Holiday gift buying can feel a little empty, when all of those endless lists, long lines at the shopping center and dollars spent lead to a 5-minute excitement of flying wrapping paper. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The following tips can help make gift giving more meaningful for both the giver and the receiver.

1 Know the person

    The most important thing in the exchanging of gifts is that it shows that you really know the person well, and you really care about him. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

2 Donate in their name

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Research suggests that happier people give more to others, and that giving more makes people happier. Moreover, charity-related happiness is highest when people give in a way that promotes social connection. So, try giving to the less fortunate in someone's name this holiday season.

3 Give handmade goods or hand-me-downs

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  A study suggests that people feel that homemade items show more love, and love is what they want to express to the gift receiver.

    Family heirlooms(传家宝) may be another good gift option. A 2009 study found that when families hand down even a very depersonalized thing — money — to the generations, the symbolic value of the cash is greater than the numerical value alone.

4 Provide chances for participation

    If there's a golden rule of gifts, though, it's this: {#blank#}5{#/blank#} People who receive experiential gifts, such as concert tickets or a zoo membership, feel more connected to the gift giver than people who received material gifts.

A. Give experiences rather than objects.

B. But it doesn't have to be that way.

C. Giving gifts to friends or to charity is linked to happiness.

D. That is always beyond their expectation.

E. That means catering to another's pleasure.

F. Start listing every person you plan to give a holiday gift to.

G. The new and store-bought is not always best.

    In many countries, it is important to have many children In the US, a few religious groups emphasize the importance of large families, but most people think one or two children are enough, and many couples have no children. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Having many children would restrict the freedom and individualism of the parents as well as the other children in the family.

    Parents teach individualism by the way they raise their children {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Parents begin teaching this self-reliance early, asking the child to do things on her own and praising her when she does.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They bring their children with them to church, to sporting events, to stores, and to social events. However, many places, such as expensive restaurants and live theatre productions, do not welcome children. Most formal social gatherings those with written invitations do not welcome children either.

    Children，especially boys are expected to be energetic and assertive(果敢的).

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Parents are expected to keep their children under control at all times, particularly in public places and in the homes of others. When a child misbehaves only the child's patents may discipline him. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Most patents discipline their children by rewarding good behaviors, not by punishing bad behaviors. while a spanking，a slap to the child's buttocks(屁股), is acceptable to some people, any punishment that wounds the child or leaves a mark is considered child abuse and is against the law.

A. The relationship between American parents and their children is harmony

B. That doesn't mean, though, that they are allowed to “run wild” in public.

C. Because taking care of a child is very costly, financially, emotionally, and socially, many couples view large families as a disadvantage.

D. Others adults should not interfere (干涉) unless the child is doing something which may be harmful to himself

E. American children are expected to accept invitations to a formal party.

F. Many parents want to expose their children to a variety of situations.

G. They want to create a self-reliant, independent child, who can make it on her own by age eighteen.

    Earth is home to around 7,000 languages, around half of which are expected to disappear by 2100.

    Languages disappear for many reasons. Sometimes younger generations stop learning a language because parents want children to fit in. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Native American children of the late-19th century were required to attend boarding schools where educators forbade them from speaking their native languages.

    The United Nations ranks endangered languages according to their risk level. For example, a "critically endangered" language is one that even grandparents don't speak often. New York's Onondaga language is an example with only 50 speakers left. An "extinct" language has no speakers. It is gone forever. Alaska's Eyak language is one example. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}In the same way, different languages contribute to cultural diversity. Saving these languages benefits our understanding of other cultures. Languages can show how a society looks at the world and what it values. A language may describe something in a way that is funny, too. In Welsh, it rains not cats and dogs, but old wives and walking sticks.

    The Endangered Language Alliance wants to save languages from disappearing. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} However, its efforts are limited. If an endangered language is going to make a real comeback, it'll probably get its start in schools. For nearly 100 years, public schools in Hawaii did not teach the Hawaiian language. Now students can keep learning in Hawaiian from elementary schools to college and beyond.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} At least one did. In 1881, a Jewish linguist named Eliezer Ben-Yehuda brought the 3,000-year-old language Hebrew back to life. Today it is one of the official languages of the country of Israel, with more than 4 million speakers.

