1 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

2 . Hey! You have a hairless spot on the back of your head! " Mom’s alarmed cry hit me like a shock.

I tried to shrug it off. “It’ll grow back.” I worked to sound________.

At first, the loss was minimal. ________the spot with my fingers became the top priority every day. No new hair, smooth as an egg. Weeks later, the spot was a little larger and there was still no________ of any hair poking through the skin. I began to________but continued to try to be cool about it.

As days went by, my hair started to fall faster and more. ________my fingers through it, I would stare at the alarming quantity of hair in my hands, wiling this to________happening to me.

We went to see a doctor, who diagnosed my condition as alopecia (脱发症) . He recommended an injection to try, which would be________to the head skin. I underwent several costly injections over a few months, but in vain.

________the injection began to trouble my sleep, and we finally had to stop the________My hair still didn’t grow back.

I had to wear a wig to school every day, worried it might slip one day and that everything would________Though aware that I should________the fact to my friends, I was scared, not knowing how they would handle the information. ________ hesitantly, I told them what was happening after days of struggle. To my surprise, they all thought nothing of it. This was a(n) ________for me.

I came to realize that what had happened was not my fault, and not something I should feel________of. I am learning that being bald doesn’t change who I am, and if I don’t let it affect my self ________then other people are much more likely to accept me as I am, too.

3 . The cost-of-living crisis will hit, us hard with rising energy prices and increasing costs. However, things aren’t totally hopeless.    1    

Accountability (责任心)

The cost-of-living crisis will force us all to prioritize what we spend money on.     2     If you need more discipline in this area, a responsible partner or group might be the answer. According to productivity experts, you are more likely to stay responsible for your goals if you know you have to periodically check in with another person.

Item exchanging

We generally tend to spend more in the cold months. And when you have an entire household of people to provide for, the cost can quickly add up. So imagine how much money you could save by acquiring some items without spending an extra penny. Don’t be shy about asking those you are closest to if they have an extra blanket they no longer use, or a toy they are about to get rid of.     3     Besides, you’ll be offering something in return.

Information sharing

The best thing about a community is the wealth of knowledge. You might not inherit a pair of shoes or a cardigan, but you could get essential money-saving advice. From the latest government support available to where to shop for reduced items, those in your community may hold the key to crucial financial help.     4       

Cooking together

Banding with your closest friends or neighbors to prepare and share meals works well for small communities.

    5     You can simply batch cook, divide the food into portions and meet weekly exchange meals. In this case, you stand to save money and minimize waste in the long run. It’s also a lot of fun.

4 . Recent the news a school in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, serves pre-made meals to its students have sparked heated discussions across the country. People doubt if pre-made meals, despite being convenient, are healthy and nutritious enough for growing teenagers.

Pre-made meals refer to half-finished or finished dishes that are already cooked or prepared, according to the China Cuisine Association. There are several types of pre-made foods, including ready-to-eat food, such as canned food or cooked food in packages, and ready-to-heat or ready-to-cook food, which requires heating or cooking before being served.

Many people tend to think that ready-to-heat and ready-to-cook foods are less nutritious because they usually need to be kept in refrigerators. “Actually freezing does not cause a loss of nutrients,” Liu Junya, a 33-year-old dietitian in Beijing said. “Nutrient loss typically occurs during the heating or frying process.”

Vitamins from the B group and vitamin C found in meat and vegetables are heat-sensitive and can be lost during the process. By being heated or cooked twice or more, “pre-made foods can be less nutritious than freshly prepared and cooked foods,” Liu said.

Meanwhile, “many pre-made food companies prioritize taste over nutrition,” said Liu. This leads to higher levels of salt and sugar in the food, which may lead to health problems, such as high blood pressure in the long term.

Additives (添加剂) are also a major concern related to pre-made food. In China, there are strict standards for food additives. Currently, China’s food industry has well-developed techniques to preserve pre-made food without the excessive use of additives. Some food can be sterilized (消毒) and then sealed (密封) after cooking, followed by low-temperature storage, allowing for a longer shelf life. However, it’s essential that customers buy pre-made meals from qualified food companies or supermarkets.

