Question: Why is it so hard for some people to apologize after they've done something wrong? I have made efforts to persuade my uncle to be nice to people that he's hurt. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} How I wish things would be better if he'd just say he's sorry and ask them to forgive him.

Answer: {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's just easier for him to pretend nothing happened than to face the embarrassment (尴尬) of admitting he was wrong. You've probably done the same thing yourself at some time. In fact, most of us have. Furthermore, what if others won't forgive him even if he apologizes?

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Pride blinds us to our mistakes or faults. Or at least it makes us pay less attention to their seriousness.

    Pride also makes us unwilling to admit to others that we were wrong. Perhaps we're afraid they will look down on us if we admit it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    But others see through our pride. And things would be far better if we admitted our faults and asked for forgiveness. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

    Now you know why your uncle refuses to apologize, talk to him again. Help him to learn how to apologize and ask for forgiveness from others.

A. But a deeper reason is pride.

B. But he just refuses to do that.

C. We may even hope that somehow they will overlook it.

D. As a result, you would offend others and hurt their feelings.

E. There are a variety of reasons for your uncle's refusal to apologize.

F. Otherwise our pride would only hurt us and cause conflict with others.

G. One reason your uncle finds it hard to apologize could be embarrassment.

    As a child grows out of being an infant and begins to notice and react to the world around him, you may find yourself wondering how you possibly impart all of the things that he needs to become a responsible, respectful adult.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} A child who learns to respect all he meets not only receives respect from others, but also learns to respect himself as well.

   Show your child respect. This is perhaps the best way to teach your child how to respect others. Listen to your child by giving him your full attention and he will learn to listen to you, understanding how important this is in communication.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The more you say “please” and “thank you” to your child, the more likely he will learn to use them with you and others. Politeness then becomes a normal part of any conversation.

    Agree to disagree.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Explain your decision so that he will understand your reasoning and expect respectful responses. Disagreeing with you doesn't equate to disobedience.

    Control your impulse to overact. When a situation arises between you and your child that requires calmness, keep in mind that you are supposed to be modeling correct behavior. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Praise, praise, praise! So much is focused on what a child does wrong and how to correct it that the accomplishments are not celebrated enough. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Teach manners by using polite requests and responses.

B. Try to remember that a child won't always agree with you.

C. Respect is necessary for a meaningful and successful life.

D. If he sees you lose temper, he is more likely to respond that way in future.

E. A child may act like he pleases, but will respect being given limits.

F. When you see your child exhibit respectful behavior, make sure he knows just how proud you are of him.

G. Setting a good example is the best way to start a child on the path to respect.

    Have you used “um…” “like…” “you know…” in your speech? Catch words(口头禅) are unnecessary words used to fill up dead paces while you speak. Speaking too many catch words is like a bad habit that we are unaware of. While most people tend to ignore it in everyday conversation, in a formal speech or an interview, too many catch words can make even the best presentation look bad.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Stop when we are in doubt. Catch words are used more often when a person is unsure about the sentence to use next.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}If you are lost or in doubt over what to say next, just stop speaking, take a long pause, breathe in , figure out what to say and start again.

    Speak consciously and slowly. If the speech is too long and you talk continuously without thinking, then you might also be pushing in a few catch words in between.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It is best to memorize the tricky parts of the speech, like the introduction and the conclusion where a majority of the catch words are used.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Preparing for the speech is very important when trying to remove catch words. Make it a point to pause when there is a comma or give two pauses at the end of the sentence. If certain words in the speech need to be emphasized then underline them and practice them as they need to be said.

    Avoid catch words in conversations. Get a friend or your partner to help you out when rehearsing a conversation.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Although it can be an unpleasant and often embarrassing process, but in the long run it helps in cutting down on catch words.

A. Practise your speech when you can.

B. Remember the saying that silence is golden.

C. Therefore we can find out best friends to guide us well.

D. Anytime you use a catch word, the friend can point it out.

E. So we should learn some ways to avoid speaking such words.

F. Structure the speech well to include as much information as is needed.

G. The mind is so busy trying to figure out what to say that there is a strong urge to speak such words.

    What is the easiest way to stay warm in the super cold?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. At least that is what Santa Claus told me.

    During Christmas, Dennis and I went to Finland. We brought back some tips for keeping warm in a cold temperature.

    ⒈There layers(层)work wonders.

    Start with the base layer, which sits right on your skin: choose something that can absorb sweat{#blank#}2{#/blank#}A sweater is a good choice. The most important layer is the outer clothes, which should be waterproof(防水的)and windproof.

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    You lose heat from every millimeter of uncovered skin, which was the biggest lesson I learned on this trip. My whole body was well covered. But I missed one sport: my face. So it often felt like the wind was going to blow my nose off.

    ⒊Exercise, don't just stand still.

    When it's cold, exercising may be the last thing you feel like doing, but be smart.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}and you will feel the difference. When we first got to Finland, we were freezing. But after a couple of minutes jumping around, we felt less cold.

    ⒋If you have a heater

    You may want to turn it all the way up, but it's best to keep it at between 18 and 20 degrees{#blank#}5{#/blank#}but not create a huge difference between inside and outside.

A. Grow a crazy beard.

B. The key is what your layer is

C. Cover every bit of your skin

D. That will keep you comfortable

E. Take a walk, faster than your normal speed

F. Don't forget to keep your hands and feet warm, too

G. The middle layer keeps your body heat from getting away

    Do you belong to a highly emotionally intelligent person?

    As we all know, emotional intelligence (EI) has been an important factor in our success and happiness, not only at work, but in our relationships and all areas of our lives. So what sets emotionally intelligent people apart?

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    They focus on the positive. While not ignoring the bad news, emotionally intelligent people do not spend a lot of time and energy focusing on problems. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} These people focus on what they are able to do and what is within their control.

    They surround themselves with positive people. People with a lot of EI don't spend a lot of time listening to complainers. They are aware that those people are not helpful to them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can spot these folks as they tend to smile and laugh a great deal and attract other positive people. Their warmth, openness, and caring attitude let others look upon them as more trustworthy.

    They look for ways to make life more fun, happy, and interesting. Whether it is in their workplace, at home, or with friends, high EI people know what makes them happy and look for opportunities to expand their enjoyment. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Therefore, they do whatever they can to brighten someone else's day.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} People with high EI are so busy thinking of possibilities in the future that they don't spend a lot of time worrying about things that didn't work out in the past. They take the learning from their past failures and apply it to their actions in the future.

A. They are willing to let go of the past.

B. People know how they can use their energy wisely.

C. Here are four habits that people with high EI have:

D. They receive pleasure and satisfaction from seeing others happy.

E. So they always spend time with people that look at the bright side of life.

F. Instead, they use the incident to create awareness of how to not let it happen again.

G. Rather, they look at what is positive in a situation and look for solutions to a problem!

    Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning, and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resetting your body clock.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here's how to make one.

    ●{#blank#}2{#/blank#} In order to make a change, you need to decide why it's important. Do you want to get up in time to have breakfast with your family, get in some exercise, or just be better prepared for your day? Once you are clear about your reasons, tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make.

    ●Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes, and bags.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} That's a quarter-hour more you could be sleeping if you bought a coffee maker with a timer.

    ●Keep your sleep/wake schedule on weekends. If you're tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ●Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you've tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} If not, take another look at other methods you could try.

A. Get a sleep specialist.

B. Find the right motivation.

C. A better plan for sleep can help.

D. And consider setting a second alarm.

E. If the steps you take are working, keep it up.

F. Stick to your set bedtime and wake-up time, no matter the day.

G. Reconsider the 15 minutes you spend in line at the cafe to get coffee.