Moving to a new place may be an exciting adventure.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you have a friend experiencing this anxiety, there are some steps you can take to make him feel more at home. Talk to your friend about his homesickness.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} This also gives you the option to share with him any strategies you have personally discovered to help overcome these feelings.

    Join your friend in discovering and adapting to the new environment. It is human nature to fear the unknown. By learning to deal with the new environment, your friend will find it easier to overcome the desire for what is familiar.

    Introduce him to new friends by including him in your social circle. These new relationships help relieve the feelings of homesickness and keep his mind off those friends he left behind.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, if he likes sports and being outdoors invite him to go hiking or camping with you and your friends.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Developing a new schedule will help him change things to where he does not need his old routine. Perhaps get him involved in an athletic club where he can boost endorphins(内啡肽) by keeping physically fit.

    Keep a positive outlook. Encourage him to see the glass half full so he can embrace this new experience instead of longing for what once was. Being positive helps your friends become more positive, so make the most of your influence{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. However, there are many ways to overcome it.

B. Burying it will only make his homesickness worse.

C. Invite him to clubs that you know he will enjoy.

D. Help him develop a new routine to replace the old one.

E. You will help him keep an active attitude to life if you are positive.

F. He could be homesick due to missing family dinners every night

G. However, following that is the anxiety that comes from a change in routine.

    The most successful people all have certain habits in their daily routines. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Forming a new good habit can be a struggle, but it is well worth the effort. Here are the four steps you can follow to form good habits.

    Set your goal. Before you can begin to work on your new habit, it is worthwhile to consider your goal. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Make sure that your goal is specific, measurable and realistic to increase your chances of success.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Having good habits that are in line with the goals can improve your chances of attaining your goals. After you have set your goal and worked out all of the specifics of achieving that goal, identify a habit that is part of achieving that goal. Consider what good habit would help you accomplish that goal.

    Consider your motivation. Once you have identified your goal and the new habit you need to accomplish this goal, take some time to consider your motivation. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Good motivation can be the difference between success and failure in terms of forming a new habit. So take your time to consider your motivation.

    Give yourself time. Forming a new habit can take a long time. Some people can form a new habit in as little as a few weeks, while other people will take several months. As you work to form your new habit, just keep in mind that it may be a while before it comes true. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Identify ways to achieve goals.

B. Find the habit you want to form.

C. Good habits are sure to make you a success.

D. These habits help contribute to their success.

E. Figure out exactly what you hope to accomplish.

F. Try to be patient with yourself as you form your new habit.

G. Your motivation is the reason you want to form this new habit.

    As is often the case, you are trying hard to keep your eyes open in class after a late night doing piles and piles of homework, "{#blank#}1{#/blank#}" You are probably thinking, " This weekend I'll make up for all the sleep I have lost."

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Most people think the same way-if you stay in bed longer on Saturdays or Sundays, you will recover your missed sleep during the week.

    However, this is not correct.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Actually, researchers have just discovered that sleeping during the weekend will not do you any good, but rather make you feel more tired on Monday morning.

    Our body keeps a clock inside. It tells us when to wake up in the morning and when to feel sleepy at night. But the time on our body clock can be changed once we start taking on different sleeping habits.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This may mean on Monday morning we sometimes struggle to get out of bed.

    If we decide to get up only 20 minutes or half an hour later, it won't matter. This is because our body clock can accommodate(顺应) a delay of up to an hour, which means that a short lie-in at weekends is unlikely to have any big effect, we needn't worry about it at all.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    So, what should we do to balance and make up for all the sleep we've missed? Scientists say that simply eight hours of sleep would do the trick, not any longer.

A. You are not alone.

B. I need more sleep!

C. Sleep is important for everyone.

D. Sleeping is nothing like paying back money.

E. However, if we sleep longer our sleep becomes less efficient.

F. But delays of up to two hours or more can throw our body out of order.

G. This is why staying in bed for longer than usual might confuse our body clock.

    Porridge doesn't have a very tasty name, does it? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. I'm here to try and convince you that porridge can be a delicious, convenient and very healthy way to start the day.

    Porridge is a type of food served for breakfast, usually a type of grain with either milk or water. It is thicker than liquid, but not solid. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, so it's a very good option for people who are ill, and it provides long-lasting energy for the day.

    Porridge preparation, such as the amount of materials and cooking time depends on what you choose to use as your porridge base. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, I put a very big handful of oats (麦片) in a pot, add a little bit of water and about 200ml of milk, and let the mixture boil. It takes about five minutes to cook.

