Do you have a pet? Owning a pet is becoming more popular in China these days. And pet owners are now willing to spend more money on their pets than before.

    According to a report from Goumin.com and Pet Fair Asia, Chinese people living in cities spent a total of 202.4 billion yuan on their pets in 2019. Most pet owners are people born after 1990. Most of them have high incomes(收人) and are well educated.

    Pet owners in China are spending more on pet food, clothing and furniture, according to a report from Euromonitor International.

    Miss Hou, 28, lives in the city of Chengdu. She spent 6,000 yuan on her two cats last year. “I bought tinned cat food from the United States. New Zealand, Japan and Thailand." Hou said to Xinhua. "If I have time, I also cook for them." she said.

    "An aging society and fewer people having children are among the main reasons why more people are keeping pets." said Liu Xiaoxia, CEO of Goumin.com. "Keeping pets has met the emotional needs of many people. Almost 60 percent of pet owners see their animal friends as their own children," Liu said people. Almost 60 percent of pet owners see their animal friends as their own children," Liu said.

    Beating loneliness and pressure might be another reason. Many young people are leaving their hometowns to make a living in big critics. "They are suffering from great loneliness and pressure, as they have few friends and face a high cost of living. Keeping pets will help them feel relaxed," the 2019 Chinese Pet Industry White Paper said.

    One day a professor entered the classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They waited anxiously at their desks for the test to begin. The professor handed out the question papers, with the text facing down as usual. Once he handed them all out, he asked his students to turn the papers and begin. To everyone's surprise, there were no questions but a black dot in the center of the page. The professor seeing the expression on everyone's face told them the following. "I want you to write what you see there."

    The students were confused and got started on the inexplicable task.

    At the end of the class the professor took all the answer papers and started reading each one of them aloud in front of all the students. All of them with no exception described the black dot, explained its position in the middle of the sheet imagined what the black dot stood for and so on.

    After all had been read the classroom was silent. The professor began 1o explain. "I am not going to grade you this time. I just wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot and the same happens in our lives. We have a piece of white paper to observe and enjoy, but we always focus on the dark spots. Our life is filled with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate: nature renewing itself every day our friends around us, the job that provides our livelihood, the miracles we see every day…”

    In fact, we insist on (坚持) focusing only on the dark spots, the health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend, etc. Take your eyes away from the black spots in your life. The dark spots are very small compared to everything we have in our lives, so enjoy each moment that life gives you.

    Parents everywhere praise their kids. Jena Berman, author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy and Confident Kids, says. "We've gone to the opposite extreme of a few decades(十年) ago when parents tended (趋向) to be stricter," By giving kids a lot of praise, parents think they're building their children's confidence. But in fact it may be just the opposite. Too much praise can backfire(适得其反) and make kids afraid to try new things or take a risk, Still, don't go too far in the other direction. Not giving enough praise can be just as damaging(破坏) as giving too much. Kids will feel like they're not good enough or that you don't care and. as a result, may see no point in trying hard for their achievement.

    So what is the right amount of praise? Experts say that the quality of praise is more important than the quantity. If praise is sincere(真诚的) and focused on the effort not the result, you can give it as often 88 your child does something. "We should especially recognize(承认) our children's efforts to push themselves and work hard to achieve a goal," says Donahue, author of Parenting without Fear: Letting Go of Worry and Focusing on What Really Matters, "One thing to remember is that it's the process not the end product that matters."

    Your son may not be the best basketball player on his team. But if he's out there every day and playing hard, you should praise his effort regardless of whether his team wins or loses. Praising the effort and not the result can also mean recognizing your child when he or she has worked hard to clean the yard, cook dinner, or finish a book report. But whatever it is. praise should be proportionate(相称的) to the amount of effort your child has put into it.

    In the modern age of information, rending is a basic survival skill. Here are some tips on how to improve reading skills.

    Are you reading for entertainment or to learn something? Decide why you're reading before you start and you'll greatly improve your comprehension and your enjoyment.

    Not every magazine, Letter, and email you receive contains information you need. In fact, most of them are simply junk, Throw them away or hit the delete key! Just doing this will double the amount of time you have to read.

    Do you read every article of every magazine, every chapter of every book? If so, you're probably spending a lot of time reading stuff you don't need.

    Be choosy: select the chapters and articles that are important. Ignore the rest.

    Look at the table of contents(目录)，index, topic headers, photo captions, etc. These will help you determine if you have a real interest in this reading, and what information you're likely to get from it.

    Remember, you're reading with a purpose, so focus on that purpose and the material. If you lose interest or keep losing your place, take a break or read something else. You can keep track of where you are by following along with your finger. This simple skill helps you focus and increase your concentration.

A. Have a skill to keep on going

B. Know why you're reading

C. Practice what you like

D. Don't need to read everything

E. Choose important articles to read

F. Look through before you read

    There once was a little boy who wanted to meet the king. He1, walking towards the king's castle. After months of walking, the king's castle come into his2. However, as the boy3the castle, the guards noticed him.

    “Get out of here!" ordered the4.

    Well, the little boy didn't have to be told twice. He turned ... and ran. All be wanted to do was to tell the king5things, and see all the beautiful things in the king's house. But he couldn't6get near the castle! The boy finally stopped running, sat down and cried.

    A young man7 to be corning down the path at the very moment He saw the little boy and stopped. “What's wrong, young man?" he asked.

    "Sir, I walked and walked just to see the king.8these guards made me scared. I want to tell the king9lovely everything is and just tell the king that I just want to see him!"

    The man looked at the little boy thoughtfully, "Look, why don't you try again? I'll come with you this time."

    The little boy got up and look the man's band. The king's guards found10"Look, mister, we don't have to do this… I don't want you to get11. We can just turn around now."

    The man held the little boy's hand and12. The boy really thought the man might be crazy until he looked back at the guards. They were all 13 now. The little boy was amazed.

    "Who are you?" asked the litter boy in14.

    "Well, I'm the king°π son. You can enter the castle and be15the king," said the man. The little boy broke into a huge smile.

    It is common to experience culture shock when living in a foreign country for the first few months. The food isn't what you're used to; the people don't make sense. You feel anxious and confused by all the things        you- the language, the music, the faces, and the smells. Let's get down to some tips for dealing with culture shock.

    Keep an open mind. Do not see anything        is different to be "wrong". Also, if you are going to a country you know little, try to get some background information. As you learn about        country in which you are going to slay, keeping an open mind is necessary.

    Try hard to learn the local Language. Depending on where you come from and where you are now, you may or may not have trouble with the native language. It's a good idea        (become) comfortable with the language as soon as you can. Y our communication skills can't        (improve). But it is a way to understand        (much) of the culture.

Push        (you) to make local friends. OI course, you'll learn even more if you make local friends. They're        (expert) in their own culture and will be able to explain all the crazy little questions you have. And if they're        (true) good friends, they'll pull you aside and tell you if you're doing something rude or strange.

    Most importantly, have a sense of humor! Don't be too hard on yourself if you make a cultural mistake don't know what to do in a social situation, Laugh at yourself and others        (laugh) with you. Most people will admire your effort to understand their ways.