Ways to build strong friendships

    Be loyal to a friend. Part of being a friend is being prepared to devote your time and energy to helping out your friends. If a friend needs help with an unpleasant thing, or if he or she just needs a shoulder to cry on, be there for them. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} This is a good way to attract the kind of friends you want in your life.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you say you'll do something, do it. When your friend tells you a secret, keep it secret from others. Be someone that people know that they can rely on. If you show this quality to your friends, they will appreciate it and will be reliable in return.

    Be a good listener. Many people think they have to appear very interesting.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Listen carefully to what people say, remember important details about them, ask questions about their interests, and take the time to learn more about them.

    Stress your good qualities. Show others what makes you stand apart from the crowd. Talk about your interests and hobbies. Everyone has interesting stories to tell – don't be afraid to share yours.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  People love to be around someone who makes them laugh.

    Choose your friends wisely. As you make friends with more people, you may find that some are hard to get along with. Sometimes you may even realize that certain friendships are unhealthy.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Cherish those friends who are a positive influence in your life, and do your best to be a positive influence in theirs.

A. Be a reliable friend.

B. Keep your promise to your friend.

C. Be respectful of their decisions and share yours with him.

D. Besides, a little humor always keeps a conversation light and happy.

E. In this case, walk your way out of the friendship as gracefully as possible.

F. Being a loyal friend will attract other people to you who value this quality.

G. Far more important than that, however, is the ability to show that you're interested in others.

    Perhaps at one point in time, it was acceptable to start any letter or e-mail with “To Whom It May Concern.”{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Starting your cover letter or e-mail for a job this way might give off the impression that you didn't do your research on who you're writing to{#blank#}2{#/blank#}After all, people who address other people by their names when writing and speaking to them tend to be more pleasant.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It can be used in letters of recommendation or reference, formal complaints（抱怨）made to a company, letters of introduction, and letters of interest.

    Grammarly uses the example of needing to write a letter of recommendation, for a colleague who will have to make several copies to distribute to interviewers{#blank#}4{#/blank#}“In most cases, though, try to narrow your focus rather than cast a broad net,” notes Grammarly.”Ask yourself. Who does this e-mail concern? If you can honestly answer 'Anyone, 'then feel free to use “To Whom It May Concern.” （These are the things you should never say in your cover letter.）

    If you do happen to find that using “To Whom It May Concern” is appropriate, don't make grammar mistakes, for example, letters or punctuation.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. However, it maybe interesting.

B. Those times have changed, though.

C. Making mistakes in writing will surely get you low scores.

D. It's also very impersonal, which some employers might not appreciate.

E. In that circumstance, sending and receiving letters is more of a formal greeting.

F. You might want to take note of other common errors you might be committing, too.

G. But according to Grammarly, there are four times when it's OK to use this greeting.

    New rules for middle school students came out in March. Middle schools are going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The following are some of the new rules.

    Tell the truth. Have you ever cheated in an exam? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}That's not something honest students should do.

    Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird-loving Month in China. Is your school doing anything to celebrate it? You should join! {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought people could live on the moon? Maybe you'll find another earth in space in the future. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Protect yourself. Has a thief ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don't let it happen to you. If you have to go back home late, you should let your parents know.

    Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your study.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}But some things on the Internet aren't for children, so try to look at the good web pages.

A. Don't do it again!

B. Everyone's new ideas are important

C. Students must only work and play alone.

D. Students should not disagree with the teachers.

E. The best students won't only have high marks.

F. You can use the web pages for fun or homework.

G. In that way, you can learn more about animals and how to protect them.

    Long, long ago people couldn't write and they had no books. But they had stories. People learned the stories by heart and taught new ones to one another. Sometimes it was hard to remember them all. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The ancient Egyptians wrote their stories on something made from papyrus (纸沙草) plants. People in other places wanted to learn from the Egyptians to use papyrus.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So, parchment (羊皮纸), made from goatskin, later took its place.

    In ancient China books looked a little different. People there used ink to write on bamboo or silk. And then they invented paper. Made of trees, paper was easier and cheaper to make than papyrus or parchment.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Paper-making later spread to the West, but there was a big problem with these early books. Every single one had to be copied and written by hand.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They carved (雕刻) a page of words into a piece of wood or stone. They could then print the page by spreading ink on the wood or stone and putting it against paper. But it wasn't until a German printer invented movable, metal letters that books became fast and easy to make. The letters could be used to print copy after copy, and the letters put together again and again to print different pages of words.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Once a luxury (奢侈品) only the rich could buy, they soon became a treasure everyone could enjoy.

A. It took years to finish making just one book.

B. But papyrus grew mainly in Egypt.

C. Things grew a little easier when writing was invented.

D. Finally books could be printed by the thousands.

E. The Chinese were the first to think of a way to speed things up a little.

F. Books in the West didn't change for a long time after that.

G. Its surface was smoother and better for writing on too.

They Just Can't Help It

    My theory is that the female brain is mainly built for empathy — the ability to understand other people — and that the male brain is mainly built for building systems. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For example, women are more likely to read magazines on fashion and parenting, while men will choose magazines that feature computers and sport.

    You may think that these preferences are influenced by the way people are taught to behave when they are growing up. However, this is not the case. A new study carried out at Cambridge University shows that newborn girls look longer at a face, and newborn boys look longer at a mobile. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It has also been observed that girls are better at noticing signs of changes in other people's feelings. Boys, however, seem to enjoy building toy towers and playing with toys which have clear functions. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} People whose jobs are in the construction industries are almost male. Math and engineering, which require high levels of systems-thinking, are also male-chosen disciplines. Why do men and women have the difference? Actually women have four times as many brain neurons (神经) that connect the right and left part of their brains. Because of it, women have a better ability to multitask than men. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Men tend to focus on a limited number of problems at a time. They will separate themselves from problems and view tasks as independent from one another.

    Some people may worry that I am suggesting one gender (性别) is better than the other, but this is not the case. My theory says that males and females differ in the kinds of things that they find easy, but that both genders have their strengths and weaknesses. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It is not true. The study simply looks at males and females as two groups, and asks what differences exist, and why they are there.

A. Generally speaking, there are clear differences.

B. Their preference for building systems may change over time.

C. You can see the same kind of pattern in the adult workplace.

D. They will consider many sources of information at the same time.

E. It is important to stress that the female brain may be built more for empathy.

F. That suggests certain differences between male and female brains are biological.

G. Others may think the theory creates a belief of what a particular type of person is like.

    Competition is all around us and it makes the strong stronger and the weak weaker. It can also teach us how to survive in a fast-paced and stressful world. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. How many of us have seen young boys weeping because their teams didn't win inter-school tournament? How many of us have seen young teenagers cheat just to win? {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. So it's important to develop healthy competition among children.

    When it comes to encouraging healthy competition among children, the first thing to do is set goals for them to stick to. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Since children may be easily affected by wrong ideas from popular media and the Internet, it's up to you to develop the right kind of spirit in them. Team spirit will help them grow into human beings who aren't easily annoyed by small losses or too excited by victories. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. So give them examples where family members refused to cheat to win.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. When they take an exam, don't ask about how much they expect to score; instead, ask what they wrote about. If your son played a cricket match at school, don't ask him whether his team won or lost; ask him how many runs he scored and encourage him to score higher next time instead. When you let your children know that you're more interested in how they performed rather than whether they lost or won, they will surely try to better themselves.