A few years ago， I started to ______（21）big shifts in teens’ behavior. Around 2010，teens started to spend their time much differently from the generations ______（22）. These teens and young adults ______（23）have one thing in common：Their childhood or adolescence coincided with the ______（24）of the smart phone. For this ______（25），I call them，iGeneration. What makes iGen different? Growing up with a smartphone has affected ______（26）every aspect of their lives. They spend so much time on the Internet， texting friends and on social media that they have less leisure time for ______（27）else. ______（28）it’s going to parties， shopping at the mall or watching movies，iGen teens are participating in these social activities at a significantly ______（29）rate.

Some parents might worry about their teens spending so  much  time on  their phone ______（30）it differs from the way they spent their own adolescence. But it is not just different—in ______（31）ways， it’s actually worse. Spending less time with friends means less time to develop social skills. A 2014 study found that sixth graders who spent just five days at a camp ______（32）using screens ended the time better at reading emotions on others’ faces，______（33）that iGen’s screen-filled lives might cause their social skills to shrink.

______（34），in the annual Monitoring the Future survey the percentage of iGen teens who read a non required book every day dropped from 60 percent in 1980 to only 16 percent in 2015， perhaps as a ______（35），average SAT critical reading scores have dropped 14 points since 2005.

iGen shows another break with the ______（36）generations； Depression，anxiety，and ______（37）have shot upward with happiness declining. The teen suicide rare increased by more than 50 percent， as did the ______（38）of teens with clinical-level depression.

Parents used to worry about their teens spending too much time with their friends-they were a ______（39），a bad influence，a waste of time. But it might be just ______（40）iGen needs now.

A

The UK government has said that from 2014，it will ban calculators in math tests for primary school children in England.

All 11 -year-olds have three math tests. Pupils are allowed to use a calculator in the hardest of these.

A sample question is:“Tickets for a school play cost 2.75 each. Dev sold 23 tickets. How much ticket money did Dev collect?”

Education and Childcare Minister Elizabeth Truss says children are over-reliant on calculators and that this means they don't have a good grounding in mental arithmetic or written arithmetic. She wants all children to be confident with other methods of addition，subtraction，times tables and division before they start using calculators in secondary school.

Research shows that 98% of pupils in England use calculators in primary school classes， compared with an international average of just 46%. At the same time，different research shows that children have become worse at math in the past 30 years. Ms Truss believes that children are dependent on calculators and that's making the problem worse.

Some teaching experts argue there's a plus side to using calculators. They say that it is an important tool for math，which children need to learn to use. Christine Blower of the National Union of Teachers，says the ban “will diminish the skills set for primary pupils” and cause problems when they need to use calculators in secondary school.

Russell Hobby of the National Association of Head Teachers，says the advantage of using calculators is that children can focus on the maths problem itself， rather than the individual calculations needed to solve it.

B

When it comes to owning an upright piano, society has changed its tune. One hundred years ago, having the instrument in your home was a sign of social status, as well as being an important source of home entertainment.

But, nowadays, it seems that the piano's heyday is over, and fewer people are choosing to tinkle the ivories at home. The once impressive instrument sits silently in the corner of people's living rooms, gathering dust.

Many families have had to face the music - the instrument takes up too much space - and so make the difficult decision of selling their piano. But, to their dismay, no-one is buying. Even when they're going for a song, buyers are not coming forward. What's more, many owners are finding that they cannot even give their old pianos away.

Piano restorers across the globe have been inundated with calls from owners, hoping to hear that their instrument is worth a lot of money. John Gist, from the Gist Piano Centre in Louisville, Kentucky, receives 10 to 15 calls a day from people asking how much their piano is worth.

The answer comes like a broken record – not much. "It becomes a money pit," says Gist, and his advice is simply "to get rid of it." Pianos are complicated to restore, as they have thousands of moving parts. Fine-tuning the instrument is complex: loosening the strings can take around 10 hours; even just polishing the piano can take up to 70.

So, the instruments that once rang out in thousands of households across the world are slowly and steadily ending up on the scrapheap. But the death knell hasn't sounded for the piano just yet. There is one market where the piano is booming – China.

Sales of pianos have reached a crescendo in the Chinese market, with 300,000 pianos made there every year. Famous Chinese virtuosos like Lang Lang, who first performed as a child, have struck a chord with many other young musicians who have an interest in classical music, and parents in tune with the times see piano playing as a way their child can get ahead.

