Many years ago, most of our earth wascovered with blocks (块) of ice. These iceblocks were as tall as high buildings in modern cities. Most of the ice was inthe northern part of the world. Then the ice blocks started to move south. Coldand rain came with the ice. Animals had to move. At last, the ice began to melt(融化). After half a million years, most of it melted.More than half of the earth became covered with water. Theclimatebecame much warmer. Things began to grow. The earth began to look the way inwhich it looks today.

My name is Robinson Crusoe, and I was born in the city of York in 1632. My father was a successful businessman. I had two elder brothers. One of them worked in the army(军队) and was killed during the war against Spain. The other was missing one day, and we never knew what had happened to him. My father gave me a good education and wanted me to be a lawyer(律师). 

However, I wanted to be a sailor(海员) and go to sea. My father was very angry with me. He didn't understand why I wanted to leave his house, where I would have an easy and comfortable life.

"Two kinds of people go to sea, " he said. "They are the very poor people and the very rich people. The poor are foolish, having no other ways to live. The rich own ships and can make money with them. You are neither too poor nor too rich, so you should stay at home with your mother and me. Your elder brother didn't listen to me, and now he is dead. If you do not listen to me, you will have a difficult life!"

I tried to do what he wanted me to do, but I couldn't. I spoke to my mother.

"Please ask Dad if he will let me have one voyage(航行) by sea, " I asked her. "When I return, I will live the life he wants me to live. "

Mum was angry. "Your father will not let you go. I don't want you to go to sea either. It's dangerous. "

I argued(争吵) with my parents for another year. Then, I went to Hull with a friend who was going to London by ship. He invited me to go with him, and I agreed. I didn't even tell my parents before leaving. I just went. That was how all my bad luck began.

—Adapted from Robinson Crusoe

Problems between parents and children are common. If you need to improve your relationship with your parents, you are not alone. To develop a better relationship with your parents, you should change how you think and do things. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Act first. Don't wait for your parents to try to improve the relationship. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Be thankful to your parents. Think about everything that your parents have done for you. You are sure to feel thankful to them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Give them a nice gift or do some housework without being asked. They will be happy with you for these actions.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Talk to your parents about things that you care about and your feelings about these things. Often talk to them, and your parents can understand you better. If so, it's easy for them to discuss things that you are interested in and develop the relationship.

Accept that your parents are different. They grow up in a different situation with different technologies. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Try to remind them of any problem in their relationships with their parents because of these differences.

Use these ways when you talk to your parents to improve your relationship with them.

Each country has its own "art of living". For example, the word "niksen" shows how Dutch people fight stress and tiredness in a fast-paced lifestyle.

The term "niksen" comes from the Dutch word "niks", which refers to"nothing". In practice, "niksen"could be as simple as just relaxing, looking at your surroundings or listening to music- as long as it's without purpose and not done in order to achieve something. Think "simply sitting in a chair or looking out of the window,"says Ruut Veenhoven, a professor at Erasmus University who studies happiness.

"Niksen" sounds contrary to the advice that we were all given as kids. Nowadays, we're always told to stay bus y and work harder than everyone else. But "niksen" is against that attitude. It offers the chance to "deliciously do nothing", as Carolien Hamming told Time. She thinks that "niksen" is very important to staying healthy, since it's a form of men tal relaxation and healing. Just like a wild animal lying in wait for their food,"niksen" seems to be a natural state of being.

For some people,"niksen" can mean more than just men tal relaxation. It's also a way to imagine new ideas or plans. As an early adopter of "niksen", Jenny Holden, adds it to her daily lunch breaks."Within 10minutes of doing nothing-just staring and listening to myself-my head began to clear and pick out my work and home to-do lists", she told the Metro UK. However, for many, doing nothing isn't as simple as it sounds.In fact, it can be somewhat challenging to sit still and stare out a window.

Above all, "niksen" is a suggestion for balancing work and rest. As Dutch-bom writer Ogla Mecking wrote in Whoolly Magazine,"niksen" is the full enjoyment of life's breaks".

Everyone is encouraged to have your "niksen" moments. They give you the strength to face everyday challenges.

Tourism has become a huge industry. Tourists make millions of foreign trips a year, twice as m {#blank#}1{#/blank#}as 20 years ago. It's now the largest employer on Earth. Clearly, it can do great good, but it can also do great damage.

It's true that tourism has brought benefits to many areas of the world that were very poor. However, mass tourism also has some bad e {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Local culture and customs change as more tourists arrive. Too much tourism damages the environment. And more and more tourists are behaving badly.

Complaints from local people are growing. In cities such as Barcelona or Venice residents say that too many tourists arrive on cruise ships(游轮). As a result, town centres are overcrowded. They tell stories about n {#blank#}3{#/blank#} parties that keep people awake all night. In famous beauty spots, where tourist money was welcomed, people are now worried about the damage tourists do to the environment.

Of course, many tourists enjoy the benefits of tourism in a responsible way. They choose holidays that support the local economy and they respect the local culture and the environment. Environmentally friendly tourism, or eco-tourism, is becoming more p {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

Responsible tourist behaviour is necessary, but it isn't enough to solve the problem. Many people now believe that governments should control how many visitors enter their country. They believe they should limit the n {#blank#}5{#/blank#}of cruise ships that use their ports and should not allow too many hotel developments.

U {#blank#}6{#/blank#}, governments are in a difficult situation. Tourism brings in a lot of money and this helps them i {#blank#}7{#/blank#} life for the local people. However, some governments are beginning to understand that too much tourism can be bad for the local population and the environment. They've taken some measures to promote environmentally friendly tourism. There may still be hope.