As a working mom with three young sons，keeping the house clean is a big challenge. 【小题1】 we clean the house every week，one hour later after cleaning our bedrooms and bathrooms are back to their 【小题2】（mess）look. When asked, my boys will help neaten their room, clear their plates from the table and pick up their school junk. But I need to remind them 【小题3】 it again and again.

If I don't remind them, I will step over all the things 【小题4】 make my house look like a garbage can. This is quite 【小题5】 change from my pre-kid years when I never 【小题6】 (leave) any waste in the house. 【小题7】 seems that I cannot get these days back again at my own house.

When last week I found a program 【小题8】 (call) Share a Healthy Habit in a newspaper, I saw a great chance to engage my sons in doing chores. Why not encourage these behaviors during the 【小题9】 (relax) life in summer vacation?

The goal for my boys is to clean their own bedrooms themselves when they are free. The rewards for clean habits start young and continue as they get 【小题10】 (old), so I need to start my plan as soon as possible.

Your House Will Take Care of You in Old Age

Have you ever thought what your life would be like in old age?

Everyone talks about the “ageing” society with large numbers of elderly people needing home care. Now German researchers have set up a “smart” house, programmed to help the elderly live at home with dignity. Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Society say the house combines existing technology with future-riented technology.

For example, the “smart” bathroom has a touchscreen mirror that can remind people to take their medicine, wash their hands or brush their teeth. The hardware behind Fraunhofe’s electronic bathroom is not new, and the software runs on a regular personal computer.

When the medicine cabinet is opened, a display in the middle of the mirror tells the person how many pills to take. The mirror is linked to a care provider, who can remotely check whether a patient at home is actually taking medicine and brushing his or her teeth. As many elderly people have arthritic (关节炎的) conditions that make it difficult to operate water taps, the mirror also has displays that turn the water tap on or off or control the water temperature.

The bathroom is only the start. Kitchens, bedrooms and all other parts of the “intelligent” home will become “user-friendly” to meet all kinds of individual needs. Sensors in doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets detect every activity and record them electronically. Doctors or care staff can see from the computer records what personal hygiene (卫生) tasks have been completed, how often the elderly person visits the bathroom or uses the toilet. In case of an emergency, the computer automatically alerts the chosen contact person or calls the care centre.

   Many people would like to change various things in their life in order to be more eco-friendly. 【小题1】 They range from changing their jobs to their vehicles and even their homes. In what follows, I am going to talk about the most energy-efficient（节能的）small green homes. Keep on reading, as this article is very useful if you would like to change your home into a more eco-friendly one.

【小题2】 This happens because a green home will contain green devices（设备）which need alternative sources of energy such as solar power and wind power. They do not pollute the atmosphere as much as the regular sources of energy. 【小题3】 The process of installing them is kind of expensive but in the long term, it will save you a lot of money.

【小题4】 It will be made out of recyclable and renewable materials. For example, the furniture will be made out of bamboo instead of materials which take years to grow. This means that there is not a risk of them to be used up as in the case of certain types of wood or other materials.

A green house will be decorated by using non-toxic（无毒的）materials. 【小题5】 They contain harmful chemicals which can be dangerous, but the most energy-efficient small green homes do not have this problem.