As we all know, friendship is of great importance in our daily life. A friend can give us help and share our difficulties and happiness. But how to make friends is still difficult to some of us. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    1). Be friendly to others. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} You should try to make a stranger feel at home wherever he happens to be. Think more of others than of yourself and never judge a person by his appearance and clothes.

    2). Be reliable. If you and your friend agree to meet somewhere, don't be late. If you're not going to make it on time or make it at all, call them as soon as you realize it. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Be someone that people know they can depend on.

    3). {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Listen carefully to what people say, remember important details about them （their names, their likes and dislikes）, ask questions about their interests, and just take the time to learn more about them.

4). Encourage your friends: A true friend always gives courage to his friends. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Never make fun of or laugh at your friends in front of others. You should come to support them.

The Value of Tears

    Tears can ruin make-up, bring conversation to a stop, and give you a runny nose．Tears leave you embarrassed and without energy．Still, crying is a fact of life, and your tears are very useful．Even when you're not crying, they make a film over the eye's surface{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    When tears fall, they reduce stress．But we tend to fight them for all! sorts of reasons． "People worry about showing their emotions , afraid that once they lose control they'll never get it back{#blank#}2{#/blank#}After we cry, the feelings that caused the tears often disappear．

    Sometimes people become much stressed and can't cry. Whatever emotion they are feeling—shock, anger, fear, or sadness—is being held back．

But everyone has the need to cry. Psychologist Vera Diamond explains that her treatment often consists of giving people permission to cry{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Patients practice crying just to become used to expressing emotions．She suggests safe, private places to cry, like under the bedcovers or in the car．Crying is a way of reducing tension, but people don't like it when others cry because it makes them tense{#blank#}4{#/blank#} And they'll do just about anything to make you stop．

    In certain situations, such as at work, tears are not appropriate．It's good not to cry during a tense business discussion{#blank#}5{#/blank#}You should also act out the whole situation again and be as noisy and angry as you like．It will help you feel better． "And," she adds, "Once your tears have taken away the stress, you can begin to think calmly of ways to deal with the problem．"

    Tears are a sign of our ability to feel．If you find yourself near someone crying, deal with it．And never be afraid to cry yourself．

A．She gives crying exercises．

B．They cry for different reasons．

C．They too may be holding back a need to cry．

D．The fact is that no emotion lasts forever．

E．It contains a chemical against infection.

F．But once you're safely behind closed doors, don't just cry．

G．It forms in response to the stress on the surface of the eye．

    Are you truly happy? Do you ever know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness?  {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The following are a few tips that I follow to create happiness in my life.

    Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. Your mood will very likely increase if you are going after something you value.

    Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded by people who think that way. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    When something goes wrong, try to figure out a solution instead of being absorbed in self-pity. Truly happy people don't allow setbacks to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they ran turn the circumstances back to their favor.

     {#blank#}3{#/blank#}These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continuous happiness.

     {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing hath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance, you will be subconsciously putting yourself in a better mood.

    Keeping healthy is another way to achieve happiness.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Every animal sleeps, but the reason for this has remained foggy. When lab rats are not allowed to sleep, they die within a month.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    One idea is that sleep helps us strengthen new memories. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We know that, while awake, fresh memories are recorded by reinforcing (加强) connections between brain cells, but the memory processes that take place while we sleep have been unclear.

    Support is growing for a theory that sleep evolved so that connections between neurons (神经元) in the brain can be weakened overnight, making room for fresh memories to form the next day.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Now we have the most direct evidence yet that he is right.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} The synapses in the mice taken at the end of a period of sleep were 18 per cent smaller than those taken before sleep, showing that the connections between neurons weaken while sleeping.

    If Tononi's theory is right, it would explain why, when we miss a night's, we find it harder the next day to concentrate and learn new information — our brains may have smaller room for new experiences.

    Their research also suggests how we may build lasting memories over time even though the synapses become thinner. The team discovered that some synapses seem to be protected and stayed the same size. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} "You keep what matters," Tononi says.

A. We should also try to sleep well the night before.

B. It's as if the brain is preserving its most important memories.

C. That's why students do better in tests if they get a chance to sleep after learning.

D. Similarly, when people go for a few days without sleeping, they get sick.

E. The processes take place to stop our brains becoming loaded with memories.

F. Tononi's team measured the size of these connections, or synapses, in the brains of 12 mice.

G. "Sleep is the price we pay for learning," says Giulio Tononi, who developed the idea.

Dealing with Difficult Relationships

    Everyone has at least one awkward or tense relationship. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It may be with somebody who will use up your energy whenever you are with them. Or worse, it could be someone who always cuts you down. By persuading you it's your obligation or duty, you forget about your own needs. Sadly, by remaining loyal to these people, you forget who you are. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} No matter who they are, it's necessary that you learn to set boundaries (界限) for yourself. It is you who allow them to take advantage of you or even belittle you.

    If you find a relationship unhealthy and it's time for you to set boundaries, the following advice may be helpful.

    Setting boundaries for difficult relationships starts by admitting how you are affected by the relationships. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, it's time to study for tomorrow's test. But your friend wants to take you to a party. Here, setting boundaries will help protect your academic goals. Someone who pressures you to something you're not comfortable doing will stress you out. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Next, decide how much time you should spend with these people. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But it's difficult to help others if you forget to protect your own priority (优先次序).

    Settling boundaries requires taking a long, honest look at yourself. By saying no to harmful patterns in relationships, you say “yes” to a healthier you.

A. Does this kind of relationship lower your self-respect?

B. These people may be your family members or even friends.

C. It's easy to spend too much time and energy offering them help.

D. People may try to keep you in an unhealthy relationship.

E. But a friend who considers how you feel will respect your willingness to try something new.

F. It's not easy to set boundaries because you may be afraid of losing them.

G. Do they bring you closer to your goals or pull you farther away?

    Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

    You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The following methods may work best for you.

    ●Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

    ●Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

    ●Write your notes in your own words.

    ●{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ●Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

    As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand (速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols (符号) and that you use them all the time. Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.