It is very common for you to find yourself in an unfamiliar situation. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Yes, everyone tells you to stand on your own two feet and take responsibility for your action, but if you haven't experienced a situation before, how can you know what to do?

    We usually try our best to do everything on our own and not to rely on others, but at certain times calling for help is the best way forward. You can picture the scene of the man-it is usually a man-driving blindly around an unfamiliar town looking for an address he doesn't know. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}And he could get to his appointment on time. It is obvious to everybody in such a case that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but rather the sensible thing to do.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, you are looking for a new job and need to write your resume（简历）. If your pride prevents you from getting help and you just do the writing yourself, it may well cost the opportunity you are seeking. Similarly, when you just started a new job, you often don't want to admit that you haven't got the knowledge to finish a particular task, so you keep going and eventually make things worse than they were. This may lead to a diminishing(贬低) of you in the eyes of the boss. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Now you can see that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but is the sensible and mature thing to do.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Making your life easier by asking for and using knowledgeable help is not a sign of weakness, but is actually quite a clever thing to do.

A: I need to lose some weight. My clothes don't fit anymore.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

B: Well, instead of watching TV all day, you could do more exercise.

A:{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

B: Like cycling, or you could work out at the gym.

A: I don't have time.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

B: OK, then you could change your diet.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

A: You mean no more hamburgers! Oh no!

B: OK.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}_

    How to Pick the Perfect Watermelon

    I love watermelon, but what I don't love about watermelon is picking them out. There is nothing worse than cutting into a watermelon and having it taste not sweet.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Evaluation: You need to evaluate your watermelon to make sure that the watermelon is symmetrical. Irregular shapes typically indicate the watermelon received inconsistent amounts of sunshine and water.

    Color and Appearance: The color of the surface is extremely important.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}If it's shiny, it's not ripe yet. Another important thing is to look for the field spot. This will be a yellow spot on the underside of a watermelon. It should be a creamy yellow color.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Don't take the watermelon if the field spot is white or non-existent.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For a sweeter and riper watermelon, there shouldn't be a visible stem (茎) on the surface. If there's a stem, it indicates that the watermelon doesn't fall off the vine on its own.

    Knock on it: Gently knock on the watermelon, and listen to the sound it makes. A ripe watermelon should have a full, deep, and hollow sound.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Make sure of the firmness of the melon when you knock on it. You want the surface to be hard and firm.

A. Look at the stem.

B. The darker the yellow, the sweeter the melon.

C. Watermelon can help you increase your brain power.

D. While an under ripe melon will make a more dull one.

E. The perfectly ripe watermelon should be dark green in color.

F. Here are some helpful tips on how to pick the perfect watermelon.

G. Watermelon is one of the most popular summer fruits that almost everyone loves.

    How parents can help children with reading skills

    Making sure that your children read well can help them perform better in school and increase their confidence in their ability to communicate well. The following ways can be very helpful.

    Have your children read to you.

    Have your children choose their favorite book and sit down to read with you each evening. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It doesn't matter whether that starts after dinner or around the time your children go to sleep.

    Stock (储备) your house with reading materials.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is reported that children who have different kinds of books and magazines to choose from at home actually score higher on standardized tests.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Researchers suggest having your children read signs on the road, menus, game directions, movie listings and other daily things. This will help your children try to understand the importance and applicability (适用性) of being able to read well.

    Pay attention to reading problems.

    See how well your children can sound out words, understand what they have read and use reading context (上下文) to understand the meaning of new words. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, you can take them to reading learning centers.

    Use other reading tools. 

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Take games as an example, try to use them as much as you can, since they can make children look forward to and enjoy the process of improving their reading ability.

A. Read wherever it is possible.

B. Take your children to a library.

C. Make reading an important part of each day.

D. Keep some reading materials available in your house.

E. Games, textbooks and books on tape are good choices.

F. If your children have difficulty reading, get them some help.

    Caregivers care for someone with an illness, injury or disability. Caregiving can be rewarding, but it can also be challenging.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Women especially are at risk for the harmful health effects of caregiver stress. These health problems may include stress and anxiety. There are ways to manage caregiver stress.

    The first thing to do is learn ways to better help your loved one.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}To find these classes, ask your doctor or call your local Area Agency on Aging.

    Take time out to meditate（冥想）or reflect. Spending 10 to 20 minutes twice a day to “clear your head” can work wonders when you're feeling overburdened. Some caregivers learn meditation techniques from classes or books on the subject, while others simply take time out to quietly reflect.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Exercising is another good way to help mind and body recover. It's one of the best-known techniques for reducing stress and keeping healthy. A quick walk several times each week gives you significant health benefits.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Your library may offer exercise DVDs. Invite a friend over to join you.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Nursing a garden, watching a favorite TV show, or reading an article that interests you. Your favorite hobby can help “center” you and remind you that you still have a life outside of caregiving. You must make some time－even for 10－to take care of yourself.

A. Stress from caregiving is common.

B. Try to do something you enjoy every day.

C. You'd better keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings.

D. Find caregiving resources in your community to help you.

E. Whichever way you choose, it's important that you focus on clearing your mind.

F. There are many good indoor choices, too, from walking in place to yoga or tai chi.

G. Some hospitals offer classes that can teach you how to care for someone with an injury or illness.

    Every animal sleeps, but the reason for this has remained foggy. When lab rats are not allowed to sleep, they die within a month. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One idea is that sleep helps us strengthen new memories. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We know that, while awake, fresh memories are recorded by reinforcing (加强) connections between brain cells, but the memory processes that take place while we sleep have been unclear.

    Support is growing for a theory that sleep evolved so that connections between neurons(神经元) in the brain can be weakened overnight, making room for fresh memories to form the next day. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Now we have the most direct evidence yet that he is right. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}The synapses in the mice taken at the end of a period of sleep were 18 per cent smaller than those taken before sleep, showing that the connections between neurons weaken while sleeping.

    If Tononi's theory is right, it would explain why, when we miss a night's, we find it harder the next day to concentrate and learn new information — our brains may have smaller room for new experiences.

    Their research also suggests how we may build lasting memories over time even though the synapses become thinner. The team discovered that some synapses seem to be protected and stayed the same size. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} "You keep what matters," Tononi says.

A. We should also try to sleep well the night before.

B. It's as if the brain is preserving its most important memories.

C. Similarly, when people go for a few days without sleeping, they get sick.

D. The processes take place to stop our brains becoming loaded with memories.

E. That's why students do better in tests if they get a chance to sleep after learning.

F. "Sleep is the price we pay for learning," says Giulio Tononi, who developed the idea.

G. Tononi's team measured the size of these connections, or synapses, in the brains of 12 mice.