Making Peace with Your Parents

    As a teen, you are going through big changes physically and mentally. Your interests are expanding（增加；扩大） {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Here is the challenge: Kids need to explore the world in new ways, and parents need to protect them from the dangers that are all out in that world. These conflicts（冲突）can easily set off fireworks in otherwise calm house. Sometimes conflicts can't be avoided. But by paying attention to the building blocks of successful relationships, you can work towards making home a happy and healthy place for you and your parents.

For instance, try to find a time to talk when your parents are not angry, tired, distracted , or hungry. A good time to talk is when you are all relaxed. Timing is everything. If the conversation begins to turn into an argument, you'd better calmly and coolly ask to stop the conversation—for now. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Listen to what your parents are saying, and repeat it back to them. This shows them that you're listening. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Respect is the building block of good communication. People who respect each other and care about each other's feelings can disagree without getting things ugly.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}How do you build trust? Trust comes by actually doing what you say you're going to do. Some teens find that doing fun activities with their parents can improve their relationships. Sometimes we forget that parents are more than rule-makers—they're interesting people who like to watch movies and go shopping—just like their teenagers!

    What do you do if you are trying your best, but your relationship with your parents continues to be rocky（难以维持的；不稳定的）? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}You can find supportive adults, such as a teacher or a coach, who can lead an ear.

    Remember you can only change your own behavior. Your parents are the only ones who can change theirs.

A. It also gives them a chance to clear things up if you're not on the same page.

B. You can pick it up again when everyone's more relaxed.

C. And then you will be able to accept what your parents say.

D. Faced with the challenge, children don't know what to do.

E. You are more likely to get along with your parents and have more independence if your parents believe in you.

F. And your desire to take control of your own life is growing.

G. You may consider seeking outside help.

    What is a big dream? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Or, is a big dream something that provides only entertainment? Children dream big dreams, but there are three barriers to realizing dreams. They often kill them before they ever have a chance to grow.

The Self

    Immediately following the birth of a big dream, a negative self-talk takes over and gives all the reasons why it cannot happen. This inside voice is the ego (自我). It's there for protecting and should be listened to. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Most people are influenced by the inside voice. That's why only a handful of people make their dream come true.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Family and friends are a lot like the ego. They want to protect those they love, so they will often list all the reasons why the big dreams won't come true. Sometimes, family and friends destroy dreams of those they love most, out of their own fear of being left behind.

The World

    If one gets past the first two barriers, one has to face the world.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} In the past, big dreamers were locked up and sometimes even killed when they were shown to the world. Fortunately, in most of the world today, big dreamers just get laughed at.

    The way to realize a big dream is with confidence and action. When children have confidence and then take action, they will be ready to accept any failure. The truth is that every great dreamer whose dreams have never seen the light of success knows failure well.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Family and Friends.

B. How big Dreams Die.

C. Does a big dream show one's future?

D. They simply fail until they succeed.

E. it is the last and the most terrible barrier.

F. Sometimes it is right, but more often it is wrong.

G. And their big dream is to be a rock star or a famous artist.

Question: I have been learning English for about 7 years. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} And I still can't make myself understood in English. However, I love learning English. How can I learn English well? Please help me.

Answer: Many people have asked me this question. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Here I will give you several tips for learning English.

●{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    First of all, you must want to learn. If you are not interested in learning English, no class will help you and no book will help you. So you have to be honest with yourself. Ask yourself, “Do I really want to learn English?” If you can't answer “yes” to this question, it is better for you to set English aside until you're ready and willing to learn.

● Set goals (目标).

    To learn English well, you must set some goals. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It will also help you to see your progress. Ask yourself, “What are my goals? What areas would I like to improve?” Think about what your goals are, and review once in a while to see that you are making progress toward your goals.

● Practice, practice, and practice.

    After you have set your goals, you have a better idea of what you need to practice. Just like the athlete whose goal is the Olympics must train daily, you as a language learner must practice language every day to make progress toward your goal. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Want to learn.

B. I think it is not easy to learn it well.

C. Make friends with some Americans online.

D. Reading is a very good way to learn new words.

E. The answers are as different as the people asking the question.

F. The more you practice, the more progress you will make.

G. Having goals will help you remember what areas you want to work on.

    A new study suggests that the timing of a wound affects the speed at which it heals(愈合). Wounds suffered during the day heal around 60 percent faster than those at night.

    The study showed how the body's circadian rhythm(昼夜节律) controlled the healing of wounds{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It tells our bodies when to wake up, eat and sleep in a cycle—a series of activities that repeat themselves day after day{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    In the study, researchers found that skin cells moved faster to repair wounds suffered during the day. Their findings were published in the journal Science Transnational Medicine.

    The researchers examined cells, mice, and burn injury databases{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Night-time burns—burns suffered between 8 o'clock at night and 8 o' clock the next morning—were 95percent healed after an average of 28 days.

    But after an average of 17 days, daytime burns-burns suffered between 8 o'clock in the morning and 8 o'clock at night—were 95 percent healed{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Wounds are very costly to treat{#blank#}5{#/blank#}In Britain's National Health Services, for example, such services cost around $6.56 billion per year. Experts say the high costs result, in part, from a lack of drugs that speed up the closure of wounds.

A. Each cycle lasts about 24 hours.

B. The circadian rhythm is like a clock or timer.

C. Specifically their investigation found the following information:

D. The new study's findings could help scientists develop better drugs.

E. In other words, nigh-time injuries took an average of 11days longer to heal

F. Worldwide, billions of dollars are spent every year on wound-treatment services.

G. That's what a group of researchers from a university in Canada recently published.

    Is there anything more important than health? I don't think so. "Health is the greatest wealth (财富)," wise people say. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    If you have a headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor.

    The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X－rayed. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The only thing you have to do is follow his advice. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease. He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: "Eat at pleasure, drink with measure and enjoy life as it is." The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn't smoke more than one cigarette a day.

    A month later the gentleman came into the doctor's office. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.

    "But you know, doctor," he said, "it's not easy to begin smoking at my age."

How to Survive Being Stuck in a Lift

    Being stuck in a lift, also known as an elevator, can sometimes be scary, especially if you are a fan of those kinds of movies which have a lot of elevator tragedies. You may think being stuck in an elevator in real life is not like in the movies.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Remain calm and do not panic! You may have heard of this a lot of times and it is true that panicking will do you no good. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Press each of the floor buttons one by one. Then, try the “doors open” button. If none of the buttons works, the lift is broken, and you need to let someone know about it.

    See if your phone has any reception or Internet. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you have WiFi connection, contact a family member or friend. Don't forget to tell them what the address is of the building and possibly which elevator you are stuck in. If your phone is not available, the following tips can help you.

    Look through the gap between the doors of the lift. If you can see light between the doors, the lift has stopped near a floor, and you should be able to shout for help and be released. Do not try to force the doors open yourself. If you can't see light between the doors, the lift has stopped between floors, and no one will be able to let you out if you scream for help. Look for an emergency telephone. If there is no telephone, press the alarm button repeatedly. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you have waited for more than half an hour and nobody has come to get you out, shout and bang the inside walls of the lift. If no one is responding to you, then you'll have to accept that you will be in the lift overnight. If this happens, make yourself as comfortable as possible to save your energy. By morning, the building should be full again. You can try to get some help then.

A. It will cause you not to be able to think clearly.

B. Check the time.

C. Eventually, someone should hear you and get help.

D. Here are some tips to help you survive.

E. However, it is still a vital thing to know how to survive if it ever happens to you.

F. Use your watch.

G. If you do have reception, call emergency services.