Ask any kid, and you'll likely hear that time spent with friends is the coolest and most important part of the school day. Educators, as well, acknowledge that making friends is one of the most valuable things children do as they learn and grow. But many parents are perplexed by their children's social lives, wondering how to help their kids cope with the challenges, heartbreaks, and the joys of making friends, losing them, and making friends again.

    “Friendships help children gradually learn to be independent, contributing members of a community and it's just as important as their academic growth” notes Diane Levin, Ph.D., author of “Remote Control Childhood.” However, it's a slow process. There are many social skills to learn, which advance with age and experience, trial and error, and experiencing the satisfaction that comes from contributing to an ongoing friendship.”

    “Friendship starts as soon as children can crawl off their parents' laps over to another child,” adds Michael Thompson, Ph.D., co-author of her life with you to her life with her friends. but who their friends are, how they interact with them, and how popular they are, is something parents have only limited control over.”

    Experts on children's behavior say that problems like jealousies, breakups, bullying and teasing account for a big part of what parents, kids and teachers talk about, and what parents worry about.

    Get insights into how children's friendships develop and how parents can help, if needed, and find ways to determine if your child is at risk for serious social problems or simply suffering from real (but common) social challenges.

Like many sensitive souls, I never truly felt like a child. I was the oldest child of three and one of my nicknames as a child was "Little Mother" because I got great joy from taking care of my younger siblings (兄弟姊妹). I truly believe that the adults around me thought that I was a child that didn't seem to need physical affection. There was generally a lot of verbal affection but very little hugging pulling me onto their lap, rubbing my back when I couldn't sleep and other forms of physical comfort. I used to have a strong desire for that touch so very much but did not have the confidence to say so. Even though I had truly wonderful parents, family and friends, I remember a distinct hunger for human touch from a very early age.

When my first child was born, I remember never wanting to put him down. Grandparents, friends and even strangers at the grocery store would warn me about "spoiling him by holding him too much," I would smile and nod but ignore this advice, as well-intentioned as it was. I held each of my three children as often as I could, enjoying the quickly-passing experiences of breastfeeding them, snuggling (依偎) their little heads into the crook of my neck and rocking them gently to sleep. There was joy in work of motherhood, the like of which I had never experienced before. There was joy even in the bleary-eyed (睡眼惺松的）nights, in the crying fits of late evening, in the ever-present bouts of illness that rocked this house as it spread person to person. The joy was in the togetherness, the love, the snuggles amidst the struggles of life that did not always have joy outside of these precious moments.

When I was in nursing school, an instructor once told me about the importance of non-contingent touch—touch that isn't secondary to something like an assessment or treatment. She reminded us that not everyone has love in their lives and that love is essential for healing and growth. The easiest way to show love is often with a simple hand on the shoulder, holding hands with a frightened client, sitting next to them on their bed while chatting with them so they can see that you are not hurried and are present in the moment.

    I believe that non-contingent touch is just as important, or maybe even more important, in parenting. We touch our children when helping them bathe, dress and many other ways during our busy days. However, we mustn't forget the importance of hugs, snuggles, pats on the backs, the rubbing of hair throughout the day. Touch is one of the most important languages of love.

    One of the most important surprises of parenthood for me was that the physical time spent with my children satiated not only their need for love but also my own hunger for human touch. In loving them, I was loved. In holding them, I was held. In raising them, I rose up.

    We have become a disconnected society. We often connect more with others via social media、e-mail and text than face-to-face. Our younger generation seems lost in the technological void and they often struggle with even the simplest of in-person communication. We must teach our children the powers of touch, kindness of words and connection with ourselves that cannot happen if we have a blue screen perpetually in front of our face.

    We are powerful beings, we humans. As parents we can provide power for our children with our words and with our touch. May we teach our children the significance of small kind gestures, simple human touch and connecting with humanity on a personal level. May we reach out to another person as often as we reach out for the smartphone in our pockets.

    Honey (蜂蜜) from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest (巢) and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper—a little bird called a honey guide.

    The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees' nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.

    Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.

    Scientists are studying different foods, and they will see which foods protect us from cancer(癌症), and which cause it. It is known that a healthy diet(饮食) will help keep a healthy body weight, which can also decrease the risk(风险) of many types of cancer.

