Hot pot is an easy way to make a meal during the winter. It’s a favorite meal in Asia. You can choose the food to cook in it and also the  41  of soup you want. You will cook all the food in the soup in the pot. When the soup  42  , you can begin cooking the food. Let the food cook  43  about 10 minutes. When the food is done, use your chopsticks or a spoon to put the food in a bowl. When you eat your food, you can add  44  kinds of sauces. After you eat all the food in the hot pot, don’t forget the soup! It will taste very good after you cook your vegetables and meat in it. A hot pot meal is a good time for friends and family to  45  to eat and talk, so don’t eat quickly!

　　American families are different today than they were 100 years ago. The biggest difference is that they are smaller. In the past, most families lived on farms. They needed lots of children to help with work. Today, most families live in cities, and many parents cannot afford a large family. Other parents worry that if they have more than two children, it will increase the world’s population. 

　　Also, the types of families are changing. There are more single parents than ever before. More unmarried couples are having children, and many couples are choosing to have no children at all. Today traditional families – a married couple with children – compose less than 25 percent of all US households. 

　　One reason for this is the greater number of working women. In the past, women depended on their husbands. Now many women have jobs. They do not have to be married to get money. Another reason is divorce. This is when the husband and wife decide to end their marriage. About half of all US marriages end in divorce. Finally, many people are not getting married. They choose to live their lives by themselves.