Trust has been considered as the basis of any relationship, including friendship. No relationship can last long with a lack of trust. Not many of your friends will have real faith in you as you would like to believe. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Sometimes, it takes years, even a complete lifetime, to trust someone. However, how do we know if our friends have faith in us?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} With whom will you share things that you don't want everyone to know? It would be with a close friend, whom you trust as much as you trust yourself.

    Whom do you look up to for advice when you need it the most? It has to be either your parents or your friends. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}____ This is a shining example of trust. You only seek advice from people you hold in high regard and find dependable. The friends who trust you will never forget to include you in the important decisions of their life.

    Arguments and heated discussions are a part of every relationship, and this is also true for friendship. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} While some people find it difficult to forgive and forget, your friends will never have problems moving on. It is because they trust you and believe that you will never cause any pain to them on purpose.

    There are times in life when you find yourself a lonely soldier. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your friends will never let you down and will strongly stand for you when you need encouragement. You can determine that they trust you and believe in your beliefs if they side with you when you need them the most.

A. People can be extraordinarily jealous sometimes.

B. You know they will never pass on a wrong suggestion.

C. In fact, winning trust is, by far, the most challenging aspect of relationships.

D. Two people can't have the same reactions to a situation and different opinions do exist.

E. No matter how close you are to your friends, you can't take that comfort level for granted.

F．If your friends share their secrets, there's a good possibility that they have much faith in you.

G. However, people fortunate to have been blessed with true friends are never alone in any battle.

    When high temperatures are around the country, some things also go up. Here are four things expected to rise along with our desire to stay indoors and best the heat.

    ①Sales of goods that keep you cool.

    Malls are high on the list of places where people often go for free air conditioning outside home in summer.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Goods related to keeping cool, like air conditioners, fans or sun care items, are very popular.

    ②{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Pests like stink bugs(椿象) grow fast during summer heat waves, and many agriculture experts are expecting a repeat of last year's incident that harmed fruit and crops, particularly on the East Coast.

    ③Energy bills

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}With all those air conditioners and fans working, it makes sense that energy bills will be higher than average.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} “Not only are people going to have extremely high energy bills for July, it will also put increased stress on power plants, and we're going to see more air pollution because of it,” says Angela Fritz.

    ④Violence

    Heat waves may cause violence, right?

    Not necessarily, says Richard Larrick, a researcher. He took a unique look at the relationship between violence and heat through baseball. Larrick and his research team examined 57,294 Major League Baseball games taking place between 1952 and 2017 and found that while heat may increase violence, there always has to be a motive. “{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Instead, heat affects a specific form of violence,” he said.

A. Air pollution

B. Pest population

C. Rising heat is the expected response in any summer

D. Heat does not directly lend to more violence in general

E. More and more people are worried about their expenses

F. As more energy is used, air-quality problems may occur

G. So it's not a surprise that some sales jump during heat waves.

    When the kids are out of school, parents are eager to use the holidays for some quality family time.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} While there's great concern among parents about the impact of screens on physical activity and face-to-face communications, parental use of screens is often overlooked. One recent report found that parents spend over nine hours per day with screen media. It's no wonder that families find it hard to have high-quality social interactions.

    Want our kids to put down the phones and tablets?{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's necessary that we unplug when we ask our kids to do the same. Some family activities we create can help us engage with our kids without the concern of screen time.

    Why not leave the devices at home and go for a tech-free nature walk? It will be an opportunity to make us more connected to the world beyond the screen. Focus on being in the moment and kids may enjoy collecting plant seeds or stones.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    A board game night is ideal for bringing family members together and being engaged. Moreover, playing games together fosters social interaction, cooperation, and the development of Social Emotional Learning (SEL).{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Some other family activities are wonderfully fun without the use of electronic devices. For example, take the kids swimming, or bring them to an indoor rock climbing gym. Bake a cake for a neighbor or plant a garden.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your kids will get lost in the activity, forgetting the devices.

    To be clear, technology has many benefits to parents and children. However, creating some tech-free time can help parents and kids feel more connected to each other.

