Tips for taking care of friendships

    Some people are meant to come and go from your lives quickly. Other friends may grow with you as your life changes. One way to keep friendships of any level strong is to take good care of them.

    Send handwritten notes

    Just find a note card, write something by hand, and then mail it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Since electronic communication is becoming popular these days, a handwritten note can really make an impression.

    Be active in contacting friends

    Many people call up friends only when they need something. The problem with this is it makes it look as if you don't really care about your friend. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Regularly check in with your friends so they know you are sincere.

    Call up friends

    Electronic communication is great, but there is nothing like hearing your friend's voice to give you a lift. Make a point to call up friends and check in with them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Just a few minutes every month can make a difference in your friendship.

    Give meaningful gifts

    Put some thought into the gifts you give a friend. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In fact, often the smallest but most thoughtful ones are the biggest hit.

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    People who argue from time to time actually have healthier friendships than those who never discuss their points of conflict（冲突）. Learn how to argue in a healthy way and work through the issues in your friendship.

A. Talk things out

B. Get together with friends

C. The phone calls don't have to be long

D. The presents don't have to be large or expensive

E. This will really stand out in your friend's mailbox

F. Discuss your issues with the goal of making your relationship healthier

G. Remember to call up friends or send an email to see how they are doing

    Generation Y is known as the generation that was born in the 1980s and 1990s, although experts do not agree on when this time started. The people who make up Generation Y are often the children of baby boomers（生育高峰中出生的人）.

    The millennium（千禧年）generation, as it is often called, has grown up with new technology and can use it in their jobs much better than the older generation can. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They like to communicate via text messaging, Facebook and other online technology. They have high expectations and seek new challenges. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Generation Y youths have a different attitude towards work, which is different from that of their parents or grandparents. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They do not live to work but they work to live.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They want jobs that are flexible, not always having work from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m.. They prefer working from their homes and taking a day or two off to spend with their family when the weather is fine.

    While baby boomers worked hard, grew up with a company and stayed there for the rest of their lives, Generation Y workers do not want to do the same thing during their whole life. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} That means if you don't like what you do then do something else.

A. They want to spend most of their time at home.

B. They expect to change jobs at least a few times.

C. The new generation can be described as energetic.

D. Besides, they often dare to raise questions when confused.

E. The Internet, cell phones, iPads are normal for this generation.

F. Young people expect a different type of workplace than their parents had.

G. They don't want to work as hard as their parents but spend their life in a meaningful way.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I say this a lot because it's important: you need to walk more. There are a few main reasons why I'm so fond of walking, also known as moving frequently at a slow pace.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Walking might not be as effective as other forms of exercise, but frequent walking will help anyone with two functioning legs that allow movement who would otherwise meld into the couch lose some body fat.

    It's good for your brain.

    Walking does much more than work the area underneath your neck. The farther an older person can walk in six minutes, the better he or she performs on memory and logic tests. Folks who perform poorly on the walking test tend to have reduced grey matter volume in certain sections of their brains.

    It reduces stress.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Go for a walk, preferably in a natural setting. For me, it's the beach of the Malibu hills. For others, it might be the woods or even a park.

    It prevents falls in the elderly.

    Walking on uneven, natural ground like hiking trails, improves balance and reduces falls in the elderly. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The earlier you start habitually walking, the better your ability to navigate the land without falling will be.

    It gives you a chance to think.

    When we walk, we think. And because walking is a low-difficulty effort, we can direct our executive functioning to more internal matters. We work through problems, come up with ideas, replay conversations, scheme, and discover solutions. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It modestly reduces body fat.

B. It lowers blood pressure, especially after meals.

C. Don't wait until you're already at risk of falling, though.

D. What do I do when I need to get away from a particularly stressful day?

E. Try to keep the walk as close to the meal as possible to aid in weight loss.

F. Even though some of you may be tired of me saying this, it needs saying.

G. Or maybe we just think about that funny dog we saw on the way to work the other day.

    Many people believe that there is some truth in the saying Laughter is the best medicine.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Laughter helps relieve pain, strengthen the immune system and reduce stress. Laughter stimulates(激发) hormones which make us feel happy. Laughter also increases the flow of blood throughout the body and has benefits which are similar to the ones you get by doing exercise.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Children exposed to funny films and cartoons before major medical procedures are able to cope better with pain and anxiety.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} These are professional clowns who are sent to hospitals and wards to entertain and distract sick children.

