When it comes to benefits of volunteering, a lot of people think it's all about the warm feelings after helping someone. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For example, volunteering...

1）Teaches you new skills

    From helping make websites to teaching kids languages, to arranging events for charity, volunteering can really be almost anything.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} And through overcoming these you learn and start to master completely new skills.

2）Can be relevant work experience

    Something that seems to stop many is that experience often seems to be a prerequisite (必备条件) for some jobs.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} There's many a journalist that gets his or her start through volunteering for a college or university paper, and that's not at all the only profession this applies to.

3）Can be therapeutic (治疗的)

    One of my close friends has completely transformed since she started working for disabled kids.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It allows you to see the world and other people from a whole different point of view, which in turn can make you grateful for what you already have and see your own personal value.

4）Helps you expand your network

    One of the great things for volunteering is that you meet a wide variety of people.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Sometimes it's very convenient to have a broad network.

A. Volunteering helps you grow as a person.

B. As it turns out, that's far from the only benefit.

C. Volunteering can actually help you get the experience you need.

D. Volunteering helps you look outside yourself and your problems.

E. It's a way to prove that you've not just been sitting and doing nothing.

F. That means when you get involved in voluntary work, you will face many challenges.

G. You're getting to know people involved in many different walks in life that you wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.

    There is an old Spanish Proverb which states,"Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week".{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.I'd say,too many.Our dreams.should not,and cannot wait.We have to go for them now!Here's why.

1).{#blank#}2{#/blank#}．

    Nobody likes to talk about death,but the reality is—everybody is going to die at one point.None of us know the day,or the hour.Therefore,today is all we have.Don't go to your grave with unfulfilled dreams.Make the decision to go after every dream,big or small right now.

2). The world is waiting for your gift.

    I know this may be hard to believe, but the world is waiting for YOU!Yes, YOU!{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Sure, other people may be able to sing.But they'll never be able to sing, exactly like you. Sure other people can write,but they'll never be able to write from the same perspective in which you write.Thus,it is your responsibility to figure out exactly what your gift is,and use it to better your life and the lives of those around you.

3).{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    You can dream about writing the great American play that you want, but it's never going to happen unless you actually put pen to paper.You can dream about finding a cure for cancer,but it will never happen unless you actually go to school to become equipped with the necessary tools to find that cure.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}They require you to get your head out of the clouds, and actually do the work to make the happen.Get to it!

A.You can't let fear win.

B.Tomorrow is not promised.

C.In other words, dreams don't work unless you do.

D.How many times have we put off our dreams until tomorrow?

E.You were born into the world with a unique gift, which nobody on this earth can copy.

F.Everyone has a dream.

G.Unless you take the first step, your dreams will.never come true.

    It's reported that a male waiter recently poured boiling water over a female customer at a hot pot restaurant after the woman was caught complaining about the waiter's bad service online{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The female victim, surnamed Lin, reportedly got into an argument with the waiter, surnamed Zhu, when Zhu refused her repeated request for additional soup for her pot. Lin was rushed to hospital and was diagnosed with severe bums on up to 40% of her body.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Many netizens criticized the waiter for being too impulsive and ignoring the possible consequences, but some also accused Lin of being too picky. Meanwhile, some came up with a question worthy of discussion:{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Many tragedies are caused by arguments and if the victim can control his or her anger and try to reach a compromise, the tragedies could possibly be avoided. Sometimes so-called “cowardliness” can be a form of self-protection, especially when you are faced with strangers and you know little about their personalities.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When they calm down afterwards, they would regret their “ridiculous” behavior and have to pay the price for the consequences.

    In May, a male driver in the southwestern city of Chengdu was captured on film intercepting a woman's car and dragging her out of her seat, throwing her on the ground, before cruelly kicking her several times on the head, simply because the woman suddenly changed lanes in front of his car.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Forgive others' mistakes and avoid fueling others' anger. Accordingly, you may be less likely to suffer from unexpected troubles.

A. Will the situation be out of control because of your anger?

B. Intolerance has contributed to lots of violent incidents.

C. How to keep ourselves safe when we argue with others?

D. The waiter has been arrested for further investigation and trial.

E. This incident caused an outcry among netizens and opinion leaders.

F. But it is difficult to control our anger when we have conflict with others.

G. So next time you deal with conflict, it is mere advisable to control your temper and say “sorry” with a smile.

How northern Europeans beat the winter blues

    Ask a child from northern Europe to draw two pictures—one on a rainy day and a second in the sunshine—and this is what you will get: in the first, as raindrops fall from the top of the page, the man behind the window has an unhappy expression. When a yellow sun sends out some light from the corner, the man is smiling.

