As our family are getting ready for the annual holiday of Thanksgiving, which is probably the most important holiday in the U.S because it's celebrated by people of all faiths. I think back to a cold November day more than twenty years ago. It was a day when my husband and I, married just about three months, got stuck on I -89 in Vermont when our car broke down.

    We had just visited my husband's parents in Vermont, and with a huge turkey they gave us slowly thawing (解冻）in the trunk of our old car, we were heading back to our apartment in Boston to celebrate our first Thanksgiving together. Our car broke down half an hour after we got on the highway. And it was raining. Back to then, not everyone had a cell phone, and in those days if you broke down along a lonely stretch of a highway far from the nearest emergency call box in cold November rain, it wasn't fun.

    Fortutiously for us, a van with a bunch of people coming back from a ski trip stopped andasked if we needed help. They gave us a ride to the nearest gas station, from where we could phone my father-in-law and asked him for help. My father-in-law arranged for :he car to be towed (拖引), and drove us all the way to Boston that day.

    So as we sit down to dinner and think of all the things we can be thankful for tonight, I want to say “thank you” to the strangers on I -89 some twenty years ago for giving a young couple a ride when their car with a frozen turkey in the trunk broke down.

    Never underestimate the difference you can make to the lives of others by one small act of kindness. Step forward, reach out and help. This week, reach to someone that might need a lift.

How to escape from a car in water

    “If you get on your phone and call your parents or your sister, or 911,you will die, " says Robert May, a 21-year-old veteran （老兵）of the Indiana State. No one else will arrive in time: you have to save yourself.

    Move quickly. Minivans (微型货车) might float for as long as 10 minutes.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} In a study from the University of Manitoba, three passengers were able to exist with a child mannequin (人体模型) through a single driver-side window in justS3segonds.

    Unbuckle (揭开) your seatbelt, lower your window and climb out, ideally onto the roof of the vehicle.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Unfasten them from the backseat, pull them into the front and push them out of your window, oldest ones first. In May's experience, electric car windows will continue to work after falling into water.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Don't open the door, water will flood in. Once full of water, the vehicle will sink fast.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Vehicle submersions (淹没) have one of the highest death rates of any type of single-motor-vehicle incidents, responsible for 400 deaths a year in North America.

    After you get on top of your car, figure out if it makes sense to stay put or swim for dry ground.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Just get out first, May says.

A. From there, call for help.

B. You will be then totally out of danger.

C. Research has been done to confirm this.

D. If there are children present, attend to them first.

E. In one study, a 65-passanger bus sank in nine seconds.

F. Still, keep a small grass-breaking tool on your key ring, just in Case.

G. However, the chances of survival are highest if you get out in the first 60 seconds.

Ways to Respectfully Disagree

    It's easier to agree than disagree.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Unfortunately, many of us either shy away completely from disagreements or lose it when things don't go our way. These tips can help keep disagreements constructive.

    Use “I' to communicate how you feel, what you think and what you want or need.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} For example, telling your parents “You always remind me about my housework when you know I have much homework” has a very different tone from “I'm feeling pressured because I have a lot of homework tonight. Can I do those chores tomorrow?”

    Listen to the other's opinion.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}That makes it more likely that he or she will do the same for you. When the other person is talking, try to stop yourself from thinking about why you disagree or what you'll say next.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}This is the important thing you can do to keep a conversation on track. Of course, it's a huge challenge to stay calm when you feel angry about something, especially if their person you're talking to gets heated.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you've ever been on the receiving end of someone's put-downs (贬损的话), you know how valuable using respectful language and behavior can be. So instead of saying what you might be thinking (That's a stupid idea!), try saying “I don't agree, and here is why.”

    Respect goes beyond difficult conversations, of course. Being helpful and considerate towards family members, teachers or coaches in our everyday actions helps us establish a foundation for those times when we might disagree.

A. Stay calm.

B. Look into the other's eyes.

C. Using 'you' statements can sound aggressive.

D. Avoid putting down the other person's ideas and beliefs.

E. Then you can calmly present your case and why you disagree.

F. Being a good listener shows that you respect the other person.

G. But we can learn a lot from conversations where we don't agree.

    Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we may take the fact of friendship for granted, we often don't clearly understand how we make friends. While we get on well with a number of people, {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Moreover, a great many relationships come under the general term "friendship". In all cases, two people like one another and enjoy being together, but beyond that, the degree of closeness between them and the reasons for their interest in each other change greatly.

    At the beginning, much depends on how people meet, and on good first impressions. As we get to know people, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Although these factors are not of the greatest importance, it is more difficult to have a good relationship with people when there is a big difference in age and background.

    Then, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Friends will stand closer together and will spend more time looking at each other than ordinary friends. Smiles and soft voices also express friendliness, and it is because they may give the wrong signals that shy people often have difficulty making friends. A friendly look with a wrong facial expression can turn into an unfriendly stare, and nervousness may be wrongly understood as unfriendliness.

    Some relationships are a result of argument and discussion, but it is usual for close friends to have the same ideas and beliefs, the same opinions and interests. The more closely involved people become, the more they depend on each other. And {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Equally, friends have to learn to make allowances for each other, to put up with annoying habits, and to accept differences in opinions.

    In contrast with marriage, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But the support and understanding that results from shared experiences and affections does seem to create a close and lasting relationship.

A. we are usually friends with only a few.

B. many factors can affect friendship and relationship.

C. people want to do friends favors and hate to let them down.

D. argument and discussion can improve personal relationships.

E. we consider things like age, race, looks, economic and social status, etc.

F. there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the relationship between two people.

G. we pay attention to actual behavior, facial expression, and the way a person speaks.

Tips for Cooking on a Tight Schedule

    From my experience, 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 discuss 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 tips 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's nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook？Do you have the right materials already？{#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 is to try new things. 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. Try new things.

B. Ability is easily improved.

C. Make three or four instead.

D. Understand your food better.

E. Cooking is a burden for many people.

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

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

    Choosing a major is a very important thing in our life. However, at the same time, it can be extremely challenging. So it's necessary to learn some simple tips that will make your decision much easier. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. And how does that choice affect your future career? We can help guide you in choosing a major.

    Your major is your primary field of study in your undergraduate (大学的 ) program. It is the subject in which you earn your bachelor's degree. After completing a list of general education courses, you spend the rest of the time studying one subject of your choice. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    For many students, it's best to try out different classes to figure out a major you'll like, but you need to have a couple of solid choices. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, you should begin taking courses you are required to complete before graduation, so it will decrease your chances of needing to switch majors later because you already know what to expect.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, you should begin thinking about how your field will lead to a job as soon as possible. Consider clubs, research programs and part-time jobs related to potential career choices for your major.

    For more career-specific majors like nursing and engineering, the majority of your studies will include skills that can be used in a future job. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The sooner you begin working in a lab, on research projects or helping as a teaching assistant for a professor, the better you'II be able to figure out your career.

A. You have to think of ways to choose a major

B. Be sure that you choose a major that suits your interests

C. Once you have a better idea of which major you like best

D. While your major may or may not lead directly to a career

E. Do some research to find out which majors can help you get that job

F. Roughly one-third to one-half of your courses will be related to your major

G. However, you should still consider doing activities outside of the classroom to better prepare you