1 . My grandfather died in 1970, leaving my grandmother living in their old house alone. Shortly after that, we went to the animal shelter and picked out a little dog to accompany Grandma. The dog was named Penny.

Grandma and Penny quickly became very attached (喜爱的) to each other, and that attachment grew much _________as the years passed—they became very _________. When Grandma went to _________, Penny walked along and lay _________ her until she woke up. As Penny aged, she could no longer jump up on the _________ to lie next to Grandma, so she lay on the blanket beside the bed. Grandma never went anywhere without her partner by her side.

The time came when both my grandmother and Penny were becoming _________.Grandma had been sent to hospital several times, and Penny couldn’t _________ around very well. When Grandma was in hospital, Penny would sit at the window _________ out for the car bringing Grandma home and would _________ wait at the door when Grandma came through. Each homecoming was a great meeting again between the two.

On Christmas Day in 1985, Grandma was again taken to the hospital. Penny, __________, sat at the window watching out for the car bringing Grandma home. Two mornings later, I __________ she couldn’t stand and wouldn’t eat. Later, she had difficulty in breathing. I quickly __________ her to the hospital where Grandma stayed to let her see her __________ for the last time. There, as soon as Penny saw Grandma, Penny’s eyes brightened suddenly and then slowly __________. Grandma left this world several hours later.

After fifteen years of loving friendship, Grandma and Penny passed away on the same day. God had it all worked out — Penny was waiting at the door to __________ her when Grandma came home.

3 . China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules limit children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.

Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smartphones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents. Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practice.

There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in ten Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the “irrational fan culture”

Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like Net Ease and Ten cent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction.

A specialist treating Internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video alps such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.

6 . The photographs that Scilla took as a 16-year-old girl on the streets of London in 1955 stayed largely in her album (相册) over the years. Scilla is now 83, and her self-developed black-and-white photos have been brought back to life after they were discovered by a teenage photographer.

Over the past year, Philip Loveday, 16, has been revisiting his grandmother’s path across the capital to carefully rephotograph the pictures. His journey through time with a camera has been especially moving, because his grandmother, Scilla, has Alzheimer’s disease (阿尔茨海默症) and has lost many of her memories.

Philip took new photos that looked like the ones Scilla took long ago, and put them in a new album. Each page of Scilla’s old album was copied and put in the new one, with Philip’s new photos on the opposite pages. Philip’s mother, Catherine Loveday, said Scilla had been happy with the new album, which had “put her back in her shoes” as a teenager.

Philip said his mother showed him the album she had found at her mother’s house. Greatly absorbed in how modern London would compare to the city photographed by his grandmother, Philip and his mother began to make trips into central London. During the trips, they had the idea of retaking the photos.

Some of the places are similar, like Big Ben. Others show how the city has modernized. Unlike Scilla’s view of St. Paul’s Cathedral from the Thames, Philip’s retake has the Millenium Bridge. When Scilla photographed the John Lewis store on Oxford Street, it was a one-storey building — now it has seven floors. Philip had to use his imagination to recreate other sights. Scilla has repeatedly returned to her new album since receiving it. Philip said: “It’s nice for her to see someone taking an interest in those photos and going back over them, and also good for her to connect her past to where we are now.”

7 . Hang your tongue out of your mouth while your eyes look upwards. Breathe loudly and use your hands to pull your head in every way. This is yoga (瑜伽) for your face.

Fumiko Takatsu, creator of the Face Yoga Method, has written six books on face yoga and has been practicing facial exercises for about 15 years. Takatsu, 50, said she came up with the idea of facial exercises after a car accident when she was 35 years old, which left her face out of its proper position. Around the same time, Takatsu said she began to notice signs of aging, but gave up using creams and beauty treatments after they became too expensive.

Koko Hayashi, 39, a face yoga instructor in Los Angeles, said she first heard of face yoga by discovering Takatsu’s work. Hayashi said she had a chin implant (下巴植入体) when she was 27 years old, but took it out because it misshaped her face. “That’s why I’m so interested in more natural beauty instead of plastic surgery (整形手术),” Hayashi said. Like others who practice facial exercises, Hayashi believes it can fix signs of aging and help reduce wrinkles (皱纹).

