The Lost Rules of Etiquette

        Etiquette, or good manners, used to be the glue that held society together.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Sadly, these days it has mostly gone by the wayside. This list is several best rules of etiquette that have now disappeared.

Opening the Door

        In days gone by, a gentleman would always open doors for ladies.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}This has now almost entirely disappeared and it is pot entirely the fault of the men. I have seen women laugh at men for opening a door for them. They seem tobe confusing manners with chauvinism(大男子主义)．

Writing Thank-You Notes

        In days gone by, whenever a personreceived a gift, they would write a thank-you note as soon as possible.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Parents would sit children down after a birthday or Christmas and coach them in theirfirst thank-you note. It is a shame that gift giving has now become a virtualobligation and the idea of a thank-you note would be laughed at.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

        We seem to have completely lost theconcept of correct timing when it comes to parties these days.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} After all, aparty normally has a guest of honor-this is usually the oldest woman present.It was considered extremely rude in the past to leave a party before the guestof honor-and once the guest of honor left, it was a signal to all that theyshould begin their own preparations to leave.

A. Arriving on Time.

B. Leaving at the Right Time.

C. People leave with various excuses.

D. It enabled people  to get on well with each other.

E. This rule was true even if the giverwas a relative.

F. It could be the lady they weredriving, or a stranger.

G. We've thrown away the concept of aguest of honor at will.

        In many countries of the world, people do what is called housesitting．It means that if owners of the house are going away, they wantsomeone to come into their home and look after the house and maybe pets whilethey are away．

        In Australia, many people travel．After peopleretire, they might buy a van and travel all over the country．{#blank#}1{#/blank#}．

        So if someone wants to travel or go away for some reason, theymight want someone in their home to care for it and keep the gardens tidy．House sittersmight have to care for pets．Also, quite afew people have swimming pools in their back yard and they need cleaning．{#blank#}2{#/blank#}． I feel it isa great way of seeing the country, because you go and stay in a new city, getto meet new people, and have time to go sightseeing in a new area．

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}．There arewebsites where you find the advertisements by people who want to travel, and byreplying to the advertisement, you can make arrangements to go and look aftertheir home．

        There are some requirements to be a house sitter．You must be atrusted person, so that the home owner knows you will not steal anything．You must beable to go when the house owner wants you to go, so you need lots of free time．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}．You need to begood with pets, able to care for cats and dogs, or other pets they may have．

        Some house sitting jobs are just for a few days or a couple ofweeks while the house owners have a short holiday．Sometimes itis for much longer．We have hadone house sit for six months, while the home owner travelled to Europe．

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Then you can travel to many differentcountries and stay there．One of theimportant things to get is references from the home owners where you havestayed． A reference is a written letter to say that you are trustworthyand have looked after their home well．You can showthese letters to possible house sitting jobs and they know you will do a goodjob．

A．I have donehouse sitting many times．

B．Thousands ofpeople do this all the time．

C．It is alsopossible to do house sitting in other countries．

D．Generally youhave many opportunities to get a house sitting job．

E．You must takea little care over what your description says about you．

F．This is aninternational house sitting service for all city and country areas．

G．Youmust have a good car, so you can travel to different parts of the country．

How to protect your ears

    You and your friends are leaving a concert on a Friday night. When you get outside, your ears are ringing. You have to shout to be heard. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So no harm done…right?

Not quite. Temporary buzzing may be easy to ignore, but repeated exposure to loud noise will eventually cause serious— and irreversible(无法治愈的)— hearing loss. A new study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston shows that one in five people between the ages of 12 and 19 are experiencing slight hearing loss, and one in 20 have mild hearing loss. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}But the good news is that there plenty of ways you can protect your ears from further damage — and still listen to the music you love:

    Ask around. Put your earbuds in or your headphones on, and then ask a friend next to you whether or not he or she can hear what you're listening to. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Turn it down.

    Buy noise-canceling headphones. A pair of earbuds or headphones that fits comfortably will limit outside noise so that you can hear your music better at lower volumes.

    Take breaks.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So when listening to music, take your headphones off for 15 or 20 minutes and let your ears enjoy the quiet.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}You can buy a cheap pair at any drugstore as an easy way to lower volume at concerts — or while playing or practicing your own music — without changing the quality of the sound.