But despite its growing popularity in China, the traditional, wooden piano appears to have had its swan song, with those who are buying opting for digital versions, which are cheaper, quieter and, crucially, can be easily stored so they don't gather dust.

C

Is “sorry” the hardest word？Not for the British Education Secretary Michael Gove, who has apologized recently to his former French teacher for misbehaving in class.

It took him 30 years to express regret for，as he said competing with his class mates to ask “clever-dick questions” and indulging in “pathetic showing off”.

In a letter published in a magazine, Mr. Gove says：“It may be too late to say I'm sorry. But, as my mom told me, it's never too late to set the record straight.”

It seems contrite politicians are in fashion. A record apology on video by the deputy prime minister Nick clegg has become a hit on the internet.

Mr. Clegg wanted the electorate to forgive him for having broken his word and not voting against increases in student tuition fees. But a satirical website added music to the track. It is difficult to be sure if the apology was heartfelt or insincere, but it turned out to be a catchy tune.

Researchers suggest that people have too high an expectation of the power of saying sorry. Dutch psychologist David De Cremer and his colleagues say in a study published in Psychological Science that receiving an apology isn't as healing as people like to think.

Nevertheless, apologies might be an important social tool as they reaffirm the existence of rules that need to be observed.

In Britain, the word sorry is often said and heard. If you step on someone else's toe by chance you have to apologize but the person whose foot was squashed has to do it too. It conveys the idea that none of you is left with hard feelings.

The Education Secretary's apology might have gone down well with his old teacher but it might land him in trouble. According to the Daily Mail newspaper, Mr Gove's mother didn't know he was causing trouble at school and said: "He would have been strung up if I had known he was being so cheeky."

"I can never get in touch with him these days - it just goes through to his answering machine - but when I do eventually speak to him, I'll give him a good telling off."

7选5

Water resources are limited. If one drop of water is used less per person per day , hundreds of thousands of tons of water can be saved in one year. In fact , as long as you change your lifestyle , you can become a water-saving expert at home.

1.Fix minor leaks around your home. 

Replace damaged pipes and leaky faucets to avoid wasting water. ______（51）, If you notice a random spike , it may be a sign that you have a leaky pipe somewhere in your home. A poorly-sealed pipe or leaky. Toilet can waste up to 340L of water a day , so resolving these problems can save a lot of water in the long run.

2.Turn the faucet off while you brush of share.

This is one of the easiest ways to cut back on your water usage. There's no need to keep the water running while you're in the process of cleaning your teeth or trimming your beard. ______（52）.but you can save roughly 760L of water a mouth just by shutting the water off once you go about your business.

3.Take shorter showers.

Get into the habit of taking showers that last 5 minutes or less whenever you can. Everyone loves a long , hot shower , but your showerhead uses roughly 7.6L of water a minute. ______（53）, and you'll be just as squeaky clean as you normally would after a long shower.

4.Switch to water-saving fixtures.

______（54）.By upgrading your showerhead and sink fixtures , you'll cut back dramatically on your water usage. This is an easy way to conserve water without even changing the way you wash , flush , or shower!

5.Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when it’s full.

Using household appliances more effectively is a great way to save water. ______（55）, but you're going through a lot of water if you're in the habit of running your beck when it comes to the water you're using. And always make sure that you have enough dirty clothing for a full load.

【案例】

Step 1. Warming up.

Greet the class as usual. Talk about the Weather.

T：How's the weather today?

T：How was the weather like yesterday?

Step 2.Listening to a song.

T：I will sing a song to you , but you must?（用手指安静的动作）

Step 3.Play.

Ask students to try to read these words :  bike train subway car beat , and correct the wrong pronunciation of these words. Then do a words game.

Step 4.Listening

Using the picture on the screen. Ask students some questions about the picture.

T：What can you see in the picture?

T：How many people are there in the picture?

T：What are they doing?

After this , play the recording for two times , ask students to finish activity 1b and write down the phrases of the transports , takes the train , takes the subway , takes the bus , Then ask students to repeat the conversation and check the answers together . The teacher gives the correct answers on the screen.

Step 5. Pairwork

Ask two students to read the dialogue about 1a. Then ask students to work in pairs. Ask and answer how students get to school in the picture. As they work , move around the room , offering language or pronunciation support as needed. Finally ask some pairs of students to present their conversations to the class.

Step 6.Homework

Write down your own conversations in pairwork.

Interview ten students how they get to someplace , make a list.