How to Fix a Relationship

    If you're having a problem with your relationship, you're not alone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, you can make it work out if you decide to work together to fix it.

    Recognize the problems. Any number of problems could do harm to your relationship. You should look for signs and symptoms of the problems you're facing. Listening attentively is the key, which can help you understand what he or she is feeling. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Actually think about what the person is saying, and maybe try to understand what is behind the words, as well. You also have a right to discuss what you're feeling and thinking. The key is to keep a calm head. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Once you've figured out what your problems are together, have a conversation to find ways to solve them. How can you solve the problems in a way that both of you can live with? {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Start with the place you both agree on. Maybe you can both agree on the problem at least, or maybe you can agree on the first step to the solution. For instance, maybe you agree that you are feeling disconnected. Maybe you can take it one step further and agree that you need to spend more time together.

    Make a plan together. Once you've agreed to solutions, it's time to put them into concrete terms. For instance, if you both agree you need to spend more time together, then maybe the agreement will be that you should make a date at least once a week.

    Find ways to compromise. The key to any relationship is learning to compromise. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Compromising is about finding common ground, and both of you giving in a little on the issue.

A. Spend time connecting.

B. Talk about solutions together.

C. Don't just let the words pass over you.

D. In other words, you need to look for common ground.

E. Most people have trouble with relationships at one point or another.

F. You can't just expect to win every argument, as relationships need to give and take.

G. Whatever you need to do, take a few minutes to calm down before continuing the discussion.

It's true to say that technology makes our lives easier. However, increasingly scientists are saying that we need to give ourselves a break—--otherwise we put ourselves at risk(风险) of developing hundreds of health problems. Over the summer the days are longer and sunnier. Why not put this free time to good use and do something away from technology?

    You could learn a new skill. There are hundreds of possibilities: cooking, a musical instrument or a new sport. Haven't you always wanted to learn how to knit(编织)? You could use your free time to practice these new things, which might lead to an exciting opportunity in the future.

    If you just want to relax, why not head to a beach? Take along your favorite book and relax on the sand, or go for a walk along the coastline. If you don't live near a beach, you could go to your local park. Why not have a picnic, or try to explore some of the local wildlife? You could even get involved in the latest craze(狂热): adult coloring books! Coloring is a surprising thing to help you relax, and it can be a nice way to escape from the stress of modern life!

    Whatever you choose to do, try something new! You might surprise yourself and find a hidden gift within you; you might make new friends along the way. Next time you find yourself changing TV channels(频道) from one to another without a clear purpose, think about what else you could spend your time doing.

    Booking a theatre

    These locations have theatres available for rental:

    Fairview                • Palmerston                • York Woods

    Priority Bookings

    Each June, theatre booking requests for dates in the following calendar year (January to December) are accepted.

    For more information call the Room Booking Unit at 416-397-5969.

    Regular Bookings

    For people who didn't make a booking request in June, call the Room Booking Unit at 416-397-5969 to check for remaining dates.

    Completing a Booking

    Once the library receives a request, staff will check the availability and place a tentative booking for you. You will then receive a contract that you must return with payment within 10 calendar days of the tentative boding and with a minimum of two months before the first booking to confirm the booking.

    Payment

    Payment for the first booking and any bookings in the current month is due when you return the signed contract. If you have booked for multiple months, payments for those months are due at the beginning of each month.

    If you are interested in studying at an American university, you have to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language. The test is widely known as the TOEFL. It is the most widely used language exam for American universities.

    There are two major kinds of the TOEFL test. The first is the IBT, or Internet-based Test. It is offered in most of the world and accepted by nearly every university and scholarship program in the United States. The other kind of the test is called the Paper-based Test or PBT. The PBT is less costly to take and does not require use of the Internet.

    But how to get started with TOEFL? Here are some tips.

⒈Plan ahead —It takes a long time to improve your TOEFL score. Do not expect a big lift in your test results after two weeks. You will have to spend a lot of time and energy.

⒉Master the basics first —You should have to be good at basic English before you take the test. If you score below 500 on the PBT or 70 on the IBT, study for a few months and come back to the TOEFL later.

⒊Get a study guide — It is easy to find study guides for the IBT. Pearson, Barron's, ETS, and Kaplan all produce quality materials. Take a practice test once or twice a month. The best study guides will have explanations in the answer key.

⒋Use outside resources — Remember, you are learning a language, not a test. You can improve your TOEFL score by making English part of your daily life. Some simple ways are listening to English speakers, watching movies and reading newspapers. Some others are reading English textbooks, sending and reading text messages in English, and writing online in English.

    The best way to do well on the TOEFL is to know English well. The real goal of the test is to measure how well a student can communicate in English-speaking classroom.

    If you want to know more, please click here.

    Allan Guei, 18, was a star basketball player at Compton High School in the Los Angeles area before he graduated last month. His good grades made him eligible for an unusual competition: A free-throw contest in the Compton High gymnasium. The top prize: ＄40,000 in scholarship money.

    Guei, whose parents immigrated to the United States from the Ivory Coast, knew how much that financial aid could mean for his family. He was also feeling a fair share of pressure as students and teachers crushed into the gym to watch Guei and seven other randomly compete against each other.

    Guei won the free-throw contest by one basket and netted the ＄40,000. But it's what he did next that's truly astonishing.

In the weeks following the March free-throw competition, Guei learned that he'd scored a full-ride basketball scholarship to California State University—Northridge. NCAA(全国大学生体育协会)rules allowed Guei to accept the athletic scholarship and also keep most of the ＄40,000 he had won.

    But Guei couldn't stop thinking about the seven talented runners-up from the free-throw contest. They, too, had dreams and very real needs. So, he asked Principal Jesse Jones to make a surprise announcement at Compton High's graduation ceremony: Geui wanted to donate the ＄40,000 to the other seven students.

    “I've already been blessed so much and I know we're living with a bad economy, so I know this money can really help my classmates,” Guei said in a statement. “It was the right decision.”

    Guei elaborated on his decision to give the money away in an interview with ESPN(体育电视网): “I was already well taken care of to go to school, to go to university for free… I felt like they needed it more than I did.”

Ways to Build Resilience (适应力)

Being resilient isn't about avoiding misfortune, but rather how we respond to it. Resilience means doing well in the face of risk or difficulty. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Being resilient can help you manage stress, lower your chances of depression, and has even been proven to make people live longer. To build resilience, the experts suggest the following：

Start with reaching out for support. Lack of social support can lead to decreased resilience. While it's easy to let go of important relationships in our busy lives, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Good relationships are a pillar (柱状物) of rock for resilience and are a source of support when the times get tough. And cultivating your sense of humor is also a plus. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Humor helps you to gain perspective during hard times. It also improves your sense of well-being through an increase in dopamine (多巴胺) levels in your brain, and can ultimately increase your overall health.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Having goals and dreams increases resilience. A lack of purpose and goals reduces resilience and may leave you open to being taken advantage of, manipulation (操纵), and poor life choices；it reduces your sense of control over your life, which can easily lead to depression and anxiety.

Be a person of action. Being idle can lead to less resilience, but being active and tackling your problems head-on can promote your ability to deal with tough situations. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Instead, do something about the situation.

A.it is vital to make room for them.

B.Then find a sense of purpose in life.

C.it is exciting to embrace the unknown.

D.Hard times call for looking at the lighter side.

E.Try to avoid thinking deeply about negative thoughts or ideas.

F.It is also the ability to bounce back from tough situations.

G.Ask questions until you feel like you have a firm grasp of a situation.