We can have conflicts with our important persons like friends, relatives, workmates, etc. But the conflict doesn't necessarily mean that the relationship will be destroyed. In fact, sometimes conflict helps people to let out their silent feelings, allowing them to free their suppressed emotions. However, when in a conflict, we usually get angry and say or do things which aren't linked to the problem at hand. Therefore, it is important that we should try to avoid conflicts through effective communication.

    In a heated argument, we usually say things that aren't related to the real problem, and even use rude words to make sure we gain an advantage over the other persons. Then the whole situation goes badly. So we should not separate(隔离) the root cause of the problem and build our discussion around it. This ensures that there are no rude remarks and the situation moves in a positive direction.

    It's easy for us to think we're right and if something isn't working out, it surely must be someone else's fault. However, if you aim to solve a conflict, first of all, you should show some respect and allow the other persons to express themselves. Using remarks like, "I understand your concern on this "or "I know you're right at your end", would make the other persons feel more appreciated.

    Sometimes some people get too excited and may behave in the wrong way or say something others may not appreciate. This can cause a worse situation. Actually, they should control their emotions and keep calm. This has to be learned through self-control and observing behavior of other people.

    The tips mentioned above are useful for most situations. However, we don't rule out the possibility that there are some people who always want to create some sort of trouble for others. You can tell them from others, and putting in an effort to resolve a conflict with them may just not be a wise idea. The best way to deal with these people is to forget them. A famous saying can help you and that is: "You should never fight with a pig; you both get dirty and only the pig likes it."

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    A heartbroken dog whose owner died two months ago is missing her so much that he attends services every day at the Italian church where her funeral was held, patiently waiting for her to return.

    Tommy, a seven-year-old dog, belonged to Maria Lochi, 57, and had been her faithful partner after she adopted him when she found him in fields close to her home. Mrs. Lochi adopted several dogs she found but friends said she developed a close friendship with Tommy and would walk to church with him every day, where he would be allowed to sit patiently by her feet.

    Father Panna said, “He's there every time I celebrate Mass and is very well behaved. He doesn't make a sound, and I've not heard one bark from him in all the time he has been in. He used to come with Maria and he was obviously devoted to her. I let him stay inside as he was always so well behaved and none of the other people ever complained to me. He's still coming to Mass even after Maria's funeral, he just sat there quietly. I didn't have the heart to throw him out. I've just recently lost my own dog so I leave him there until Mass finishes and then I let him out.”

    Tommy's been adopted by everyone in the village now and he is everybody's friend. Everyone looks out for him and leaves food for him, although it would be nice to find a proper home for him.

    The story of Tommy is similar to the 2009 Hollywood film Hachi which told of how a faithful Akita dog waits patiently for his master after he also dies. It was based on the true story of a Japanese Akita called Hachi, whose owner died in 1925 but for the next nine years he waited patiently at the railway station for his owner from where they regularly caught a train.

    The British are known for their sense of humor. However, it is often difficult for foreigners to understand their jokes. The main point to remember is that the British often use understatement.

    Understatement means saying less than you think or feel. For example, if someone gets very wet in a shower of rain, he might say, “Its a little damp (潮湿的) outside.” Or, if someone is very impolite and shouts at another person, someone else might say, “She isn't exactly friendly.” Understatement is often used in unpleasant situation or to make another person look silly. Understatement plays an important part in British humor.

    Another key to understanding British humor is that the British like to make fun of themselves as well as others. They often laugh about the silly and unpleasant things that happen to our everyday life when someone accidently falls over in the street. They also like to make jokes about people from different classes of society. They like to make jokes about their accents, the way they dress and the way they behave. What's more, the British love to watch comedies (喜剧) about people who do not know how to behave in society. The comedies series Mr. Bean is a good example of this kind of humor.

    Mr. Bean is the character created by British actor Rowan Atkinson in 1990. Mr. Bean doesn't talk often, and instead he uses his body movement and facial expressions to make people laugh. Perhaps what makes Mr. Bean so funny is that he does things that adults in the real world cannot do. Mr. Bean is popular in many countries around the world because you do not have to speak English to understand the humor. Because of this, many people have become familiar with the British sense of humor.

    After finishing a meal at an American Chinese restaurant you probably expect to receive a handful of fortune cookies after you pay the bill. Fortune cookies are in Chinese restaurants throughout the United States. It's rather satisfying to crack open a cookie at the end of your meal and read your “lucky fortune” on the slip of paper inside.

    The exact origin of the fortune cookie is unknown. It is thought that the tasty snack was the first introduced into San Francisco in 1914, after an immigrant began distributing the cookie with “thank you” notes in them. These “thank you” notes were intended as symbols of appreciation for friends who stood with him through the economic hardship and discrimination of his early life in America.

    There is an alternate origin story. Los Angeles is regarded as the site of the fortune cookie's invention. In this version of the story, David Jung, a Chinese immigrant residing in L. A., is thought to have created the cookie in order to uplift the spirits of the poor and homeless. In 1918, Jung handed out the cookies for free to the poor outside his shop and each cookie contained a strip of paper with an inspirational sentence printed on it.

    Fortune cookies first began to gain popularity in mainstream American culture during WWII. Chinese restaurants would serve them in place of desserts, as desserts were not popular in traditional Chinese cuisine. Today fortune cookies are not tied to Chinese-American culture. In fact, the largest fortune cookie manufacturer is located in the United States and it produces 4.5 million fortune cookies a day —— an evidence to the modern-day popularity of the snack. However, an attempt to introduce the fortune cookie to China in 1992 was a failure, and the cookie was cited for being “too American.”

    So the next time you break open a fortune cookie and read a fortune about the many successes you should expect in your future, remember that the conclusion to your Chinese restaurant meal may not be as Chinese as you think.

    Whenever we're introduced to strangers, we make snap decisions about them according to our first impressions. Are they attractive or how much do they earn?

    For most Brits, simply asking someone how much they're worth' financially is considered very impolite. Thankfully, most people are kind enough to drop several hints (暗示)about their relative wealth or successful careers They always post on social media about flying to a meeting for work. They're always wearing clothes with labels big enough to silently scream about how rich they are and how well they're doing.

    It's a worrying trend, and I'm not immune to it. I've felt the warm happiness of knowing I earned more than somebody, and the baseless grey irritation of knowing that I earn less than another. I've checked into places while I know full well that anybody reading it will get jealous.

    It seems as though self-worth is increasingly being tied to the careers we choose and the money we earn. A study in 2013, for example found that nearly 17% of unemployed Americans were depressed compared to almost 6% of those who had a permanent job.

    We need to stop placing so much value on what a person earns. Don't get me wrong-being ambitious is not a fault, and achievements should always be celebrated. But when a person uses their success to judge you negatively it becomes a problem.

    If you want to know what you're really worth, here's a tip: It doesn't have anything to do with your bank account. It's about how many times you've been there for your friends. It's how many times you've been kind to a stranger It's every time you did something unselfish, or told your partner you loved him/her, or treated someone with respect no matter where they were in their own life.