    Laughter therapy has become very popular in recent years and as a result, more and more laughter clubs are starting to open up in cities and towns all over the world. At a laughter session, a trained therapist instructs the group to perform a series of exercises which are designed to produce laughter. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}And it takes them some time to get rid of their inhibitions(心理抑制).They might even start off with fake laughter, but this doesn't matter because our bodies can't tell the difference, and the results are the same. Moreover, laughter is contagious(传染的).{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    So next time you feel ill, stressed out or depressed, try watching a funny film or try remembering an amusing incident in your life. You will soon feel better.

A. If one person starts giggling, it is unavoidable that everyone else will be drawn in.

B. Laughter helps you focus.

C. This finding has led to so-called clown doctors.

D. In fact, research done by scientists has shown that laughter has a lot of health benefits.

E. Laughter makes the world a better and more colorful place.

F. Some people may find the idea embarrassing at first.

G. Using laughter therapy in children's hospitals has proven to be invaluable.

    Studies have shown that drinking water on empty stomach can help increase metabolic (新陈代谢的)rate up by 30%.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You know what that means right? -- Quicker weight loss!{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, then you will be able to digest food faster and maintain a slim figure despite eating those extra calories. However, this doesn't guarantee you to bite down on all that junk food. Furthermore, you will need to add in around four litres of water into your daily routine for best results.

    Constipation(便秘)is one of the most painful conditions which also results in remains of poisonous substances inside the body. But did you know that one of the other benefits of drinking water is that it helps to clear out your bowels? The colon(结肠),which is in part responsible for bowel movements, require water to function properly.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Drinking water on empty stomach especially if it's hot, can improve the health of our nervous system. Early morning, the stomach is most receptive. At this moment, if you love coffee, which makes central nervous system excited, your nervous system will be affected from the get-go. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}, it can properly supply water to your nervous system, which will help it function properly.

    Again, if you are likely to suffer migraine attacks, then water can help fight it off.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} So just by increasing your water intake, you are basically preventing your chances from suffering another headache attack. This is especially so when you are drinking water on empty stomach, as your body didn't get any liquid when you were asleep.

A. If your metabolic rate is higher

B.H you just have a glass of warm water instead

C. When your skin is properly containing combined water inside

D. This means that the rate at which calories are burned increases by nearly one third

E. So just drink down a glass of water and sit on your toilet for a clean colon

F. Your doctor might have already told you that headaches happen due to lack of water

G. Besides, we all know that having a healthy appetite is good for overall health

    "The calm before the storm" is a very familiar expression. It is usually used to describe a peaceful period just before a very stressful situation or a tense argument. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They noted that before certain storms the seas would seem to become calm and the winds would drop.

    But why is it often so calm before a storm? {#blank#}2{#/blank#} According to US website HowStuffWorks, a calm period occurs because many storms, tornadoes and hurricanes draw in all the warm and damp air from the surrounding area. As this air rises into the storm clouds, it cools and acts as "fuel for the storm, like petrol in a car."

    Once the storm has taken all the energy it can from the air, it is pushed out from the top of the storm clouds and falls back down to ground level. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So once it covers an area, it causes a calm period before the storm.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} First count how many seconds there are between a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, roughly three seconds equal one kilometer. A good judgement is that if your count is below 30 seconds, you should seek shelter straight away.

    However, due to the complexity of storm system, calm doesn't always go first. So, your best bet is to keep yourself updated with weather reports for any predictions regarding a coming storm in your area. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Science has given us the answer.

B. There is no definite answer to the question.

C. Weather reports sometimes cannot be trusted.

D. British sailors coined the phrase in the late 1600s.

E. As the air declines, it becomes warm and dry, which is stable.

F. The Weather Network has a tip for working out how far away a storm is.

G. That's the most reliable way to predict the next display of nature's temper.