Holidays with friends can be great fun and a good way of getting to know each other better. Once you are on holiday, the trip can be full of fantastic memories if it's planned correctly.

    Choose a destination

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Going abroad will cost more but be a more exciting experience. Going to a different place in your own country can also be fun and will be cheaper.

    Collect your friends

    Find out how much interest there is from people to go on the trip, and work out your maximum and invite those who you get on well with.

    Meet up

    Everyone will have their own idea of what the trip is to be like, so meet up at a local café or restaurant, and share your ideas and concerns.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Don't try to overpower others. Once you've all shared ideas you'll have a much better idea of how to start organizing the trip.

    Look for accommodation

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} When you are searching for a place to stay in, read reviews and ratings(等级)．Book it as soon as possible because leaving it too late is going to make things harder.

    Book transport

    Once you have accommodation, you'll know the dates of your stay and be able to book transport, coach, bus, airplane, etc.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Choose things you want to do there

    When you are on your trip it will be more relaxing if you have a good idea of what kind of things you want to do. Research the area on the Internet and book some activities you want to join in.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Don't book a load of things which you can't afford.

A. One person will naturally be the leader.

B. Check out if your idea is necessary.

C. The first step is to work out where you want to go.

D. Match the activities to your budget.

E. Booking transport well in advance lowers the cost greatly, so please do it soon.

F. Make sure that the trip to the foreign country is not too long.

G. Find out your hotel near to the place you want to visit.

How to Deal With Gossip (流言蜚语)

Gossip is a double-edged sword. Not only can it be incredibly harmful for you, but also others may be affected. Do a serious favor for your friends and yourself — quit your gossip habit and become a better and more positive person. It's good to find ways to get started dealing with gossip.

    Face the source of the rumor directly. If you know for sure who's responsible for spreading a rumor about you, don't take it lying down. When you have a chance, walk right up to him or her and say that you don't appreciate the mean things she/he has said. Stay calm when you do this. You don't want to adopt the cruel words this person has.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Alert your friends. If you learn that someone's been spreading nasty rumors about you, your first action should be to consult with your close friends. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Tell them the facts of the situation. If the rumor's not true, they'll be sure to fight the spread of the rumor. If the rumor is true, they can still help stop its spread by sticking up for you.

    Ignore it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} When you hear gossip about yourself, laugh it off. Act as if it's ridiculous! Share a chuckle(窃笑) about it! Turn the tables by making the person who started the rumor the butt (笑柄) of the joke.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If nasty rumors and gossip are a frequent problem, or if someone's told a rumor that might get you in trouble for something you didn't do, talk to a teacher, counselor, or administrator. These people can help you work through the problem. They can give you advice on how to proceed, make you feel better, and even discipline people who've started the rumor.

    Stay away from people who gossip. The single best way to avoid having gossip told about you is to stay away from the kinds of people who tell mean gossip! As popular or cool as they may seem, these people are sad and desperate. They can't have a good time without spreading hurtful rumors about someone else. Don't bother with them. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Remember a friend who stabs you in the back by telling a nasty rumor isn't much of a friend at all.

A. When you're worried about a piece of gossip, change the way you live.

B. Tell an authority about it.

C. Gossip is often best dealt with by paying no attention to it at all.

D. They should be people you know and trust.

E. Work out a plan to avoid being laughed at.

F. Find friends who don't get enjoyment from hurting people.

G. You also don't expect to give bystanders the impression that the rumor's true.

Four Tips for High School Graduates

    Over three­million high school students are graduating this spring in the United States. Many of them will head to university in the fall. The transition (过渡) from high school to college is a major one, and successful adjustment to college has lifelong influences.

    Maybe you are about to make this transition yourself or have children who are about to leave the nest. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you know someone who is making this transition or know parents guiding their soon­to­be adult kids through this time, please take a moment to share this collection of research­based tips with them.

    Be open to making new friends as soon as you set foot on campus. Even during orientation (迎新会)! {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Your success in college depends, in part, on surrounding yourself with others who can support you and help you have fun.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Successful adjustment is about reaching out for help when you need it. This means trying to find the answers on your own first, but then contacting those who can help you when you can't. That is what they are there for!

    Lean on your family. Family support can give you comfort when classes get hard or you are stressed about finals. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Strong support from family is linked to lower loneliness and depression during the first year of college and higher academic adjustment including motivation and concentration.

    Be confident. Feeling anxiety about communicating with fellows, professors, and speaking up in class is associated with lower adaptation during the transition to college. One of the best ways to increase your communication confidence is to practice! {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. This list is for you.

