Making Peace with Your Parents

    As a teen, you are going through big changes physically and mentally. Your interests are expanding（增加；扩大） {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Here is the challenge: Kids need to explore the world in new ways, and parents need to protect them from the dangers that are all out in that world. These conflicts（冲突）can easily set off fireworks in otherwise calm house. Sometimes conflicts can't be avoided. But by paying attention to the building blocks of successful relationships, you can work towards making home a happy and healthy place for you and your parents.

For instance, try to find a time to talk when your parents are not angry, tired, distracted , or hungry. A good time to talk is when you are all relaxed. Timing is everything. If the conversation begins to turn into an argument, you'd better calmly and coolly ask to stop the conversation—for now. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Listen to what your parents are saying, and repeat it back to them. This shows them that you're listening. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Respect is the building block of good communication. People who respect each other and care about each other's feelings can disagree without getting things ugly.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}How do you build trust? Trust comes by actually doing what you say you're going to do. Some teens find that doing fun activities with their parents can improve their relationships. Sometimes we forget that parents are more than rule-makers—they're interesting people who like to watch movies and go shopping—just like their teenagers!

    What do you do if you are trying your best, but your relationship with your parents continues to be rocky（难以维持的；不稳定的）? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}You can find supportive adults, such as a teacher or a coach, who can lead an ear.

    Remember you can only change your own behavior. Your parents are the only ones who can change theirs.

A. It also gives them a chance to clear things up if you're not on the same page.

B. You can pick it up again when everyone's more relaxed.

C. And then you will be able to accept what your parents say.

D. Faced with the challenge, children don't know what to do.

E. You are more likely to get along with your parents and have more independence if your parents believe in you.

F. And your desire to take control of your own life is growing.

G. You may consider seeking outside help.

    Eyesight（视力) plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment, the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight, but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight：

    Schedule（安排）yearly exams(检查). {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Experts advise parents to bring babies 6 to 12 months of age to the doctor for a careful check. The good news is that millions of children now can have yearly eye exams and following treatment, including eyeglasses.

    Protect against UV rays (紫外线). Long-term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it's extremely important to wear sunglasses. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Give your eyes a break. Two-thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Experts recommend that people practice the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins (维生素) C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.

    Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses (隐形眼镜). Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical guidance for wearing contact lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Otherwise, you may have problems such as red eyes, pain in the eyes, or a more serious condition.

A．Eat your greens.

B．Eye care should begin early in life.

C．They can properly protect your eyes.

D．Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins.

E．Parents usually don't care about their own eyesight.

F．Always follow the doctor's advice for appropriate（适当的）wear.

G．This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness.

    Listening to others requires entering actively and imaginatively into the situation and trying to understand a frame of reference different from your own, and yet so many of us don't listen properly as we should. Listening means more than just sitting silently while someone else talks{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Here are some ways to become a better listener.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Make sure you actually hear fully what your friend is saying, and you can't cut your friend off verbally carelessly. While you might intend to help move the conversation along, your friend might feel as if what he has said need to be continually talked over or sound anything but interesting.

    Nod to encourage the conversation along. A better option to let your friend know you're interested in what he says is just to nod along from time to time. Sometimes you nod along but then start thinking about something unrelated to what he could say{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Turn out background noise. If you're easily distracted by laughter, glasses clinking, children crying, you might need to work extra hard to focus only on your friend{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Don't hesitate to tell them that the background noises are getting in the way. If you can't focus, try moving to another area.

    Don't text or look at your phone!{#blank#}5{#/blank#} For you see, when you're sitting in front of someone, he is the most important person in your world at that moment.

A. Stop the speaker whenever you have a question.

B. Practice silence when someone else is talking.

C. If necessary, ask your friend to repeat himself.

D. Whoever is calling or texting can wait until you're done with your conversation.

E. It means trying to see the problem the way the speaker sees it.

F. In this case, try to push away your thoughts until you're absorbed in what your friend is saying.

G. Remembering ideas from previous conversations proves that your attention is kept and encourages your friend to continue.

                                                               Things You Should Quit Doing to be Successful

    Would you like to be successful? But what are you willing to do in order to reach your goal?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you want it bad enough, you will get it. When you are productive, you efficiently finish various tasks and achieve better results. However, there are many bad habits that successful people will try to avoid to reach their desired success.

