Have you experienced times when you feel like you're under too much pressure? I think most of you will say yes. Actually, many things can strike us beyond our control. With an annoying mix of late trains, missed appointments and work deadlines, many of us are living in a constant state of stress. Experts warn, our modern lifestyles means that stress is almost continuous, and comes without the natural release that either fighting or fleeing might provide.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Conditions vary from mood swings(情绪波动) to anxiety, irritability, nervousness and tiredness. In extreme cases, it can even cause headaches, muscle cramps, and digestive problems. But there are a number of things we can do to manage the symptoms.

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    Balancing blood sugar is essential in lowering stress. To maintain its level, you can try to have one small meal every two-to-three hours that contains protein, for example, breakfast, lunch and dinner plus a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. In this case, your blood sugar will be steady.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Laugh as you like.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Many studies show that laughter boosts our energy, decreases stress hormones, improves immunity and lessens pains. Try to find humor in life and engage in activities that make you laugh. Don't feel guilty about doing what you love. It will work its magic in your body.

    Schedule your workout timing.

    It could be the time, rather than the way that determines how effective your workouts would be.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Do energy-forming exercises like running or aerobics in the morning, and milder activities in the evening. Try a walk at the end of the day to calm your mind and stretch your muscles.

A. Eat little and often.

B. So will your mood swings.

C. Laughter is the best medicine.

D. These things are activated by laughing

E. The aim of exercise is to boost your energy.

F. Adapt your exercise routine to the biological clock.

G. Living with it can lead to a whole range of health problems.

    Four Habits to Help You Succeed Everyone hopes to be successful, whether it's in losing weight or learning the piano. For those who have tried and failed, success seems hard to understand. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I've made a list of habits to help you set goals and achieve them.

    Identify your key values.

    Finding your key values is in line with (符合) creating inner intention. Sit and think about what you value most. Pick some things and actually write them down.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Then think about whether you are honoring those values through your work.

    Pick a goal and concentrate on it.

    Choose one goal to start something large enough that will give you a sense of achievement, while adjusting well to your core values.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} The more focused you are on one goal, the higher chance you have of success. If you perform many tasks at a time, you might never finish your projects because they will take far too long.

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    Set a date for success. Identify when you hope to achieve your goal. Keep it realistic, while not giving you too much time. By setting a time limit, you are making the process more real.

    Stick to your goal.

    Failure can't be avoided when you take risks. By its very definition (定义), the desire to succeed means you are risking failure. Many people tend to give up far too early. Don't fail into this trap! Remember your goal earlier. Know it will happen. A failure is only you working out the details, and learning what works and what doesn't. Use failure.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Focus is key here.

B. Make the right decision.

C. Set a deadline for success.

D. Treat it as a good thing, and move on!

E. Remind yourself of your values every day.

F. Push yourself to be courageous, and take that next step.

G. Why does one person succeed while another person fails?

Simple Ways to Build Trust

    The most valuable thing you can have is trust. When there is no trust, it becomes hard to get anything done. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Then think of another one with very little trust.

    Which one do you prefer?

    We can all be better off with more trust in our lives. And I'm going to show you a few things you can do to build trust.

    Be honest. Honesty is the basis of any relationship. Be true to your word and keep your promises. Share honest information, even if it's to your disadvantage.

    Ask open-ended questions.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Open-ended questions give your friends chances to tell you about themselves. Ask more questions based on the answers that you get.

    Don't be perfect. There's always something fishy(可疑的) about someone who seem to have everything going for them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This sends a message that you're not hiding anything and that you want to build trust.

    Say what you mean. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When you build up a reputation of saying what you mean, people don't have to second-guess what you are trying to say. This helps you win trust.

    Don't blame others. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Be brave to take responsibility and then decide what you are going to do next. Don't waste the present thinking about the past which can't be changed. A person that doesn't blame gets the trust of others quickly.

A. If you think it's a bad idea, say so.

B. When things go wrong, don't point the finger at them.

C. Value long-term relationships more than short-term success.

D. Don't waste your energy hiding your mistakes or weaknesses.

E. Think of one of your relationships where there is a lot of trust.

F. Learn more about your friends and be interested in their answers.

G. Trust may be the most important part in successful relationships.

    Are you happy with your appearance? Some teenagers are not.

