How to Have a Good Teen Life

    As a teenager, you'll be starting high school, making new friends, and most likely dating.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Then you can remember good things from the past when you are an adult. You will be an adult soon enough, but you will experience many different changes on the way!

    Have a healthy social life. A healthy social life is the key to enjoying your life in spite of the stress of school. Shop with friends and enjoy buying clothes. Go to a theme park or take a few trips. Try to make at least two best friends. Go to pleasure ground, bowling, or teen clubs and such places.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Have hobbies at home. Sew, read, play computer games, draw, or do yoga.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Get a Facebook account, but try not to get addicted to it. Make videos with your friends and post them on YouTube. Check online to see the hottest new music and the coolest new artists and songs of your type of choice. You don't have to be a fan of pop music only; if you like to listen to some nice relaxing smooth jazz or Bob Marley, go ahead. Be a fan of your favorite sports team.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Always turn in your homework on time and do well in tests. Education is the most important thing in your life. Doing poorly, not trying, or dropping out of school can hurt your future in a significant way. If you are getting bad grades because you are struggling with something, get help.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Be creative. Show off your talents. Write music, write stories and poems, create cool drawings, learn how to create web pages and computer programs, create your own clothes, cook, bake, work on a car, play an instrument, etc.

A. Think on your own.

B. Study hard at school.

C. Find whatever you enjoy doing and do it.

D. Make the best of it by taking the advice below.

E. But you have to work hard and learn from your mistakes.

F. This is the best way to communicate with other people around your age.

G. But if you are lazy, it can affect your college opportunities in the future.

    Here's how yo-yo dieting affects your body and your mind

    Yo-yo dieting, also known as weight cycling, occurs when a person experiences periods of weight loss followed by weight gain followed by weight loss and so on and so on. The effects of this weight cycling are significant, even when the weight lost and gained is as little as 10 pounds.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It can make you gain weight

    While dieting may help you lose a few pounds at first, it only works temporarily. Your body responds to the lack of calories by turning to lean muscle mass for energy. Once you have returned to your normal eating habits, the weight comes back on –{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

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    Yo-yo dieting may increase the risk for heart disease and sudden death in post-menopausal（绝经后期）women. Studies found that when normal-weight women experienced periods of weight cycling, they were 3.5 times more likely to have sudden death than women whose weight remained stable. In the same study, yo-yo dieting increased a woman's risk of death by 66 percent.

It can be damaging to your skin

    Dermatologist (a doctor who studies and treats skin diseases) Robin Evans weighed in on the effect that yo-yo dieting has on the skin. “The up and down weight losses and gains can have harmful effects on the skin especially on the face with stretching and contracting the skin,” said Evans{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

It plays games with your mind

    Yo-yo dieting is hard on the body,{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Repeatedly gaining and losing weight can leave dieters feeling more depressed about their weight and losing self-belief as a result.

    If you're a yo-yo-dieter, talk to your health care provider about lifestyle changes that can help you maintain a stable and healthy weight for years to come.

A. It only works temporarily

B. It can damage your heart

C. but in the form of fat, not muscle

D. but it's even harder on the mind

E. but with a smaller size, you will make yourself less friendly

F. The result ends up more wrinkles and an overall effect of aging the skin

G. We turned to the experts to find out how yo-yo dieting can affect your body and your mind

    A student's life is never easy.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}A lot of preparations are needed so you can be sure to go back home with a diploma and a bright future waiting for you. The following are some basic things you need to do before seizing your passport and boarding the plane.

    Knowing the country.

    You shouldn't bother researching the country's hottest tourist spots or historical places. You won't go there as a tourist, but as a student. It'll be helpful to read the most important points in their history and to read up on their culture.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You surely don't want to face legal problems, especially if you're away from home.

    Studying their language.

    Don't expect that you can graduate abroad without knowing even the basics of the language. Before leaving your home country, take online lessons to at least master some of their words and sentences.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Doing this will also prepare you in communicating with those who can't speak English.

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    Check the conversion（兑换）of your money to their local currency, set up your bank account so you can use it there, get an insurance, and find an apartment. The Internet or your intended school will be very helpful in finding an apartment and helping you understand local currency.

    Remember, you're not only carrying your own reputation but your country's reputation as well. If you act foolishly, people there might think that all of your country men are foolish as well.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}．

A. Packing your clothes.

B. Preparing for other needs.

C. Most importantly, read about their laws.

D. This will be useful in living and studying there.

E. That would surely be a very bad start for your study abroad program.

F. Going with their trends will keep it from being too obvious that you're a foreigner.

G. And it is even more difficult if you have to complete your study in a foreign land.

    How can I carry out a group project?

