It is very common for you to find yourself in an unfamiliar situation. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Yes, everyone tells you to stand on your own two feet and take responsibility for your action, but if you haven't experienced a situation before, how can you know what to do?

    We usually try our best to do everything on our own and not to rely on others, but at certain times calling for help is the best way forward. You can picture the scene of the man-it is usually a man-driving blindly around an unfamiliar town looking for an address he doesn't know. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}And he could get to his appointment on time. It is obvious to everybody in such a case that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but rather the sensible thing to do.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, you are looking for a new job and need to write your resume（简历）. If your pride prevents you from getting help and you just do the writing yourself, it may well cost the opportunity you are seeking. Similarly, when you just started a new job, you often don't want to admit that you haven't got the knowledge to finish a particular task, so you keep going and eventually make things worse than they were. This may lead to a diminishing(贬低) of you in the eyes of the boss. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Now you can see that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but is the sensible and mature thing to do.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Making your life easier by asking for and using knowledgeable help is not a sign of weakness, but is actually quite a clever thing to do.

    Do you ever wish you were as thin as a model or as strong as your favorite football player? Maybe you wish you were taller or just shaped a little differently. Those thoughts are a natural part of growing up. How can you feel better about your body?

    Firstly, learning what you can and can't change about your body is part of growing up. It can be hard to accept. But when people accept the way they look, they often feel happier.

    Eating healthy foods can make people feel better about their bodies. Why? Because eating ________will make you full of energy and keep your body working just the way it should.

    Watching TV and playing computer games can be fun, but it doesn't do much for your body because your body stays still. Those are called sedentary(需要久坐的)activities because you sit while you do them.

    But when you move your body by playing, dancing, taking part in sports, or even cleaning your room , you exercise your muscles(肌肉).When you exercise a muscle, it gets stronger and stronger. And when you have strong muscles, you can do whatever you want to do.

    People feel better about their bodies when their bodies can do whatever they want them to do. So climb a hill, jump rope, ride a bike, swim in a pool ,run up the stairs, or even do the hula and enjoy all your body can do!

    Your life is composed of all the little things we experience everyday, and knowing how to find joy in some of those little things is one of the easiest ways to let happiness slowly fill your cup. In order for that to happen, you need to do two very simple things, put yourself in such situations that you can experience happiness there, and then find a way to savour the experience and let it sink into you.

    To put yourself in the position of experiencing happiness every day, Lahan Catalino, Ph.D, at the University of California, San Francisco, recommends an approach called “prioritizing positivity”—organizing your day-to-day life on purpose so that it contains situations which naturally give rise to positive emotions. It involves both carving out time in your daily routine to do things that you really love and heavily weighing the positive emotional consequences of major life decisions, like taking a new job, and you will regularly find yourself.

    Then how can we find away to savour the happy experience and let it sink into you? Here is what psychologist Rick Hanson, the author of Buddha's Brain explains.

    Let a good fact become a good experience.

    Often we go through life and some good thing happens—a little thing like we checked off an item on our To Dc list, we survived another day at work, the flowers are blooming, and so forth. Hey, this is an opportunity to feel good. Don't leave the money lying on the table: recognize that this is an opportunity to let yourself truly feel good.

    Really enjoy this positive experience.

    Practice what any school teacher knows: if you want to help people learn something, make it as intense as possible—in this case, as felt in the body as possible—for as long as possible.

    When sinking into this experience, sense your intention that this experience is sinking into you.

    Sometimes people do this through visualization, like by sensing a golden light coming into themselves or a soothing balm inside themselves. You might imagine a jewel going into the treasure chest in your heart—or just know that this experience is sinking into you, becoming a resource you can take with you no matter where you go.

    It might seem a little cliche to say“stop and smell the roses”, but it's moments like those that can be stored in your happiness bank and withdrawn later. Living a happy life can be as simple as accepting the happiness that's already around you. If you want more, it's OK to go out and achieve it, but don't forget where happiness really comes from.

