Experts are always advocating the health benefits of biking. And while the barrier to entry is low-pretty much all you need to know to start cycling is how to ride a bike itself-people often ask me if I have any tips for beginner bikers.

    Below, a few things I've learned along the way that help make for a safer and more joyful ride:

    Follow the rules of the road. Brake at yellow lights, stop for pedestrians and maintain a solid distance from cars.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Therefore, never fly through stop signs, approach too close to the front vehicles or shout at cars.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}A British doctor recently made headlines when he claimed that wearing a bike helmet is actually more dangerous than traveling without one, but most research suggests otherwise. A full 98 percent of bike commuters （上班族）own a helmet, so you'll be in good company, anyway.

    Make a playlist. Laws against riding with headphones vary from state to state, and it's never proper to listen to music in more than one ear. But cruising around to a soundtrack can be an amazing feeling, so consider buying a wireless speaker you can fix on your frame.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Know your rights. If you do end up getting into a collision, stay on the scene until the police come.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Cyclists are too often taken advantage of in bad situations, especially if their injuries don't seem to be apparent.

    Find some friends. As great as it can be to bike alone, zipping down the street in a big group is an equally satisfying experience.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Various bicycle trips are often organized, which provides opportunities to develop friendship among bikers.

A.Be sure to get a helmet.

B.It's necessary you give them an accurate report of the incident.

C.Most cities have enough resources for the cycling community.

D.Most of us will feel it obviously safer to ride on a bike than in a car.

E.Then put together a list of your favorite tunes and get ready to enjoy them.

F.Pushing to the limit not only gives bikers a bad reputation, but also a great danger.

G.It' s comforting to know that whatever I need is nothing more than a bike ride away.

    We all wish we had just a bit more time. Just think what you could do with an extra hour or two each day: you could finally stick to an exercise routine, or spring­clean the house, or write your novel, or learn the guitar and so on.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But I can help you find more hours in your day for the things that really matter.

    Get Out of Bed Earlier

    If you normally get up at 7：30 a．m., try getting up at 7：00 a．m. That half­hour might not sound like much, but it could be time that you use to exercise, to read that book you've been meaning to finish. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Do the Important Tasks First

    Once you get to work, get the important ones done first (not the easy ones, or even the urgent ones). You can afford to spend at least an hour working on big, important tasks rather than on all those little urgent ones.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The urgent tasks will still get done, and you won't miss the important ones.

    Reduce Interruptions

    If colleagues have a habit of hanging around your desk to chat, or if the phone is constantly ringing, you might find that it takes you half the day to finish a simple task like writing a letter. Constant interruptions don't just eat up time, they also break your concentration.

    When you've got a big task to focus on, let your calls go to voicemail. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Wearing headphones makes it less likely that people will try to strike up a conversation.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    A few minutes' chatting, browsing the web, and so on, can easily turn into hours of wasted time over the course of a day.

    When you're working, work. If your concentration is slipping, take a proper break: go and get a glass of water, or stretch your legs a bit. And if you're facing a difficult task, try breaking it into small steps or stages so that it's easier to deal with.

A．Stay Focused on Your Work

B．Take Breaks When Necessary

C．If you have an office door, close it.

D．If you work like this, you'll usually save time.

E．Would you want me to make your day longer?

F．I can't magically make all your days 25 hours long.

G．Or simply to get your day off to a calm and organized start.

    Humor plays an important role in relationships. In new relationships, humor can be an effective tool not just for attracting the other person but also for overcoming any awkwardness or embarrassment. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Sharing the pleasure of humor creates a sense of connection between two people. When you laugh with one another, you create a positive tie between you. This tie acts as a strong buffer(缓冲) against stress, disagreements, disappointments, and bad patches in a relationship. And laughter really is infectious. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}But don't worry if you're not naturally a lighthearted, humorous person—you can learn to access your playful side and develop your sense of fun.

    Like any tool, humor can be used in negative as well as positive ways. Humor can only help you overcome relationship problems when both partners can understand the joke. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If your partner or friend isn't likely to appreciate the joke, don't say or do it. Humor in relationships should be equally fun and enjoyable for both people.

    Don't use humor to cover up other emotions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}That's when it is used as a cover for avoiding, rather than coping with, painful emotions. You can be funny about the truth, but covering up the truth isn't funny. When you use humor and playfulness as a cover for other emotions, you create confusion and mistrust in your relationships.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The important thing is to find enjoyable activities that help you embrace your playful nature with other people. As humor and play become an inseparable part of your life, you'll begin to find daily opportunities for using your new-found skills to help build and maintain your relationships.

