Many teenagers have hobbies. But sometimes these can _________ in the way of their schoolwork, and parents might worry about their success at school. Teenagers often think they should _________ to practice their hobbies as much as they want. Do you agree?

Liu Yu, a _________ boy from Shandong, is a running star. He is on his school team and has always wanted to be a professional runner when he grows up. However, his parents won’t allow _________ to train so much. “Of course we want to see him _________ his dreams,” says Mr. Liu. “My wife and I have _________ every one of his races. We have nothing against _________! But we think our son needs to think about other possible jobs. He’s getting older now, so he needs to think about what _________ if he doesn’t end up as a professional runner.”

Liu Yu doesn’t really agree. “Well, I think they should allow me to decide for myself.” He says. “My parents have always told me how important it is to work hard at school and enter university. I understand this, but I _________ serious about running. It’s the only thing __________ I’ve ever wanted to do.”

【推荐2】Living in a big family can be both enjoyable and troublesome. DAILY NEWS has interviewed a few teenagers ________ live with their parents and grandparents. Let’s see ________ they think of living in a big family.

Wen Jiayi, 14, Chengdu

Living with my grandparents gives me a chance ________ a better understanding of the meaning of “family”. The time that I spend with my grandparents is usually ________ than the time I spend with my parents. My grandparents and I always have fun together. We get on very well and always show respect ________ each other. We go on walks, chat happily while having lunch, and watch TV together. My grandfather often ________ delicious dishes for our family and I often help my grandmother to buy the food for our dishes. I really enjoy being with my grandparents.

Liu Haoxuan, 13, Beijing

Most of the time, I am happy ________ the idea of living with my grandparents. I think they’re lovely and nice. But sometimes I also feel ________. They may look at some new things with ________ old-fashioned view and try to make me believe that some things are unacceptable. Sometimes it seems really difficult for them ________ what exactly I like. I guess this ________ the “generation gap (代沟)”. However, I don’t mind having disagreements with them. It is part of life, ________ it?

Zheng Yishi, 16, Ohio

I am close to my grandparents, as well as to most of my ________ relatives. Most of my American friends don’t have such close family relations like Chinese people do, ________ I know that some Italian-Americans also have big families. All of the members of an Italian family ________ choose to live on the same street. They prefer to live next to each other. It seems that different cultures have different family traditions and people keep those traditions even after moving to another country.

【推荐3】It was getting dark. Paul looked out of the window and signed (叹气). Dad said he could come home by 5:30, but it was almost 7:00. Even if Dad came back, it wouldn’t be much fun playing baseball in the dark. Paul walked into his room and threw his baseball into the corner. He tried to do some homework, but _______________.

The phone _______at about 8:00. It was Dad: “Paul, I’m sorry , I have to finish my work at the office tonight. Maybe we can play this weekend. Oh no. How about next weekend....”

Paul couldn’t understand why Dad was so busy . He threw himself into the sofa and soon fell asleep. His book_______to the first page.

The next day at school, Paul didn’t hand in his homework . Mrs. Green_______is Paul’s Chinese teacher is careful and asked him to stay after school. “Paul, you didn’t do your homework. This isn’t like you. What’s wrong? “Paul just sat there quietly. “Paul, if you don’t want to talk, I ___________. I know that something’s worrying with you, You need to tell someone.”

As Paul walked home, he thought of what Mrs. Green said. Maybe he didn’t do his homework ___________he wanted to get his dad’s attention . He knew Mrs. Green was right. He decided to take _______________advice.

When Paul got home, he called his dad. But there was no answer. Then it went to voicemail (语音信箱). Paul began talking: “Dad, I can’t play with you next weekend. I’ve got lots of problems _____________my homework. Also, I really don’t want to spend another day ___________out of the window and waiting. Whenever you break our plans, Dad, it hurts me. It ’ s not too late to rebuild our relationship, but we have to start small. Maybe you can help me with my homework sometime. Dad, I love you.”

When Paul ended the call, he felt much relaxed. He didn’t know whether his dad would be different, but it didn’t matter. He himself changed . He expressed his feelings to the right person. He had__________________clear head while he was doing his homework that evening.