A. The last person who spoke it died in 2008.

B. Why should we save endangered languages?

C. Various animals and plants benefit our environment.

D. With just 5 speakers left, it is absolutely endangered.

E. Can a language with zero native speakers come back to life?

F. Sometimes societies force minorities to give up their language.

G. The nonprofit group finds native speakers and records their stories.

    Competition is all around us and it makes the strong stronger and the weak weaker. It can also teach us how to survive in a fast-paced and stressful world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. How many of us have seen young boys weeping because their teams didn't win inter-school tournament? How many of us have seen young teenagers cheat just to win? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. So it's important to develop healthy competition among children.

    When it comes to encouraging healthy competition among children, the first thing to do is set goals for them to stick to. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Since children may be easily affected by wrong ideas from popular media and the Internet, it's up to you to develop the right kind of spirit in them. Team spirit will help them grow into human beings who aren't easily annoyed by small losses or too excited by victories. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. So give them examples where family members refused to cheat to win.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. When they take an exam, don't ask about how much they expect to score; instead, ask what they wrote about. If your son played a cricket match at school, don't ask him whether his team won or lost; ask him how many runs he scored and encourage him to score higher next time instead. When you let your children know that you're more interested in how they performed rather than whether they lost or won, they will surely try to better themselves.

    Everyone is aware that taking good care of our bodies can prevent many medical problems from occurring later. However, we often have less awareness of preventative actions we should take to help with mental health problems. While our mental health may be fine right now, many of us will struggle at some point. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's impossible to get through life without challenges, but our mental health prevention habits can help us get through difficult times. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Keep active. The more active you physically, mentally and socially are, the higher the level of your mental wellness is likely to be. So go for walks and learn something new. There are many other ways to be active. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Be connected. Regular involvement in social activities with supportive friends and family improves your ability to handle disappointments, and everything else life throws at you. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But you can be involved in any manner; even volunteering for an organization can help you be more social.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The nature of these activities varies widely from person to person. The key is to identify what gives your life meaning. Volunteering, coaching, teaching, etc. all can contribute to increasing your sense of confidence and satisfaction with life. Many activities can address more than one. The key is to make a plan and stick with it. If you are already struggling, begin to practice these ways to help your recovery.

A. Here are three practical steps.

B. However, good mental health is important.

C. Stresses, disappointments and disasters happen.

D. Overcome life's challenges before they happen.

E. Be committed to activities that give life meaning.

F. The key is to find what keeps you motivated and interested.

G. This can be difficult when you move to a new town or as you get older.

    Our world is more connected than ever before thanks to technology. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Indeed, it is becoming increasingly important that we all learn how to deal with this painful feeling.

    You should be determined to actively end your loneliness. We often end up passively waiting for someone else to make us feel less lonely. You may feel that your loneliness indicates that nobody is willing to connect with you. And there is nothing you can do about it. But that is far from the truth. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    You should find reasons why you are lonely. We all feel lonely for different reasons. Some of us have no one to interact with on a consistent basis and that's why we feel lonely. You may feel that the people in your life don't share your thoughts and ideas. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} you need to identify it. And you know exactly how to handle your loneliness.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} People who are lonely tend to fall into destructive mental habits. They try to avoid the pain of not being understood and being disconnected by not giving people an opportunity to understand and connect with them. So the solution is to share your thoughts and feelings with others and to do so openly and fearlessly.

    You should find people who share your interests. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} everybody is interested in something. And just as there are many interests, there are many people who share those interests. Find what interests you and connect with others on that basis.

A. Whatever the reason is,

B. When you feel really lonely,

C. If you want to make friends with them,

D. Whether it's coin collecting or video games,

E. You should be open about your thoughts, ideas and desires.

F. Ending loneliness is something that you can and should pursue actively.

G. However, more and more of us find ourselves having to stand loneliness.