Many teens in high school want to try out for sports. A lot of them try out because they think it will make them popular or get them more dates. While this may seem like a silly reason, there are lots of other benefits to sports that your children may fail to notice.

    With TV, movies, computers and video games becoming more and more popular, it has become so much easier for teens to be by themselves rather than going out with friends. Kids used to go hang out at the mall or drive around town; now they just sit at home. Getting your teens into a sport gives them a chance to go out and spend time with other people socially. While they may not find a new best friend, they will learn how to communicate with one another and work as a team and they'll find something useful later in life.

    More and more kids are becoming overweight. Joining a team sport will help teens get out and get some exercise without feeling pressured to lose weight or get in shape. What's more, if your teens see that their physical condition is causing them to under-perform, they may be encouraged to do other activities to get healthy. By the time your children reach their teenager year, part of good parenting will be providing them with direction and encouragement and continuing to help them develop a healthy style of living.

    These days, it's becoming harder to show your teenagers that you love and support them. A great way to do this is by showing up to their game, helping them practice, and helping with team fundraisers. These are also great ways to spend time with your kids and talk to them.

    You may think “but my teen isn't good enough to make their school team”. There are plenty of other places besides school to play team sports. You can always check out “for-fun” teams. You could look into more unknown sports that you may not have thought of, did you know that bowling is a NCAA team sports If you do a little research, you're sure to find something your teen will enjoy.

    Team sports are a great way for teens to get out of the house, get moving, make friends, and even get a scholarship to college. So why not talk to them about getting into sports today

Car Hire

    Hiring a self-drive car really adds to the enjoyment of your holiday.There are so many places of interest to visit, and if you enjoy seeing more than just the city center there's no better way to explore than by car.

Hire Charges:

    What's included

    a) Unlimited mileage（英里数）.

    b) Expenses on oil,maintenance and repairs,which will be repaid on production of invoices.

    c) Full insurance except personal accident (see below).

What's not included

    a) Personal accident insurance.

    b) Garaging, petrol, parking and traffic fines.

    Conditions of Hire:

    The shortest rental period at these special low prices is three days.For prices for periods of one or two days you only see our representative at the hotel.

    Car hire must be booked six weeks or more before arrival in London to guarantee a car.But if you have been unable to make a booking in advance please see our representative at the hotel who may still be able to help you.

    The car types on the sheet are examples of the types of cars in each price range,but particular car cannot be guaranteed.

    Upon delivery the driver (s) will be asked to sigh the car hire company's Condition of Hire.

    If you decide to hire a car,just fill in the Booking Form and return it to us.A booking fee of £ 12 as part of the car hire cost is required.

    Should you be forced to cancel your car hire booking after payment in full (two weeks before date of hire),a cancellation charge of £ 12 will be made.

    Lennon Flowers' mom was diagnosed with lung cancer when she was a senior in high school. This young woman gave up her big dreams to go to New York University and become an actor and instead entered the University of North Carolina so she could be close to home. Though she was surrounded by a community of friends, she rarely brought up her mom. “I became good at not talking about what was happening to me,” she explains. “I got really, really good at being really, really busy.”

    When her mother died during her senior year in college, many of Lennon's friends hadn't even known she was sick. In part, she said she kept silent about it due to her belief that it protected other people.

    Three years after her mother died, Lennon moved to Los Angeles for a job and, met Carla Fernandez. They had an immediate connection. Later, while apartment hunting side-by-side, Carla admitted that her father had died just six months earlier. Lennon shared her own story. A seed was planted.

    A couple of months later Carla organized a dinner party for five women, Lennon among them. All of them had lost a parent already though they were only in their 20s; all of them had felt alone in that loss.

    An emotional movement was born: The Dinner Party. Today, there are 31 “tables” across the country and the initial organization plans to create even more.

    Lennon says, “As people gather month after month, they branch out from talking about their lost loved ones and start exploring what those losses have taught them about the meaning of life.”

