How are American families different from Chinese families?

In some ways, American families are very different from Chinese ones, and in other ways, they are ________ American families, for example, enjoy family dinners, support and love each other just as Chinese families ________. The differences come from culture, however. Many Chinese students are ________ to learn that American teenagers are allowed to make many decisions on their own, and that parents want their children to ________ home at eighteen.

In most American families, children are encouraged to make their own choices ________ a young age. They start with small choices and gradually ________ ones until they graduate from high school. That is when they face the biggest decision of their lives: ________ to do next. Parents and family will help with the choice, but the children themselves make the final decision.

Americans ________ move back into family homes when they get older. Instead, they prefer to have their own ________ for as long as possible. It is important to remember that these are cultural differences, and that Americans see this as ________ of the culture.

When I was walking down the street the other day, I found a small bag on the ground. I picked it up and opened it to see if I could find out the owner’s name. There was nothing inside it except （除了）some dollars and an old photo—a picture of a woman and a young girl about twelve years old. I put the photo back and took the bag to the police station. Before I left, the policeman wrote down my name and address. He thought the owner might want to thank me.

That evening I went to have dinner with my aunt and uncle. They had also asked a young woman to have dinner with us. Her face was familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen her. During our talk, the young woman happened to say that she had lost her bag that afternoon. All at once I remembered where I had seen her. She was the young girl in the photo, though she was now much older. She was very surprised, of course, when I told her about the bag.

After dinner we went to the police station and she got back her bag. The policeman said to me, “It’s a wonderful thing. You not only found the bag, but also the owner of the bag. ”

“Tom? Are you in bed yet?” called Mrs. White. There was no answer. Mrs. White put down her book and went to her 14-year-old son’s room. Tom was sitting in front of a bright computer screen on which a motorbike was running fast.

“Oh, Tom. You’re still playing that computer game. You must stop now, because it’s half past eleven. If you don’t go to bed soon, you’ll be very tired tomorrow. ” said Mrs. White.

“But I’ve nearly won the game. ” Tom said to Mrs. White. She could see the excitement on his face. She sat down beside him.

“You’re always playing on the computer. You spend more time on this machine than on your homework. ”

Today more and more families have computers. Parents hope computers can help their children improve their study at school. But many of their children use computers to play games and watch videos instead of studying. We often see that computer net bars are crowded with people, especially young boys. They spend a lot of money competing (竞争) with thecomputerized (用计算机控制的) machines. The more they lose, the more they want to win. The result is that they don’t want to work or study. In some countries, even scientists hate computers. They say computers cause millions of people to lose their jobs or cause them a lot of trouble. Computer game addiction (瘾) is a serious problem in social (社会的) life. Something should have to be done to solve the problem.

Music is an important part of my life. Recently, it’s been my pleasure to listen to many different kinds of English-language music. What kind of music do you like best? Jazz, country or rock?

(A) 我最喜欢乡村音乐是因为它很易学. It first became popular in the southern part of the United States in the 1920s. This kind of music shows us the unique attitude that Americans hold toward life. Country music is like a kind of pop music with American characteristics.

Listening to songs(B) ________ English can cultivate (培养) our knowledge of the English language. I always take notes about the lyrics (歌词) while listening to English-language songs. For example, my favorite song is Taylor Swift’s Sweeter Than Fiction, which was first released in 2013. The song is about the rise-to-fame story of Paul Potts, who won Britain’s Got Talent (《英国达人》) in 2007. Its lyrics are very inspiring (鼓舞人心的). I wrote them down to motivate (激励)(C) ________. By listening to this song, I can remind myself to follow my dreams. If I never give up, they will come true some day. I once copied the lyrics of the song Dream It Possible and sent them to one of my best friends who had failed an important exam. I believe everyone can benefit (获益) from listening to music.

(D) When I’m listening to music, I write down new words, remember their pronunciation and spell them over and over again. In this way, I have expanded my vocabulary. More importantly, (E) listening to English-language music has further developed my interest in learning English. It has helped me (F) a lot.