Nail-biting(咬指甲) is one of the most common annoying habits in children. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But you needn't worry too much and as soon as you realize what's causing nail-biting, you can help your child overcome and stop it. So, here's what you can do about it.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}In some cases, children won't even realize they are biting their nails, let alone know why they are doing it. So make sure you have a conversation with your child (if he/she is old enough) and make him/her realize he/she is doing it and try to figure out why it's happening.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} It's important to agree on the level of your involvement. If he/she wants help, create a secret reminder that will make him/her stop without embarrassing him/her.

    Give alternatives (替代物).{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Depending on the age of the child, there are several things that you can offer such as a small ball, Play-Doh games, or any kind of other small toys.

    Use bitter solutions(溶液). Forcing a child to keep this solution on his/her fingers may feel like a punishment.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Everything else will only lead to embarrassment and discouragement. Furthermore, some of these solutions contain pepper which burns if it enters a child's mouth or eyes. But if you have an adolescent child who wants to quit biting his/her nails, you may suggest and try out this solution.

A.It's also likely to continue as the child grows up.

B.Help the child become aware of the habit.

C.You should also consider asking for professional help.

D.Make an agreement on how you're going to stop it together.

E.The best thing children can do is communicate with their parents.

F.The child needs to go through the process painlessly and in agreement with you.

G.That will keep his/her hands occupied when he/she is likely to bite his/her nails.

    Do you love traveling? If the answer is yes, then have you ever thought about why? You may argue that traveling can help you enrich your knowledge, especially geographical and historical learning. It will provide more chances for you to enjoy food and try on clothes that you otherwise cannot possible have. A famous English author Francis Bacon (1561-1626) makes a point when he says that, “Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.”

    Evidence of leisure travel can be traced as far back as ancient Babylon. This year, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the 1 billionth tourist will cross an international boundary before the end of this month. That means that one in seven people on the planet traveled this year, something that would not have been possible a few decades ago. Around 20 years ago only the rich could travel.

    While the US and France remain the two largest destinations for world travel, experts say much of the explosive growth in tourism has been to countries like Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and the Ivory Coast, which weren't even on the world tourism map a decade ago. The top five destinations in the world, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, are Paris, London, New York, the Mediterranean, Turkey.

    Several factors have led to the boom in world travel. The prosperity (富裕) of people in Asia is one factor. People in Asian developing countries have lifted their incomes above middle-class levels in the past few years. And a lot of them have used their new wealth to travel. In addition, travel costs have been reduced thanks to the rapid development of transportation, and competition between airlines to give customers the best prices.

    Aside from the health benefits of laughter (which are numerous and significant), having a sense of humor about life's difficulties can provide a way to bond with others, look at things in a different way, normalize your experience, and keep things from appearing too overwhelming or scary. Properly developed, a good sense of humor can keep people and relationships strong.

    Studies show that having a smile on your face can make you feel better, and can lead you to actually feeling happier (rather than just looking happier). Even if the smile is fake, the benefits you will experience are real! Also, a fake smile leads readily to a genuine one. If you are able to put a smile on your face, the laughter will come more easily, and the stress will melt more easily.

    If your situation seems ridiculously frustrating, recognize what can develop into humor in just how ridiculously frustrating and annoying it is. In your imagination, take the situation to an extreme that becomes even more ridiculous until you find yourself amused. For example, when you're waiting in a long line at the store, you can imagine that hours pass, then days, visualizing yourself accepting visits from loved ones from your new home in this ultra-long line, holding your children's birthday parties in aisle seven so you can be there to enjoy them...you get the picture.

    Besides, find a friend with whom you can laugh also works! You can each share your frustrations, and laugh about them in the process. Even when your friend isn't there, you can feel less stressed by thinking about the retelling that will come later.

    You can have a “most annoying boss” game with your friends, or try to count how many times the same potentially frustrating event happens in a day.(“I was cut off in traffic 7 times today—I'm almost up to 10!”) This works well for predictable or repetitive annoying situations that you can't control; you can begin to value them in their own special way instead of letting them upset you.

    One of the factors that drive the popularity of shows like Modern Family or movies like the classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, is that they take somewhat universal situations that many people find frustrating and push them a little further, pointing out the silliness of it all.

What's more, you can try joining Funny Clubs.Years ago, when Oprah had a show rather than a network, she did a part on Laughter Yoga that interested me, and I researched a club on my own, finding it to be a terrific place to enjoy a good laugh. Whether you mean business or laugh at the silliness of it all, taking part in the exercises of laughter yoga with other humor-participants can be a very effective way to get back in the practice of getting some more laughter into your day.

