Trampolining

    What's more fun than standing still? Jumping up and down on a springy piece of fabric (织物)! This activity is known as trampolining and it's sweeping the nation.

    The idea of trampolining is ancient. Eskimos have been throwing each other in the air for thousands of years. Firemen began using a life net to catch people jumping from buildings in 1887. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    A gymnast named George Nissan and his coach Larry Griswold made the first modern trampoline in 1936. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They named their equipment after the Spanish word trampolín, which means diving board. The men wanted to share their idea with the whole world. In 1942 they began making trampolines to sell to the public.

    Trampolines may be fun, but they can also be dangerous. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Clubs and gyms use large safety nets or other equipment to make it safer. Most trampoline injuries happen at home. Since trampolines are more affordable than ever, injuries are even more common.

    These injuries happen for many reasons. People may bounce too high and land out of the trampoline or onto the springs. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Perhaps the worst injuries happen when untrained people try to do flips (快速翻转). Landing on your neck or head can cause injuries or even kill you.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} There are many things that you can do to practice safe trampolining. Trampolines have been around for a while now. They have brought a lot of joy to many people. They can be a good source of exercise and activity. They can help people improve their balance and moves. But they can also be deadly. It is important to follow some professional guidance. Be sure that you are practicing safety while having a good time. Happy bouncing!

    Have you ever had the following experience? You have been given the task of organizing a conference, which includes a must-do list about a mile long. There is the conference site, the guest list, the materials, the technology and even the food and drink to think about and plan. If you are beginning to feel the stress, slow down and take a breath. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Write down your goals. You will need to clearly define what you hope to accomplish with this conference because this will shape the rest of your decisions.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

    Develop your budget.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Then break that budget into different parts such as conference site, materials and speakers' fees. Stick to your budget, and make sure your assistants are keeping their monetary limits as well.

     {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. When searching for locations, keep in mind the number of participants, the convenience of the location, parking and closeness to public transportation, airports and hotels. Your goal in finding a place to hold the conference should be making it as easy as possible for participants to attend.

    Seek help from the staff of the conference site. If you have chosen a site that is known for holding conferences, you can seek help from the staff there as organizing meeting is what they do every day.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. They should be able to answer any questions or concern and provide advice when needed.

    Of course, full preparations also include a walk-through. Go to the site and meet with the staff the day before to be certain that everything is in place and to take care of any small details.

  A. Decide on a schedule for the meeting

  B. Choose your conference site

  C. Read the following skills to figure out how to organize a conference

  D. Knowing what you want to achieve eases the stress of moving forward

  E. Make full use of this important resource

  F. You can do nothing without knowing how much money you have to spend

  G. Seek help from your colleagues to support every aspect of the meeting

    Eyesight 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 yearly exams.{#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 wear.

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

    What Is Emotional Eating?

    Emotional eating is when people use food as a way to deal with feelings instead of satisfying hunger{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Have you ever finished a whole bag of chips out of boredom or downed cookie after cookie while preparing for a big test? But when done a lot — especially without realizing it — emotional eating can affect weight, health, and overall well-being.

    Not many of us make the connection between eating and our feelings.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}One of the biggest myths about emotional eating is that it's caused by negative feelings. Yes, people often turn to food when they're stressed out, lonely, sad, anxious, or bored. But emotional eating can be linked to positive feelings too, like the romance of sharing dessert on Valentine's Day or the celebration of a holiday feast. Sometimes emotional eating is tied to major life events, like a death or a divorce{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Emotional eating patterns can be learned: A child who is given candy after a big achievement may grow up using candy as a reward for a job well done.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}It's not easy to “unlearn” patterns of emotional eating. But it is possible. And it starts with an awareness of what's going on.

    We're all emotional eaters to a degree. But for some people emotional eating can be a real problem, causing serious weight gain or other problems. The trouble with emotional eating is that once the pleasure of eating is gone, the feelings that cause it remain{#blank#}5{#/blank#}That's why it helps to know the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger.

Next time you reach for a snack, wait and think about which type of hunger is driving it.

A. Believe it or not, we've all been there.

B. If a crying boy gets some cookies, he may link cookies with comfort.

C. One study found that people who eat food like pizza become happy afterwards.

D. And you often may feel worse about eating the amount or type of food you like.

E. Understanding what drives emotional eating can help people take steps to change it.

F. Boys seem to prefer hot, homemade comfort meals, while girls go for chocolate and ice cream.

G. More often, though, it's the countless little daily stresses that cause someone to seek comfort in food.

    How parents can help children with reading skills

    Making sure that your children read well can help them perform better in school and increase their confidence in their ability to communicate well. The following ways can be very helpful.

    Have your children read to you.

    Have your children choose their favorite book and sit down to read with you each evening. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It doesn't matter whether that starts after dinner or around the time your children go to sleep.

    Stock (储备) your house with reading materials.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It is reported that children who have different kinds of books and magazines to choose from at home actually score higher on standardized tests.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Researchers suggest having your children read signs on the road, menus, game directions, movie listings and other daily things. This will help your children try to understand the importance and applicability (适用性) of being able to read well.

    Pay attention to reading problems.

    See how well your children can sound out words, understand what they have read and use reading context (上下文) to understand the meaning of new words. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, you can take them to reading learning centers.

    Use other reading tools. 

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Take games as an example, try to use them as much as you can, since they can make children look forward to and enjoy the process of improving their reading ability.

A. Read wherever it is possible.

B. Take your children to a library.

C. Make reading an important part of each day.

D. Keep some reading materials available in your house.

E. Games, textbooks and books on tape are good choices.

F. If your children have difficulty reading, get them some help.

Problems between parents and children are common. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Developing a better relationship with your parents involves knowing the causes of the problems and focusing on changing how you think and behave. There are some ways to help you develop a better relationship with your parents.

Act first. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you want to improve your relationship with your parents, you should start right away and act first.

Be appreciative. Consider everything that your parents have done for you. You may find yourself feeling grateful to your parents. Show your appreciation with your actions. Give them a nice gift, or if you live with your parents, do some extra housework without being asked. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Be open and honest. One way to improve your relationship with your parents is to be more willing to talk to your parents about things that you care about and your feelings and views about these things. Keep in regular contact, so your parents can get a better understanding of what upsets you and what makes you happy. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}And it's hard for them to discuss things that can attract your interest and develop the relationship between you and themselves.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They grow up in a different generation with different technologies and ways of thinking. Think about how these different histories may contribute to problems in your relationship. See if they can recall any problem in their relationships with their parents that is due to these generational differences. And try using this information when you talk about improving your relationship with them.

A. Accept that your parents are different.

B. Focus more on seeking your parents' agreement.

C. They will likely be happy with you for these actions.

D. There are a number of ways in which you can stay positive.

E. Don't wait for your parents to try to improve the relationship.

F. If you don't share your stories with your parents, they will not know you very well.

G. If you are looking to improve your relationship with your parents, you are not alone.