All around the world, people are working hard to make their cities safer and more pleasant for pedestrians (行人). Cities havepainted crosswalks on their streets, made streets narrower, put in traffic lights and speed bumps (减速带) and madeplans to help more kids walk or bike to school.

    Many people have learned from a man from Brisbane, Australia,named David Engwicht. His book Reclaiming Our Cities and Towns has a simplemessage{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Kids playedthere, and neighbors stopped there to talk.

    But now, streets are just for cars and trucks. People stay inside to get away from the noise and dangerous traffic, and we lose contact with our neighbors{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.  People needto take back their streets. Engwicht travels around the world, helping people think differently about pedestrians, streets, and neighborhoods.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}． He has workedin neighborhoods from Honolulu to Scotland.

    While Engwicht was writing his book, he learned how neighbors in the city of Delft, in the Netherlands, stopped dangerous traffic on their street. They put old couches, tables, and planters in the street.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. When the police arrived, they saw how these illegal actions made the streets safer. Soon city officials started planning ways to make cars slow down, and“calm”thetraffic.

    Engwicht says we should think about streets as our “outdoor living room”.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}．

    In the future, streets will be safe places for children again,and our neighbors will become our friends.

a. Cars and pedestrians crowded the street.

b. Calming the traffic is just the beginning.

c. Cars could still pass, but they had to drive slowly.

d. He says that in the past, streets belonged to everybody.

e. It's hard to take measures to solve the traffic problems.

f. Besides his books and articles, he gives many speeches.

g..  Engwicht says that we should use streets for more than just transportation.

      With the summer holiday just around the corner, it seems like everybody is busy planning their vacations. Here are some tips that can helpyou enjoy your holiday without emptying your pocket:

Travel off-season

Go to your desired destination while the demand is low and takeadvantage of huge discounts. During the peak season, the hotel and flightprices increase quickly, and you'll likely spend more of your vacation timestanding in line due to the rush of tourists.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

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      Websites can help you find discount hotel rooms. Look for placesthat do not charge extra for children if they use the existing bedding. Staywith the locals. If you and your family are going to stay for a longer period,renting a small apartment is a good choice.

Eat like a local

      Why eat at big chain restaurants when you can experiencesomething new?{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

During your family trip, try new food where the locals eat. Thiswill not just save money, but also provide you with a new and differentexperience. For smaller meals and snacks, avoid restaurants and try street foodor other takeout.

Don't hesitate to bargain

      Tourist- heavy places are known for overcharging for just abouteverything. Clothes, travel goodies, souvenirs, etc. are very expensive atthese places. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Bargain hard to get the best price.

Choose local transportation

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      Instead, take buses, railways or subways, which are alwayscheaper. If you are planning to stay for a while, you can consider renting acar. Hiring a car is much easier than carrying your bags everywhere if you aremoving around a lot.

A. Save on hotels.

B. Surf the Internet while traveling.

C. Therefore, avoid buying anything there.

D. So it's best to find out when the off-season starts.

E. Planning your meals is another way to reduce your travelcosts.

F. For this reason, you shouldn't feel ashamed to ask forbargains.

G .As a tourist, avoid taking taxis whenever possible, sincethey are expensive.

    To forgive is a virtue, but no one has ever said it is easy. When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your hate.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}And it can be surprisingly beneficial to your physical and mental health. People who forgive show less sadness, anger, and stress, and more hopefulness, according to a recent research.

    How should you start to forgive? Try the following steps:

    Calm yourself.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can take couple of breaths, and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love.

    Don't wait for an apology.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Many times the person who hurt you does not intend to apologize. They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don't see things the same way. If you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting an awfully long time. Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean becoming friends again with the person who upset you.

    Take the control away from your offender(冒犯者). Rethinking about your hurt gives power to the person who caused your pain. Instead of focusing on your wounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you understand your offender, you may realize that he or she was acting out or unawareness, fear; and even love. You may want to write a letter to yourself from your offender's point of view.

    Don't forget to forgive yourself.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}But it can rob you of your self-confidence if you don't do it.

A. Why should you forgive?

B. However forgiveness is possible

C. Recognize the benefits of forgiveness

D. Try to see things from your offender's angle

E. For some people, forgiving themselves is the biggest challenge

F. To make your anger die away, try a simple stress-management technique

G. Many times the person who hurt you does not intend to apologize

    Don't you just love ice skating every winter? I am sure that since winter is approaching, your skates are set to come out, just waiting to be used. Impress your friends with your new trick on how to ice-skate backwards with the help of these tips.

