Sometimes people can have fights, but friendship is a valuable gift.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} But with a little effort to step outside of your comfort zone(舒适区), you can easily make friends. Here you can find some places to make new friends.

    Join an organization or a club. This is a great way to find other people who have common interests.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}In fact, some of the most valuable friendships are between two people who don't have much in common at all. However, if you like a specific topic, try finding a place where you can meet people who share that interest.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A common mistake is that you have to be really good at playing a special sport in order to make friends with others on the team. In fact, as long as you enjoy the sport and support your teammates, joining a team with a relaxed attitude could be a great way to make new friends.

    Volunteer. Volunteering is also a good way for people of all ages to meet others. By working together, you'll build relationships with people.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Make yourself available. If you want to make friends, you first need to put yourself out there somehow to meet people.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}It doesn't have to be a crowded table, but one with at least two other people. Remember, friends seldom come knocking on your door while you sit alone at home.

A. Join a sports team.

B. Sometimes, good friends are hard to find.

C. Do well in sport in order to make new friends.

D. If you're still in school, sit somewhere with other people.

E. So you can devote your time to a local nursing home or a hospital.

F. It is not easy at all to get along with new friends when you study in a middle school.

G. You don't need to have lots of common interests with people to make friends with them.

    Both men and women are living longer these days in industrialized countries.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}In general, they can expect to live six or seven years more than men. One reason for this is biological. One important biological factor that helps women live longer is the difference in hormones between men and women. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Between the ages of about 12 and 50, women produce hormones that are involved in fertility(生育能力). These hormones also have a positive effect on the heart and blood flow. In fact, women are less likely to have high blood pressure or to die from heart attacks.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They help the body defend itself against some kinds of infections. This means that women generally get sick less often and less seriously than men. The common cold is a good example: women, on average, get fewer colds than men.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Scientists are still not exactly sure how they influence aging, but they believe that they do. Some think that a woman's body cells have a tendency(向) to age more slowly than a man's. Others think that a man's body cells have a tendency to age more quickly.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. However, women, on average, live longer.

B .The biological factor plays an important part.

C. Women are also helped by their female genes.

D. The female hormones also protect the body in another way.

E. Recent research seems to support both of these possibilities.

F. However, women are more healthy than men and can live a better life.

G. Hormones are chemicals which are produced by the body to control carious body functions.

    For the rest of March, a disease will sweep across the US. It will keep kids home from school.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Employees will suddenly lose their ability to concentrate.

    The disease, known as "March Madness", refers to the yearly 65 – team US men's college basketball tournament (锦标赛). {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Teams compete against each other in a single – elimination (单局淘汰) tournament that eventually crowns a national champion.

    Nearly 20 million Americans will find themselves prisoners of basketball festival madness. The fun comes partly from guessing the winners for every game. Friends compete against friends. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Colleagues against bosses.

    Big – name schools are usually favored to advance into the tournament. But each year there are dark horses from little – known universities.

    This adds to the madness. Watching a team from a school with 3,000 students beat a team from a school with 30,000, for many Americans, is an exciting experience. Two years ago, the little – known George Mason University was one of the final four teams. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    College basketball players are not paid, so the game is more about making a name for their university and themselves.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}About $ 4 billion will be spent gambling (赌) on the event. According to Media Life magazine, the event will bring in $ 500 million in advertising income this year, topping the post – season income of every US professional league, including that of the NBA.

A. Husbands against wives.

B. The players will go all out for the games.

C. But that doesn't mean money isn't involved.

D. College students will ignore piles of homework.

E. People are willing to spend more money on watching it.

F. It begins on March 15 and lasts through the beginning of April.

G. Many people had never even heard of the university before the tournament.

    Are you having trouble concentrating when you're reading a book or listening to a lecture? This list of activities might help to improve your study habits.

    Make a List. We often have trouble paying attention to one thing because our brain wants to think about something else. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You don't worry about whatever else you should be doing.

    Sleep More. Studies show that people who sleep fewer than eight hours a night for a period of time have slower response systems and more difficulty recalling information. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Eat Healthier Foods. Many people enjoy foods high in fats and sugars. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They might give you a temporary burst of energy. However, that energy is soon followed by a crash.

Reduce Screen Time. This may be the most unpopular suggestion among young people. Screen time — or time spent looking at cell phones, televisions, computer screens, has a clear effect on the attention span. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Concentration improves for students who participate in team sports. It could be that being active is helpful in this way. Participating in a sport trains your brain to concentrate on specific tasks, and shut out other thoughts.

A. Be active.

B. Practice more.

C. These foods can provide enough energy for focusing.

D. But these foods can't be helpful enough when it comes to focusing.

E. That is bad news for teens who stay up studying the night before a test.

F. Researchers advise parents to limit it when their children need to be focused.

G. By writing down all the things you need to do, you'll gain a sense of control.

    Violent Games: Fun or Harmful?

    If you play lots of video games, you've probably blown a zombie(僵尸) into tiny bits. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many adults worry that playing such games could make children act violently in real life. Is that true?

The American Academy of Pediatrics(儿科) says that violence in any kind of media — from TV to music to video games — presents a risk to kids' health. A number of studies have shown a link between video games and aggression, including one published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2014, which found that kids who played violent video games showed an increase in aggressive thoughts and behaviors. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    But not all studies agree that violent games cause kids to act out. Another study replaced violent deaths with evaporation(蒸发) in a game. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} People who played the non-violent game without any training were more aggressive afterward than people who played the violent version but learned to control themselves first.

    And here's an even stranger fact: When violent video games are released, people carry out fewer violent crimes! Why? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Steve Levitt, coauthor of the book Freakonomics, said, “If you can make video games fun enough, then kids will stop watching TV, and they'll stop going out and creating violent disorder on the street.”

What do you think? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. One possible explanation: potential criminals are at home playing the new game.

B. Then, before playing the game, some people received training and others didn't.

C. More than 3,000 kids answered survey questions during a two-year period.

D. For example, thinking it's OK to hit someone you don't like.

E. Have you ever played any violent video games?

F. Do violent video games cause bad behavior?

G. Some games even pile up dead bodies.

    This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. That makes it a good time to think of ways to honor the teachers who inspire, educate and care about the students they work with year after year.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    An easy way to make teachers feel appreciated is to write them a thank-you note. Be sure to include any favorite parts of their class and anything the teacher did for you that really had an effect on you. "I value notes and letters I receive from my students, their parents and grandparents," a teacher once said. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Visit A Former Teacher

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Many teachers mentioned they love seeing and hearing from former students. It makes them realize that their work matters. If you want to visit a former teacher, the best time to go is during their "off-period" or lunch. If you go to a different school and you want to see your former teacher, be sure to email them in advance. Ask when a good time to visit would be.

    Put Away Your Cellphone

    Putting your cellphone away in class is an easy thing any student can do. It may seem helpful to look up an answer to a question or do research. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Try to think hard about an answer before immediately reaching for your phone. Think about how you are staying in the present moment while you're paying attention in class.

    Listen And Learn

    The teachers interviewed said they had many different struggles and things that made them want to be a teacher. However, they all did agree on one thing. All the teachers mentioned wanting to see their students learn and succeed. This tip hardly requires any action at all. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Value Notes and Letters

B. Write A Letter To Say Thank You

C. However, your cellphones can actually seem like a competitor for your teacher.

D. Another simple way to show your appreciation is to visit a teacher you had a few years ago.

E. When teachers are trying to get students to remember concepts, this can be a huge challenge.

F. Just know that when you listen and learn, you'll show your teacher why they do what they do.

G. Seeing the evidence of the positive influence they have had on their students is comforting for teachers.