    Group projects can be so overwhelming (使人不知所措的), especially when people don't cooperate and follow through. “{#blank#}1{#/blank#}” To follow this wise advice from expert Julie Hochheiser IIkovich, simply break down that hug project into smaller jobs that can be tracked. Here's exactly how to do it:

    List it. The day the project is assigned, immediately identify the end goal.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}This should include everything from minor tasks to major ones.

    Schedule it.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}This should include meetings, tasks, and deadlines. Assign each person a color and highlight each task with those colors, so it's clear who is doing what.

    Track it. As a team, decide on a project manager who will keep everyone on track, and who you agree is allowed to call team members out if they're not hardworking. (Advice on how to choose:{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    As stressful as group work is, it can actually be beneficial in the long run. At first, groups that work well together can achieve much more than individuals working on their own. And being part of a team will help you develop your interpersonal skills. Also, working with others will help identify your own strengths and weaknesses.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Give feedback on group processes to groups

B. Then list what needs to get done to accomplish it

C. Look for the person with the most organized desk!

D. A half-hour of planning saves a week of stress at the end!

E. Create a timetable for the project and put everything from the list on it.

F. This sense about yourself will be invaluable when you enter the workforce.

G. Group projects can help people develop new approaches to solving problems.

How to Plan a Holiday Trip

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Whether it's to grandma's house, a family reunion or simply a holiday getaway, these yearly road trips can often be the source of dread and stress. The thought of being trapped in the car with restless children or the possibility of car trouble along the way is enough to make anyone consider staying home. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Plan out the route for your car trip. If you're planning on driving to your holiday destination, a little planning can help make your trip easy and uneventful. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Remember, it's likely that you won't be the only person on the road during the holidays, and traffic is always a factor. Alternate routes or shortcuts can help reduce time spent in traffic jams and get you to your destination sooner. This information can also come in handy in case of road construction or other situations that might block your primary route.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Although traveling by air can be quick and convenient, it can also be much more expensive. Start planning your trip early to take advantage of advance purchase discounts and avoid sold out flights. Many airlines become extremely busy during the holidays so booking in advance can also help ensure that you get the flights that you want. High traffic destinations such as New York, Los Angeles or Atlanta can be extremely crowded during the holidays. If you have the option, consider booking your flight to a nearby airport and renting a car for the short drive to your destination.

    Consider your luggage needs. If you're traveling by car, the issue of luggage is only important with regards to the amount of room needed. Before you begin packing, think about how many people will be in your vehicle and how much room they will need to travel comfortably. This could affect the number of bags that you can take along. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Not only is the possibility of lost luggage an issue, but most airlines now charge extra for checked baggage.

    For a family of four, carrying a few bags each could result in several hundred dollars worth of baggage fees during your trip. Try to pack as lightly as possible.

A. As an alternative to driving or flying, check into the possibility of traveling by train.

B. Plan your trip to avoid peak travel times.

C. Luckily, with a little planning, these situations can be avoided.

D. Book airline tickets.

E. Each year, millions of people load up the family car and set out on a holiday trip,

F. For traveling by air, the number of bags that you take is a much bigger concern.

G. Consider your starting point and desired destination, and investigate several possible routes.

    The world is a colorful landscape of different languages, skin colors, and different cultures. It's important to have a good understanding of different cultures in order to become a well-rounded person{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One way is to read hooks written by authors from a particular culture. Reading works by authors who have a close relationship with a particular culture allows people to gain an authentic glimpse into the food, music, language, religion, and way of a life of a particular group of people.

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    Another way to learn about different cultures is to try to learn a foreign language. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}A person can choose a language she has always wanted to learn and locate learning programs to help her master the language. Besides, one can enroll in a foreign language class in order to learn in a more formal setting. One can also try to visit areas of the city to establish social connection with native speakers of the language.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Seek out restaurants that feature authentic food from a variety of countries. Food is an important part of different cultures and allows people to gain deep understanding into a particular cultural group's way of life.

    Communicating with people from other countries through email or snail mail is another useful way to become familiar with different cultures. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Various websites offer pen pal services, offering to connect individuals with pen friends around the world.

A. Stories based on a local culture expose one to a different culture.

B. Trying authentic food from a specific cultural group is also a great idea.

C. There are several ways to become knowledgeable about different cultures.

D. A variety of language-learning books, software, and audio programs is available,

E. The Internet has made it possible to communicate with others from different countries.

F. Making contact with native speakers of the language allows one to gain firsthand knowledge.

G. One way to develop this appreciation is to try to team about other cultures around the world.