The world is becoming more and more connected, but many people feel lonely in the midst of it. You might not feel lonely right now, but there might be times when you do. Here are some tips on dealing with loneliness:

    Be positive about yourself.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you constantly think of yourself as ugly, mean, or unattractive, then it will be difficult for you to connect with others. You must accept yourself before you can accept others. It's common that you might have some negative qualities. So does everyone else. So in order to get rid of loneliness, you should focus on your positive side and think of yourself in a positive way.

    Have an attitude of gratitude (感恩){#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's easy to focus on the negatives in life, but don't forget that there are also many positives. Remember them and be thankful. What does this have to do with loneliness? Well, if you are grateful, then you will become cheerful{#blank#}3{#/blank#} See the positive side of others. Just as you should see the positive side of yourself, you should also see the positive side of others. Everyone has shortcomings, but everyone also has a positive side.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}That will make you like them and make it easier for you to connect with them.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The more you think about yourself, the more likely it is for you to have a pity party and feel lonely. For example, you might think that nobody likes you or cares about you. So it's important that you shift your attention away from yourself. It can be as simple as smiling at your neighbors or holding a door for a stranger.

A. Join a community group.

B. Do something for others.

C. Negative thoughts can kill you.

D. Instead, try to make more friends.

E. And that will attract people to you.

F. Count your blessings and be grateful for them.

G. So choose to value the positive aspects of them.

    Many people think of guys as being carefree when it comes to their appearance. But in fact, a lot of guys spend plenty of time in front of the mirror. They care just as much as girls do about their body image.

    Body image is a person's opinions and feelings about his or her own body and physical appearance{#blank#}1{#/blank#}You appreciate your body for its capabilities and accept its imperfections.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Here are some ideas.

    Recognize your strengths. Different body types are good for different things. What does your body do well? Maybe your speed, strength, or coordination makes you better than others at a certain sport. That may be basketball, table tennis, mountain hiking, dancing, or even running. Or perhaps you have non-sports skills, like drawing, painting singing, playing a musical instrument, writing, or acting{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Exercise regularly. Exercise can help you look well and feel about yourself. Good physiques (体形) don't just happed{#blank#}4{#/blank#}A healthy habit can be as simple as exercising 20 minutes to I Hour three days a week. Working out can also lift your spirits.

    Respect your body. Practicing good habits-regular showering; taking care of your teeth, hair, and skin; wearing clean clothes, and so on—can help you build a positive body image.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your body is just one part of who you are. Your talent for comedy a quick wit (智慧), and all the other things make you unique. So try not to let small imperfections take over.

A. Be yourself.

B. Just explore talents that you feel good about.

C. They take hard work, regular workouts, and a healthy diet.

D. So, what can you do to develop a positive body image?

E. Use this as an opportunity to discover what you're good at.

F. The good news is that self-image and body image can be changed.

G Having a positive body image means feeling satisfied with the way you look.

    With only about 1,000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the endangered species. That's a move similar to what Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called "Noah's Ark".

    Noah's Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos (胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M's College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.

    It is estimated that as many as 2,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.

    This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal. The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.

    "The nuclear transfer (核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available panda eggs could be a major problem," Kraemer believes. "They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy. It takes a long time and it's difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort," adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A & M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.

    "They are trying to do something that's never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah's Ark. We're both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there's a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It's a research that is very much needed."

    A pretty face is never forgotten. Do you believe so? But maybe it is untrue! Psychologists believe beautiful people are less likely to be recognized. A new study suggests that attractiveness can actually prevent the recognition of faces, unless a pretty face has particularly distinctive features, such as Angelina Jolie's.

    German psychologists think the recognition of pretty faces is distorted (扭曲) by emotions. Researchers Holger Wiese, Carolin Altmann and Stefan Schweinberger at the University of Jena, Germany, discovered in a study that photos of unattractive people were more easily remembered than pretty ones when they showed them to a group of people.

