We've all experienced peer pressure (同伴压力). It happens to everybody. However, people have different reactions. Confident people refuse to do things they don't want to do, but shy and anxious people often give in. It may be because they want to be liked. It may be because they worry that their friends will make fun of them, or perhaps they're just curious about trying something new. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It's hard being the only one who says no and the question is: how do you do it? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you think that missing maths, or smoking, or going somewhere you know your parents wouldn't like is a bad idea then the answer is simple: don't do it. It's your decision, nobody else's. You don't need to be aggressive. You don't need to shout and scream, but you must be confident and you must be firm. You need to say, “No thanks. I don't want to do that.”

    Being on your own against everybody else is very hard, so it can really help to have at least one other peer, or friend, who will say no too. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You want friends who will support you when you're in trouble. You don't want people who will always agree with the majority. Remember, the most popular people aren't always the most trustworthy.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} — You can learn a lot from people your own age. They can teach you great football skills or the best way to do your maths homework. They can recommend music and advise you on fashion. And don't forget you can tell them things too, and that always feels great. So, find friends who have similar interests. And remember, friendship isn't about feeling depressed and guilty. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Why do many people play sports? You might say “to get exercise'' and you'd be right. To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}According to the Women's Sports Foundation, girls who play sports get a lot more than just fit.

    Girls who play sports do better in school. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}But research shows that girls who play sports do better in school than those who don't. Exercise improves learning, memory, and concentration, which can give active girls an advantage in the classroom.

    Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goal-setting skills. Sports teaches valuable life skills. When you working with coaches, trainers, and teammates to win games and achieve goals, you're learning how to be successful. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and maintaining a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Girls who play sports feel better about themselves. Why? It builds confidence when you know you can practice, improve, and achieve your goals. Sports are also a feel-good activity because they help girls get in shape, maintain a healthy weight, and make new friends.

    Exercise cuts the pressure. Playing sports can lessen stress and help you feel a little happier. How? {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Friends are another mood-lifter. And being on a team creates tight bonds between friends. It's good to know your teammates will support you—both on and off the field!

Why is volunteering important?

    When it comes to service work, it is important to realize that the actual goal should be getting the most out of your volunteering work.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Gaining new/social experiences.

    Volunteering allows students to get involved with new things and develop social and academic skills that couldn't be learned in a classroom environment.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Giving back and helping others.

    Volunteers create better environments for others—they create healthier communities and they brighten lives. Jil, a senior student, had been a volunteer in her community（社区） for more than three years.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} “They always tell me how great we sound and how they wish they had taken time to learn an instrument in their youth.”

    Creating connections with people.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Not only does the volunteer work you do show who you are as a person, but it reflects many positive qualities that possible employers and admission officers want to see. Volunteering allows you to meet a wide variety of people from all sorts of walks of life.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Volunteering isn't one of the most attractive jobs, but it is one of the most beneficial and uplifting（令人振奋的）. It's taking some time out of your day to help others. Volunteer work makes us feel good. It builds self-confidence and lifts up the spirits.

A.Building career choices.

B.Raising the spirits.

C.Volunteering means a lot more.

D.Building relationships with people is very important.

E.Volunteering is an excellent way to improve your independence.

F.She volunteers by performing in concerts for senior citizens.

G.Volunteering allows you to experience different environments and situations.

    We often close ourselves off when painful events happen in our lives. Instead of letting the world soften us, we let it drive us deeper into ourselves. We try to ignore the hurt and, pain, but we can't hide from ourselves. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The items listed below are four tips you can open your heart more fully and completely.

    ⒈Breathe into pain

    Whenever a painful situation arises （出现）in your life, try to face it instead of running away. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. When the sadness strikes, take a deep breath and accept it. By using our breath we soften our experiences and allow more newness.

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    We're often confused （困惑的）at the next step to take. Actually, we can try a new decision making process. To start this process, we may ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here? What action feels the most right?” See what comes up, then put it into practice and evaluate（评价）the outcome.

