It is said that about half of the people in China smoke. Many young boys and girls have the habit of     1     (smoke), though they are middle school students.

More and more people have come to realize     2     serious this problem is. But they are never bored with it. Some people think it is a kind of fashion; some think it is of great fun     3     others think that smoking can refresh     4     (they).

Smoking causes many     5     (illness). A lot of people always cough because of smoking. The most serious illness     6     (cause) by smoking is lung cancer. At the same time smoking is a waste     7     money. Besides, careless smokers may cause     8     (danger) fires.

As we all know, smoking     9     (do) great harm to human beings. In order     10       (keep) healthy, we should get rid of the bad habit of smoking. Please stop smoking at once.

4 . As in other countries, road safety is always a concern in America. Studies show that in 2022, 7,485 pedestrians (行人) were killed by vehicles in the U.S. That’s an increase of more than 65% since 2012. Even during COVID-19, when fewer people were driving, more pedestrians were hit and more died.

Researchers found that drivers took advantage of empty streets and pay little attention to traffic rules. Another factor is the increasing popularity of SUVs, pickups (皮卡) and vans. These kinds of vehicles are up to three times more dangerous than smaller cars when hit pedestrians. The more fault drivers believe they could bear for the hitting, the more likely they are to leave without giving any help. Younger male drivers are more likely to run away. So are those who get drunken or lack a driving license. Other factors include the age of the victim, as children and elderly people are less likely to be left alone. Also, with more witnesses around, the drivers are less likely to hit and run.

In the U.S. drivers run away from serious crashes with pedestrians about 20% of the time, and the rate is very different among different states.

In 2020, 6,519 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. Speeding driving were a major cause. While Florida “wins” the least number of deaths caused by speeding. These following states were reported to have the most dangerous road accidents.

Ten most dangerous states for pedestrians

5 . Imunek narrowly avoided a disaster last year. At that time, Imunek already had a 1 year old and was eight months pregnant with her second kid. She was still working her job as a bus driver for local ________.

The day was fairly ________ until a strange smell began to fill the ________. “I had the driver window down and thought the ________ was coming from another car at first, but then smoke ________ coming through my heater, so I ________,” Imunek recalled.

She ________ to use her radio phone to discuss the problem, but it didn’t take long for her to ________ that she didn’t have time for a ________. Instead, she gathered the 37 kids she ________, ranging from primary to high school, and got them off the bus as quickly and ________ as possible. Fifteen to thirty seconds after the ________ child got off the bus, the bus was on fire.

Although Imunek breathed in a good amount of smoke, she and her baby were found to be ________, as were all the children on her bus. To express their ________, all of the children’s parents wrote thank you notes for the ________ bus driver.

6 . With video meetings, taking selfies (自拍) and posting on social media, it’s easier to see one’s own image online. And for some people, this can lead to feelings of appearance dissatisfaction. In the past few years, screen time has increased for both adults and children. What’s worse, recent research suggests that the video and photo images we see of ourselves are distorted (扭曲的).

One study found that those who spent more time comparing their appearance during a video call experienced lower appearance satisfaction. This study also found that people who used more photo-editing features in video chat were more likely to compare themselves with others and spend more time looking at themselves on video calls.

A 2023 study found that discomfort with one’s appearance during video meetings led to an increased attention to appearance, which in turn led to poor work performance. Researchers also suggest that appearance dissatisfaction is connected with boredom in online meetings. The research reports that this could be due to negative attention to oneself and worry about being looked at or being negatively treated based on appearance.

If you find yourself criticizing (批评) your appearance every time in a video call, it may be time to be intentional about paying more attention to what other people are saying instead of looking at your own face.

When it comes to helping others who have difficulty with appearance dissatisfaction, it is important to care more about the person’s qualities beyond appearance. When viewing yourself or your partners on video and social media, try viewing the person as a whole and not as parts of a body.

Reducing screen time can make a difference as well. Research shows that reducing social media use by 50% can improve appearance satisfaction in both teens and adults. When used in a right way, video chatting and social media are tools to connect us with others, which finally is a key piece in satisfaction and well-being.

7 . Many youngsters in China enjoy gathering a couple of good friends and taking a relaxing walk through the streets, which is a popular form of visiting a new city, that is, Citywalk. They can follow a special urban route (路线), exploring old building, drinking a cup of coffee, or eating local snacks. It can be a special guided trip for a small group of people, or simply a relaxing walk for one or two to explore new areas, sticking to the key point: avoiding famous tourist attractions and big crowds to get a more interesting experience of the places you visit.

In China, the Citywalk trend (趋势) is spreading from big cities like Beijing and Shanghai to other cities, encouraging more people to take part. Xiao Yiyi is a young visitor from Changsha exploring new possibilities while traveling. Recently she tried six Citywalk routes to walk in different cities and posted them on her social media account, with the aim of sharing experiences to “walk in open-air museums”.

Citywalk not only offers a way for young people to interact with a city but also provides an opportunity for people who share the same interests and ideas to easily make friends. Xiao Yiyi said her group usually includes a few or so people and her trips last around half a day.

Even though Citywalk is a new trend, industry insiders say that its future possibility is huge. It is offering a beneficial change to travelers as they can better choose the experiences that suit their interests and needs. At the same time, Citywalk gives an opportunity for tour guides and travel service providers to offer a more professional service to meet ever-changing market needs.

10 . Before this COVID-19 pandemic, family vacations were simple. They consisted of a trip to Disneyworld, a week at a resort, or perhaps a booking on a cruise line that every family member was excited about, The only thing many had to worry about was forgetting the passports or a child forgetting the toothbrush or losing the favorite toy somewhere between the airport and the hotel. Now, the days of vacations look completely different and for those who have taken one during the pandemic, many things have changed.

Many families have routine (例行的) vacations that they take every year and this year. But due to the pandemic, many vacations didn’t happen as planned, So, vacations were put on the back burner and weren’t taken until much later in the year and for many people, change in their work lives allowed this. With more parents working from home and more kids taking part in homeschooling at home, families found going on vacation became much easier without the physical need to be somewhere else. This was also the year that many people remembered that they’re surrounded by nature. Rather than booking the typical vacation to the most-visited destinations or popular theme parks， many people-families especially-chose the lesser-crowded destinations. This meant that more families chose vacation activities such as camping, preferring to connect with nature rather than walk the busy streets. This also meant that vacation rentals (租用的房屋或汽车、设备等) were up in popularity and even in popular destinations, such as beach towns, The possibility of small crowds didn’t stop some families due to the fact that they rented the whole place.

It now looks like these changes might be here to stay, at least for some time longer, before the world returns to a state of normality.