    “Almost all the girls with single-fold eyelids (单眼皮)in our class have had double eyelid operations, Zeng, a Senior 2 student from Chengdu, told the Xinhua News Agency. Zeng had the same surgery done this summer. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    From popular photo-editing apps to plastic surgery(整容)，it seems that large eyes, pale skin and a skinny body are the only standard for beauty these days. But can following this standard really make us feel good about ourselves?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} According to Huxiu News, over six in 10 girls choose not to take part in certain daily activities, such as attending school, because they feel bad about their looks. As much as 31 percent of girls avoid speaking up in class because they worry that others will notice their looks.

    Boys don't usually talk about body image problems as much as girls，but that doesn't mean they don't have them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} But parents and doctors may overlook them, even if they notice such problems in girls.

    Many teenagers are upset about their appearance because they believe in unrealistic standards of beauty, experts say. Perfect faces and bodies are everywhere in advertising, TV shows and social media.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    However, trying to live up to strict standards can make us feel anxious. What troubles us is not just our “imperfect” looks, but the fact that we criticize ourselves so harshly.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Plus-size(大号的)models are being featured in some fashion shows. All of us should be just as confident as they are.

A. All the girls worry about their looks

B. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes

C. Image problems are common in the world

D. Body image anxiety is common among girls

E. Boys can struggle with body anxiety as well

F. She and many of her classmates believe bigger eyes look more beautiful

G. Seeing all these things can make anyone believe that they're too fat or too short

Mystery of Mosquito Flight

    The mosquito is a troublesome and dangerous insect. Their bites itch and can carry dangerous diseases, like malaria, Zika virus and yellow fever. Recently, researchers from Britain and Japan discovered how mosquitoes fly. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Mosquito wings are small and have an uncommon shape.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So, how is their flight possible? The team of scientists from Britain and Japan solved the mystery. They used high-speed cameras and computer images to understand the mechanics of how the insect moves its wings to stay in the air.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They set up eight super-high speed cameras that take 10,000 images each second. Simon Walker, a researcher at the University of Oxford, explains that normally at least two cameras are needed to record an insect, so they've got enough views of an insect. With two camera views they can then take any point on an insect and calculate its 3-D coordinates (三维坐标).

    Mosquitoes can spread diseases. The insect has two antennae, or tall, thin organs on its head that it uses to feel things. But its antennae and six legs make it difficult to take clear images of the wing movements. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The extra cameras let the researchers see that the mosquito's wings move eight hundred times each second. That is four times faster than many insects of a similar size.

    Mosquitoes fly by moving their wings in several different directions. The thin top edges of their wings move forward first and then they change direction and move down. The movement looks as if the wings are drawing the number eight. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Walker says that existing unmanned flying devices do not work very well outside because wind can affect their flight.

    "Insects, on the other hand, deal really well with even quite windy conditions. So understanding how they can do this is going to be advantageous to us." These researchers say that understanding how mosquitoes fly might help find ways to stop them from spreading diseases.

A. Because of this, it is hard to believe that they are able to fly.

B. Mosquitoes evolved from other insects about 226 million years ago.

C. So, the team needed to use eight cameras to view the wings from many directions.

D. Researchers at the University of Oxford took images of mosquito wing movements.

E. Many measures have been tried for mosquito control, for example, getting rid of breeding places.

F. This knowledge, they say, help find ways to stop mosquitoes from spreading diseases in the future.

G. The research team believes the mosquitoes' wing movements could help inventors design new flying devices.

Before there was the written word, there was the language of dance. Dance expresses love and hate, joy and sorrow, life and death, and everything else in between.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}We dance from Florida to Alaska, from north to south and sea to sea. We dance at weddings, birthdays, office parties and just to fill the time.

"I adore dancing," says Lester Bridges, the owner of a dance studio in Iowa. "I can't imagine doing anything else with my life." Bridges runs dance classes for all ages. "Teaching dance is wonderful. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's great to watch them. For many of them, it's a way of meeting people and having a social life."

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}"I can tell you about one young couple," says Bridges. "They're learning to do traditional dances. They arrive at the class in low spirits and they leave with a smile. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}"

So, do we dance in order to make ourselves feel better, calmer, healthier? Andrea Hillier says, "Dance, like the pattern of a beating heart, is life. Even after all these years, I want to get better and better.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} I find it hard to stop! Dancing reminds me I'm alive."

A. So why do we dance?

B. Dance in the U.S. is everywhere.

C. If you like dancing outdoors, come to America.

D. My older students say it makes them feel young.

E. I keep practicing even when I'm extremely tired.

F. Dancing seems to change their feeling completely.

G. They stayed up all night long singing and dancing.