    Moving into a new home in a new neighborhood is an exciting experience. Of course, you want to make sure that you become an accepted and valuable part of your new neighborhood. The easiest way to accomplish this is to make sure you conduct yourself as a good neighbor should.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Perhaps one of the most important things you can do as a good neighbor is to keep your property(房产) neat, clean, and in good repair. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}By choosing to keep the outside of the home in great shape, you will help to improve the look and feel of the area.

    Second, take the overall appearance of the neighborhood seriously. When going for a walk. Take along a small garbage bag. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}This small act will let your neighbors know that you care about the area.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If a neighbor is going to be out of town, offer to collect mail and newspapers. If a neighbor suffers an illness, offer to do the grocery shopping. Let them know you are there to help in any way this acceptable, while still respecting the privacy of your neighbor.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}By following the basic rules of respecting others, taking care of what belongs to you, and taking pride in the appearance of the neighborhood in general, you will quickly become a good neighbor that everyone appreciates.

    Music is very powerful. The kind of music you listen to says a lot about who you are. What music you choose to listen to today will help to determine what type of person you are tomorrow. Be careful about what type of music you choose to listen to. Music can either build you up or tear you down.

    Garbage in, garbage out

    In almost all categories of music, there are artists that deliver positive messages through their music and then there are artists that deliver destructive, hateful messages in their music. The kind of music you choose to listen to will help determine the level of success you achieve in life. Think negative thoughts and you will attract negative into your life. Think positive thoughts and you will see the positive in your life. Opportunities come to the optimists in life. When you entertain negativity in your life, opportunities are often lost or ignored.

    Use Positive Music to get what you want out of life

    Actively choose music with a positive message to listen to. Making this conscious choice will lead to positive experiences in your daily life. Music has a powerful effect on our beliefs and our actions. Being active in choosing the music we listen to will lead to a happier and fulfilling life. If you aren't happy with the current state of your life, a great place to start changing it for the better is to choose better music to listen to.

    Not convinced that you should listen to positive music?

    Consider that all action is preceded(先于) by a thought. It's impossible to take an action without having some thought about the action before you do it. Where do your thoughts come from? They come from what you are listening to, what you are seeing and who you are hanging out with. These influences over time, are responsible for our beliefs and ultimately our actions.

    How to make positive changes in your life

    Choosing music with a positive message is a great way to start making positive changes in your life. Don't you like where your life is headed? Changing the music you're listening to is an important first step towards creating a different, more positive life for yourself.

Observational Learning: To See Is to Know

    A group of psychologists, led by Albert Bandura, developed social learning theory, which emphasizes the fact that much learning occurs in a social context. This kind of learning, which results simply from observing and imitating the behavior of others, is called observational learning. Observational learning helps people acquire proper behavior in their families and cultures. By watching others, we learn how to greet people, eat, laugh and tell jokes. Do you still remember your first few days in senior grade one? By watching others, you learned how people talked to each other, what clothes were "fashionable," and how to interact with instructors.

    With modeling, you observe others' behaviors, and then none, some, or all of these behaviors may be learned and repeated, or modified. In one of Bandura's classic studies, children were divided into three groups: One group watched an adult beating up a Bobo doll, one group watched an adult ignoring the Bobo doll, and the third didn't see an adult at all. After being mildly frustrated by being placed in a room with toys, but not being allowed to play with some of them, all of the children were then placed in another room with a variety of toys, including a Bobo doll. Children in the first group tended to imitate what they had seen, mistreating the doll (and inventing new ways to abuse it).

    Researchers have discovered that several characteristics of models can make learning through observation more effective. Not surprisingly, the more you pay attention to the model, the more you learn. You are more likely to pay attention if the model is an expert, is good looking, has high status, or is socially powerful. Second, by watching others, we learn about what behaviors are appropriate for people like ourselves, so models who are seen as similar are more readily imitated. All students need to see successful, capable models who look and sound like them.

    Then, as teachers, how can you apply observational learning? Here are a few guidelines. Above all, model the behaviors and attitudes you desire your students to learn. For example, show enthusiasm for the subject you teach. Be willing to demonstrate both the mental and the physical tasks you expect the students to perform. Second, use peers, especially class leaders, as models. For example, in group work, pair students who do well with those who are having difficulties. Third, you may seek the help of class leaders in modeling behaviors. Examples include letting high­status students lead an activity when you need class cooperation or when students are likely to be reluctant at first.