A. Humor can help you and your loved one.

B. There are times when humor is not healthy.

C. It's important to be sensitive to the other person.

D. It's never too late to develop your humorous side.

E. The more you joke, play, and laugh—the easier it becomes.

F. Just hearing someone laugh can make you smile and join in on the fun.

G. In longer-term relationships, humor can keep things exciting and fresh.

    How old is "old"? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Two hundred years ago, you were old at 35. That was the average life then. At the turn of this century, as medical knowledge advanced, the average life span(长度) increased to 45. In 1950, 70-year-olds were really old. Today, a healthy 70-year-old is looking forward to many more active years.

    So, how old is old? The answer is one you've heard many times, from all sorts of people. "You are as old (or young) as you feel!" The calendar(日历) simply tells you how many years you have lived. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Once an unknown author wrote, "{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Nobody grows old by living a number of years; people grow old by giving up their goals."

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Alice Brophy, when she was with the New York City commission for the Aging, said, "It upsets me when people say, 'Gee, you look young for your age!' What does that mean? Is there some model that you're supposed to look a certain way at 65 and 75 and 85? You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80"

    There are many wrong ideas about aging. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Here are some of the more common ones. For example, most older people are in poor health, or older people are unable to change.

A. The answer has changed over the years.

B. Old is a point of view.

C. Older people are stubborn, unable to change.

D. Youth is not a time of life but it is a state of mind.

E. These ideas stereotype (固化) people on the basis of age.

F. Your body tells you how well you've lived.

G. It's extremely terrible to be grown old.

    Can We Stop Food Longing Through Imaginary Eating?

    Are you fighting an urge to reach for chocolate? Then, let it melt in your mind, not in your mouth. According to the recent research, imagining eating a specific food reduces your interest in that food, so you eat less of it.

    This reaction to repeated exposure to food—being less interested in something because you've experienced it too much—is called habituation.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The research is the first to show that habituation can occur through the power of the mind. "If you just think about the food itself—how it tastes and smells—that will increase your appetite," said Carey More wedge, a well-known psychologist. "It might be better to force yourself to repeatedly think about chewing and swallowing the food in order to reduce your longing.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Visualizing yourself eating chocolate wouldn't prevent you from eating lots of cheese," he added.

    More wedge conducted an interesting experiment. 51 subjects were divided into three groups. One group was asked to imagine putting 30 coins into a laundry machine and then eating three chocolates.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Another group was asked to imagine putting three coins into a laundry machine and then eating 30 chocolates. Lastly, a control group imagined just putting 33 coins into the machine—with no chocolates.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}When they said they had finished, these were taken away and weighed. The results showed the group that had imagined eating 30 chocolates each ate fewer of the chocolates than the other groups.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Physical signals—that full stomach feeling—are only part of what tells us we've finished a meal. The research suggests that psychological effects, such as habituation, also influence how much a person eats. It may lead to new behavioral techniques for people looking to eat more healthily, or have control over other habits.

A. What's more, this only works with the specific food you've imagined.

B. People were advised to try different methods to perform the experiment.

C. For example, a tenth bite is desired less than the first bite, according to the study.

D. All of them then ate freely from bowls containing the same amount of chocolate each.

E. It meant those who repeatedly imagined eating would concern about some specific food.

F. This requires the same motor skills as eating small chocolates from a packet, the study says.

G. This study is part of the research looking into what makes us eat more than we actually need.

Ways to Have a Joyful Chinese New Year

In many cultures, January 1st marks the beginning of a new year. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It is one of the most important occasions for family reunions.

Usually, the Chinese New Year celebration lasts for three weeks, starting from the 23rd day of the previous year's 12th month of the lunar calendar until the 15th day of the New Year.

Here are some centuries­old traditions shared by the Chinese community in order to promote blessings of health and wealth in the New Year.

·Spring cleaning. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is widely believed that a freshly cleaned house will bring good luck to people.

·{#blank#}3{#/blank#} People will make red paper cuts, Chinese characters or red lanterns that mean luck, happiness and blessing, and stick them onto doors and windows.

·Setting off fireworks. In fairy tales, people managed to scare away a monster named Year by setting off fireworks. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

·Lucky money. Seniors give kids lucky money in red envelopes, in the hope of making their future much brighter.

·Eating dumplings. The shape of a dumpling looks somewhat like a kind of money that was used in ancient times. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It is a custom to eat dumplings on Chinese New Year's Eve as well as on the first and fifth days of the new year.

A. Making decorations.

B. Having preparations in advance.

C. The new year has two wonderful festivals.

D. Every family will clean the house one week ahead of the New Year.

E. In reality, the sound of fireworks can increase the festival atmosphere.

F. People believe the more dumplings you eat, the more wealth you will get during the new year.

G. But in the eyes of Chinese people, the traditional time of the new beginning is the Spring Festival.