The Value of Tears

    Tears can ruin make-up, bring conversation to a stop, and give you a runny nose．Tears leave you embarrassed and without energy．Still, crying is a fact of life, and your tears are very useful．Even when you're not crying, they make a film over the eye's surface{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    When tears fall, they reduce stress．But we tend to fight them for all! sorts of reasons． "People worry about showing their emotions , afraid that once they lose control they'll never get it back{#blank#}2{#/blank#}After we cry, the feelings that caused the tears often disappear．

    Sometimes people become much stressed and can't cry. Whatever emotion they are feeling—shock, anger, fear, or sadness—is being held back．

But everyone has the need to cry. Psychologist Vera Diamond explains that her treatment often consists of giving people permission to cry{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Patients practice crying just to become used to expressing emotions．She suggests safe, private places to cry, like under the bedcovers or in the car．Crying is a way of reducing tension, but people don't like it when others cry because it makes them tense{#blank#}4{#/blank#} And they'll do just about anything to make you stop．

    In certain situations, such as at work, tears are not appropriate．It's good not to cry during a tense business discussion{#blank#}5{#/blank#}You should also act out the whole situation again and be as noisy and angry as you like．It will help you feel better． "And," she adds, "Once your tears have taken away the stress, you can begin to think calmly of ways to deal with the problem．"

    Tears are a sign of our ability to feel．If you find yourself near someone crying, deal with it．And never be afraid to cry yourself．

A．She gives crying exercises．

B．They cry for different reasons．

C．They too may be holding back a need to cry．

D．The fact is that no emotion lasts forever．

E．It contains a chemical against infection.

F．But once you're safely behind closed doors, don't just cry．

G．It forms in response to the stress on the surface of the eye．

    A white elephant gift exchange is a popular holiday party game in, the United States. Generally, the party needs at least six participants, and' the larger the group: is, the more entertaining the game will be{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But it can result in heated competitions between players trying to get the gifts.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Sometimes, the rule is that the item must be previously owned, which means that you can exchange an unwanted item or trinket(小装饰品) with your friends. But sometimes you can buy a new but inexpensive item just for the party.

    Every participant is expected to bring one wrapped(包装好的) gift. A white elephant gift is usually something useless or inconvenient{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Guests are asked to wrap them nicely and leave no identifying markings on the presents.

    To start the game, a participant must act as the first player to choose a gift; this can be decided randomly or by picking numbers out of a hat{#blank#}4{#/blank#}As for the next player? This person can either “steal” the first person's gift or choose an unwrapped item from the pile. Each gift can be stolen only three times before it is considered "dead".

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Any person that has to give up a gift can also pick a new gift or steal one from another person. Each turn is only allowed three swaps between the current player and the previous players. The game won't finish until all the presents are opened.

A. It all depends on how the game is organized.

B. This process is repeated until the game is over.

C. Don't forget that the game's purpose is to have fun.

D. The first player then opens the gift in front of everyone.

E. White elephant gift exchange can be run in different ways.

F. The goal of the party is usually entertainment rather than gain.

G. Trinkets, unidentifiable kitchen items and toys are typical “white elephants” .

    Screen Time: How Much Is Too Much?

    Many children spend a lot of time watching or playing with electronic media—from televisions to video games, computers and other devices. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Perhaps parents now should ease up on their concerns about screen time, at least for older boys and girls.

    Until last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggested that children and teenagers have no more than two hours of screen time a day. It also suggests that parents balance a child's screen time with other activities.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Christopher Ferguson, who teaches psychology at Stetson University in Florida, notes a lack of evidence supporting reports that too many hours spent playing video games or watching TV is truly harmful.

    Ferguson seems interested in one idea: the link between video games and violent or risky behavior. When he saw results from a recent British survey on screen time, he wanted to know more. The British study found a small negative effect—about a one percent increase—in aggression and depression among children who had six or more hours of screen time a day. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So, Ferguson and his team examined answers from a survey on risky behaviors. The study involved about 6,000 boys and girls in Florida, whose average age was 16.

    Data from this survey found that American children are also fairly resistant to the negative effects of electronic media. Among those who used screens up to six hours a day, the survey found: a 0.5 percent increase in criminal behavior; a 1.7 percent increase in signs of depression; and a 1.2 percent negative effect on school grades. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} To further argue his point that screen time is not harmful, Ferguson adds that children should become familiar with screen technology. Electronic devices, he says, are a part of our everyday lives.

A. Some negative experiences on social media can and do affect some children.

B. However, some experts question claims that too much screen time is harmful.

C. He wanted to see if there was a similar effect among young people in the United States.

D. So, it is natural that parents should wonder about all the time children spend looking at a screen.

E. The researchers found no increase in risky sex or driving behaviors, use of illegal substances or eating disorders.

F. The researchers suggested that for those children, technology use might get in the way of taking part in other important activities.