Advice About Stress: Don't Let It Ruin Your Life!

    There are many reasons why people suffer from stress. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  We give you advice on how to find the cause or causes of your stress, and more importantly—how to deal with it.

    For some, dealing with stress is a relatively simple matter, providing you really want to. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If the latter is the case, then don't refuse forms of alternative medical advice and treatment.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}  It can help you to perform or even OUT perform in certain situations. Athletes use it to great advantage to help them through that barrier that will put them on top! It can also help you in everyday life. However, if it is part of life's routine, then something somewhere will suffer in body or mind—or both.

     One of the important factors in treating stress, is firstly admitting, accepting or even discovering that you are stressed. Only then can the causes of that stress be isolated. Harmful stress comes from a lot of causes. Our advice about stress is based upon medical facts, and of course common sense. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Getting the wrong advice can cause more harm than good.

    It can be beaten in most cases, and can nearly always be controlled, or even turned to your own advantage. Firstly determine if you are stressed or suffering any form of stress—take our stress test to find out. It may surprise you! Secondly, sort out what you can actually do to relieve the causes of your stress. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  Thirdly, work on a change of lifestyle or whatever needs to be done to fight the causes that you have identified.

A．Stress can also be good!

B．Getting the right advice is not always easy.

C．Stress is a totally normal function of the body.

D．Accidents are often prevented by the stress reactions.

E．Surprisingly, some suffer from stress but are not even aware that they are doing so!

F．For others, stress can be so severe that it might need medical attention.

G．Like all illnesses—and suffering from stress is an illness—prevention is always better than cure.

    It is not so easy to disagree with your parents. Here are a few quick tips on how to show your opinion in the right way.

     {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Don't let angry words fly out of your mouth if you don't really want to say them，or you will have a lot of work to do later.

     {#blank#}2{#/blank#}How would you feel if you were your mother or father？ Why do they do that？ Is it really bad？

    Try to stay calm. If you find yourself getting too angry, ask for some time to be alone.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Learn to listen. Maybe your parents aren't as persuasive as you think.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Pay attention to needs rather than problems. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Tell your parents that you want to discuss the problem with them rather than work against them.

A. Think before you speak.

B. Never listen to your parents.

C. Think about the problem from your parents' point of view.

D. It is quite common to disagree with one's parents.

E. Hear them out and then decide how to deal with the problem.

F. Be clear about what you need，rather than focus on why you disagree.

G. If you can, try to discuss the problem with your parents at another time.

    Every week for the past thirty years, I have hosted a Sunday dinner in my home. People, including total strangers, call or e-mail to book a spot. I hold the salon in my studio. The first fifty people who call may come-twice that many when the weather is nice and we can overflow into the garden.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Last week it was a philosophy student from Lisbon, and next week a dear friend from London will cook.

    People from all corners of the world come to break bread together，to meet to talk， and often to become friends. All ages, nationalities, races, and professions gather here, and since there is no organized seating, the opportunity for connecting couldn't be better. I love the randomness (随意).

    I have a good memory so each week I make a point to remember everyone's name on the guest list and where they're from so I can introduce them to one another. If I had my way, I would introduce everyone in the whole world to one another.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Many travelers go to see things like the Tower of London, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and so on. I travel to see friends， even-or especially-those I've never met.

    In the late 1980s, I edited a series of guidebooks to different countries.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Instead, each book contained about a thousand biographies of people who would be willing to welcome travelers in their cities. Hundreds of friendships evolved from these encounters, including including marriages and babies.

    The same can be said for my salon. At a recent dinner a six-year-old girl from Bosnia spent the entire evening glued to an eight-year-old boy from Estonia. Their parents were surprised, and pleased, by this immediate friendship.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Most of them speak English, at least as a second language. Recently a dinner featured a typical mix: a beautiful painter from Norway, a truck driver from Arizona, a newspaper editor from Sydney and students from all over.

    It is unnecessary to understand others; one must, at the very least, simply tolerate others.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}No one can ever really understand anyone else, but you can love them or at least accept them.

    I am a world citizen. All human history is mine. My roots cover the earth. We should know each other. Okay, now come and dine.

