In today's busy and competitive world, we all lead incredibly stressful lives. When stress becomes overwhelming, it can affect our mood and productivity. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The good news is that it is manageable and can be reduced, or even relieved completely.

    Enter the world of books. Feeling stressed out? Pick up your favorite book and leave the reality and worries behind. It is the most effective way to relax and overcome stress. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Getting lost in a book before bedtime can calm your mind and prepare your body for a good night's sleep.

    Connect with people. Another way to successfully beat stress is meeting with friends. Friends and loved ones are important to any healthy lifestyle. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed and just can't seem to shake it off, call your best friend or a member of your family and talk to them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Walk it off. You can also effectively relieve yourself of stress by simply taking a walk around your neighborhood. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} There's a whole new world up there that you never seem to notice while rushing to work or talking to someone. Take a moment to admire a new building or a balcony somewhere high up that reminds you of a castle from your favorite movie. Enjoy your time alone and seize every moment of it.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Nothing brings you back on track like a good laughter. It is the most powerful antidote(良方) to stress and it brings joy into your life. Laughing brings people together and drives away all stress-related problems as if they never existed. It is absolutely the best medicine there is, and it will keep you both physically and emotionally healthy.

    Do you know that over ten million American kids go to camp every summer ?{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Back then, hot city summers made people feel bad and even unhealthy for children, so escaping to the country for a few weeks became popular. Today, kids have different reasons for making camp a part of their lives.

To meet new people

    Camp is a great way to make new friends and learn about different places and cultures. Michiko, 13, put it like this, “I loved camp. I met this girl named Manny who lives in New York and she is cool.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}We taught each other words.”

    To challenge (挑战) yourself

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Activities like trying new sports, learning new games, or pushing yourself to achieve something need a lot of courage. Arabella, 13, told us, “I went to summer camp and I passed my swimming test! I can hardly swim, so it was a big progress.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}”

    To experience nature

    There's a great big natural world out there, and going to camp helps you learn how beautiful and important it really is.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Getting out into the woods or mountains can give you a better understanding of the world.

A. Not all the things that kids do at camp are easy.

B. She speaks Spanish and I speak Japanese.

C. I felt great afterwards.

D. It's also a great way to learn about teamwork.

E. Summer camp has been a U.S. tradition for over 150 years.

F. Going to camp is all about having a good time.

G. Without trees, soil, water, and wildlife, the Earth couldn't survive.

    These days when someone says a computer has a bug (小虫子) in it, usually they mean that there's a problem with one of its programs. Maybe your computer crashed when you were in the middle of a game.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    But back in the early days of computers, a woman named Grace Hopper was part of a team that discovered the very first computer bug.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} She had been invited to help program a new computer, the job of which was to quickly deal with the math problems ships used to find their way.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Then it translated the patterns of holes into the math problems it was supposed to solve.

    One afternoon in 1947 Hopper and her team were running a program. But the computer wasn't giving them the right results.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} They finally ended up taking the computer apart, looking for problems. What did they find? It was a moth (飞蛾)! The moth was blocking some of the holes in the paper—{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Some people think Hopper was the first person to use the word “debug” to mean “get rid of the problems in a computer”.

    For each working person, the rarest resource is your daily time. You may feel like that you do not have enough hours in the day, only endless things to do. Of course, some of these things are not part of your job, such as other colleagues asking for your help or bosses making new demands.

    How can we reasonably refuse them?

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Just by doing the following three steps, you can usually make yourself and the other person comfortable while refusing them.

    Listen patiently to others' requests

    It's not simply hearing what the other person is saying. You have to stop what you're doing and carefully listen to what they say. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The point is to let the other person see that you are willing to help, and let them understand that you've already known their needs. In this way, even if you eventually refuse them, they'll understand that you are not available, instead of not willing to help.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    When we listen, we all hope that other people will come to a conclusion quickly. But when we speak, we instinctively（本能地）start from the beginning of the story. In fact, this way of speaking is not good for communication. So if you want to refuse somebody, just tell them No, and then explain the reasons why.

