What Teenagers Can Do to Earn More Respect?

    As teenagers continue to grow and develop into young adults, the transition (过渡) into adulthood has begun. With so many physical and emotional changes going on, certain manners are often forgotten and other adult traits are not yet accepted as a way of life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} By doing the following things, you will earn more respect.

Contribute to the household

    At the very least, clean up after yourself. As a teenager, you are old enough to clean up after yourself. When you make a mess, clean it up. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} All chore (杂活) that you do help to reduce the load of the person who did them before. Now that you're old enough and capable, why shouldn't you contribute to the household? {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Be responsible

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Whether they are basic things, like brushing your teeth or doing your homework, or more involved chores that contribute to the household, simply fulfill your responsibilities on time. When adults know that they can rely on you, their trust and respect for you will increase.

Solve more of your own problem without asking for help

    Instead of taking the easy approach and asking for help, make an effort to solve your problems on your own first. The “easy way” is only easy for you, but it is an extra task for the person from whom you are seeking help. Seek help only after you have made an honest effort to solve your own problems. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} When you become a good problem solver, you increase your value to the community.

A. Everyone has certain responsibilities.

B. By being aware of these manners and traits, you can manage them sooner.

C. When speaking to a group, speak loud enough.

D. The people doing the chores before will greatly appreciate the help.

E. Depending on the problem, 15 minutes of effort is usually a good guideline.

F. It will make your life more pleasant.

G. This includes, but is not limited to, your dishes and your room.

    I had an experience once which taught me something about the ways people made a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I officiated (主持) at two funerals for two elderly women.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}At the first home, the son of the deceased (已故) woman said, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It's my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son said, “If only I had not insisted her going to Florida, she would be alive today.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is my fault.”

    When things don't turn out as we would like them to, we tend to assume that had we done things differently, the story would have had a happier ending. Any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course, for example, keeping mother at home, would have turned out better.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    There seem to be two elements involved in our readiness to feel guilty. The first lies in our belief that the world makes sense—there is a reason for everything that happens.

    The second is the thought that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and calls the rest of the world to its tasks.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely abandon that childish thought that our wishes cause things to happen.

A. That long airplane ride was more than she could take.

B. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?

C. Life and dead is an unsolved mystery.

D. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.

E. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him.

F. Both died a natural death.

G. They believe that they are responsible for what has happened.

                           How to Make Friends

    Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with difficulties better. It is not very hard to make friends. Continue reading to find out how to make friends.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There are many ways to do this—talking about the weather (“At least it's not raining like last week!”), asking for help or saying words of praise (“I love your shoes.”).

    Introduce yourself at the end of the conversation. It can be as simple as saying “Oh, by the way, my name is ...” {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Remember his or her name!

    Join a sports team. As long as you enjoy the sport, you don't have to be really good at playing a sport in order to make friends with others.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you play the guitar or sing, try joining a band.

    Be a good listener.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Ask questions about their interests, and just take the time to learn more about them.

    Encourage your friend. A very good friend encourages their friend.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Never make fun or laugh at your friend in front of others. If someone is making fun of them, a good friend will come to save their friend.

A. Start a conversation.

B. Find out common interests.

C. But a sports team isn't the only way.

D. The key to being a good friend is the ability to keep secrets.

E. They will remain with them in both good as well as bad times.

F. Once you introduce yourself, the other person will do the same.

G. Listen carefully to what people say, and remember important information about them.

    Daily overuse of media and technology has a bad effect on the health of all children and teenagers by making them more open to anxiety, and more at risk of future health problems.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many newer apps automatically show where the users are when they're used. This can tell anyone out there exactly where to find the person using the app.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They are also upset about their kids spending time on Facebook accounts instead of getting down to their homework assignments, and are afraid of what can come out of their online connections.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} One way is to make a “social media agreement” with your kids—a real contract they can sign. In it, they can agree to protect their own privacy, consider their reputation, and not give out personal information.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    In turn, parents agree to respect teens' privacy while making an effort to be part of the social media world. Parents also can help kids spend less time on the computer by putting limits on media use.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Avoid laptops and smartphones in bedrooms, and set some rules on the use of technology. And don't forget that setting a good example through your own virtual behavior can go a long way toward helping your kids use social media safely.

A. Trust their children more.

B. Keep computers in public areas in the house.

C. It's important to be aware of what your kids are doing online.

D. Besides, they promise never to use technology to hurt anyone else.

E. Spending too much time on social media can make kids feel upset, too.

F. Kids also can face the possibility of meeting the wrong person lace to face.

G. Parents often say that kids would rather be online than hang around with them.

How to Live a Happy

    Happiness is what we need most with the increase of Pressure in modern life. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Fortunately, this is not the case, everyone has the ability to hang on to happiness with his own efforts. The following methods may lead you to long- lasting happiness

    Take exercise. Other than health benefits that are too numerous to mention, exercise makes you smarter, happier, improves sleep, and makes you feel better about your body. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Keeping in touch wilt nature can help you reduce stress, make you more creative, improve your memory and may even make you a better person

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Relationships are worth more than you think. Not feeling socially connected can make you stupider and kill you. Loneliness can lead to heart attack, stroke and diabetes. On the other hand, studies have shown that the longest-lived people on the planet all place a strong emphasis on social engagement.

    Challenge yourself. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Music lessons increase intelligence. Challenging your beliefs strengthens your mind. Increasing willpower just takes a little effort each day and it's more responsible for your success than IQ. Not getting an education or taking advantage of opportunities are two of the things people look back on their lives and regret the most.

    Laugh. Laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart rate and the rate of breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and the feet. It can even reduce the effect of pain on the body. Humor is a good way to cause laughter, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. Spend time with friends and family

B. Do something kind for the people you care about

C. However, sometimes it seems far away from us

D. Learning another language can keep your mind sharp

E. Life is always full of hope

F. It would be better if you take exercise in nature

G. Just thinking about funny moments or things can help a lot.

Home libraries can be a dynamic expression of the owner's personality. Creating a home library is a fun way to display your interests while establishing a special space for reading.

While there's no right or wrong way to design a library, the questions can be puzzling, especially to someone with hundreds or thousands of books. How do I organize?{#blank#}1{#/blank#} We'll discuss how to build a home library that works for you.

What room should I use for my home library?{#blank#}2{#/blank#} While reading in a room with big windows and lots of light is refreshing, storing books in natural light is harmful to them. Basements heavy with humidity (湿气) will cause mold (霉菌) and attract insects.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

When you started using the public library, you probably learned about Melvil Dewey and his system for ordering libraries. The Dewey Decimal Classification System has ten broad categories for organizing books, including philosophy, religion and the arts.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, when you want a book on modern art, you head to the 700th block. Larger libraries, such as those at universities, tend to use the Library of Congress Classification System, because it offers a more specific array of subjects for categorization, adding subjects such as medicine and law for a total of 21categories.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Your home library may or may not be as large as your local public library, but a good system of organization will still help you find the book you want quickly. You could take a page from Dewey and the Library of Congress and sort books by subject matter. Sections for subjects such as history, technology or fiction might make their retrieval (检索) easier. This system will also allow you to highlight a particular passion, such as an extensive collection of World War II history,

A. How do I get everything to fit?

B. Each category is assigned a number.

C. Almost everybody wants a home library.

D. A good system of organization is the key.

E. In addition, basements are likely to be flooded.

F. Almost any room will do with a few exceptions.

G. The size of a home library depends on how much space you can spare.