How to Make Friends

    Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends. Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes (促进) good health. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leave us without a friend. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.

● Associate with (与……交往) others.

    The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.

● Start a conversation.

    Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.

●{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together. Hanging out (闲逛) will always be a pleasant experience.

● Let it grow.

    It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.

● Enjoy your friendship.

    The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.

A. Do things together.

B. Be cheerful.

C. Making new friends comes easy for some people.

D. So you will need to give your friend time to respond to you.

E. Do not wait to be spoken to.

F. For a friendship to develop you need to stay in touch.

G. Try not to find fault with your friends.

    The search for one of life's greatest goals, happiness, is what brings almost 1,200 students to one of Yale University's most popular classes ever. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Psychology professor Laurie Santos teaches the class.

    One in four Yale undergraduate students has registered to take it. It has the largest class registration size in Yale's 317-year history. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Santos says it is the hope that science can help students find peace among all the stresses and difficulties they face at college. "Students report being more depressed than they have ever been in history at college," she said.

    Social science research has led to many new understandings of how people find happiness, Santos says. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} she said of the students taking her happiness class.

    Santos said feelings of happiness are created through several things. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} She added that while many people may see money and possessions as goals in life, those things are not usually what make people most happy. School work for the happiness class, also known as Psyc157, includes showing more gratitude, performing acts of kindness and increasing social connections. Because of the popularity of the class, it has been made publicly available -- for free – on the website Coursera.

    The class is already helping Yale students like senior Rebekah Siliezar. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}"What's most pressing on our minds is grades, it's the next job, it's a potential salary after graduation," said Siliezar. Now, she said tries more to "focus on the present moment and the people around me."

A. It is the third-oldest university in the United States.

B. The class is called "Psychology and the Good Life"

C. She describes her mindset before taking the class

D. Therefore, why do so many students want this class?

E. They really want to learn those insights in a science-driven way

F. Happy people even make time to talk to people who work at coffee shops.

G. Among them are socialization, exercise, meditation (冥想) and plenty of sleep.

    Whoever wrote the song “it's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” must have never experienced Holiday blues. Fortunately, psychological research suggests some effective ways you can beat the holiday blues. The key point is that sadness and other tough emotions are not what we should try to avoid. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Here are four strategies to help you make your own happiness recipe this holiday season.

    Don't force cheer

    At family gatherings with cousins you secretly can't stand, you tend to put on a happy face. Indeed, that might even seem like the most mature response—no drama, no conflict. But a 2011 study followed dozens of bus drivers, looking to see when they gave forced or honest smiles at their passengers. The results showed when the drivers pretended to have a good mood, their actual moods got worse. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Let off sadness

    The results of the bus-driver study can be explained by researchers, who find that negative feelings like sadness or anger only increase when we try to control them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. We don't like contradictory behavior.

    Respond cautiously

    Recently, scientists have been paying special attention to the benefits of caution. When you respond cautiously to an emotional trigger (e.g. overcooking the holiday turkey), you pause rather than reacting at once. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Besides, it is associated with less anxiety, and may even carry physiological benefits.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    Of course, the holidays will bring a mix of highs and lows, but the most important lesson to keep in mind is that this variety of emotions might be the best thing possible for your overall well-being. In other words, sadness, anger, and other difficult emotions are nothing to fear. Just make sure you're balancing them with lighter experiences. And don't forget to give yourself a break.

A. Relax your mind

B. Enjoy a mix of emotions

C. We tend to deny the important function emotions serve

D. Instead, they can help contribute to a healthy and happy life

E. So trying to force happiness seems to have the opposite effects

F. A cautious response to a negative event reduces sadness we experience

G. We feel bad when our appearance contradicts how we truly feel inside

Four ways to get a feel for a college on your own

    There's more to visiting a college than a campus（校园）tour. And there's a critical part for students and parents: testing the school on your own. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ⒈Go to a dining hall or student union.

    The best common place where students relax and hang out is the cafeteria or student center, where you can see what college kids are like in their natural habitat.