    Once it's cooked, the fun part is adding the flavors (味道). Porridge alone doesn't have a very strong flavour. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, I think this is what makes porridge exciting! It is like a blank piece of paper-you can add almost anything you want to the porridge base. Seeds, nuts and dried fruits are very healthy options to add and can give you energy for the day. But if you don't like these, or you're allergic, then sugar and chocolate are also very tasty options.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Either oats or corn or both are "staple foods" for most people on the earth. You can usually buy big bags of either, then add local materials to make your porridge interesting-whatever is cheap and convenient to find, wherever you are.

Hopefully porridge sounds a lot tastier now!

A．If you've never eaten it

B．If I'm cooking for myself

C．The porridge base is very easy to digest

D．It doesn't have a very tasty reputation, either

E．It is often heated up but lacks all kinds of nutrition

F．You can make porridge almost anywhere in the world

G．Although some people think this makes porridge boring

    Nowadays people tend to digitalise everything from watches to fridges. It seems you can choose any item labeled as “smart”.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, there are plenty that can be used to reduce emissions and save money.

    If you're a part of the digitalisation movement, you might be interested in the concept of smart homes. It means that every element of your house can be controlled from a panel on the wall or your phone.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Use your mobile to power them on or off, and you may feel truly modern or truly lazy. Asides from the benefits of living a more comfortable life, this presents an opportunity to cut down on your electrical bills.

    Electricity generation today represents 31% of total global fossil fuel use and around 40% of all energy-related CO₂ emissions.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It is considered as the first step to prevent global climate change. Connect a smart thermometer to the heating and cooling system and set a specific temperature at which the heating begins to work. Doing so, the room will be at a desired temperature when necessary and switches on a power-saving mode when not occupied. Similarly, by installing a CO₂ sensor, you can have an automated ventilation (通风) system.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    In a 150,000m₂ office complex near Munich, called Campeon, energy costs of up to 117,067 Euro were saved after the use of environmental control devices this year. In this way, they are contributing to a large decrease in CO₂ emissions. Clearly, smart homes are about much more than just living a comfortable life.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It is actually about living a green life.

B. Smart devices have been installed worldwide nowadays.

C. It starts working only when CO₂ concentrations reach a certain limit.

D. There seem to be an ocean of such so-called “smart” inventions.

E. Bearing this in mind, measures should be taken to make buildings more energy-efficient.

F. Alternative energy must be discovered before the fossil fuel runs out in the future.

G. This includes basics such as heating and lighting and many other appliances.

Happier Babies Have an Edge

    Parents and teachers want children to grow up to be happy and successful.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} A wide range of research, however, indicates happiness brings success in adults, and achievements do not always make adults happier.

    Recently in new study, John K. Coffey II, assistant professor of psychology at Sewanee, the University of the South, found that happiness during infancy (婴儿期) predicted childhood IQ and adult educational success.

    In his 29-year study, Coffey used the Fullerton Longitudinal Study (FLS). In 1978 the FLS research team recruited 130 parents with babies for a study that now has run for more than 30 years. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When each baby was 18 months old, one parent reported how often his or her baby expressed positive and negative emotions and researchers measured the infant's IQ. When babies were children (ages 6 to 8), they completed IQ tests. When babies had grown into 29-year-old adults, they reported how many years of education they had completed and their life satisfaction.

    As expected, Coffey found that regardless of intelligence during infancy or parents' wealth, happier babies were more likely to graduate from high school and college. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It suggests that happier babies learn more between infancy and childhood.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Parents wishing to help their children enjoy greater happiness can focus on small changes they can make in their day-to-day lives to create more positive moments. Parents do not need to aim for intense experiences or "best day ever" for their children. Although peak experiences can be fun, they also tend to be tiring for both children and their parents, which can lead to anxiety and conflict.

    Currently, Coffey and other researchers are exploring when and why some children are happier than others or whether we can increase it. Happiness during infancy and childhood is predicted by relationships with caregivers and teachers or by learning new skills. Inexpensive and easy-to-do activities like practising acts of kindness or appreciation can boost happiness. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. We often think that achieving success will ultimately make us happy.

B. We can use these activities to help children grow into happy and successful adults.

C. To test his theory, Coffey looked at how intensely children's emotions are experienced.

D. These happy babies aren't just growing up to be successful, but they are also happy adults.

E. Further, happier babies had more growth in their IQ scores between infancy and childhood.

F. Another important clarification is that happiness is about how often emotions are experienced.

G. Early on, parents reported on their background, for instance, education level and employment.