In today's busy and competitive world, we all lead incredibly stressful lives. When stress becomes overwhelming, it can affect our mood and productivity. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The good news is that it is manageable and can be reduced, or even relieved completely.

    Enter the world of books. Feeling stressed out? Pick up your favorite book and leave the reality and worries behind. It is the most effective way to relax and overcome stress. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Getting lost in a book before bedtime can calm your mind and prepare your body for a good night's sleep.

    Connect with people. Another way to successfully beat stress is meeting with friends. Friends and loved ones are important to any healthy lifestyle. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed and just can't seem to shake it off, call your best friend or a member of your family and talk to them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Walk it off. You can also effectively relieve yourself of stress by simply taking a walk around your neighborhood. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} There's a whole new world up there that you never seem to notice while rushing to work or talking to someone. Take a moment to admire a new building or a balcony somewhere high up that reminds you of a castle from your favorite movie. Enjoy your time alone and seize every moment of it.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Nothing brings you back on track like a good laughter. It is the most powerful antidote(良方) to stress and it brings joy into your life. Laughing brings people together and drives away all stress-related problems as if they never existed. It is absolutely the best medicine there is, and it will keep you both physically and emotionally healthy.

    What is a big dream? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} or, is a big dream something that provides only entertainment? Children dream big dreams, but there are three barriers(障碍) to realizing dreams. They often kill them before they ever have a chance to grow.

The Self

    Immediately following the birth of a big dream, a negative self-talk takes over and gives all the reasons why it can't happen. This inside voice is the ego (自我). It is there for protecting and should be listened to. Sometimes it is right, but more often it is wrong. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    That's why only a handful of people make their dream come true.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Family and friends are a lot like the ego. They want to protect those they love, so they will often list all the reasons why the big dreams won't come true. Sometimes, family and friends destroy dreams of those they love most, out of their own fear of being left behind.

The World

    If one gets past the first two barriers, one has to face the world. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In the past, big dreamers were locked up and sometimes even killed when they were shown to the world. Fortunately, in most of the world today, big dreamers just get laughed at.

    The way to realize a big dream is with confidence and action. When children have confidence and then take action, they will be ready to accept any failure. The truth is that every great dreamer whose dreams have never seen the light of success knows failure well. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. How Big Dreams Die

B. Family and Friends

C. They simply fail until they succeed.

D. Does a big dream show one's future?

E. Most people are influenced by the inside voice.

F. It is the last and the most terrible barrier.

G. And their big dream is to be a rock star or a famous artist.

Empathy

    Last year, researchers from the University of Michigan reported that empathy, the ability to understand other people, among college students had dropped sharply over the past 10 years.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Today, people spend more time alone and are less likely to join groups and clubs. Jennifer Freed, a co-director of a teen program, has another explanation. Turn on the TV, and you're showered with news and reality shows full of people fighting, competing, and generally treating one another with no respect.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}There are good reasons not to follow those bad examples. Humans are socially related by nature.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Researchers have also found that empathetic teenagers are more likely to have high self-respect. Besides, empathy can be a cure for loneliness, sadness, anxiety, and fear.Empathy is also an indication of a good leader. In fact, Freed says, many top companies report that empathy is one of the most important things they look for in new managers.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} “Academics are important. But if you don't have emotional (情感的) intelligence, you won't be as successful in work or in your love life,” she says.What's the best way to up your EQ (情商）? For starters, let down your guard and really listen to others.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}To really develop empathy, you'd better volunteer at a nursing home or a hospital, join a club or a team that has a diverse membership, have a “sharing circle” with your family, or spend time caring for pets at an animal shelter.

A. Everyone is different, and levels of empathy differ from person to person.

B. That could be because so many people have replaced face time with screen time, the researchers said.

C. “One doesn't develop empathy by having a lot of opinions and doing a lot of talking,” Freed says.

D. Humans learn by example—and most of the examples on it are anything but empathetic.

E. Empathy is a matter of learning how to understand someone else—both what they think and how they feel.

F. Good social skills—including empathy—are a kind of “emotional intelligence” that will help you succeed in many areas of life.

G. Having relationships with other people is an important part of being human—and having empathy is decisive to those relationships.

    Being fit is a way of saying a person eats well, gets a lot of physical exercise, and has a healthy weight. There are a lot of discussions these days about fit kids.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    1).Eat a variety of foods. You may have a favorite food, but the best choice is to eat a variety.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Taste new foods and old ones you haven't tried for a while. Some foods, such as green vegetables,  are more pleasing the older you get. Shoot for at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day-two fruits and three vegetables.

    2).Listen to your body. What does it feel like to be full? When you're eating, notice how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortably full. Sometimes, people eat too much because they don't notice when they need to stop eating.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    And over a period of time, overeating can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

    3).{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.What's screen time? It's the amount of time you spend watching TV or DVDs, playing video games, and using the computer. The more time you spend on these sitting-down activities, the less time available for active stuff, like basketball, bike riding and swimming.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    These rules aren't magic.

    However, follow them most of the time and you can become a fit kid sooner or later.

A. Limit screen time.

B. If you're a kid who wants to be fit, here are three rules to live by.

C. Drink water and milk.

D. Ask your parents to help you do your favorite activities regularly.

E. Eating too much can make you feel uncomfortable.

F. If you eat different foods, you're more likely to get the nutrients your body needs.

G. Try to spend no more than 2 hours a day on screen time.

    Moving into a new home in a new neighborhood is an exciting experience. Of course, you want to make sure that you become an accepted and valuable part of your new neighborhood. The easiest w ay to achieve this is to make sure you behave yourself as a good neighbor should. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Perhaps one of the most important things you can do as a good neighbor is to keep your property(房产)neat, clean, and in good repair.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} By choosing to keep the outside of the home in great shape, you will help to improve the look and feel of the area.

    Second, take the overall appearance of the neighborhood seriously. When going for a walk, take along a small garbage bag. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This small act will let your neighbors know that you care about the area.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If a neighbor is going to be out of tow n, offer to collect mail and newspapers. If a neighbor suffers an illness, offer to do the grocery shopping. Let them know that you are there to help in any w ay that is acceptable, while still respecting the privacy of your neighbor.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} By follow in g the basic rules of respecting others, taking care of what belongs to you, and taking pride in the appearance of the neighborhood in general, you will quickly become a good neighbor that everyone appreciates.

A. In general, keep an eye on their property while they are gone.

B. A good neighbor is also one who likes to help out in small ways.

C. Being a good neighbor is more or less about considerate behavior.

D. Sometimes neighbors may go to the supermarket together to do shopping.

E. If you come across waste paper throw n out of a passing car, pick it up.

F. People tend to take pride in keeping everything in their street fresh and pleasing.

G. Here are a few tips to help you win over everyone in the neighborhood quickly.