    They don't do without first learning. The greatest thing about learning is the benefit that we receive in all aspects of our lives. If we stop learning, then the only thing we can do is settle with what we already know; if we settle for that, then there is no way to expand our minds.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Since our minds require learning for expansion, we must never stop seeking new knowledge.

    They don't work in their comfort zone. What is your comfort zone? Your comfort zone is defined as “A psychological state in which a person feels familiar, at ease, in control, and experiences low anxiety.” When you get outside of your comfort zone, it doesn't mean that you should strive for a constant state of anxiety and stress.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Social networks are great for staying in touch with family and friends. However, when chatting, posting, sharing, and looking at various funny photos, we waste hours just scrolling through pages. Usually, before we fall asleep, we decide to check if there is something new in the news feed and end up falling asleep very late at night. You then feel tired in the morning and incapable of doing anything that demands focus and hard work.

    They don't hang around negative people. Negative people are very harmful to be around when it comes to achieving success.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} When you are around negative people enough, you start to see things negatively and you begin to lose sight of your dream. If that happens, life will reward you with negative outcomes to deal with.

A. They don't fear asking for advice.

B. Expansion is essential on the path to success!

C. They don't spend a lot of time on social networks.

D. Success is not something that happens by accident.

E. Getting lost in small things causes us to miss out on the overall views.

F. Success is more about a person's way of thinking than anything else.

G. It simply means that, in order to grow, you should try new things and expand your horizons.

                                                                                    How Can I Fight Laziness?

    Lazy people will never gain anything in life. However, laziness can be defeated once a few changes have been made in your mind.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Many people lack sleep constantly, since they stay up too late and get up too early to prepare for work. These people have little motivation once they arrive home. Laziness works hand in hand with a lack of motivation and a tendency to put off things. By adjusting your sleep schedule to provide a few more hours of meaningful rest, you can fight laziness throughout the day.

    Another way to fight laziness is to change your mind from passive to active. Some people treat their lives as if they were pushed from task to task. Others take a more positive approach, viewing each task as a challenge they must overcome alone.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Some people fight laziness by removing the temptations(诱惑) that surround them. A television in the living room may provide entertainment, but watching too much TV often contributes to laziness.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Complete a few tasks and reward yourself with a good dinner.

    Laziness can also be a lasting problem at home. Couples and children may all have different energy levels, but laziness can be spread if not dealt with immediately.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Be the first to collect and wash dishes after a meal. Others in the home may eventually follow your example and perform their own task. It is difficult to practice laziness when you are surrounded by motivated people.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Enough exercise and a balanced diet can help you to develop a healthy lifestyle, thus enabling you to have more energy and help lift your spirits.

A. To fight family laziness, set an example.

B. Knowing how to fight laziness is important.

C. One way to fight laziness is to get enough sleep.

D. Finally, taking exercise regularly can help you fight laziness.

E. With strong determination, you will be able to achieve your goal.

F. Laziness appears when you no longer feel in charge of your own mind.

G. Create a reward system for yourself, just as parents do for a child.

    If you're looking for ways to increase your income, you might be considering accepting ads for some companies' products on your website. Here are the ways:

    Promote an affiliated (附属) product on your site. Joining a company's affiliated program is one of the simplest ways to start Internet advertising. While affiliated links aren't technically ads, they allow you to make money by promoting someone else's product. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Use targeted advertising with Google AdSense. Google's AdSense program allows you to make money by placing targeted text ads made by Google on your pages. The ads appear in the bottom of a web page with the words "Ads by Google" over the top. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Anyone, even students, can use it. Google does all the work of finding relevant ads for your site, and you just collect the payments.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If your site is already getting lots of trade, try looking for sites that offer more products. Be sure to contact potential Internet advertising partners in a profession manner. Call them on the phone instead of just e-mailing them so your communication is more personal and professional. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The more information you can give them, the more likely they will be to consider your offer.

    Sign up for a blog-specific ad program. If you have a blog, consider signing up to feature blog-specific ads on your site. The key is to consider the kinds of ads your target audience will find valuable. Get advertisers interested in your blog with a link they can use to contact you for rates and requirements. This link can be a simple message saying "Click here to find out how to advertise on this blog!" {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It's easy and free to join.

B. Approach companies directly.

C. Sign up for a context-based ad program.

D. Be ready to supply them with information about your business.

E. Making money from your site isn't a matter of putting up a few ads.

F. Through it, you can earn payments when someone makes a purchase.

G. In that way, anyone is free to discuss advertising opportunities with you.