    Provide an alternative solution

    Maybe you really don't have the time to listen to the other person's request. In situations like this, don't just tell the other person that you don't have the time. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, you may say, “Sorry, I really don't have the time right now. Is it OK if we talk tomorrow morning?” In this way, although you refuse him, he still can feel your support.

    In conclusion, refusal is unavoidable, but you can choose the way to refuse. An inappropriate refusal may cause great harm to your working life.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Begin with conclusion when refusing.

B. Start from the beginning when refusing.

C. Even if your time is limited, it is best for you to do so.

D. Instead, you should give them a time when you would be available.

E. In addition, this willing-to-help attitude also shows leadership skills.

F. In fact, there has been a mature methodology (科学方法) for this matter since long ago.

G. An artistic refusal, on the other hand, may lead you to some unexpected benefits.

How to Build a Better Breakfast

    We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that may actually be true. A study found that breakfast eaters were more likely to lose weight than those who didn't eat a morning meal. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But it's not just when you eat; it's what you eat. These tips will help you really rise and shine:

    ⒈Eat even if you're not hungry.

    Although you might not feel like eating first thing in the morning, it's a good idea to get something into your system. Eating within 90 minutes of waking up will jump­start your metabolism（新陈代谢）and keep you from getting hungry later. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    ⒉Be boring.

    Changing what you eat is a good idea in theory, but if you are watching your weight, you might want to stick with the same old menu. People who allowed their breakfast calories to change have larger waists（腰围）and a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome（代谢综合征）than folks who keep their morning calorie intake constant, no matter how much they eat the rest of the day. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    ⒊Add peanuts or peanut butter.

    By eating peanuts or peanut butter, the carbohydrates(碳水化合物）are taken in more slowly and blood sugar does not rise as high. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So they are less likely to snack later.

    ⒋{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    There's an old saying that advises "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper." It's worth following. Those who eat a balanced 700­calorie breakfast over a 12­week period lower their blood sugar and blood pressure twice more than people who eat a 200­calorie meal. They also lose an average of 19.2 pounds and have lower levels of ghrelin, the "hunger hormone（激素）.

A. Go big.

B. Pile on the produce.

C. Other studies link skipping breakfast with a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes（糖尿病）.

D. So it's worth making the effort to hold it steady.

E. It could set you up for overeating throughout the day.

F. Just a banana will do the trick.

G. Plus women feel fuller for up to 12 hours after eating the peanut butter or peanuts.

    It's great fun with your favorite four-legged friend outdoors. But unfortunately for humans and pets alike, spending an abundance of time outdoors can have a troublesome downside: tick (扁虱) bites. "Tick season" actually takes up most of the year. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The following safety tips may help you protect your pet from harmful tick bites.

    Lessen Your Pets Exposure to Ticks

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Usually they are particularly fond of tall grasses and brush. If possible, clear your yard regularly to create a safer environment for your pet to play in. If you think that your pet may be exposed to ticks, speak to your vet to discuss safe, effective products that may be able to prevent the attachment of ticks.

    Check Your Pet for Signs of Ticks

    Check your pet for ticks daily, especially if he or she has been playing outside or in a wooded or grassy area.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Run your hands along your pets body, feeling for small bumps (肿块) and looking for dark spots. Ticks can be black, brown, and can range in size.

    Know How to Safely Remove a Tick from Your Pet

    Removing a tick from your pet can be a terrible task, but it's important to act quickly if you find evidence of a tick on it, as diseases can be spread from the creatures within a few short hours. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Among them using the tick remover is the most commonly used one.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    A single bite from a disease-carrying tick can spread disease to your unsuspecting pet. Symptoms of diseases include fever, loss of appetite and reduced energy. If your pet shows any of these signs, seek veterinary (兽医的) help as soon as possible.

A. Know the Symptoms

B. Ticks can live in all types of environments.

C. Wash away the ticks you've removed in the toilet

D. Areas to check include most parts of the body.

E. And summer months tend to see an increase in bites.

F. After removing a tick from your pet, always clean the wound.

G. There are varieties of removal methods that can be found online.