It is necessary to be reasonable and flexible enough to avoid conflicts as much as possible and live in peace with others. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you have done all your best to avoid conflicts and you are still arguing, then read these effective tips on how to avoid conflicts.

● Don't get in the center of the conflict.

    Sometimes people can get in the center of conflicts due to their enthusiasm for offering help. Frankly speaking, it is very unwise, because it can make you the main figure of the conflict. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You should focus on your own life issues.

● Be kind.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Life is full of conflicts and disagreements, that's why you should find more conservative ways of dealing with them. For example, kindness can lessen the conflict.

● Try to be a peacekeeper.

    Peacekeepers tend to cooperate with people without bad emotions which usually lead to arguments and even conflicts. “{#blank#}4{#/blank#}” This saying is the life motto of a natural-born peacekeeper. Don't worry if you are not a natural-born peacekeeper; you can gain this skill during life.

● Walk off.

    When the conflict is gathering pace and you can't manage to control yourself, you should choose to handle the situation in another way. By all means, try to keep yourself away from stress. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You should get away from the situation for a while.

How to Deal With Gossip (流言蜚语)

Gossip is a double-edged sword. Not only can it be incredibly harmful for you, but also others may be affected. Do a serious favor for your friends and yourself — quit your gossip habit and become a better and more positive person. It's good to find ways to get started dealing with gossip.

    Face the source of the rumor directly. If you know for sure who's responsible for spreading a rumor about you, don't take it lying down. When you have a chance, walk right up to him or her and say that you don't appreciate the mean things she/he has said. Stay calm when you do this. You don't want to adopt the cruel words this person has.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Alert your friends. If you learn that someone's been spreading nasty rumors about you, your first action should be to consult with your close friends. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Tell them the facts of the situation. If the rumor's not true, they'll be sure to fight the spread of the rumor. If the rumor is true, they can still help stop its spread by sticking up for you.

    Ignore it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} When you hear gossip about yourself, laugh it off. Act as if it's ridiculous! Share a chuckle(窃笑) about it! Turn the tables by making the person who started the rumor the butt (笑柄) of the joke.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If nasty rumors and gossip are a frequent problem, or if someone's told a rumor that might get you in trouble for something you didn't do, talk to a teacher, counselor, or administrator. These people can help you work through the problem. They can give you advice on how to proceed, make you feel better, and even discipline people who've started the rumor.

    Stay away from people who gossip. The single best way to avoid having gossip told about you is to stay away from the kinds of people who tell mean gossip! As popular or cool as they may seem, these people are sad and desperate. They can't have a good time without spreading hurtful rumors about someone else. Don't bother with them. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Remember a friend who stabs you in the back by telling a nasty rumor isn't much of a friend at all.

A. When you're worried about a piece of gossip, change the way you live.

B. Tell an authority about it.

C. Gossip is often best dealt with by paying no attention to it at all.

D. They should be people you know and trust.

E. Work out a plan to avoid being laughed at.

F. Find friends who don't get enjoyment from hurting people.

G. You also don't expect to give bystanders the impression that the rumor's true.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so, however. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to. Here's how:

    Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First, time for eating, sleeping, dressing, etc. Then, decide a good, regular time for studying. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, but it will force you realize what is happening to your time.

    Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a comer of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or television. When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.

    Make good use of your time in class. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

    Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you'll remember it longer.

    Develop a good attitude towards tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won't end if you don't pass a test, so don't be over worried.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.

A. There are other methods that might help you with your studying.

B. Don't forget to set aside enough time for entertainment.

C. Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says.

D. No one can become a top student unless he or she works hard.

E. Maybe you are an average student.

F. Make full use of class time to take notes of what the teacher says in class.

G. This will help you understand the next class.

    Much of the work in today's world is accomplished (完成) in teams. Most people believe the best way to build a great team is to gather a group of the most talented individuals. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Companies spend millions hiring top business people. Is their money well spent?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They focused on football, basketball and baseball. The results are mixed. For football and basketball, adding talented players to a team proves a good method, but only up to the point where 70% of the players are top talent; above that level, the team's performance begins to decline. Interestingly, this trend isn't evident in baseball, where additional individual talent keeps improving the team's performance.

    To explain this phenomenon, the researchers explored the degree to which a good performance by a team requires its members to coordinate (协调) their actions. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In baseball, the performance of individual players is less dependent on teammates. They conclude that when task interdependence is high, team performance will suffer when there is too much talent, while individual talent will have positive effects on team performance when task interdependence is lower. If a basketball star is, for example, trying to gain a high personal point total, he may take a shot himself when it would be better to pass the ball to a teammate, affecting the team's performance. Young children learning to play team sports are often told, "There is no I in TEAM." {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Another possibility is that when there is a lot of talent on a team, some players may make less effort. Just as in a game of tug-of-war (拔河比赛), whenever a person is added, everyone else pulls the rope with less force.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. An A-team may require a balance-not just a players, but a few generous B players as well.

    Going back to school can be a stressful time for children and families. Everyone must make the transition (转变) from easy holiday life to routines, schedules and homework. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    * Arrange school events and programs.

    Many schools have events and programs to help cut down on students' stress. At these events, parents can meet teachers and see what their children are learning. Families can attend activities held on different sites in the school. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    * Make connections in the classroom

    Communicating with students is good advice for teachers. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Teachers can share details about themselves or invite children to talk about what they did over the holiday.

    * Don't schedule too many activities for your children

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Instead, help them set clear goals and keep schedules organized. If someone in the family has a learning style close to that of the student, that person could help because they have something in common.

    * {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Everyone needs a break from work. Family meals and outings can help everyone relax. A family game night or walk in a park together can give parents and children a chance to have fun as a family. If a student has hours of homework to complete, taking several 10-minute breaks can reduce stress.

A. Take a break.

B. Have fun with family.

C. In this way, students can become more familiar with the environment.

D. Conversations can reduce nervousness and stress among the students.

E. Older students help younger ones understand the rules and culture of the school.

F. Fortunately, schools, teachers, parents and children can all help to relieve the stress.

G. Parents are advised not to overload their children with extra-curricular activities.

Teen Read Week is a week-long celebration for teens and reading. Teen Read Week is held during the third week of October each year. It aims at encouraging teens to read for pleasure. Reading for fun has many benefits. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} More reading will improve test scores and broaden teens' horizons. And it also helps with their future success.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} They, will plan various activities in hopes of encouraging young adults to pick up a book. Activities can range from simple programs to events featuring special guests and some delicious food.

Some libraries host an open house for teens during Teen Read Week. During an open house, the young adult librarian may talk about his or her library's services for teens, upcoming teen programs, and collections of books suitable for teens. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

If the budget (预算) permits, some libraries may invite popular authors to their places. Authors who write books for teens can make, a public appearance there. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If necessary, they can also answer questions from teens. In the end, the library can offer the authors' books as a prize to some of the teens in the audience.

If you're reluctant (勉强的) teenage readers, there are tips for you on how to follow Teen Read Week's spirit — reading for fun. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} An audiobook (有声读物) can be a good choice to start your interest in reading. You can listen on the way to school. If you like some movies about history, you can try reading related history books. You'll probably enjoy the more detailed stories presented by the novels.

A. Teen gaming nights are another option for libraries.

B. Thus, the teens can better learn about the library.

C. You might think they are characters out of reach.

D. They can tell about their works and writing methods.

E. You can search for some interesting reading materials.

F. For example, teens can become more interested in reading.

G. Public libraries will organize events in honor of Teen Read Week.