It is not only praise or punishment that determines a child's level of confidence. There are some other important ways we shape our kids—particularly by giving instructions and commands in a negative or positive choice of words. For example, we can say to a child “Don't run into traffic!” or “Stay on the footpath close to me.” In using the latter, you will be helping your kids to think and act positively, and to feel competent in a wide range of situations, because they know what to do, and aren't scaring themselves about what not to do.

    Why does such a small thing make a difference? It is all in the way the human mind works. What we think, we automatically rehearse. For example, if someone offered you a million dollars not to think of a blue monkey for two minutes, you wouldn't be able to do it. When a child is told “Don't fall off the tree,” he will think of two things: “don't” and “fall off the tree”. That is, he will automatically create the picture of falling off the tree in his mind. A child who is vividly imagining falling off the tree is much more likely to fall off. So it is far better to use “Hold on to the tree carefully.”

    Clear, positive instructions help kids to understand the right way to do things. Kids do not always know how to be safe, or how to react to the warning of the danger in negative words. So parents should make their commands positive. “Sam, hold on firm to the side of the boat” is much more useful than “Don't you dare to fall out of the boat?” or worse still “How do you think I'll feel if you drown?” The changes are small but difference is obvious.

    Children learn how to guide and organize themselves from the way we guide them with our words, so it pays to be positive.

Life in the Clear

Transparent animals let light pass through their bodies the same way light passes through a window. These animals typically live between the surface of the ocean and a depth of about 3,300 feet—as far as most light can reach. Most of them are extremely delicate and can be damaged by a simple touch. Sonke Johnsen, a scientist in biology, says, "These animals live through their life alone. They never touch anything unless they're eating it, or unless something is eating them."

And they are as clear as glass. How does an animal become see-through? It's trickier than you might think.

    The objects around you are visible because they interact with light. Light typically travels in a straight line. But some materials slow and scatter (散射) light, bouncing it away from its original path. Others absorb light, stopping it dead in its tracks. Both scattering and absorption make an object look different from other objects around it, so you can see it easily.

    But a transparent object doesn't absorb or scatter light, at least not very much. Light can pass through it without bending or stopping. That means a transparent object doesn't look very different from the surrounding air or water. You don't see it you see the things behind it.

    To become transparent, an animal needs to keep its body from absorbing or scattering light. Living materials can stop light because they contain pigments (色素) that absorb specific colors of light. But a transparent animal doesn't have pigments, so its tissues won't absorb light. According to Johnsen, avoiding absorption is actually easy. The real challenge is preventing light from scattering.

Animals are built of many different materials—skin, fat, and more—and light moves through each at a different speed. Every time light moves into a material with a new speed, it bends and scatters. Transparent animals use different tricks to fight scattering. Some animals are simply very small or extremely flat. Without much tissue to scatter light, it is easier to be see-through. Others build a large, clear mass of non-living jelly-like (果冻状的) material and spread themselves over it.

    Larger transparent animals have the biggest challenge, because they have to make all the different tissues in their bodies slow down light exactly as much as water does. They need to look uniform. But how they're doing it is still unknown. One thing is clear: for these larger animals, staying transparent is an active process. When they die, they turn a non-transparent milky white.

    Siblings refer to one's brothers and sisters. We're attached to siblings as adults far longer than we are as children. Our sibling relationships, in fact, are the longest-lasting family ties we have.

    “Paul, my younger brother, and I, kind of annoyed each other when we were kids,” said Anna, an interviewee, “But as adults, we've always had each other's back, especially when dealing with our mother's health crisis. Paul is the first person I want to talk to when something worries me.”

    There's probably a biological explanation for the close bond of the sibling relationship. Siblings share half their genes, which biologists say should be motivation enough for each other's devotion.

    One thing that can weaken closeness in adulthood is a parent who played favorites in childhood; this sense of hatred can last a lifetime. The simple concept of parental favoritism was enough to shake their relationship.

    “What Paul and I are pretty sure is our parents treated us the same when we were growing up. Yet we're very different people,” Anna said,“ Paul is outgoing while I'm shy. Paul is an amateur pianist while I can't read music or carry a tune. In families with more than one child, every sibling seems to get a label in contrast to every other sibling.”

    The very presence of siblings in the household can be an education. When a new baby is born, the older sibling gains social skills by interacting with the younger, and the younger gains cognitively（认知角度地）by imitating the older. They learn from the friction between them, too, as they fight for their parents' attention. Mild conflict between brothers and sisters teaches them how to interact with friends and co-workers for the rest of their lives.

