Everyone has heard of Groundhog Day (土拨鼠日).{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    People in America think that the groundhog awakens from its winter's sleep on February 2^nd. The groundhog comes out of its hole. If the sun is shining, it will see its shadow. The shadow scares it. So it runs back into its hole. This means six more weeks of winter. If the day is cloudy, it will not see its shadow. Since it is not scared, it stays out of its hole.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}. These are the same things we say on Groundhog Day today.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They are known mainly to country people. City people just don't know how to look for them. City people think that a groundhog sitting by its hole may look like a root(根). It could also be seen as a clod (块) of earth. Or it may look like a broken fence-post(栅栏柱). But a farmer sees groundhogs anywhere he looks. They'll be watching like guards.

    The groundhog is a native American.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It may also appear as far north as Alaska. It is hated by farmers. The groundhog eats a third of its weight in a day. What a big appetite(胃口)！It may eat about a half-ton of alfalfa(苜蓿) in a summer. So 10 groundhogs in a big field would eat five tons.

    Why do groundhogs eat so much? To prepare for winter.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} .This extra food is changed to fat. This fat is what they live on during their long winter's sleep.

A. It is an American holiday.

B. Groundhogs are strange animals.

C .This means that spring will soon come.

D. There are several ways to protect the groundhog.

E. In the fall, when there is a lot of food, they fill up.

F. It is found in most states east of the Rockies(落基山脉).

G. While it is not one of your major holidays, it is one that children love.

Ways to say “Happy birthday to me”

    Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm at an age when not everyone looks forward to cakes and presents.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It always makes me feel excited to be alive and grateful for my life and my family. So I think even if your birthday is a regular old day at work or home, there are some easy ways to raise it to the special occasion.

    Give a gift to someone else.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}While everyone loves to open a birthday present, there is a lot of joy and goodness to be gained from being generous with others. Making a birthday donation(捐赠)to a charity that means something to you.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Try something new. Today is new to us. Why not enjoy the newness of the moment? Dip your tones into some new waters, sign up for an adult education class, go for a new-to-you park or plan a new trip.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Whether or not you have the opportunity to share a meal, outing or party with friends and family, please take time on your birthday to connect with people who are important to your life. if you use social media like phones, you are likely filled with well-wishes from loved ones. Use these as a jumping-off point to start new conversations and reconnect with people who lift your spirits and support in your journey towards being your best self.

A. Connect with people who matter to you.

B. Freshen up yourself with countless opportunities.

C. It's better to give than to receive

D. This year my birthday is on a Saturday.

E. I love my birthday, though.

F. Download an app to learn a new language is also a good choice.

G. One choice is to donate a dollar amount to match your age.

    There is a woman named Tao Porchon-Lynch. She was born in India in 1918. So, if you do the math, she's 99. And at the age of 99, she has been recognized as the oldest yoga teacher in the world. She has been teaching yoga in a gym in her hometown, full-time, since 1967.

    But that's not all she's done. She has also been a model, actress and dancer. She became a model after she graduated from high school. She acted in more than ten fields. She won a lot of medals as a dancer in many competitions. She once said, “If you try your best and never give up, nothing is impossible.” And she is a firm believer in positive thinking. She dreams the impossible dreams, and she is also well known as a thinker.

    Tao Porchon-Lynch is not the person who talks the talk; she is the person who walks the walk. When she makes up her mind to do something, she takes action to do it without delay. At the age of 85, she learned how to dance and even won several dance competitions. She offers this piece of advice to others, “Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Don't delay. Tomorrow never comes.”

    So, what about retirement? At 98, she is well past the age when many people make retirement plans. Retiring, it turns out, is not Tao's style. “A little girl, who is only 6 years old and is now learning yoga with me, once asked me, ‘Dear granny, what are you going to do when you retire?'” Tao Porchon-Lynch told the little girl that she had no plans to retire but instead would continue to teach yoga and dance her way to next planet.

A Few Active Listening Guidelines

    Listening is arguably the most important element of interpersonal communication. Our ability to listen well impacts the quality of all of our relationships, and not just at home with our family and friends—it can also affect our relationships and interactions on the job, as well as the effectiveness and quality of our work.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Instead, it is a skill that must be cultivated and practiced. Active listening means the difference between simply hearing, and listening with the intent to truly understand. It is a subtle but important distinction.

    ①Give focused attention

    Try to minimize external (外部的) distractions. Turn down the noise, and put down or step away from what you're doing if possible. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Don't watch the clock, fidget (坐立不安) or go over your to-do list for later.

    ②{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Direct eye contact shows your attention and intention to listen. This doesn't mean stare, though. Be reasonable, but try not to let your eyes wander to whatever is going on around you.

    ③Reflect back

    Restate, but don't repeat verbatim. Paraphrase what you think the other party is saying with responses such as: "What I'm hearing is…" or "Let me see if I'm following you…"{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ④Respond appropriately

    Be open and honest in your responses. Share your thoughts, insights and feelings in a clear, but respectful and considerate manner if you disagree.

    Active listening is a model for good communication. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It takes practice to develop active listening skills, and it's a habit that has to be reinforced (加强). Remind yourself that the goal of conversation is not merely to trade words, but to truly understand what the other party is saying and to be understood in turn.

    Life is full of surprises and events that sometimes change one's daily routine. Some of them might be good and pleasant. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The unexpected events may cause you anxiety and stress. So you need to find some ways to be less affected by them.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Even if you live the same kind of life, doing the same things day after day, there could be unexpected events. So you need to realize that such events can't be avoided and you need to be prepared for them. In this way, you'll find it easier to deal with whatever happens in your life.

    Have a positive attitude. Not all unexpected events are bad. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, even getting fired for work could finally turn out well, as you might find a more satisfying job.

    Always focus on the present moment, learning from it and making use of new changes that come your way. In other words, make the most of the present moment, instead of thinking about what you lost, or how bad the situation is. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Introduce small changes into your life. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can try eating a different breakfast or drink tea in the morning instead of coffee, or do things that you usually do, but in a different way.

Do we have a movement signature?

As humans, we have several qualities that separate us from one another, such as our fingerprints. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

According to a recent study, each person has a unique movement signature (鲜明特征). Depending on the person, these differences can be subtle or pronounced.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} For the study, scientists attached electrodes (电极) to muscles in the legs of volunteers. The volunteer were then asked to perform activities such as walking on walking machines and riding stationary bikes (健身车), which were adjusted according to each person's physical appearance in order to make sure everyone was judged using the same standards.

Scientists fed the information to a computer along with the volunteer's name. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Next, the computer was fed information without the user's name and it could identity the person correctly 99% of the time. The outcomes of the study showed that each of us does have something unique about our general movements.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Since this is just a pilot study, scientists will do more tests to see if the signature changes with age and weight changes. But with a deeper understanding of the science of movement, doctors could possibly develop more intricate prosthetics (复杂精细的假肢). {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Whether that's cool or frightening is up to you to decide.

A. How could this study be of use to scientists?

B. What do you think of the findings of the study?

C. Volunteers are expected to write a report on the activities.

D. Is it possible that we also have unique qualities in our movement.

E. Scientists could also program robots to copy humans' movements more exactly.

F. In this way, the computer could learn the unique movement quality of each person.

G. The study was conducted by inviting people to take part in a couple of physical activities.