I was diagnosed with allergies (过敏反应) when I was a little kid. Other than family, no one truly knows I have allergies, although I have to tell people it's allergies when my eyes start to tear up. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Sometimes my friends just tease in a friendly way.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}I look like a normal kid. I don't mind telling people about my allergies—after all, it's normal to have them. Having allergies hasn't affected my self-confidence.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}For example, I am a big traveler and I would enjoy going to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, D. C. But when I come anywhere within a 10-foot range of cherry blossoms it feels like I lose almost all my senses! Even though it's only temporary, I still feel miserable.

    My allergies haven't stopped me from traveling when I can, though. My class trip was to Williamsburg in Virginia. At first it was supposed to be during cherry blossom time, and that had me worried. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    I've had to rethink some of my dreams, too. Since I'm allergic to animals with fur, I may need to adjust my hopes of being a veterinarian (兽医) or working in an agricultural-science department. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Now I have learned to deal with my allergies and even see the good side sometimes. Having allergies has taught me not to be prejudiced about people's health conditions.

A. I do get made fun of.

B. My allergies have been getting better.

C. If I don't take my medicine I can get really bad breath.

D. You can't tell by looking at me that I have a health condition.

E. Fortunately, it was changed to February, so I went and had the best time!

F. But I'm interested in so many things and there are plenty of other careers out there!

G. Sure, my allergies have held me back from doing some of the things that I love to do.

    In today's busy and competitive world, we all lead incredibly stressful lives. When stress becomes overwhelming, it can affect our mood and productivity.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} The good news is that it is manageable and can be reduced, or even relieved completely.

    Enter the world of books. Feeling stressed out? Pick up your favorite book and leave the reality and worries behind. It is the most effective way to relax and overcome stress.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Getting lost in a book before bedtime can calm your mind and prepare your body for a good night's sleep.

    Connect with people. Another way to successfully beat stress is meeting with friends. Friends and loved ones are important to any healthy lifestyle. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed and just can't seem to shake it off, call your best friend or a member of your family and talk to them.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Walk it off. You can also effectively relieve yourself of stress by simply taking a walk around your neighborhood.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} There's a whole new world up there that you never seem to notice while rushing to work or talking to someone. Take a moment to admire a new building or a balcony somewhere high up that reminds you of a castle from your favorite movie. Enjoy your time alone and seize every moment of it.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Nothing brings you back on track like a good laughter. It is the most powerful antidote(良方) to stress and it brings joy into your life. Laughing brings people together and drives away all stress-related problems as if they never existed. It is absolutely the best medicine there is, and it will keep you both physically and emotionally healthy.

A. Laugh it off.

B. Take some medicine.

C. As you walk, remember to look up.

D. Reading may also help you sleep better.

E. Your hobby could be reading books, or even writing one.

F. But most importantly, it can affect our physical and mental health.

G. The conversation with a close person will immediately make you feel better.

Questions you should ask yourself when you fail

    The more new things we try the more failure we are likely to have.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Experiencing failure can be a learning experience and an opportunity for a fresh start. A good way to begin this process is by asking yourself some tough questions.

1）What can I learn from this?

Take responsibility for what went wrong. OK, so it was not all your fault—but some of it was. Successful people don't make excuses or blame others.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So you should look at the experience objectively(客观地).

2）Do I need to acquire or improve some skills?

Did the problem reveal some lack of skill on your part? How could you learn or improve those skills? Perhaps there are books or courses or people you could turn to.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

3）Who can I learn from?

Is there someone to whom you can turn for advice? Did a boss, colleague or friend see what happened?{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Most people do not ask for help because they believe it to be a sign of weakness rather than strength. It's not. It shows that you are ready to learn and change.

4）What will I do next?

Now draw up an action plan. Will you try something similar or something different? Revisit your goals. Failure doesn't mean you have to give up; maybe you just need to change it in another way.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. You can now reset your sights on your destination and plan a new course.

B. Make them step stones to future success.

C. They take responsibility for the failure.

D. In fact the only way to avoid failure is to do nothing new.

E. The important thing is how we deal with failure.

F. Make a self-development plan to acquire the skills and experience you need.

G. If they are constructive and supportive then ask them for some feedback (反馈) and guidance.

    Aside from the health benefits of laughter (which are numerous and significant), having a sense of humor about life's difficulties can provide a way to bond with others, look at things in a different way, normalize your experience, and keep things from appearing too overwhelming or scary. Properly developed, a good sense of humor can keep people and relationships strong.

    Studies show that having a smile on your face can make you feel better, and can lead you to actually feeling happier (rather than just looking happier). Even if the smile is fake, the benefits you will experience are real! Also, a fake smile leads readily to a genuine one. If you are able to put a smile on your face, the laughter will come more easily, and the stress will melt more easily.