    It's so sad when things between siblings fall apart, which happens when aging parents need care or die — old feelings of contradiction and jealousy erupt all over again. Many families get through their parents' illnesses just fine, establishing networks where the workload is divided pretty much equally. But about 40 percent of the time there is a single primary caregiver who feels like she is not getting any help from her brothers and sisters, which can lead to serious conflicts.

    Throughout adulthood, the sibling relationship “is powerful and unchanged,” said Jane Mersky Leder, author of the new e-book The Sibling Connection. Whether we are close to our siblings or distant, she writes, they remain our brothers and sisters — for better or for worse.

    So remember the immortal（永恒的）words of folksinger Loudon Wainwright Ⅲ, in a song called Thanksgiving.“ On this brilliant occasion, this special family dinner, if I argue with a loved one, please make me…”

    Tipping is part of everyday life in many parts of the world. It's usually an informal charge that's paid on top of the bill to show appreciation to the person who has provided you a service.

    Tipping culture can vary from place to place. In the Middle East, people who serve usually try to be more helpful. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. An example is the tour guides of Egypt. When a tourist goes around a famous site in Egypt like the pyramids, they^'11 often be accompanied by a very qualified tour guide. Thanks to the guide, a tourist will certainly know more about the pyramids than he or she did at the start. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    In some places, tipping doesn't exist at all. Tips aren't part of life in China, South Korea or Japan. But in other places in Asia, not leaving a tip can lead to trouble. An American travel agent told Conde Nast Traveler that in India, for example, a person who doesn't leave a tip after a meal in a restaurant will often be chased down the street. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, he said.

    Many people only give tips on a subjective （主观的）basis. But it's this subjective aspect to tipping that can cause problems. On the one hand, they don't want to be mean; on the other hand, they don't want to pay too much and feel that they've been cheated. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

A common solution for this problem is to offer a guideline on the check. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

This can prevent the awkwardness when it's time to pay up.

A. Tips are then given to appreciate the expertise of the guide

B. If you tip badly, people think less of you

C. They'll run after you and scream for money

D. It will suggest that a certain percentage of the bill should be paid on top as a tip

E. Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip

F. After all, a tip isn't part of the bill

G. But they may expect a little extra in return

There are numerous "secrets" out there on attaining success. The vast majority of these so called secrets all have one thing in common – Attitude.

 {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

The key to developing a successful attitude is to decide that there are certain things in life that you need, rather than merely want. For example, do you want a luxury house?{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Do you want fame and fortune in your career?

Sure, everyone wants these things. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} That is because it's never enough to merely want something. You have to be the type of individual who feels that they need these things in order to survive. This gives you the motivation to work towards your dream and do whatever it takes – except, of course, for breaking laws or hurting people – to get there. And all this must be done with the "fuel" of a positive attitude.

How do you begin to change your attitude?

It is always useful to connect with useful resources outside us in changing our attitude for the better. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Try to pay closer attention to your inner thoughts.

Realizing where negative thoughts come from can help us get to the point where we are able to erase them. Once they are erased, it is vital to replace them with more positive thoughts. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Perhaps your friends and loved ones will not understand the new you. But you can become a role model for them — and it begins by developing a positive attitude!

A. What do you need?

B. Do you want a lot of money?

C. What is the secret to Success?

D. Do you find yourself constantly in doubt?

E. However, the change will always begin inside you.

F. Problem is, very few people are able to attain them.

G. This is how we begin to make an attitude adjustment.

Body language can reflect our confidence level. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} and another way when we're nervous. At a glance （看一眼）, most people can tell if we're confident or not. So we should learn some tips to show confidence through body language so that we always appear confident and ready.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The first tip to show confidence with body language is to keep your hands out of your pockets. We often put our hands in our pockets when we're unsure of ourselves. And that's how other people will view us.

Keep your eyes forward

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}, it often feels natural to lower your head slightly and watch your step. However, this gesture communicates to others that you don't want to interact. And if you're not careful. you might get into the habit of doing it all the time. So keep your head up and your eyes forward. even when you're walking down the street by yourself.

Smile

Try this as an experiment: Smile at someone as you pass by them on the street or walk around the office. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Now wouldn't you like to have that effect on people all the time?

Firm handshakes

There are few things worse than reaching out your hand during an introduction and getting a handshake which is not firm enough. Don't be that guy. Instead, hold the other person's hand firmly and confidently. Of course, a handshake is not a contest. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A．Take wide steps

B．Avoid your pockets

C．It's very likely that they'll smile back

D．When you're walking anywhere by yourself

E．Don't try to hold the other person's hand too long

F．If you want to show confidence with body language

G．We stand and walk a certain way when we're confident