B. The more you speak up in class, the easier it becomes.

C. Don't be afraid to talk to your professors or teaching assistants.

D. Joining clubs is also linked to feelings of belonging at college.

E. Your professors and teaching assistants want to see you succeed in their classes.

F. Almost everyone is in the same boat as you are, hoping to make friends quickly.

G. Family members can give you advice and help you solve problems if you need help.

    A dog's mind is only equal to that of a two-year-old baby. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Therefore, they are probably the first to notice any change in the behavior of their masters. Let's do some deep-digging to understand the amazing ability of a dog.

    They sense your feelings. Isn't it strange? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This is true. A study published in the Animal Cognition journal says that dogs are known to come to people who appear sad or depressed. It doesn't matter if the person is their owner or a stranger. They have an ability to sense sadness and are attached to troubled souls.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Dogs can easily tell when you're playing with favorites, and if you reward or play more with other pets, your dog might notice it and feel uncomfortable. As they can't say how they feel, they will scratch, yawn or lick their mouths.

    They smell fear. Let's say you're faced with your worst fear. Would you get scared and run away or just face it? Before choosing how to deal with it, you should remember one thing. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Research shows that dogs often sense their masters' responses in dangerous situations. If you fear something and choose to back away, chances are that your pet is going to do the same thing.

    They're watching you. We are all raised as respectable individuals who are taught to respect elders, obey the law and help out people in need from time to time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But if you have a dog at home, it is time to be serious about them. Dogs like generous people. So just be careful around your pet; it may judge you on how you behave with others.

A. They sense health problems.

B. They understand when ignored.

C. They know when no one's looking at them.

D. You would be setting an example to your pet.

E. Every time you feel sad, your dog just know it.

F. But dogs are able to sense everything around them.

G. However, not all of us take these three things seriously.

    Why Ultra-pure(超高纯的)Water Is Actually Bad for Your Health Many people are surprised to hear that drinking purified water on a regular, daily basis is actually dangerous. So why is 100% ultra-pure water not good for us? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    There is no such thing as truly pure water in the natural world. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When these minerals dissolve(溶解)in water, they form what we commonly refer to as electrolytes(电解质).They allow us to perform all the "bioelectrical" functions such as moving, heart-beating, thinking, and seeing.

    But pure water fails to provide these fundamental electrolytes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You can think of it this way: imagine a room with no gravity, split in half down the middle. You throw a couple hundred balls into the left side of the room. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But if you cut a bunch of holes in the barrier, they will slowly start to spread over to the right side. Eventually, they will be evenly distributed across the entire room.

    The water in your organs stays at very specific levels of minerals. When you drink ultra-purified water, it pulls the minerals out of your blood just like the right side of the space room pulled some of the bouncy balls over from the left. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Purified water can only be recommended as a way of drawing poisons out of the body. Once this is accomplished, the continued drinking of purified water is a bad idea.

A.Purified water is an active absorber.

B.Since there's no gravity, they bounce around everywhere.

C.It actually tries to rob your body of them when you drink it.

D.Even water in the purest lakes contains small amounts of minerals.

E.If you drank enough of it, the lack of minerals would eventually kill you.

F.The simple answer is that ultra-pure water doesn't provide the natural minerals we need.

G.This is why materials tend to move from more concentrated areas to less concentrated ones.

How the Elderly Are Treated Around the World

    How cultures view and treat their elderly is closely linked to their most prized values and qualities. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    In the US and UK, Protestantism (新教) is at play. Western cultures tend to be youth-centric, stressing qualities like independence. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It ties a person's value to his or her ability to work – something that becomes weaker in old age. As their health becomes worse, the elderly in these cultures often move to old people's homes and nursing homes.

    In France, parents are protected by law. It is difficult to imagine an Elderly Rights Law being a focus in the laws of many Western cultures. France did, however, pass a similar law in 2004. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} One was a group of official statistics showing France had the highest rate of pensioner suicides in Europe, and the other was the aftermath of a heat wave that killed 15,000 people, most of whom were elderly and had been dead for weeks before they were found.

     {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Native American cultures traditionally accept death as a fact of life. In many Native American areas, elders are respected for their wisdom and life experiences. Within Native American families, it's common for the elders to be expected to pass down their learning to younger members of the family.

    The way to care for Chinese elders is changing. Chinese families traditionally view respect for one's elders as the highest virtue, according to the Confucian tradition. Adult children are generally expected to care for their parents in their old age. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Nursing homes are beginning to become a more socially acceptable option for elderly care.

A. However, this tradition is beginning to break down due to rising lifetime and an aging population.

B. In the African-American area, death is seen as an opportunity to celebrate life.

C. Here's what we can learn from other cultures about treating the elderly.

D. But China faces the unique problem of tending to an increasingly elderly population.

E. Native American elders pass down their knowledge.

F. It was only passed following two disturbing events, though.

G. This relates back to the Protestant work rules.