life is better for teenagers now? It is certainly true that many teenagers have got more things nowadays.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}So parents have got more money to spend on each child. And many things are cheaper than they were when our parents were children.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Forty years ago, no one could imagine a world with tiny computers and amazing smartphones. And now these things are necessary—we can't imagine living without them!

    However, technology often means we spend more time at home. And often it's just us, with our computer or television. Teenagers don't do enough exercise.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} And, although young people still get on well with their friends, some people think teenagers today don't have so many social activities as they did in the past.

    What do you think? How is teenage life better these days?

A. And it was too big for me.

B. A typical family is smaller now.

C. Or your friends' bikes are better than yours.

D. So they aren't as healthy as they were in the past.

E. Technology is probably the greatest change in our life.

    Kingston, Jamaica (population 700，000)

    Kingston isn't a beautiful city, but it's very busy and interesting. There are lots of people and lots of cafes(咖啡馆). There are some beautiful places near Kingston—the Blue Mountains and some beautiful beaches. I love it!

    Kingston, England (population 150，000)Kingston is a very busy town. There are a lot of shops and cars, and there's a university with students all over the world! It's a nice place—there's an old square(广场), and it's near the River Thames. There are some beautiful parks, too. Kingston, New Zealand (population 2, 000)Kingston is a small town near Lake Wakatipu in the mountains. It's a really beautiful place, but it's very quiet—there's only one school, one bank and one small supermarket! There's a famous old train there, too.

    A young man entered the last interview of a company. The director learnt that the young man's academic (学业的) grades were very good. "Did you get any scholarships (奖学金) in school?" the director asked. "None." The young man answered. "Did your father pay for your school fees?" the director asked. "My father died when I was one year old, so my mother paid my school fees." The young man answered.

    "Where did your mother work?" the director asked. "My mother washed clothes." The young man said. The director looked at the young man's hands. He had a pair of smooth and perfect hands.

    "Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" the director asked. "Never." The young man answered. "I have a request," the director said. When you go back today, wash your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning."

    The young man felt that his chance of getting the job was high. When he went back. He happily asked his mother to let him wash her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings. She showed her hands to the kid. The young man washed his mother's hands slowly. His tears fell when he did that. It was the first time he had noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled (有皱纹的).He realized it was this pair of hands that helped him pay the fees.

    The next morning, the young man went to the director's office. "I washed my mother's hands, and I know that without my mother, I would not be the person I am today." He said.

    "This is what I am looking for," the director said. "I want a person who can appreciate (感激) the help of others to get things done. You will be a member of our company.

My pet died-how can I feel better?

    Every day when Elena came home from school, her cat Tomaso would run to great her. One day, Elena came home and her cat wasn't there. Her mom said that Tomaso had died.

    Who has pets?

    Millions of people across the world own pets. Maybe you have a pet, and maybe some of your friends do, too. A pet can be a special friend. It can play with you or just be with you when you don't feel like talking.

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    Unluckily, pets can't stay with us forever. Like all living things, they will die at some point. Sometimes a pet dies from old age. Sometimes a pet dies from an accident. Sometimes a pet gets too sick to live.

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    It's sad when a pet dies. You may feel lonely because your pet was your friend. To some kids, it may seem like no one understands what they are feeling. Someone said to Elena," You can get another cat. " But Elena knew she'd never have another cat just like Tomaso.

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    Elena decided to talk with her parents. Elena's parents told her about the pets they used to have and how it was difficult to say goodbye. At first, it can be hard to talk about the pet you're missing. You might want to forget about everything instead. But talking with someone you love is the best way to help you start to feel better.

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    When a pet dies, you and your family may want to find special ways to remember your pet. It can be a big help to share a sad thing with people you love. You might have a ceremony(仪式)for your pet or just share memories of fun times you had together. You might want to tell stories. You could write a poem, too. That's what Elena did.

All Together Now!

    Have you ever heard of homemade music? That's right-homemade music. Music that is made at home can be lots of fun. And all of the family can take part in it. You don't have to have good voices. And you don't need to buy a musical instrument. What a family needs is the willingness to make music.

A singing game my family like is Crazy Voices. Each person sings a different song. But everybody sings at the same time! We do sound a little crazy. But the tunes (曲调) all fit together. Sometimes we get all mixed up. Then we just hum the songs. Or we put our hands over our ears. Then we try it again. And crazy voices fill the air. We really have homemade music when we play the Tap-a-Glass. Why? We make the instrument- that's the Tap-a一Glass. This takes some time. First, we hunt for drinking glasses that have a good ring to them. We tap them with a spoon to find out. We need eight glasses- one for each tone (音调) of the scale. How do we get different tones? By putting different amounts of water in the glasses. The more water, the lower the tone. After a while, we have all eight tones of the scale. Now the Tap-a-Glass is ready. One person takes the spoon and taps out a simple tune. We always give the player time to practice a little bit first. Then we try to guess the name of the song.

    Sometimes we do echo (回声) singing. In echo singing, we sing the same song. We pick a simple tune. One person begins to sing. Then a second person starts-right after the first singer! Sure enough, we have homemade music with a homemade echo!

    My family have fun with homemade music. We enjoy the time being together. Sometimes we get all mixed up. Sometimes we have to stop because we are laughing s0 hard. But more importantly, we can make music ourselves. To us, it sounds great.

    The salmon (大马哈鱼) is a very strange fish. It is born in a river. But the young salmon takes two years to swim down the rivers towards the Pacific Ocean. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Then it returns to the river where it was born. A grown-up salmon weighs about 25 pounds and is nearly three feet long. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When it is almost time to lay eggs，both male and female salmons begin a great journey. Each salmon is heading for the river where it was born. A salmon may be a thousand miles from where its life began. Yet it is able to return to that place.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The salmons are food for some other fish. Some are caught by fishermen. The salmons that are left keep swimming. After they enter the rivers, they head upstream(向上游). If rocks and waterfalls are in their way, the salmons leap(跳) over them. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It leaps by swimming at full speed under water, then rising to the surface. Almost the whole body of a salmon is made of muscles. It is these powerful muscles that make the salmon fit for fast swimming, quick turning, and high leaping out of the water.

    Some salmons reach the river in summer, others in the early autumn. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A.  As the salmons swim, larger fish attack them.

B.   For another two years it lives in the sea and becomes full grown.

C.  They have swum hundreds, even thousands of miles to return.

D.  The female salmon will not lay eggs in the Pacific Ocean.

E.   A salmon can leap up a fall as high as 10 feet.