    Northern Europeans associate rain with sadness and sunshine with happiness. They think this is true because they are so aware of how their environment affects them{#blank#}1{#/blank#}In October 2008, a group of researchers examined the influence of different daily weather factors, including temperature,wind and sunlight, on 1,200 participants. The conclusion was that good or bad weather had little effect on people's feelings{#blank#}2{#/blank#} A person who is upset on dark or cold days suffers from a negative mood, and he will be likely to experience a sad winter. This is the basis of an illness called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD){#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    AniKalayjian, professor of psychology at Fordham University, advises that we should take steps to strengthen the brain's system against weather-driven mood changes. Research on SAD has been focused on the brain's response to darkness and light. When our eyes detect darkness, the brain gives off melatonin, which starts sleep cycles{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It takes over to help us wake up and feel better when we detect light.“We can encourage people to take charge of their feelings,” says Kalayjian.“We tell them to leave the computers and the indoor games and get out there in the sun{#blank#}5{#/blank#}”

    A day of rain can potentially destroy your plan and affect your mood. But as the Scottish comedian Billy Connolly once said:“There is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing.”

A. Another chemical called serotonin, however, can make people happy.

B. It affects about10% of the population of northern Europe each year.

C. That's when people can recharge their serotonin and get a better mood.

D. Yet that link has no scientific basis.

E. Most studies prove that a negative feeling is associated with bad weather.

F. They determined that people actually differ in their sensitivity to weather changes.

G. It is seriously doubted among the people who suffer from SAD.

    There are always a lot of pressures in life: appointments you are late for, health and financial worries and so on. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Under such pressure, your child came in: He'd lost his sneakers, and suddenly remembered that he needed a new notebook for school, or he was teasing his little sister.

    In your peaceful moments, you could probably have handled any parenting challenge much better from a state of calm. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. How could this kid be so irresponsible, inconsiderate, ungrateful or even mean? So you scolded your child angrily. The whole process only took a few seconds.

    If your young child does not seem afraid of your anger, it shows that your child has seen too much of it and has developed defenses against it. The more often you get angry, the more prepared for it your child will be. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. In the end, your child is more likely to be open to the influences of his peer group. That means you have some repair work to do.

    Sometimes your child gets angry too, so it's a double gift for you to find constructive ways to deal with your anger: Not only do you not hurt your child, but you also offer your child a role model. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. So the best way is not to yell out. Stop and calm yourself down. Take a deep breath. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. If you really need to scream, go into your car with the windows rolled up and scream where no one can hear, but don't use words.

A. The list is endless

B. Anger is scary enough

C. That deep breath is your pause button

D. How you handle your anger teaches your child a lot

E. There are some parents who never get angry at their children

F. And the less likely your child will want to behave to please you

G. But in the storm of your anger  you might feel it was your right as parents to be angry

Kids are begging parents for cell phones at younger and younger ages, leaving families with tough choices to make. It might take some time to teach kids how to use phones as tools, not toys. Here are a few ways to get the message across.

Tell them not to use phones at school. Phones can be a distraction (干扰) from learning when used in the classroom. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In fact, 43% of teens admit that they often or sometimes use their phones as a way to avoid face-to-face communication with others.

Encourage them to contact long-distance relatives. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They're also for keeping in touch with people who you may not get to talk to as often. If you have families who live in another city or state, ask your kids to strike up (发起谈话) a conversation.

Lead by example. Setting an example is not only about how you use your phone, but also about how much you use it. When you feel bored and expect to glance over social media, fight it by taking a short walk. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Advise them not to use phones at the dinner table. For many families, the only time they truly get together is breaking bread at the end of a long day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Asking your children to leave their phones far from the dinner table is a great way to solve the problem.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Sometimes, kids need a little push in order to make better choices about their phones. If they're struggling with healthy habits, put some real-world events on the calendar. Good options include going to an amusement park, working together on a craft project or signing your kids up for sports.

A. Plan other forms of entertainment.

B. Prepare a dinner together with your children.

C. Screen time before bed reduces sleep quality.

D. They can also prevent students from connecting with one another.

E. So it is wise of parents to stress the importance of parent-child time.

F. Also, instead of reading a headline, why not pull out a book to read?

G. Phones aren't just for texting the best friend who lives two blocks away.