    Fruit and vegetables

    Fruit and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. They can decrease the risk of some cancer types like mouth and throat cancer. They are a good source of many important nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and are an excellent source of fiber.

    Our advice

    Try to get plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet. Eating fruit and vegetables with a variety of colors will help you get many kinds of vitamins and minerals, as the chemicals that give these foods their colors are good for you.

    Meat

    Eating lots of red and processed meat can increase(增加) your risk of stomach cancer. Red meat includes all fresh and frozen beef, pork and lamb. Processed meat includes ham, bacon and sausage. White meat, such as chicken, is unlikely to increase your risk of cancer.

    Our advice

    Eat smaller and fewer parts of red and processed meat. Try using beans or peas instead of meat in your diet. When you cook meat, use low-temperature methods.

    Fat

    Fat is a necessary part of our diet but high-fat diet can increase our risk of cancer, heart disease and other diseases. Meat is higher in saturated fat(饱和脂肪) and eating too much saturated fat may increase your risk of breast cancer.

    Our advice

    Try not to eat too much fatty foods. In particular, try to cut down on saturated fat contained in fatty meat, biscuits, and butter. Try to avoid frying foods in lots of oil.

    I just counted how many foreign languages I've studied so far in my life and it's been twelve!

    I always follow my interests and find ways to put my language learning into things I'm already interested in. I like to read blogs(博客)in other languages.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. For the most part, bloggers tend to write the same way they speak, so I don't have to worry much about adopting strange terms that are only used in writing.

    Movies are also a really good tool, especially if you can find subtitles in the language you're learning.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}, they will still keep your brain listening and reading in the same language. Music is another way to start listening to things in your new language. Personally, I'm so bad at understanding lyrics(歌词)even in English, so this one doesn't really work for me, but I have friends who learn a language through lyrics. Games are of course also an excellent way of studying a new language. A lot of language learning computer programs include games. I'm super competitive and if I play any of them, I can be hooked for hours.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    When the initial excitement of learning a new language begins to fade, it can be hard to stick with it. The hardest bit for me is when I'm comfortable enough with a language to understand most things and make myself understood. I'm actually stuck at this stage in Norwegian.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Ideally I should sign up to take a big language exam. Each time I start getting self-satisfied, it's time to take a new course or sign up for online lessons, or take up some sort of challenge that will require me to level up my skills.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. The best language class I've ever taken was my beginner's Russian course at university where my professor never used any English. It got to the point where I would kind of just forget about English while in Russian class, which helped me to really immerse myself in the Russian language and do a whole lot with the limited Russian I had.

A. That's really uncomfortable

B. Whatever languages they're translated into

C.I also try to think in the language I'm learning

D. It's time well spent if I'm learning the language

E. Computer games always make me feel worn out

F. Though they don't always exactly match what's being said

G.I found them the perfect learning tool because they're usually written in oral language

    Some people think working overtime means you're a hard worker. You have to sacrifice your personal time to stay at work, produce something, help the company, and be a more devoted employee. But is that right? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. This means it takes you longer to produce something than someone else.

    A good manager knows how to encourage his employees to work to their full potential instead of expecting them to work late even if they don't have something to do. People who stay in their office until late hate their jobs. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Overworking may negatively influence the level of productivity and efficiency(效率). Any company that makes their employees work those hours is not being managed well. The fault lies with management, who should take a good look at themselves. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. And the boss would prefer you work efficiently 7 hours and then go back home than 8 hours with poor efficiency.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. The fact is the competition is so fierce that if you don't work hard someone will easily and willingly replace you, especially in the IT industry. Employees are told they need to work longer hours or they don't belong or are denied promotions. It is time to abandon the culture of overworking, to work smarter, more efficiently and have a balance with personal life.

    Nowadays, it's hard for a young person to build a good future, for pressures are on his (or her) shoulders: housing, children, parents, themselves, etc. But everyone must keep working hard to have ourselves on the way to the good future, which is not certain. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. No one wants to work overtime.

B. The boss thinks highly of overworking.

C. Working too many hours only means you are inefficient.

D. And it affects their performance, as well as other aspects of their life.

E. What's sure is that if you're lazy and don't work hard, no good future will come.

F. Managers believe that overworking is an evidence of devotion from their employees' side.

G. In many countries, overworking would be criticized because it reflects poor work efficiency.