    If your situation seems ridiculously frustrating, recognize what can develop into humor in just how ridiculously frustrating and annoying it is. In your imagination, take the situation to an extreme that becomes even more ridiculous until you find yourself amused. For example, when you're waiting in a long line at the store, you can imagine that hours pass, then days, visualizing yourself accepting visits from loved ones from your new home in this ultra-long line, holding your children's birthday parties in aisle seven so you can be there to enjoy them...you get the picture.

    Besides, find a friend with whom you can laugh also works! You can each share your frustrations, and laugh about them in the process. Even when your friend isn't there, you can feel less stressed by thinking about the retelling that will come later.

    You can have a “most annoying boss” game with your friends, or try to count how many times the same potentially frustrating event happens in a day.(“I was cut off in traffic 7 times today—I'm almost up to 10!”) This works well for predictable or repetitive annoying situations that you can't control; you can begin to value them in their own special way instead of letting them upset you.

    One of the factors that drive the popularity of shows like Modern Family or movies like the classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, is that they take somewhat universal situations that many people find frustrating and push them a little further, pointing out the silliness of it all.

What's more, you can try joining Funny Clubs.Years ago, when Oprah had a show rather than a network, she did a part on Laughter Yoga that interested me, and I researched a club on my own, finding it to be a terrific place to enjoy a good laugh. Whether you mean business or laugh at the silliness of it all, taking part in the exercises of laughter yoga with other humor-participants can be a very effective way to get back in the practice of getting some more laughter into your day.

    Taking Care of Your Eyes

    Many of us don't pay much attention to the importance of eye care. It is said that if you take care of your eyes, then you can surely be healthy.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Natural eye care should be put in a number one place.

    There are several causes leading to poor eyesight like not enough food, genes(基因) and aging(老化).{#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you happen to work in front of the computer, it is best to take a break every once in a while.

    Something dirty can cause redness and they will make you feel uncomfortable. It is bad for your eyes, too. If this happens, the best way is to clean your eyes by using cold water.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, sunglasses are not just for fashion but they can also serve as a great way to protect your eyesight from UV rays.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Remember that vitamins A, C and E are good for eyes. Try to eat food groups that have these vitamins. And you should do eye exercises because exercise protects your eyesight, too. If a person exercises regularly and eats the right kind of food, his eyes will stay in good condition for a long time.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In a word, eye care is very important, no matter how old a person is.

A. Such behavior will do harm to our eyes.

B. What can we do to protect our eyesight?

C. That's why our eyes should be given lots of care.

D. Eating healthy food will do good to your eyesight.

E. You must also try your best to protect your eyes from harmful things.

F. All above are natural ways of eye care that can help us keep healthy eyes.

G. Televisions, computers and reading are also the causes of having poor eyesight.

    Unit the 1980s, scientists were trained to ignore animal pain, according to the belief that the ability to feel pain was associated only with higher consciousness. However, today, scientists view humans as a species of animals, and largely accept that many species are capable of some level of self-awareness. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    If you hit another person in the face, you can estimate their pain level by what they do or say in response. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Gradually, scientists have developed a set of indicators of pain response in non-human animals. Demonstrating a response to a negative stimulation and displaying protective behavior of injured areas are two major signs.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some researchers argue lobsters (龙虾) are too dissimilar to vertebrates (脊椎动物) to feel pain. Nonetheless, lobsters do satisfy all of the standards for a pain response. Lobsters guard their injuries, and learn to avoid dangerous situations. They are even believed to possess some level of consciousness. In result, today most scientists agree that injuring a lobster causes physical pain.

    Due to growing evidence that the lobsters may feel pain, it is now illegal to boil lobsters alive or keep them on ice in some countries. Even in locations where boiling lobsters remains legal, many restaurants prefer more humane methods. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} To satisfy picky diners, more restaurants rule out the cruel cooking methods.

    Currently, the most humane tool for cooking a lobster is the CrustaStun. This device electrocutes (电击) a lobster. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The following process of cooking is sure to cause no pain. In contrast, it takes about 2 minutes for a lobster to die from boiling water during which time pain lasts.

A. But huge disagreement exists.

B. The creature instantly loses consciousness in half a second.

C. It beats the former method by saving chefs' effort in cleaning the creature.

D. It's difficult to assess pain in other species because we cannot communicate as easily.

E. People are coming to realize that other species might also enjoy the luxury of emotion.

F. Except for moral consideration, many chefs believe stress negatively affects the flavor (味道) of the meat.

G. Legal prohibition becomes the major consideration for restaurants when choosing a cooking method.