A recent survey in the United States showed that the average family spent more money on its pets than on its children. Although rather shocking, it should not________ anyone who has seen the doggy parlors(客厅) where loved pets rest. Are Americans unique in treating their little friends in this way? No, the English, too, are ________to their pets.

This can clearly be seen when we look at pet foods, which often contain more vitamins than human food or, at least, are ________less nutritious. They certainly cost much. Last year the British public spent two hundred million pounds on pet food alone,________ veterinary(兽医的) bills or animal furniture. It is difficult not to feel________with this when one considers what the same amount could do for victims of starvation and poverty, so it is ________ for me to get hot under the collar when I read an old man left all his money to his dog home.

There are a variety of reasons why I find the popularity of British pets ________. They cause physical problems. An example of this is New York where they have great difficulty getting rid of the mess that dogs leave on the streets. Many people find this funny, but in a number of large cities it is a major problem. Animals can cause disease, too. It is the threat of rabies (狂犬病)--- a disease with no known cure --- that has made the English government establish strict ________ on animals coming into the United Kingdom. When the Spanish government recently ________ a number of homeless dogs as protection against the same threat, English tourists immediately wrote letters to the newspapers ________ about mass murder.

Another problem is the ________ of pet owners. Most little children want a dog or a cat, and they continually pester (纠缠) their mothers and fathers until they get one. It is only when the sweet little thing has been brought home that the parents realize how much time and money must be spent on "Rover" or "Bonzo". Then they just _______ it. This brings me to my last point. Pets, which run free, are often not ________at all. English farmers lose hundreds of sheep a year, killed by someone's pet and you must have read of children being hurt by some pets of their own.

________, I would only suggest that we have got our________ wrong and that something should be done about it. In my view, it's time we stopped being sentimental about pets. We are supposed to shift the emphasis from our four-legged friends to human beings, especially those in need.

Teens in the United States like teens in many countries have more leisure time today than ever before. But over a number of decades, there have been some ________ in how teenagers spend their time after school.

________ school clubs remains a common after-school activity. According to a study, the three most popular are sports clubs, performing arts clubs, and academic clubs—the same as 20 years age. While overall participation in these clubs has gradually ________ over the last two decades, this does not mean that students are less active.

Teens today are more likely to ________ or work with community groups. High school seniors are thinking about ________. They know that academic grades, school activities, and community ________ are all important in making a ________ application for college.

While the kinds of activities that students take part in at school have not changed greatly, high school teens now spend their leisure time out of school in very ________ ways. For example, teens today are less likely to visit a friend ________ than 20 years ago. And perhaps ________, they are far less likely to read a print newspaper or magazine.

One reason is ________ to the Internet, and it has ________ become their main channel for ________ and getting information. Calling and texting are the most popular means of communication among teens. Teens also ________ friends through social media. A study in 2018 showed that 45% teens are online almost constantly and 97% use a social media platform. This trend is likely to ________.

Everything speeds up with people’s lives.People often eat fast food_______nice meals cooked by their mother_______.They go to a restaurant,where the meal is _______cooked.They can take _______from the shelf when they_______their dollar and in ten minutes eat it and_______their dinner.This is not good for_______.People move a great_______from city to city,_______their jobs.Airplanes go________between cities.Every twenty-five seconds planes are taking off from airports.When people move________ the cities,they leave their old friends________.They leave their old mother and father,their children,and leave their________.People become without roots,without a place________they can really call “home”.This has very________effects.One thing is that the old people often live so far from their children that,________they become old,there is nobody to________them.Brothers and sisters move far away from each other.They telephone each other.________become very scattered(分散的).Society does not have the________ways any more,the ones which kept people________together.Many people feel rather lonely today.