Computers are very important for the students now. For the city students, it’s very easy to surf the Internet. And for the village students, they can go to the Internet bar. Most of them spend more than two hours there, and some of them even spend more than eight hours there. They can do their homework, download some information for their homework, download music, send emails and play games. Most of them spend too much time playing games, so it is bad for their study.

“Whaaaat’s uppppp?” Have you ever seen anyone write like this? Now more and more kids like using these kinds of words in text messages and online posts. These kinds of words are called stretchable (可拉伸的) words.

Younger people especially like using stretchable words because they sound playful and fun. They can allow you to communicate strong feelings without using emojis.

For example, one of the most common stretchable words is “ha”. Because it’s short, it can be easily stretched. If something is just kind of funny, you might just type “haha”. But if something is really funny, you might type “hahahahaha”.

Another example is “yeeeesssss”. When you type “yes”, it might sound like you are just fine with a certain idea. But if you use “yeeeesssss”, you show that you are very excited about it.

Although stretchable words are popular on social media, there are worries that children will struggle to switch to more formal writing when in school. Stretching out too many words can be annoying. So if you like using them when texting with friends, remember not to use them in your homework.

Think Before Keeping Pets

More and more people like to keep pets. In their eyes keeping pets has many advantages. It can teach people a sense of responsibility. What’s more, it can drive away the loneliness. It can also reduce people’s stress. But I’d like to voice different opinions.

A recent survey in the United States showed that the common family spent more money on its pets than on its children. Although to some degree unbelievable, it should not surprise anyone who has seen the doggy parlors (客厅) where loved pets rest. Are Americans different from others in treating their little friends in this way? No, the English, too, pay more attention to their pets.

This can clearly be seen when we look at pet foods, which often provide more vitamins (维生素) than human food. They certainly cost much. Last year the British public spent two hundred million pounds on pet food alone, to say nothing of medical bills or animal furniture (家具). It is difficult to feel happy about this when considering what that money could do for the hungry and the poor, so it is not unusual for me to get hot under collar when I read an old man left all his money to his dog instead of his children.

There are some reasons why I find pet-raising worrying. They lead to physical problems. An example of this is New York where it is difficult to deal with the mess that dogs leave on the streets. Many people find this funny, but in a number of large cities it is a big problem. Animals can cause illness, too.

Another problem is the carelessness of pet owners. Most little children want a dog or a cat, and they continually push 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 leave the pets they keep. As a result, they are allowed to run free. 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.

So please have a second thought before you keep a pet.