A. Use earplugs.

B. Keep the volume below 70 percent.

C. If the answer is yes, your music is too loud.

D. But by morning, your hearing is totally back to normal.

E. Like every other part of your body, your ears need rest.

F. Unfortunately, there's no way to get back hearing you've already lost.

G. The exposure to noise is louder and longer than in any previous generation.

    After a long day at work, coming home is a breath of fresh air. Home is a comfortable place to sit back and relax. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Below are a number of things we can do to create a healthy home environment that will help to ease the workday stress and promote our physical and mental health.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It may seem like a tiring thing to clean but there is a reason for doing so. We can remove dust by cleaning the house. Leaving layers of dust everywhere means that there is a build-up of dust. And where do these layers of dust go? Into our lungs.

Making sure the rooms are full of sunlight is also important. We may not realize it but sunlight is an important part of our growth. We all know that sunlight promotes better working conditions. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Think about using a Parans system where sunlight does not reach. This technology gathers the sunlight by using solar panels(板). It can send out sunlight wherever we are.

    It is also a good idea to add more plants in our house. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They also give off oxygen, which can lower stress and improve our moods.

    Along the lines of being green, it can also be vital to think about what things we are bringing into the house. Try to avoid specific plastics that are harmful to health. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}They may contain poisonous chemicals that can be breathed in, or simply absorbed through the skin.

A. However, is it as healthy as it can be?

B. Is our home as comfortable as it used to be?

C. The same thing applies to certain carpets and paint

D. Going green will help to remove toxins(毒素) in the air.

E. Besides, it can reduce both stress and high blood pressure.

F. Cleaning the house regularly is the first thing we should do.

G. It is acknowledged that a greener lifestyle is linked to better health.

    We need to be responsible for our environment. Being a frugal consumer (节俭的消费者) is one way to help. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Use It Up.

    You can use things up instead of wasting them. Squeeze (挤) that last bit of toothpaste out of the tube.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Don't throw away any bits of the biscuit at the bottom of the box.

    Wear It Out.

    You do not always need to have new things. Suppose your sneakers (运动鞋) have broken laces (鞋带) , but they still fit you. Repair them and wear them longer. You don't have to have the latest iPhone until the old one doesn't work any more. Then you can get a new one. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Make It Do.

    When something you want is not on hand, look for something else that you already have to take its place. Suppose you are packing your lunch for tomorrow and want a butter sandwich. You are out of butter. Have a cheese sandwich instead so you can use all of the cheese. Learn to fix broken toys instead of just throwing them away. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Think about all those things that you would like to have. Do you really need them? How long will you really play with that new toy you saw on TV? Making the things that we want uses up our world's resources (资源). And, getting rid of the things we don't want any more takes up even more resources and space.

A. Do without it.

B. Throw it away.

C. What exactly does that mean?

D. Do you know what to consume?

E. Use the last little piece of soap.

F. With a little thought, you can make something do.

G. Think twice before replacing something that still works.

Living a healthy lifestyle is all about choosing to make healthy choices each day. Here are some tips on how to improve your physical, mental, and emotional health.

Set specific and actionable goals to improve your health. When you have specific goals you want to achieve, you'll be more motivated to implement（实施） healthy changes in your life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} And then set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound to better guarantee your success.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. It's no secret that healthy eating is one of the keys to achieving a healthy lifestyle. When you follow a healthy diet, you reduce your risk for obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancers. Healthy eating can also improve your mood and make you happier.

Make a conscious effort to drink enough water throughout the day. Just like nutritious foods, water is essential to keeping your body healthy.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For adults, drinking around 13 cups of water a day is enough, but this amount can vary depending on your age, weight, environment, and physical activity level.

Aim for at least 7 hours of quality sleep each night.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It helps you maintain a healthy weight, and improve your overall mood. Most adults need at least 7 hours of quality sleep each night, and children need 8 to 13 hours depending on how old they are.

Find a type of physical activity that's enjoyable for you. The benefits of physical activities are endless. Doing physical activities lowers your risk of things like stroke and high blood pressure, helps you lose weight, and improves your cognitive（认知的） function.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Consult the doctor about your physical condition.

B. Choose nutritious foods and create a well-balanced diet.

C. Identify what parts of your lifestyle you want to improve.

D. Choose activities that make you feel happy and confident.

E. Water benefits your digestion and keeps you from getting thirsty.

F. What's more, being active can improve your overall mental health.

G. A good night's sleep is good for your health and attention during the day.