My name is Ben. My family is a big one. There are     27     people. My grandmother and grandfather were once     28    . They now teach     29     English and Chinese. My father is a doctor. My mother is a nurse. They like their     30    . They work very     31    . My sister and I are students. I study at No. 1 Middle School. I like     32    . My sister’s name is Mary. She is seven. She is at a primary school. My brother’s name is Bill. He is at kindergarten.

Nine Square Diary（九宫格日记）is a new kind of diary. This is a page from Tiffany a middle school student.

Goodbye in the wild

Humans have many ways to say “hi” and “bye”. It’s a way to be polite. But did you know that apes (大猩猩) also do this?

According to a new study, we have found this kind of behavior (行为) in animals for the first time. Many animals greet each other, but they don’t say “goodbye” like apes do.

Scientists studied over 1,200 apes. Of course, they don’t say “What’s up?” like we do. They use body language.

For example, they will touch each other or hold hands. They might also butt(顶) heads or just look at each other. They do these things both before and after they spend time together. These greetings will be shorter if the apes already know each other. Humans do this too.

Scientists say that the common ancestors (共同祖先) of apes and humans might have done this as well. Then they passed down the habit to both of us.

Our ape cousins

Apes can do many things just like us. Here’s a list of some of their “human” behaviors.

Make tools (工具) to help them finish tasks

Eat junk food (垃圾食品) when they’re unhappy

Recognize (识别) faces

Beg for food

Laugh out loud

According to National Geographic（国家地理杂志）, there are 5. 52 trillion pieces of plastic rubbish floating in the sea.

Sea animals have trouble telling the difference between plastic and food-especially if they are similar（相似）in_______ or shape. Lots of whales, turtles, sea birds and other creatures die after _______ the plastic items.

You can help reduce the amount of plastic in the oceans with _______easy changes.

*Carry a reusable bottle instead of buying single-use plastic bottles.

* Don't use plastic straws. If you ________using a straw, choose one that is metal or glass.

* Use a reusable shopping bag instead of getting a_________plastic bag when you buy something.

* Always recycle plastic instead of throwing it in the rubbish bin.

Even if you recycle plastic products, there still a chance they will end up in the ocean. Plastic that looks like a ring should be cut so that animals won't get caught in it.

What would people like to eat on their birthday? The answer would be different in different countries.

In many countries, people have birthday cakes with candles. The number of candles is the person's a_______. The birthday person must make a wish. If he or she b________ out all the candles in one go（一口气）, the wish will come true. In the UK, people sometimes put a candy in a birthday cake. The child with the candy is l_________

In China, it is getting popular to have cake on your birthday. But many people still eat very long noodles for their birthday. They n_______ cut up the noodles because the long noodles are symbols of long life. In some places, Chinese people also eat eggs on their birthday. They are a symbol of life and good luck.

All of these birthday foods may be different, but the ideas are the s________. They bring good luck to the birthday person.