    ⒊Spend time alone

    For most of our lives we're surrounded by people: our friends, family members, and strangers. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When you spend time in solitude（孤独）, you're free from the influences of other people. It might be painful at first, but eventually you'll add a whole new understanding into your life.

    ⒋Get outside of yourself

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But in reality, they actually work hand-in-hand. After you've explored the depths of yourself, you come away with a new understanding.

    Now, it's time to share that —not through telling others, but through being with others.

A. Have a light heart

B. Ask your heart what it wants

C. Is there anything I'm hiding from myself?

D. How often do we really spend time alone?

E. This may seem a little contradictory（对立的）to the last tip.

F. We should open our hearts and take action to heal（使愈合）the wounds.

G. When we run away from sadness, it gets stronger and more real.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I say this a lot because it's important: you need to walk more. There are a few main reasons why I'm so fond of walking, also known as moving frequently at a slow pace.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Walking might not be as effective as other forms of exercise, but frequent walking will help anyone with two functioning legs that allow movement who would otherwise meld into the couch lose some body fat.

    It's good for your brain.

    Walking does much more than work the area underneath your neck. The farther an older person can walk in six minutes, the better he or she performs on memory and logic tests. Folks who perform poorly on the walking test tend to have reduced grey matter volume in certain sections of their brains.

    It reduces stress.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Go for a walk, preferably in a natural setting. For me, it's the beach of the Malibu hills. For others, it might be the woods or even a park.

    It prevents falls in the elderly.

    Walking on uneven, natural ground like hiking trails, improves balance and reduces falls in the elderly. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The earlier you start habitually walking, the better your ability to navigate the land without falling will be.

    It gives you a chance to think.

    When we walk, we think. And because walking is a low-difficulty effort, we can direct our executive functioning to more internal matters. We work through problems, come up with ideas, replay conversations, scheme, and discover solutions. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It modestly reduces body fat.

B. It lowers blood pressure, especially after meals.

C. Don't wait until you're already at risk of falling, though.

D. What do I do when I need to get away from a particularly stressful day?

E. Try to keep the walk as close to the meal as possible to aid in weight loss.

F. Even though some of you may be tired of me saying this, it needs saying.

G. Or maybe we just think about that funny dog we saw on the way to work the other day.

    Helen Keller once wrote, "The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves."{#blank#}1{#/blank#} The UN has set December 5 as International Volunteer Day to give recognition to these people.

    Nineteen-year-old Andrew Makhoul was a communications major at the University of Pennsylvania. It was coming up to spring break, but unlike his classmates, Makhoul wasn't planning on spending the break relaxing. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    He traveled to Guatemala. He went to an orphanage(孤儿院)in one of the most violent and poor parts of Guatemala city. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Although he didn't speak much Spanish, he found communication wasn't a problem: "You communicated with love." And what he gave out, he got back: "You could see love when you looked in their eyes."

    Makhoul's first time as a volunteer only lasted a week, but by the end of that week, he knew he'd be back in the future.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The UN highlighted the case of Palestinian women who are survivors of breast cancer. As part of the UN's Aid and Hope Programme for Patient Care, the women have been volunteering their time to create low-cost breast prosthetics(假体)to be distributed to women for free, among whom Shahd El-Swerki is a brilliant example. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}By the end of her time there, she admired these women who are "not only survivors but also volunteers".

    About 2,400 years ago, Greek philosopher Aristotle said, "The essence(本质)of life is to serve others and do good." Volunteers all around the world are making these words come true, each and every day.

A. These words certainly prove true for the millions of volunteers all over the world

B. Here, we tell two volunteering stories from around the globe.

C. He decided to spend his time doing something useful for people.

D. Volunteers want to do their best to make the world warmer and more beautiful.

E. She worked with the women as part of the programme.

F. Sometimes, volunteers themselves live with huge challenges

G. It depends upon volunteers to stay open.