    For the study, which was published in science magazine Neuropsychologia, the psychologists showed photos of faces to test subjects. Half of the faces were considered to be more attractive and the other half as less attractive, but all of them were being thought of as similarly distinctive looking. The test subjects were shown the faces for just a few seconds to memorize them and were shown them again during the test so that they could decide if they recognized them or not.

    The researchers were surprised by the result. “Until now we assumed that it was generally easier to memorize faces which are being considered as attractive, just because we prefer looking at beautiful faces,” Dr. Wiese said. But the study showed that such a connection cannot be easily proven. He assumes that remembering pretty faces is distorted by emotional influences, which enhance the sense of recognition at a later time. The researchers' idea is backed up by evidence from EEG-recordings (脑电图记录) they used during their experiment which show the brains' electric activity.

    The study also revealed that in the case of attractive faces, considerably more false positive results were detected. In other words, people thought they recognized a face without having seen it before. “We obviously tend to believe that we recognize a face just because we find it attractive.” Dr. Wiese said.

    With self-service facilities – supermarkets, to name one – beginning to appear all the time, we're now relying on integrity more than ever.

    Integrity – the quality of doing the right thing no matter if anyone is watching or not – has been highly valued in China since ancient times. And the phrase“立木取信”probably best explains how integrity works in the relationship between people and the ruling of a nation.

    This phrase comes from the Warring States period (475-221 BC), during which China wasn't yet a unified country and was constantly at war. States carried out reforms to make themselves stronger, with the most thorough and influential one being the reform of the State of Qin, introduced by statesman Shang Yang (395-338 BC).

    Shang's reform focused on farming and giving rewards to soldiers who fought hard during wars. But at first, people had little trust and confidence in Shang.

    So he decided to prove himself by putting a wooden pole at the south gate of the capital of Qin, offering those who took the pole to the north gate a reward of 10 gold pieces, before long raising it to 50. When a man did as he said, Shang paid him 50 gold pieces as promised. Word soon spread, and people began to realize that Shang was a man of his word. The reforms were finally pushed forward.

    Today, integrity still plays an important role in Chinese society, which is why it's included as one of the 12 core socialist values in China.

    China is also planning to build a social credit system by the year 2020, which will keep citizens' misbehaviors –- even minor traffic violations – on record, so that trust can be established among people.

    “Without a system, a conman can commit a crime in one place and then do the same thing again in another place. But a credit system puts people's past history on the record. It'll build a better and fairer society,” explained Wen Quan, a blogger who writes about technology and finance, to BBC News.

    Dogs certainly need to bark (犬吠) every now and then, but if your neighbor's dog is getting in the way of your daily life, you need to do something.

    "Before you take action, you should record the dates and times that the barking happens to find out any patterns," says Schweitzer, who is a dog owner. You might notice the barking only happens when the owners are at work, or during thunderstorms.

    After two to three weeks of observing (观察), go to your neighbors with the facts. Wait for a time when the barking is over. "Since you're trying to keep a good relationship, you can't go when you're angry and upset," says Schweitzer. Besides, your neighbors might not even realize the barks are a problem, especially if the worst barking happens when they're not at home.

    Politely explain the times when the barking gets bad, and then suggest a way of solving the problem. Ask if the dog can stay inside during storms, or offer a dog training class.

    Making friends with the dog could help you gain some peace and quiet. If your neighbors introduce you to their dog, you should give the dog a treat. "If they become more comfortable seeing you, they're less likely to bark when they see you or when they're in the backyard，" says Schweitzer.

    Whatever you do, don't talk with your other neighbors about the problem or start a petition (诉状) to get the dog to quiet down. "Those make people feel angry," says Schweitzer. "That's when things escalate."

    If weeks go by and you still aren't seeing a difference, follow up with a note. Tie a dog treat on the note to build trust with your neighbors, and make a copy before dropping it off. That way, you'll have evidence (证据) that you've discussed it before and followed up politely if you need to bring in a third party, says Schweitzer.