"Go to lunch in a cafeteria right at noon, "says Edward Walker, founder of Independent Consultants in Education," {#blank#}2{#/blank#}"

    ⒉Sit in on a class.

    A lot of high school students aren't sure what they want to study yet when they are visiting colleges, but familiarizing yourself with the academic atmosphere is important. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can come up with a few academic areas that you think you'd like to study and reach out to those classes.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Chat with anyone walking around campus. Don't let mom and dad do it for you. "Your parents can talk to people, too and then you can compare notes, "says Walker." Talk to various groups of students so you'll get a well-rounded picture."

    Tour the community.

    Whether the school is in the countryside or in a city center, check out the off-campus area nearest the college. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Talk to parents.

B. Talk to students.

C. Many schools offer people chances to sit in on a class.

D. Here are four ways to get more familiar with a prospective（预期的）school.

E. That's one of the best places where you can learn about a school's atmosphere.

F. Big communities are still the major places that attract tourists in our society today.

G. If there's time, tour some of the museums or other points of interest and eat at a local restaurant.

A small robot may help children who are recovering from a long-term illness in the hospital or at home. These children may feel isolated(分离的) from their friends and classmates. However, there is a piece of good news for them. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} —Through the robot, the children can hear their teachers and friends.

Anyone who has had a long-term illness knows that recovering at home can be lonely. This can be especially true of children. They may feel left out. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This isn't good for their recovery. They need friends. But their friends can't come to play with them because they have to attend school. Now the robot can be their friend. The robot is called AVl. AVl goes to school for a child who is unable to leave home while recovering from a long-term illness. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They carry the robot between classes and put the robot on the child's desk.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} The founders of No Isolation are Karen Dolva and Marius Aabel. Dolva explains how the robot AVl works. She says from home the child uses a phone to start the robot. Then they use the phone to control the robot's movements. At school, the robot becomes the eyes, ears and voice of the child.

The best part is that students can take part in classroom activities from wherever they are recovering -- whether at home or on the hospital bed. The robot is equipped with speakers, microphones and cameras, which makes communicating easier. It means they can communicate with their teachers and classmates easily. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. So they won't feel left out at all.

B. They just want to recover quickly.

C. As a result, they can get really sad.

D. The robot can take their place at school.

E. And the child's school friends must help.

F. So who invented the good "friend" for children?

G. A Norwegian company called No Isolation created the robot.

You already know that playing sports helps keep you fit. But you might not know why it's so important to get a sports physical at the beginning of your sports season.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Most require students have a sports physical before they can play school sports. But even if a sports physical isn't required, doctors still recommend getting one if you are active in any sports.

A sports physical can help find out and deal with health problems that might affect your sports performance or increase the chance of getting hurt. For example, if you have frequent asthma (哮喘) attacks, the doctor can change your medicines. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Your doctor may offer training tips or recommend exercises or physical therapy (疗法) to help you avoid injuries.

Most teens go to their regular doctor's office to get a sports physical, since your doctor knows you and your health history best. Some get their sports physical at school. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Each one is armed with a medical professional who does a specific part of the physical exam.

Plan your sports physical at least 6 weeks before your sports season starts. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Neither you nor your doctor will be very happy if your sports physical is the day before baseball practice starts and it turns out there's something that needs to be taken care of before you can suit up.

Sports physicals are usually good for 1 year, though you probably will have to complete a sports form each season. If there are any changes in your health history, like a new injury or you notice new symptoms (症状), you may need to see the doctor before being allowed to play. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. That way, you can breathe more easily when you run.

B. Let your gym teacher or coach know if your health has changed.

C. During school physicals, you may go to "stations" set up in the gym.

D. The medical history questions are usually on a form that you can bring home.

E. Mention you need a sports physical so your doctor can set aside time to do both.

F. The sports history and exam help to tell if it's safe for you to take part in your sport.

G. If your doctor finds a problem, this should leave enough time to for tests or treatment.