How to Fix a Relationship

    If you're having a problem with your relationship, you're not alone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, you can make it work out if you decide to work together to fix it.

    Recognize the problems. Any number of problems could do harm to your relationship. You should look for signs and symptoms of the problems you're facing. Listening attentively is the key, which can help you understand what he or she is feeling. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Actually think about what the person is saying, and maybe try to understand what is behind the words, as well. You also have a right to discuss what you're feeling and thinking. The key is to keep a calm head. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Once you've figured out what your problems are together, have a conversation to find ways to solve them. How can you solve the problems in a way that both of you can live with? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Start with the place you both agree on. Maybe you can both agree on the problem at least, or maybe you can agree on the first step to the solution. For instance, maybe you agree that you are feeling disconnected. Maybe you can take it one step further and agree that you need to spend more time together.

    Make a plan together. Once you've agreed to solutions, it's time to put them into concrete terms. For instance, if you both agree you need to spend more time together, then maybe the agreement will be that you should make a date at least once a week.

    Find ways to compromise. The key to any relationship is learning to compromise. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Compromising is about finding common ground, and both of you giving in a little on the issue.

A. Spend time connecting.

B. Talk about solutions together.

C. Don't just let the words pass over you.

D. In other words, you need to look for common ground.

E. Most people have trouble with relationships at one point or another.

F. You can't just expect to win every argument, as relationships need to give and take.

G. Whatever you need to do, take a few minutes to calm down before continuing the discussion.

    A qualified doctor who rarely practiced but instead devoted his life to writing．He once said: “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my lover．” Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, was a great playwright and one of the masters of the modern short story．

    When Chekhov entered the Moscow University Medical School in 1879, he started to publish hundreds of comic short stories to support his family．After he graduated, he wrote regularly for a local daily newspaper．

    As a writer he was extremely fast, often producing a short story in an hour or less．Chekhov's medical and science experience can be seen through the indifference (冷漠) many of his characters show to tragic events．In 1892, he became a full time writer and published some of his most memorable stories．

    Chekhov often wrote about the sufferings of life in small town Russia．Tragic events control his characters who are filled with feelings of hopelessness and despair．

    It is often said that nothing happens in Chekhov's stories and plays．He made up for this with his exciting technique for developing drama within his characters．Chekhov's work combined the calm attitude of a scientist and doctor with the sensitivity(敏感) of an artist．

    Some of Chekhov's works were translated into Chinese as early as the 1940s．One of his famous stories, The Man in a Shell, about a school teacher's extraordinarily orderly life, was selected as a text for Chinese senior students．

    I was playing in my kitchen. My mom stood in front of me, hardly keeping the tears from spilling over. She told me that my little cousin had cancer. Hearing this, I went completely numb. How could this be happening? I had just seen her, and she was fine.

    These things didn't happen to our family, that's what my uncle said. It seemed like the world turned upside down; just last week my grandmother had passed away. I felt like I couldn't get my feet on solid ground.

    That's when my sister, Ella, came down the stairs with her long brown hair freshly washed. She sat next to me and smiled. Despite what was happening, everything would work out, her smile seemed to say.

    “Mom, do you think I could get my hair cut tomorrow?” Ella asked.

    “Sure,” Mom said, starting to wash the dishes.

    “I want to donate it to Locks of Love” Ella smiled.

    My mom stopped washing and turned to look at her. “Are you sure?” I noticed that Mom was holding back tears. This was a sacrifice(牺牲) for Ella. Her long hair was an important part of her.

    “Yeah, it's just hair. Eventually it will grow back.” She said.

    “All right,” Mom said quietly, smiling again.

    Ella gave up a part of herself for a while. She let a piece of herself go to someone else, someone she didn't know. That day she became my hero too.

    Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track.

    But while it's long been believed that endorphins (脑内啡）—chemicals in the body that cause happiness — are behind the so-called “runner's high”，a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew.

    According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素）may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.

    To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice.

    Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise, along with many other chemicals. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety.

    But after being given a drug to block their endorphins the change. However, when their endocannabinoids were block with a different drug, their runner's high symptoms seemed to fade.

    “The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner's high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,”Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker.

    Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it's already well known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety.

    The UK's National Health Service even prescribes (开药方)exercise to patients who are suffering from depression.

    “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can boost your mood if you have depression, and it's especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的）depression,” it wrote on its website.

    It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we're feeling down, we know that all we have to do is put on our running shoes.

    Palaces are known for their beauty and splendor, but they offer little protection against attacks. It is easy to defend a fortress (堡垒),but fortresses are not designed with the comfort of a king or queen in mind. When it comes to structures that are both majestic and well-defended, the classic European castle is the best example of design. Across the ages castles changed, developed, and eventually fell out of use, but they still command the fascination of our culture.

    Castles were originally built in England by Norman invaders. In 1066. As William the Conqueror advanced through England, he defended key positions to secure the land he had taken. The castles he built allowed the Norman lords to draw back to safety when threatened by English rebellion. Castles also served as bases of operation for offensive attacks. Troops were summoned to（召集）, organized around, and deployed (部署) from castles. In this way castles served both offensive and defensive roles in military operations.

    Not limited to military purposes, castles also served as offices from which the lord would administer control over his kingdom. That is to say, the lord of the land would hold court in his castle. Those that were socially beneath the lord would come to report the affairs of the lands that they governed and pay tribute to the lord. They would address conflicts, handle business, feast, and enjoy festivities, In this way castles served as important social centers in medieval England. Castles also served as symbols of power. Built on important and noticeable sites overlooking the surrounding areas, castles constantly appeared in the background of many peasants' lives and served as a daily reminder of the lords strength.

    Now, castles no longer serve their original purposes. However, the remaining castles receive millions of visitors each year from those who wish to experience the glory of a time long passed.

    When Jenny Benson was eight, her mother took her to soccer practice for the first time.

    "She's never played soccer before," Mrs. Benson told the coach." I'm not sure how she'll do."

    Jenny ran onto the field and joined the other players. Over the next hour, Mrs. Benson and the coach watched as Jenny out­ran many of the more experienced players.

    "I knew then that soccer would be Jenny's sport." Mrs. Benson recalls. And she was right.

    It may have helped that Jenny had spent much of her time trying to keep up with her three brothers." I wanted to be just like them," Jenny says." My family has inspired me for my entire life."

    Jenny has retired from the United States women's national soccer team. She started out on her professional career in the Philadelphia Charge, a team in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)．Later on, she joined FC Energy Voronezh, and then New Jersey Wildcats.

    When the WUSA was being formed, league officials watched many college soccer games, looking for players good enough to join the league. They were very interested in Jenny, who played for the University of Nebraska.

    "Throughout that college season, I knew I was being watched," Jenny says, "I knew I couldn't be perfect, so I just tried to be very consistent and have fun."

    As a professional, Jenny relied on her focused but fun­loving attitude. "In a game, I try never to put too much pressure on myself. The more I concentrate on having fun, the better I play." She says. "I have good and bad days, just like everyone else, but I know the sun will always come up after a bad day. So all I have to do is to adjust myself, either to the change of my inner feelings or to the change of circumstances. That helps me get through anything."