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 is 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?

    I was happy in those days before I started going to school. Because I had good neighbors to play with. I played with them from morning to evening. We played games outdoors, dressed up as cowboys and rode around on our tricycles(三轮车) happily.

    At the age of five, I had to go to kindergarten(幼儿园) and it was quite hard for me at first. I felt very sad about having to leave my mother each morning. I cried and wanted my mother around. As the days went by, however, I made friends easily in my class. I became happy again and looked forward to leaving my house each morning.

    I still remember those days when I was learning to ride a bicycle. I fell several times but I never gave up. Finally, I was able to join my friends riding around on my bike.

    Another memory I like is the end-of-year concert held at the kindergarten. I was chosen to play the role of Jack in the play, Jack and the Magic Beans. I became the superstar that night and received praise for my performance.

    What a wonderful childhood I had! At times I really wish I could go back to those days.

    Is there a connection between music and language? According to recent studies, the answer is yes: {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here, we look at two examples

    A recent study by researcher Kraus shows that playing a musical instrument can improve a person's hearing ability.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the second group had no musical training. The musicians were able to hear the talking person more clearly.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Think about violinists in an orchestra (管弦乐团). When the violinists play with the group, they hear their own instrument and many others, too. But the violinists must listen closely to what they are playing, and pay no attention to the other sounds. In this way, musicians are able to focus on certain sounds, even in a room with lots of noise.

    Schlaug, a doctor at Harvard Medical School, works with stroke (中风) patients. Because of their illness, these people cannot say their names, addresses, or other information normally. However, they can still sing.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Why does this work? Schlaug isn't sure. Music seems to make different parts of the brain work, including the damaged (损坏的) parts. This might help patients to use that part of the brain again.

    Music improves concentration (注意力), memory, listening skills, and our overall language abilities.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Playing an instrument or singing can help us do better in school and keep our brain sharp (敏锐的) as we get older. Music is not only enjoyable, it's also good for us in many other ways.

    We should not use more water than we actually need. If we do, we will not have enough water in the future.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It is not a difficult question to answer. If we remove more fresh water than nature replaces, we have taken too much.

    Many cities run campaigns (运动) to get people to stop wasting water. They show them ways they can cut back on water use.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}What's more, they carry out programs that offer money to reduce water use. For example, they give people shower heads and toilets that use less water.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Another threat (威胁) to our water supply is pollution. When our sources of fresh water get polluted, we can no longer use this water. This also endangers (危及) the animals that depend on the water.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}We can save lots of water by not letting taps (水龙头) run while we brush our teeth or by turning off taps right after washing hands. By collecting cold water when we're taking warm showers, we can also save water.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}In this way, we can make full use of water.