    In the early hours of the morning, Gary Miller was in his truck, traveling down the road alone to deliver. Everything seemed calm. But with the sound of a fire siren (警笛) cutting through the wind, he became alarmed. Miller, a trucker by trade, has been a volunteer firefighter for 40 years. That loud, sharp siren assured him that help was on the way.

    Most people never realize that this help is often a crew of volunteer firefighters. They make up 70 percent of the country's nearly 1.2 million firefighters. "When I was a teenager there would be many who responded. About 20 people were coming into the voluntary fire station at one siren." Miller laughed. But now, at his 54, that memory is almost ironic (讽刺的)to him. When a call comes in, his station might get only three or four people responding. He said: "People don't want to, or rather, they don't have time to volunteer." Adults' burdens have become greater. There isn't as much time left for volunteering when most people rely on a two-income household now more than ever.

    Firefighters face far more than what we imagine. The emotional stress on a firefighter stands out. "We're asked to help someone at their most vulnerable (易受伤的) time. But we can't always save the day like we hope to." Miller reflected on the case years ago. "A mother's car was hit hard, and she had two children in the backseat." By the time he arrived on the scene, there wasn't much to be done. "One child died in my arms and I felt so defeated."

    Along with the emotional stress, the physical danger is just as great. Even with the progress of equipment and new training, that's still not always enough to save a firefighter's life. In 2016, 60 firefighters died in the line of the duty. "When you respond, you never know if it is to be your last," Miller said. "And that's just a risk we take." Miller continued. "It's dangerous. But it's also the most rewarding thing I've ever done."

    Crossing your legs is an extremely common habit; most people don't even notice that they're doing it when they sit down. While you may find it comfortable to sit with one knee crossed over the other, it might be causing health problems that you are not aware of.

    A study published in Blood Pressure Monitoring stated that sitting with your legs crossed can increase your blood pressure. The reason this happens is because the blood in your legs has to work against gravity to be pumped back to your heart, crossing one leg over the other increases resistance, making it even harder for the blood to circulate. This causes your body to increase your blood pressure to push the blood back to the heart. You won't feel any immediate effects, but if you sit for long periods of time it's important that you take note of how long you have your legs crossed for. You shouldn't have your legs crossed for more than 15 minutes, and it's important that you get up and walk around at least once every hour.

    Crossing your legs can also lead to neck and back pain. Ideally, it's best for our bodies to sit with our feet planted flat, hip width apart, on the floor, but it's not easy to maintain perfect posture all day at the office.

    You also might notice that when you sit with your legs crossed for long periods of time your feet and legs get tingly(刺痛的) or have the feeling of being asleep. While the feeling of discomfort may only last a minute or two, repeatedly crossing your legs until they feel numb can cause permanent nerve damage.

    So next time you sit down, try to get yourself in the habit of sitting with both of your feet on the floor. Not only will it help your posture and stability, but it will also save your health in the long run.

    When you visit America, you will see the word Motel on signs and notice boards. It is made up of "motor" and "hotel" and it is really a hotel for people who arrive by car (however, you don't need a car to stay at one). You have to pay when you arrive for your room, which usually has a bath. Meals are not provided, but there will certainly be a cafeteria (自助餐馆). Americans eat a lot of salads and sandwiches. Along the main roads there are a lot of motels. Each tries to offer more than next. Some provide television in every bedroom; others have swimming pools; and so on. Motels are especially useful when you are in the country, far from a town or city. You will also find them in the big National Parks.

    In these great National Parks, you may meet guests you don't expect to see. An American friend told me a little story. In the middle of a moonless night she heard strange noises outside her motel window in the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Thinking it might be a thief, she jumped out of bed, opened the door and crept towards a dark shadow. As she got close, she saw the thief. She was dreadfully frightened: it wasn't a human thief ­ it was a big black bear. The bear was turning over some empty tins with its paw, looking for tasty bits of food. My friend decided to leave that particular thief alone!

    There are also, of course, places called "rooming houses", where they receive lodgers (房客). You will see such signs as Tourists or Rooms Rent, and you could try one of these. A word of warning ­ looking for a room in New York during the tourist season is like looking for gold on the moon!