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.

    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#}

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    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

Time for a Brainstorm

    A brainstorm is a session （会议）where a small group of people come together to solve a problem. People voice spontaneous ideas, sometimes just shouting, and a note-taker writes them all down.  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} By getting different ideas out there, ideas are said to bounce off each other and even can help solve the problem at hand. Brainstorming is often a group exercise but individuals can also conduct personal brainstorms.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}He defined it as using the brain to storm a creative problem and do so in commando (突击队）fashion，with each stormer attacking the same objective. According to him, it was easier to tone down a wild idea than think up a new one. He placed importance on the collection of as many ideas as possible and dismissed scientific thinking.

    Brainstorming has become one of the most popular ways to solve problems and hold discussion in schools and businesses. Many students brainstorm for a group assignment or even for a personal essay.  Sarah Grace, 24, is an Australian marketing analyst and uses brainstorming during all her creative duties.  She thinks brainstorming is the best way to work as a team. The sessions get everyone on the same page，everyone moving together and with a clear understanding about the foundations of an event or idea. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    However, a big problem with brainstorming is creating a mess that leads people further away from a solution. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If you don't have a strong moderator or leader of the brainstorm, can go really off track，and people just start discussing something totally different.    
     Brainstorming can sometimes confuse the human brain.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you brainstorm too much and your page is filled up with all the messy links, you can paint yourself into a bit of corner and get trapped with ideas.  You need to move past brainstorming as soon as you have something workable.

A. The ideas can be smart，strange or crazy.

B. It is caused by a lack of direction from a leader.

C. Brainstorming really helps her organize her thoughts.

D. Brainstorming really is the best way to build team spirit.

E. It can open too many doors and not suggest a clear direction.

F. They can be words, phrases, paragraphs and anything that can help answer the question.

G. Brainstorms were popularized in the 1940s by American advertising boss Alex Osborn.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}It is a new term in today's tourism industry. But in an age of growing environmental awareness, it is not too difficult for us to imagine and understand this new form of holiday.

    Ecotourism, which is considered as a kind of responsible tourism, is typically defined as travel to places where special and unusual plants, animals and cultural heritages are the main attractions. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Therefore, some natural and cultural spots also form a part of ecotourism.

    Ecotourism is developing at great speed. According to a recent report by the World Tourism Organization, ecotourism in recent years has enjoyed an annual growth of about 5% worldwide. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They included bird watching, hiking, diving, photography and taking part in various kinds of local cultural events.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}However, it looks like some smaller towns and country areas may well become the new destinations for people to visit tomorrow because they are rich in ecological, cultural and historical resource.

    Ecotourism has been gaining increasing recognition and popularity mainly for the relaxing, natural and vivid experience it offers to tourists. People are attracted to nature and long to be close to it. However, a conflict between nature and human beings is unavoidable.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. The definition of ecotourism is beyond words.

B. It takes ecology and culture into consideration.

C. You may not be very familiar with “ecotourism”.

D. More than 80 activities have been listed for ecotourism.

E. People can have great fun enjoying nature through ecotourism.

F. Big cities are still the major places that attract tourists in our society today.

G How to protect natural resources while taking advantage of them is of great importance.

How to Keep a Healthy and Strong Relationship

    Are you new to experiencing relationships? Well, let me give you advice on having a healthy and possibly long-term relationship.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Do not hide things from them and do not lie. Don't be afraid to say things that aren't very flattering about yourself. Getting them to trust you is the most important element in any relationship. If there's no trust, there's nothing there. So please be honest and they'll learn to open up to you.

    Make sure you give them respect. Now respect isn't just simply treating her or him nicely. There's a lot more about it. You have to learn to adjust to their liking. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Don't just think about yourself; think about what your partner needs as well.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Always be willing to help them and give them honesty and positivity at the same time. Make them feel you are someone they can really count on and build a future with. This is an important step in a relationship. Your partner has to be able to count on you when needed.

    Make sure you have a good sense of humor with them. Laughter is the key to happiness. Laugh a lot with them and joke with them. Laughter may seem silly, but it's the secret to a lot in life. It will keep the sparks alive. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Make sure the communication is good. This goes along with trust, but always communicate how you feel, even if it's something that upsets you. Instead of screaming, talk to them. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It's important to communicate with them. Don't keep it bottled up.

    To an outsider, any culture can seem confusing. And the UK's got a thing or two that raises a few eyebrows. However, understand the why and things might be less puzzling. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    In a world where 61％of nations drive on the right, Brits drive on the left. Why? Most people think it goes back to Medieval, maybe even Roman times. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} when you remember that right-handed people wear a sword on their left hip. Travelling on the left allowed you to keep your weapon arm toward your opponent, who would be on your right. This practice continued until the 18th century when a law was passed requiring all traffic crossing London Bridge to keep to the left.

    Visitors to the UK that have just washed their hands in an old-fashioned sink might be wondering why one tap is only for hot water, the other cold. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. So, why this oddity? It relates to a time when hot and cold water were kept separate to prevent pollution. Drinkable cold water came from a mains supply, but hot water came from attic tanks and was not considered suitable for consumption. So they were kept apart.

    Millions of people drink tea worldwide, but the odd Brits put milk in theirs. Why? This mysterious practice relates to the quality of china cup used in the 18th century when tea was first imposed. For the majority of Brits, the cups available couldn't stand the heat of the boiling water and would break, so milk was added first. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. And this practical tweak soon became a national habit.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. As you can see, these odd Brits have perfectly clear reasons for left-hand driving, two-tap sinks and tea with milk. Even if they still seem strange, at least now you're in the know.

A. This makes it difficult to improve

B. There is a method to the madness

C. This unusual behavior makes sense

D. You can know the origins of the practices

E. Either can make washing very uncomfortable

F. This cooled the cup enough to resist the boiling water

G. Here are the reasons for three of Britain's more puzzling practices