Cold blesses us all

    It's November, the time of year when people often get blessed more. This is not because God likes cold weather, nor because others are feeling generous with Thanksgiving just around the corner.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Colds and the flu are the most common illnesses people get in autumn and winter as the weather gets colder. They are all caused by viruses, but colds are generally milder—you'll feel annoyed but not as if you want to die.

    Teenagers catch average six to ten colds a year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health, while adults average two to four. More than 200  viruses cause cold symptoms.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can be contagious（传染的）one day before symptoms develop and for up to five days after becoming sick.

    The signature symptom of a cold is a runny nose. The flu will make you burn with fever, ache all over, feel extremely tired and cough intensely. The flu can sometimes lead to more serious diseases, such as pneumonia.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}A doctor can test you to see whether you have the flu in the first few days of the illness. But some treatments for both are pretty much the same:

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Many doctors consider water a weapon against the common cold. It helps your blood drive off viruses and flood them out.

    Keep warm. You might be cold one minute and hot the next, and wearing several layers is very important.

    Wash your hands frequently. You don't want to make it worse by spreading the flu to everyone else. Also, avoid sharing cups and eating utensils(餐具) with other people.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}But if your flu symptoms get worse, go to a hospital or clinic right away.

A. Most people who catch the flu get better without having to see their doctor.

B. Sometimes, it's hard to tell a cold from the flu based on symptoms alone.

C. Drink lots of water.

D. Taking medicine on time is a good way to prevent the illness.

E. "Bless you!" is a common response to sneezes, the symptom of catching a cold or the flu.

F. Get lots of sleep and take it easy.

G. You can pass on the flu before you even know you have it.

Suggestions for cooking on a Tight Schedule

    In my opinion, there are three main reasons why people don't cook more often: ability, money and time,{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Money is a topic I'll save for another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three suggestions for great cooking on a tight schedule:

    ⒈Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I'm already hungry and there is nothing ready to eat. So think about of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials ready?{#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    ⒉Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread? {#blank#}3{#/blank#}it takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

    Hopefully that gives you a good start.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} and don't let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Cooking is a burden for many people.

B. Make three or four instead.

C. Ability is easily improved.

D.A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.

E. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.

F. Try new things.

G. Understand your food better.

Social Phobia

    It is natural to feel nervous, or shy in front of others at times. Most people manage to get through these moments when they need to. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's probably more than shyness. It may build up into a powerful fear. As a result, people feel uncomfortable participating in everyday social activities. This is called social phobia (also called social anxiety).

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It prevents them from chatting with friends in the lunch time, joining an after-school club, or going to a party. Sometimes, they even feel too nervous to ask a question in class or go to a teacher for help. Social phobia not only prevents people from trying new things. It also prevents them from making the normal, everyday mistakes that may help people improve their skills even further

    It is really sad, isn't it? But the good news is that people with social phobia can learn to manage fear, develop confidence and communicating skills and stop avoiding things that make them nervous. Of course it's not always easy. Dealing with social phobia takes the willingness patience and courage to face fears. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Therapists (治疗师) can help people create a plan for facing social fears and build the skills and confidence to overcome it. And family or friends are especially important for them. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They can encourage them to pick a small goal to aim for, remind them to go for it, and be there when they might feel discouraged.

    Little by little, someone who decides to deal with extreme shyness can learn to be more comfortable. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} As shyness and fears begin to melt, confidence and positive feelings build. Pretty soon, the person is thinking less about what might feel uncomfortable and more about what might be fun.

A. Friends can overcome their fears easily.

B. But for someone, the anxiety can be extreme.

C. They are not able to make eye contact with classmates.

D. Social phobia makes people lonely or disappointed over missed opportunities.

E. Each small step forward helps build enough confidence to take the next small step.

F. It also takes an action to go forward rather than back away when feeling shy.

G. The support from those key people helps them gather the courage to try something new.

    Interruptions(打扰) are one of the worst things to deal with while you're trying to get work done. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, there are several ways to handle things. Let's take a look at them now.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Tell the person you're sorry and explain that you have a million things to do and then ask if the two of you can talk at a different time.