It is hoped that regulations on pre-made meals can be strengthened to better ensure nutrition and hygiene (卫生). This way, “pre-made meals will be more accepted by the public,” Liu said.

5 . I had never been away from home, at least not for more than three days, much less two whole weeks. When I got the chance to go to Journalism Camp, I was ____. What if I had to go home during camp time because I wouldn’t be able to ____? What if my roommate and I didn’t____? What if I didn’t know how to use a washing machine?

Well, after the first night, nearly all of my____were answered. The students were amazing, and my roommate was____. She always listened to me patiently! The two weeks nearly flew by, and I learned to take____for myself: washing clothes, cleaning and allocating (分配) my weekly pocket money to____it for all meals.

However, in the process I didn’t realize how____I had become to the routine of waking up early, running to get to the newsroom in time, and coming back to a waiting room. On the last day, I couldn’t get myself to____in my room keys. It couldn’t be over. I become emotionally tied really easily, and it was____for me to pull away. I couldn’t ____away my tears.Returning home, I was in the state of ____for a few days. I kept to myself, sleeping through most of the day so I wouldn’t have time to look back.

This was my ____. Yet I needed to get adjusted to life at home again. I had to learn to ____that the camp was over and that not all things ____ forever. I could still keep in touch with my new friends and look forward to other experiences I will have.

6 . What is the happiest age? An evaluation of over 400 samples shows how subjective well-being develops over the course of a lifespan.

In their study, the researchers examined trends in subjective well-being over the lifespan based on 443 samples from longitudinal (纵向的) studies with a total of 460, 902 participants. “We focused on changes in three central components of subjective well-being: life satisfaction, positive emotional states and negative emotional states,” explains Professor Susanne Büeker, who initially worked on the study in Bochum.

The findings show that life satisfaction decreased between the ages of 9 and 16, then increased slightly until the age of 70, and then decreased once again until the age of 96. Positive emotional states showed a general decline from age 9 to age 94, while negative emotional states waved slightly between ages 9 and 22, then declined until age 60 and then increased once again.

The researchers owe the slight decline in life satisfaction between the ages of 9 and 16 to, for example, changes in the body and in the social life that take place during puberty (青春期). Satisfaction rises again from young adulthood onwards. Positive feelings tend to decrease from childhood to late adulthood.

In very late adulthood, all components of subjective well-being tended to worsen rather than improve. “This could be related to the fact that in very old people, physical performance and social contacts decrease, and health often deteriorates, not least because their peers pass away, ”guess the researchers.

The study highlights the need to consider and promote subjective well-being with its various components across the lifespan, as the authors of the study conclude. Their findings could provide significant guidance for the development of intervention programs, especially those aimed at maintaining or improving subjective well-being late in life.

Recently, Chinese netizens expressed amazement at a map full of dotted signs. Wu Yunjie is the map maker, who is     1     (passion) about cultural relics. Clearly marking the country’s historic sites was once his pursuit, and now with perseverance and commitments     2     (come) the great moment he looks forward to.

In 2020, Wu started collecting information. Many historical sites cannot be located     3     (specific) and some information is not fully disclosed, for     4     he spent much time carrying out on-site visits.

Though facing difficulties, Wu has joy in this job. Now, the map includes nearly 10,000 historical landmarks using different colors     5     (represent) different categories: Red signs show the cultural relic sites under state protection, while green signs stand for the     6     ( protect) historical sites by the provinces. Scattered like stars in the sky and     7     (tower) on the ground, numerous ancient tall architectures are also marked on the map.

The cultural relics recorded on the map account     8     less than 2% of the over 760,000 immovable cultural relics. “If possible, I’d like to document many cultural relics that     9     (lose) overseas for such a long time. Those treasures may not be able to return to their homeland at the moment,     10     the stories they carry are what we need to see.”