3 . A taboo (禁忌) is a social action that is not allowed. Every culture in the world has ______(it) own taboos. The breaking of a taboo sometimes makes people feel __________ (comfortable).   I learned this through my own experience.

Last weekend, Wang Lin and I showed two___________ (foreign) around our city. Mr. Singh was from India and Mr. White from the USA. When I   ___________ (hold) out my left hand to shake hands with Mr. Singh, he seemed to be unhappy. Mr. White, ___________, was quite casual. He said hello to me with a big smile and a wave of his hand.

In the evening, we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. I noticed that Mr. Singh didn’t touch the beef and Mr. White seemed not   __________ (like) chickens’ claws (鸡爪). During the meal, Wang Lin said sorry to Mr. Singh and continued __________ (explain) that we didn’t know it was a taboo in India to shake one’s left hand. Mr. Singh explained that ____________ oxen are sacred (神圣的) in India, people don’t eat beef there. Mr. White joined in and said that ___________ was not usual in the USA for people to eat chickens’ claws. He went on to say that   Americans don’t usually get into each other’s_________ （person）space. Isn’t it a good lesson that needs remembering?

4 . This fall, Apple will roll out its newest update. It will offer parents greater control over content their kid views. Additionally, it will track the amount of time they spend using an iOS device. Following Google’s lead to deal with smart phone addiction (上瘾), new tools will include increased monitoring, usage time and activity reports.

Currently, Apple’s parental controls only allow for limiting usage of adult apps, music and video. There is growing public concern over unlimited exposure to social media for young people. Smartphone addiction combined with increased rates of distraction, suicide, and depression in teens led Apple to respond. It has developed better tools for monitoring content and control over iOS device usage for parents. For moms and dads looking to more effectively manage how their teen accesses   iOS devices, the Screen Time, App Limits, and Down Time features will be of particular help.

Screen Time will generate daily and weekly reports detailing how many times users pick up their devices, the categories of apps and websites they use most often and the amount of time they spend interacting with each app.

According to public statements, Apple intends these reports to help users get a greater understanding of how they use their devices. They’re also intended to assist in making personal decisions about controls they’d like to have. This is especially helpful to parents who aren’t privy(准许知情) to specific apps and websites their kid is using or how long they use them each day. The new App Limits feature allows parents to set limits on time spent on websites, apps or a category of apps.

Also, parents will be able to set time periods for their child’s phone to be powered off. Down Time can be scheduled on devices. Parents can specify which apps can and can’t be used and when. If parents want to limit access to an entire category of apps, such as social media or gaming, during specified time periods for things like homework, diner, or bedtime, they can.

The new parental controls are account-based. Parents can access Screen Time to view reports and set limits on their teen’s device remotely (远程地) via devices connected through Family Sharing or directly from their teen’s device.

Totals for settings, usage reports, and limits set are based on usage across all of a users IOS devices. Thus, if a kid uses multiple iOS devices, he or she will reach a time limit on an app on their iPhone. The app will be inaccessible on their iPad as well. A screen notification will appear when a child is about to reach a time limit. The child can request more time from a parent.

This update is good news for those who wish to have better insight into teen smartphone usage. Parents, however, should keep communicating rules and guidelines for healthy tech habits.

Many couples who already have one healthy, happy child, are facing a dilemma(困境), that is, the issue of whether to have a second child or not. They have hard jobs and limited time and money, but they want to make sure that their only child does not become a lonely child. So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of having a second child? That is what so many couples are very much concerned about and eager to understand.

One popular saying is that one child means a lonely child. That's why many single- child parents plan to have a second child. They feel guilty about their decision to have only one child, because there are no other children in the family for their only child to play with, which may make the child feel lonely at times, especially during vacations.

Another common argument against having just one child is that an only child may be more spoiled than one with brothers or sisters. If one couple have only one child, the child can't learn to share things with others and is less capable of getting along well with other children than one who grows up with brothers or sisters.

However, in many parts of the world, more and more parents are still choosing not to have a second child because they argue that there are advantages for the child as well as the parents. With just one child, they suggest, there is little chance of family arguments concerned with children. Besides, as an only child in the family, the child can receive more quality time and attention. This often leads to increased self-respect and independence, which can lead to the child being more confident.

Unluckily, there is no simple answer to the question of whether or not to have a second child. Every family is different, and what is suitable for one family may not be for another. The important thing, in the end, is to make a decision that both you and your spouse(配偶)feel confident about.

If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they will become weak. When you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way.

When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.

If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us may think that his parents are to blame. Few of us know that it is just his own fault. Have you ever found that some people can't read or write, but they usually have better memories? This is because they can't read or write and they can’t write things down in a small notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories. In this way their memory is the whole time being exercised. So if you want to have a good memory, practice remembering things in a way as other people do.

9 . According to a 2010 report, up to 14 million tons of plastic from 192 nations went into the sea that year. That's more than twice the weight of the Pyramid of Khufu (胡夫金字塔). Plastics stay forever in landills, waterways and the oceans, and sea animals. An amount of (大量的) plastic is harmful to sea animals. Much plastic trash is washed up on the shore, which does harm to the environment.

Angela Haseltine Pozzi didn't like seeing that on the beach near her home in Bandon. She wanted to call on her community to clean it up. So she started an organization called Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea. Since 2010, more than 10.000 vonlunteers have collected 21 tons of trush from Oregon's 482 kilometers of shoreline. Using plastic from the beach cleanup, Ms. Pozzi and her staff and many volunteers create sculptures of sea animals.

Ms. Pozzi gives credit to everyone who helps. However little it is, their effort is highly thought of. Some people have picked up the plastic, and others have sorted the items by color. Still others have washed each piece of plastic trash. Ms. Pozzi is responsible for the detail work. More than 70 works of art have been created. Four travelling exhibits have displayed the sculptures in more than 18 places. Most sculptures are about 19 feet tall and take from six months to a year to complete. One of the first is Henry the Giant Fish, a 15-foot-long fish made of used bottle caps, toys and lighters, which received a great honor.

The Washed Ashore sculptures, hopefully, will make people aware of how so much plastic ends up in the oceans. Now, the Washed Ashore team is working on a sculpture of a dolphin, with plans for more sculptures. "Until we run out of plastic on the beach, the work will continue." Ms. Porzzi says.