    When people try to interrupt you, have set hours planned and let them know to come back during that time or that you'll find them then. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It can help to eliminate(消除) future interruptions.

    When you need to talk to someone, don't do it in your own office. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, it's much easier to excuse yourself to get back to your work than if you try to get someone out of your space even after explaining how busy you are.

    If you have a door to your office, make good use of it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If someone knocks and it's not an important matter, excuse yourself and let the person know you're busy so they can get the hint(暗示) than when the door is closed, you're not to be disturbed.

A. If you're busy, don't feel bad about saying no

B. When you want to avoid interruptions at work

C. Set boundaries (界限) for yourself as your time goes

D. If you're in the other person's office or in a public area

E. It's important that you let them know when you'll be available

F. It might seem unkind to cut people short when they interrupt you

G. Leave it open when you're available to talk and close it when you're not

    Everyone wants to be self-confident, but maybe we just don't know how to be. Here are some tips on how you can feel more confident about yourself.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Everyone has shortcomings. When you have found your shortcomings, work to overcome them. If you are a shy person, take part in social activities, such as parties, and speak to at least one or two people there.

    Second, try to spend more time with positive people. Successful and confident people have their own ways of settling problems. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Third, set goals for yourself. With each goal you achieve, you self-confidence will increase. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} We are afraid that we might lose. Stop thinking like that and give yourself a chance.

    Fourth, start each day with a sense of opportunity. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Think positively about yourself.

    Actually everyone has his or her own way of becoming confident. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Friends might have useful suggestions, too.

    In short, as long as you try new things, you are sure to become more confident.

A. You should talk with your friends.

B. Pay attention and learn from them.

C. First, don't think about your weak points.

D. It's not always right to ask friends for help.

E. sometimes we might be afraid of trying new things.

F. First, you should know what your weak points are.

G. Start your day by reading something encouraging.

Art Builds Understanding

Despite the long history of scholarship on experiences of art, researchers have yet to capture and understand the most meaningful aspects of such experiences, including the thoughts and insights we gain when we visit a museum, the sense of encounter after seeing a meaningful work of art, or the changed thinking after experiences with art. These powerful encounters can be inspiring, uplifting, and contribute to well-being and flourishing.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It contributes to facilitating a better understanding of ourselves, the human condition, and moral and spiritual concepts. The question is how that happens — what are the attributes of meaningful experiences of art?

According to the mirror model of art developed by Pablo P. L. Tinio, aesthetic reception corresponds to artistic creation in a mirror-reversed fashion. Artists aim to express ideas and messages about the human condition or the world at large. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This results in the build-up of layers of materials — from initial studies and sketches to the final, refined piece. A viewer's initial interaction with an artwork starts where the artist has left off. Their interaction first involves the processing surface features, such as color, texture, and the finishing touches applied by the artist during the final stages of the creative process. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

In addition, art making and art viewing are connected by creative thinking. Research in a lab at Yale University shows that an educational program that uses art appreciation activities builds creative thinking skills. It showed that the more time visitors spent engaging with art and the more they reflected on it, the greater the correspondence with the artists' intentions and ideas. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

Correspondence in feeling and thinking suggests a transfer — between creator and viewer — of ideas, concepts, and emotions contained in the works of art. Art has the potential to communicate across space and time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} What it takes for this to happen is active engagement with art in contexts that facilitate this engagement, especially museums.

A.The viewers gain a new perspective on the story.

B.The theory of aesthetic cognitivism describes the value of art.

C.This helps to create connections and insights that otherwise would not happen.

D.To do so, they explore key ideas and continually expand them as they develop their work.

E.After spending more time with the work, the viewer begins to access the ideas of the artist.

F.For example, in one activity, people are asked to view a work of art from different perspectives.

G.Participants were more original in their thinking when compared to those who did not take part in the program.