A. I believe in introducing people to people.

B. People are the most important thing in my life.

C. There were no sights to see, no shops or museums to visit.

D. Tolerance can lead to respect and, finally, to love.

E. After all, our lives are all connected.

F. Every Sunday a different friend prepares a feast.

G. There is always a collection of people throughout the world.

Forgiveness

    To forgive is a virtue, but no one has ever said it is easy. When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your hate. However, forgiveness is possible, and it can be surprisingly beneficial to your physical and mental health. People who forgive show less sadness, anger and stress and more hopefulness, according to a recent research.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Try the following steps:

    Calm yourself. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can take a couple of breaths and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love.

    Don't wait for an apology. Many times the person who hurt you does not intend to apologize. They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don't see things the same way. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean becoming friends again with the person who upset you.

    Take the control away from your offender (冒犯者). Rethinking about your hurt gives power to the person who caused you pain. Instead of focusing on your wounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you understand your offender, you may realize that he or she was acting out of unawareness, fear, and even love. You may want to write a letter to yourself from your offender's point of view.

    Don't forget to forgive yourself. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But it can rob you of your self­confidence if you don't do it.

The Art of Slow Reading

    If you are reading this article in print, chances are that you will only get through half of what I have written. And if you are reading this online, you may not even finish a fifth. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They suggest that many of us no longer have the concentration to read articles through to their conclusion.

    So are we getting stupider? Actually, our online habits are damaging the mental power we need to process and understand textual information. Round-the-clock news makes us read from one article to the next without necessarily engaging fully with any of the content. Our reading is frequently interrupted by the noise of the latest email and we are now absorbing short bursts of words on Twitter and Facebook more regularly than longer texts. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But we are gradually forgetting how to sit back, think carefully, and relate all the facts to each other.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} A desperate bunch of academics want us to take our time while reading, and re-reading. They ask us to switch off our computers every so often and rediscover both the joy of personal engagement with printed texts, and the ability to process them fully. What's to be done then? Most slow readers realize that total rejection of the web is extremely unrealistic. They feel that getaway from technology for a while is the answer. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Personally, I'm not sure whether I could ever go offline for long. Even while writing this article, I am switching constantly between sites, skimming too often, absorbing too little. Internet reading has become too rooted in my daily life for me to change. I read essays and articles not in hard copy but as PDFs. I suspect that many readers are in a similar position. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} You can download a computer application called Freedom, which allows you to read in peace by cutting off your Internet connection. Or if you want to avoid being disturbed by the Internet, you could always download offline reader Instapaper for your iPhone. If you're still reading my article, that is slow reading.

A. The Internet is probably part of the problem.

B. Now some campaigns are advocating slow reading.

C. These are the two findings from the recent research projects.

D. But if you just occasionally want to read more slowly, help is at hand.

E. Some of them have suggested turning their computers off for one day a week.

F. Slow reading can help connect a reader to neighborhood and become popular.

G. Because of the Internet, we have become very good at collecting information.

    My mother is a diligent and kind woman. She is very busy from morning till night. As a teacher, she works hard. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Both my brother and I love her dearly as she loves us.

    My mother has been teaching math at a middle school in my hometown. She goes to work early in the morning and does not return home until in the late afternoon. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} She treats them with patience and teaches them well. For her excellent quality and very good teaching results, she has been elected as a model teacher several times.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Every day, when she comes back home from work, she sets about doing housework, sweeping the living room and bedrooms or cleaning the furniture, and putting everything in good order. She seems to be busy all the time. As she has been very busy working every day, she looks older than her age. But she looks as cheerful and happy as ever. Mother never buys expensive dresses for herself, but she often buys some inexpensive but high quality clothes for us. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} She just eats a plain meal outside when she is too busy to cook herself. She lives a busy yet simple life, without any complaints.(抱怨)

    Often she says to us, "work while you work, and play while you play. That is the way to be happy. If you do not work, you will become lazy and be of no use to society". What a piece of good advice this is! {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This advice of hers will always serve as a guide to my behavior. My mother is great indeed, and I always feel proud of her.

A. She enjoys listening to classic music.

B. As a mother, she takes good care of us and gives us every comfort.

C. She loves her students and cares for them.

D. She never goes to expensive restaurants to enjoy meals.

E. My mother is hard-working and never wastes money.

F. I never forget it and always bear it in my mind.

G. Can you tell us something about your mother?