The question that often pops up when someone mentions face yoga is, “Does it actually work?” A study out of Northwestern University found that the exercises may help middle-aged women.

“This is a pilot study that suggests that there might be some factors of face exercise that can be helpful to at least certain patients in improving certain signs of aging,” said Dr. Murad Alam from Northwestern University.” But we need more studies to better understand exactly how much exercise is necessary to have any benefit, whether it works for men and women of different ages, and then how much exercise is needed to keep that benefit.”

Medical reporter Dr. Jennifer Ashton said that she is not sure whether face yoga works and that any benefits are most likely going to be up to the person trying it. “If you feel better after trying face yoga, it may be something you should keep doing,” she said.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England-many people are confused by what these different names mean. So what is the difference between them, if any? Getting to know a little bit about British history will help you solve this puzzle.

In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, in the 18th century, the country Scotland was joined to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which resulted in the full name we have today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the shortened name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, which means the UK is also often referred to as Britain or Great Britain.

The four countries that belong to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag, known as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and military defence. However, they also have some differences. For example, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different education systems and legal systems. They also have their own traditions, like their own national days and national dishes. And they even have their own football teams for competitions like the World Cup!

The United Kingdom has a long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions. Almost everywhere you go in the UK, you will be surrounded by evidence of four different groups of people who took over at different times throughout history. The first group, the Romans, came in the first century. Some of their great achievements included building towns and roads. Next, the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the fifth century. They introduced the beginnings of the English language, and changed the way people built houses. The Vikings came in the eighth century, left behind lots of new vocabulary, and also the names of many locations across the UK. The last group were the Normans. They conquered England after the well-known Battle of Hastings in the 11th century. They had castles built all around England, and made changes to the legal system. The Normans were French, so many French words slowly entered into the English language.

There is so much more to learn about the interesting history and culture of the United Kingdom. Studying the history of the country will make your visit much more enjoyable. The capital city London is a great place to start, as it is an ancient port city that has a history dating all the way back to Roman times. There are countless historic sites to explore, and lots of museums with ancient relics from all over the UK. The UK is a fascinating mix of history and modern culture, with both new and old traditions. If you keep your eyes open, you will be surprised to find that you can see both its past and its present.

9 . New Jersey Middle School Makes

Students Go Phone­Free

A middle school in Union County, New Jersey, is forcing its students to stay disconnected in class, by prohibiting cellphones. Maxson Middle School Principal Kevin Stansbury put forward the phone ban last week after he noticed some major issues in the school. “Our test scores were down, and discipline was up,” he says. According to him, students were too focused on their phones to pay attention to their lessons. So, he purchased Yondr pouches for the school.

When students come into class each morning, they place their phones in the pouch, which is then locked tightly. So they have no access to phones at all. It can only be opened using a special device at the end of the day. The ban on mobile devices applies not just during class time but during breaks, with the only exceptions being in times of emergency or in cases of students who need such devices to help with disabilities.

Eighth graders who spoke with News 12 NewJersey say that they noticed a change in a matter of hours. “It’s just better for everyone because you’ll understand how it feels to get more work done instead of distracting attention because of the phone,” says student Charlene V. “I was usually listening to music, but today I got to communicate with all my friends,” says student Desiree Duncan.

The program was originally met with resistance from students and parents, so the process was not that smooth. But teachers and administrators say that the program will have a major impact. “Students were talking and laughing and there were no cellphones other than being carried in the pouches,” Stansbury says.

Teacher Nia Cummings says she even noticed students bouncing ideas off each other in class. She says students used to throw in the towel quickly and just rely on their phones to look for answers. She says they now try to figure the answers out themselves. “Everyone is socializing and eating lunch together. That’s what I wasn’t seeing when phone usage was at its worst,” she adds.

Maxson Middle School is currently the only one in the district to use these pouches. Kevin Stansbury also called on all the schools in the community that it’s worth paying close attention to cellphone issues at secondary schools and taking action when necessary.