    Stand straight

    The first thing that you need to do is, stand straight. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} , if you feel that you are falling backwards. Don't worry; this happens to all.

    Confidence is what you need

    The most important step while learning how to skate backwards, is having enough confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. How can you achieve this? By practice. One of the important ice skating tips and techniques is that if you feel that you are losing your balance, then scissor（做剪式运动）your skates. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} .

    Maintain speed

    Try sculling（滑）with one skate while rolling in a straight line with the other.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} . Now bring the skate which you are using to scull, and then again, repeat the same process. Make sure that you put most of your weight on the skate which is moving straight and not the one with which you are sculling.

    Now, try the same thing using the other foot.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} .

    Once you are confident that you can scull with either foot, the next thing that you have to do is increase your speed. Try some of your own tricks now. Scull with either foot or with both at the same time.

    Scull and be aware

    While you keep one foot straight, keep sculling with the other. You can do that with both feet at the same time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} , but don't get so involved that you don't see where you are going. If you are not watching your back, you might just bang against something or someone.

A. That is, keep pushing yourself backwards with an outwards stroke（滑动）

B. While going backwards, just get used to the feeling of moving backwards

C. Keep practicing this till you are confident about it

D. Increase your speed now

E. One must be brave enough to learn to ice-skate backwards

F. Concentrate on what you are doing

G. Just put your chin up and slightly bend your knees

    Have you ever wondered how the trainers at Sea World get the 19,000-pound whale to jump 22 feet out of water and perform tricks? They get that whale to go over a rope farther out of the water than most of us can imagine. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

So how do the trainers at Sea World do it? The first thing they do is reinforce(强化) the behavior that they want repeated — in this case, to get the whale to go over the rope.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, in a position where the whale can't help but do what's expected of it. Every time the whale goes over the rope, it's given positive reinforcement and gets fed with fish. But what happened when the whale goes under the rope? Nothing — no criticism, no warning and no feedback. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Positive reinforcement is the key of that simple principle that produces such splendid results. And as the whale begins to go over the rope more often than under, the trainers begin to raise the rope. It must be raised slowly enough so that the whale doesn't starve.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Make a big deal out of the good and little stuff that we want consistently. Secondly, under-criticize. People know they need help when they mess up. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, people will not forget the event and usually will not repeat it.

    So we need to set up the circumstances so that people can't fail. Over-celebrate, under-criticize…and know how far to raise the rope.

A. This is a great challenge

B. And the whale stays right where it is

C. If we figure out a way to motivate the whale

D. They start with the rope below the surface of the water

E. If we under-criticize, punish and discipline less than expected

F. Whales are taught that their negative behavior won't be acknowledged

G. The simple lesson to be learned from the whale trainers is to over-celebrate

Tricks to become a patient person

Here's a riddle: What do traffic jams, long lines and waiting for a vacation to start all have in common?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. They're all situations where we could use a little extra patience.

In the digital age, we're used to having what we need immediately and right at our fingertips. However, research suggests that if we practiced patience, we'd be a whole lot better off. Here are several tricks.

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Thankfulness has a lot of benefits. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. It can also help us practice more patience. "Showing thankfulness can foster self-control," said Ye Li, researcher at the University of California.

Make yourself wait

Instant gratification (满足) may seem like the most "feel-good" option at the time, but psychology research suggests waiting for things actually makes us happier in the long run. And the only way for us to get into the habit of waiting is to practice. Start with small tasks. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} or wait 10 extra minutes before going for that cake. You'll soon find that the more patience you practice, the more you start to apply it to other, more annoying situations.

Accept the uncomfortable

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}. When we experience something outside of our comfort zone, we get impatient about the circumstances. You should learn to say to yourself, "This is merely uncomfortable, not intolerable (无法忍受的)." You'll then gradually become more patient.

A. There is one answer

B. Keep a balanced state of mind

C. Practice showing or expressing gratitude

D. Attach importance to process and method

E. Put off watching your favorite show until the weekend

F So many of us believe being comfortable is the only state we will enjoy

G. Research shows it makes us happier, less stressed and even more optimistic