A. We parents must model that behavior.

B. Even so, too much of a good thing can be bad for family time.

C. However, many of us find it hard to compete with electronics.

D. Parents may learn from their kids about science and nature as well.

E. Best of all, family members can enjoy being engaged in a shared experience.

F. The kids are more likely to have buy-in when they feel like they have a say.

G. All these activities require family members to focus their attention on the task at hand.

    For a bird, to fly hundreds or thousands of miles each spring and fall is a difficult and dangerous journey, one that not all birds can survive. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There is more than one single reason for different birds to migrate(迁徙), but it all comes down to survival.

    Birds are migrating for a meal.

    For all birds, one of the main driving forces behind migration is food. If all birds were to stay in the same places year-round, food there would become not enough. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But as the food supplies decrease in the fall, they return to the southern areas.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Over millions of years, birds have developed different migration patterns, times and destinations. This helps birds take advantage of a wide variety of suitable conditions to raise their young, which increases the survival chances of the young birds.

    Birds are migrating because of climate changes.

    Changes in climate can affect migration. Many birds leave the Arctic for example, when temperatures begin to fall. They need warmer habitats. Similarly, the hottest regions can be an unpleasant environment for raising young birds. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Birds are migrating because of predators.

    Habitats that have rich food sources also attract a greater number of predators who may kill birds. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Many birds even migrate to specialized habitats that are nearly inaccessible to predators, such as coastal cliffs or rocky offshore islands.

A．So why do birds migrate?

B．Birds are migrating for their young.

C．So how do young birds migrate?

D．Birds are migrating because of diseases.

E. It is beneficial to lay eggs further north in cooler areas.

F. Birds that migrate to different habitats can avoid being eaten by predators.

G. As food sources are rich in the north each spring, millions of birds migrate from south to those areas.

    I've been keeping an English blog for many years. These practical tips have helped me over the course of my blogging.

    ●Read quality books, blogs, journals, etc. which are written in English. Blogging is not always about writing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Reading also improves your English comprehension, grammar, spelling, vocabulary and writing.

    ●Practice helps, so continue writing. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Trying to make a perfect post (帖子) free from grammar and spelling mistakes is good but you're not making use of your time efficiently (有效地).

    ●{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Think about the main points you want to raise. I prepare an outline of my post and a list of the points I want to talk about. Doing this has helped me stay on track and focus on my main points. The outline and the list of points I want to write about serve as my guidelines when I'm writing.

    ●When writing, use simple words and sentences. Using simple sentences makes your job as a blogger easier. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Always remember this: The aim of your writing is to get your message across and the only way to become an effective writer is successfully conveying your message to your readers.

    ●Write your posts ahead of time. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} To free yourself from the pressure of making a post on daily basis, which might affect your writing, consider making your posts ahead of time.

Top 3 Self-Discipline Techniques

    Self-Discipline is the key to leading a healthier, happier and more successful life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} We have shared some self-discipline techniques below. Follow these self-discipline techniques to start living a better life.

    ⒈Start small

    The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, as the proverb goes. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Instead, stamina(耐力) is built up by doing a little more than the previous day's target.

    The same goes for discipline. Start by trying to carry out self-discipline techniques little by little every day for big results. Increase your goals over time.

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Staying self-disciplined requires motivation. It can be hard to stay motivated if you feel like you haven't made any progress so far. Tracking progress makes you aware of how much you've done and encourage you to keep going.

    ⒊Exercise your willpower

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Some days, sticking to the task is going to be difficult but by reminding yourself of the end in mind and how much the goal means to you, you will be able to ignore temporary temptations for long term gain.

    The above-mentioned self-discipline techniques have been proven to be extremely effective.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And it is the key to living a happy and fulfilling life.

A. Measure your goals.

B. Build a support system.

C. However, it is easier said than done.

D. Willpower and self-discipline go hand in hand.

E. Self-discipline is linked to effective time management.

F. Self-discipline is a feature found in many successful people.

G. You don't train for a marathon by running 10 Kilometers on the first day.