East or west, home is the best. However, home can also be a stressful place when heated     1     (argue) and cold silence are in the air.

You might feel anxious when shooting up     2     height compared to your friends, and get worried about other physical changes like weight problems and skin issues. Besides, you might have a desire to be more     3     (independence) and take more responsibilities for yourself. If parents fail to notice your changes and needs, or treat you like a child     4     expect you to act like an adult, you     5     (lose) confidence in yourself, and your relationship can hit a freezing point.

The key to     6     (handle) this situation is sincere and constant communication. It is necessary for you to open your hearts to each other, and talk about your feelings     7     (regular). Remember that it is completely normal     8     (struggle) with the stress that parent－child tensions create, and     9     you and your parents can work together to better your relationship. As Bin Xin said, “Home is the place     10     unhappiness and worries melt away.” Once the stormy period is over, your sweet home will still be your warmest harbor.

Sivert is $1, 800 richer, and all it took was for him to stay away from social media during most of his teenage     1     (year).

When the boy was 12, his mom, Lorna, told him if he didn’t use social media for the next six years, she     2     (give) him $1, 800 on his 18th birthday. Sivert happily accepted the offer. “I thought it was awesome.”

Sivert held up his end of the deal, and on his     3     (eighteen) birthday, his mom presented him with $1, 800.     4     the distraction of social media, Sivert was able to focus more on sports and getting good grades, while also     5     (avoid) “all the unnecessary drama that was on the social media.”

He’s not sure     6     he’ll spend his money on, but Sivert did figure out how to break his social media dry spell: he got an Instagram account. There’s “    7     (definite) a learning curve,” he said. “I see my friends fly through their social media apps and I can’t do that quite yet.”

Lorna is glad her son appears to have     8     “different perspective” on social media. “We are certainly not against social media, but it’s the     9     (health) using of it that matters,” she said. “It’s about not letting yourself get weighed down by it, or     10     (addict) to it, or affected by things that people post.”

If you hand a child some cash and tell him to buy anything he wants at Target, you’d probably expect him to load the cart full of toys and junk food (垃圾食品). But obviously the boy in a video     1     (be) not your average kid!

A group of comedians (喜剧演员) who call     2     (they) “The Pun Show” tried an experiment in     3     they walked up to a child looking at video games in Target. They told him he had three minutes     4     (put) anything he wanted into the cart and it would be free.     5     hesitating, the boy threw the video he’d been looking at— but then things took a turn, which was     6     (unexpected) sweet!

Instead of leading them to the toy shelf, he ran straight to the cleaning, home goods, and baby departments. “The Pun Show” team watched in     7     (amaze) as he filled the cart with necessary household     8     (item), many of which were for a baby. When he     9     (ask) why he chose the items, he simply said, “It’s for my family.” What     10     thoughtful and selfless young man! Watch the video on the Internet to see his kindness in action, and be sure to share this story with your friends.

Miranda did not agree with her friends’ plans to skip school and spend the day at the beach. She did not want to fall behind in her lessons and she did not believe that it     1     (be) an interesting thing to do. To her, not turning up for English meant certain failure     2     the end of the term. She knew that she was not     3     brightest students, but she worked hard and could never     4    (blame) for not trying her best. “It’s not fair,” she said to     5     (she), “I should not be forced to make a decision like this.”

Never before had she been so torn between doing what was right and being accepted by her friends. She didn’t know what to do. Perhaps she could pretend to be sick on the day,     6     that would not be a way     7     (solve) future problems. No, she would just have to tell the group her true feelings. She knew that failure to fall in with the in-crowd almost     8     (certain) meant social failure, but failure to turn up at school on the day could affect her whole school     9     (perform). No, she would just have to risk the anger of her friends. Perhaps this would sort out     10     of them truly were her friends.

The family walked out into the night feeling very     1     (sleep) after being woken by an alarm clock at 2 a. m. We took our chairs     2     were set out on the driveway facing northeast. Leaning (倚靠) back, we allowed our eyes to adjust (适应) to the stars covering the sky.

The Perseid meteor shower (流星雨), one of the greatest shows on earth     3     (be) in progress. We kept our voices very low so as not to disturb the     4     (silent), but every few minutes someone would cry out, “Ohhhh... there’s another one!” or “Did you see that one?”

We felt lucky to have such     5       front row seat to the sight of so many shooting stars with each affording the opportunity     6     (make) a wish.

In a soft voice I whispered to Elise, my 8-year-old great-niece: “     7     you are older and perhaps a mother yourself, and you are watching the shooting stars with your children, think of your loved ones looking down from the heavens,     8     (smile) and sending wave of light. ”

We’ve been hosting and will continue to host visiting family     9     (member) for the next few weeks. As the meteor shower     10     (slow) disappears, we will keep the star-seats ready. Who knows who might want to say hello?

My best friend and I have been close for eight years. When I was a primary school student, she was the popular girl     1     was willing to make friends with me. Since then, a close friendship     2     (grow) between us. But last Saturday, she     3     (break) my heart, and I’m still picking up the pieces.

Our     4     (origin) plan was to see a film at the cinema that afternoon. But in the morning, my friend posted a message on social media     5     (say) she had a cold. When I called her, she said she might not be able to make     6     to the cinema. “Don’t worry,” I said. “Get some rest. We can wait till you get better.”

Today, however, I received a horrible surprise. A classmate told me she had seen my friend     7     (chat) with another girl in a café on Saturday afternoon. How stupid I was! My     8     (friend) “illness” was a complete lie! Instead of recovering at home, she was out having fun     9     someone else.

I was so angry that I avoided her during school all day, and I still don’t feel like responding to any of her online messages. The stress of this situation is killing me, and I’m at a loss     10     to do next.