Strangers under the same roof

Although sometimes it may seem impossible to get along as a family, you can take action     1     (improve) the situation. The key to    2     (keep) the peace is regular and honest communication. When you disagree with your parents, take a minute to calm down and try to understand the situation from their point     3    view. Perhaps they have experienced something similar     4     do not want you to go through the same pain. After you have thought it through, explain your actions and feelings     5    (calm), listen carefully, and address their     6     (concern). Through this kind of healthy discussion, you will learn when to back down and when to ask your parents to relax     7     (they) control.

Just remember that it is completely normal to struggle with the stress that parent-child tensions create, and     8    you and your parents can work together to improve your relationship. The good news is that this     9     (storm) period will not last. Everything will turn out all right in the end, and the changes and challenges of your teenage years     10     (prepare) you for adulthood.

10% of life is made up of what happens to you and 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? Let us use    1    example.

You are having breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. What happens next will    2    (determine)by how you will react.

You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She feels    3    (frighten). You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy concentrating    4    feeling sorry to finish her breakfast and get ready to go to school. She    5    (miss)the bus. You have to drive your daughter to school    6    (you). After a 15-minute delay you arrive at school. And you arrive at the office 20 minutes' time late. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse.

Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Here is    7    could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You     8    (gentle)say, “It's okay, honey you just need to be more careful next time." Grabbing a towel you go upstairs and get your shirt    9    (change). And you come back down in time to see your child getting on the bus. Everything goes well.

Two different scenarios. Both started the same,     10    ended different. Why? Because of how you reacted.

Since a university education in the United States     1    (be)very expensive, most students work in addition to studying. Students     2    (usual)work part-time, but some students take full-time jobs.

A typical job for a student would be working     3    a waiter or waitress. Other typical off-campus jobs would include being a clerk in a store or delivering pizza. Sometimes students also find jobs on campus    4    as cleaning, working in a cafeteria or library or answering telephones. Most student jobs are entry-level and low paying, but have flexible schedule     5    (allow) students to attend classes.

Sometimes students also hold more responsible positions such as managers, or if they are lucky, positions in their area of study,    6     they hope will help them find employment after they graduate. The double     7    (responsible) of working and studying result in a very busy,    8     (stress)life for some students.    9    , it is the only way for many people to finance their college educations. Some Americans believe that the work experience is good for the students     10    (they) since it gives them a taste of “the real world” outside the school.

Many Chinese students in fall，will soon find     1     (they) exposed to traditional Chinese culture. Last month, the Ministry of Education     2     (announce) a new set of curriculum standards(课程标准) for high school students, which will be introduced in the fall semester. One of the big changes is an emphasis on traditional Chinese culture.

According to the new standards, high school students will be requested     3     (read) more classics of ancient China, such as The Analects of Confucius(《论语》)and Mencius(《孟子》), both in     4     outside class. The number of ancient poems or articles     5       are recommended for students to recite will rise from 14 to 72.

Apart from Chinese, other     6     (subject) such as fine arts, music and physical education will also attach more importance     7     traditional Chinese culture. For example, fine arts will include new lessons about Chinese calligraphy and painting.

According to the experts, though the students may be too young to understand some classics, as their life experience       8     (accumulate), they may develop their own understanding of the wisdom     9    (convey) by the classics, which could be     10     (benefit) to their growth.

When making agreements and limits on technology with your children, remember they will feel more willing     1     (follow) the rules when you do, too. Telling your children to avoid screens if you     2     (lose) in one is likely to lead     3     a quarrel. As a parent, it's of     4     (important) to be a good role model for your children in everyday life. Play sports together, have fun in nature and participate in the     5     (activity) they love, to help accept play both inside and outside of your home. When stepping away from technology     6     (become) a family attempt, all family members are     7     (close) connected. They spend quality time with one another,    8         can't be achieved through any screens. In short, teach children to live     9     happy life offline. And just do     10    now!