Traveling abroad during the vacation is the top choice of many Chinese people. But do we have good manners abroad?

    On Feb 25, a report said that a Chinese mother let her child pee (小便) in front of a shop in Tokyo. A journalist came to the mother. Instead of saying sorry, the woman said that her child had peed inside a plastic bag and had not made the floor dirty.

    This case has caused a big discussion about Chinese people' s traveling manners again.

    In recent years, improper behavior has become a real embarrassment for China as overseas tourism increases. With the improvement of living standards, more and more Chinese are traveling abroad. But there are still a number of Chinese lacking in (缺乏) a sense of public manners. For this situation, the Chinese government has suggested proper manners. The National Tourism Administration has made a list of tourists' worst behaviors, including littering, line-jumping, taking off shoes and socks in public, speaking loudly and smoking in non-smoking areas.

    We are going to improve the inner being of every Chinese citizen. “Traveling manners are a turning point.” said an official. And changes have begun to appear. Most people minded their behaviors during this Spring Festival holiday, according to the National Tourism Administration. They kept their voice down, waited in line and respected local rules.

    Humor plays an important role in relationships. In new relationships, humor can be an effective tool not just for attracting the other person but also for overcoming any awkwardness or embarrassment. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Sharing the pleasure of humor creates a sense of connection between two people. When you laugh with one another, you create a positive tie between you. This tie acts as a strong buffer(缓冲) against stress, disagreements, disappointments, and bad patches in a relationship. And laughter really is infectious. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}But don't worry if you're not naturally a lighthearted, humorous person—you can learn to access your playful side and develop your sense of fun.

    Like any tool, humor can be used in negative as well as positive ways. Humor can only help you overcome relationship problems when both partners can understand the joke. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If your partner or friend isn't likely to appreciate the joke, don't say or do it. Humor in relationships should be equally fun and enjoyable for both people.

    Don't use humor to cover up other emotions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}That's when it is used as a cover for avoiding, rather than coping with, painful emotions. You can be funny about the truth, but covering up the truth isn't funny. When you use humor and playfulness as a cover for other emotions, you create confusion and mistrust in your relationships.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The important thing is to find enjoyable activities that help you embrace your playful nature with other people. As humor and play become an inseparable part of your life, you'll begin to find daily opportunities for using your new-found skills to help build and maintain your relationships.

A. Humor can help you and your loved one.

B. There are times when humor is not healthy.

C. It's important to be sensitive to the other person.

D. It's never too late to develop your humorous side.

E. The more you joke, play, and laugh—the easier it becomes.

F. Just hearing someone laugh can make you smile and join in on the fun.

G. In longer-term relationships, humor can keep things exciting and fresh.

Fear of missing out

    It's Friday night. While many of your friends may celebrate by going to the movies or checking out a restaurant that's just opened, you've decided to spend this highly cherished night of the week by yourself. The night is yours to enjoy. If you think this sounds relaxing, you're not alone. At least for a little while until you start wondering if you've made the right choice. A doubt begins sinking in as you imagine the fun your friends are having in your absence. Suddenly, the quiet evening you planned for yourself begins to lose its initial appeal, and you find your excitement quickly turns to anxiety.

    Fear of missing out, or FOMO, is a common feeling. A recent study defined FOMO as “the uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you're missing out — your peers are doing or in possession of more or something better than you.

    Fear of missing out often develops as a result of deeper unhappiness. Research has found that those with low levels of general life satisfaction are more likely to experience FOMO. Further worsening the all- too-common feeling is the rise of social media use. Active users of social media have a higher probability of comparing their achievements with others'. Rather than finding happiness through their own experiences, they begin worrying that theirs aren't objectively better than anyone else's.

    The consequences of FOMO are significant and far-reaching. One study conducted with first-year university students found that fear of missing out was associated with fatigue(疲劳), stress, and sleep problems. Furthermore, in a 2018 study of 1,045 Americans aged 18-34, nearly 40% of participants admitted going into debt just to keep up with their friends' lifestyles, often through increased spending on food, travel, clothes, and electronics.

    So how can you overcome the fear? Begin with gratitude. By reflecting on what you already have, you're less likely to put valuable mental energy in worrying about what you don't. Another alternative?

    Embrace(欣然接受) JOMO, or the joy of missing out. JOMO allows you to shift your focus to what you really want at any given moment, without feeling concerned about what those around you may be doing. So, turn off your phones and tablets, and engage in something you enjoy while resisting the urge to upload and share it. While this may take practice and perseverance(坚持不懈), the results are well worth the effort.

    By embracing the joy of missing out, you make room for all the benefits that come from spending time with yourself and the inner wholeness you contain; you create space to keep up with the things you wish you had more time for — gardening, reading, resting, exercising, cooking, learning, or simply being; and you see yourself in new ways and unearth the talents, fears, joys and quirks that lie beneath the surface.

    Asthma(哮喘) is a long-lasting breathing disease that affects millions of Americans, many of whom are children. People who get asthma will suffer from lack of breath, difficulty in breathing or coughing--which are caused by the tightening of the muscles in airways. Untreated asthma can lead to poor lung function and death, but asthma can also be effectively controlled with proper treatments.

    Research is discovering genes that contribute to the development of asthma. This development has pointed researchers to the role of indoor and outdoor pollution as environmental factors that contribute to the increased occurrence of asthma.

    The Indoor Pollution

    Indoor pollution has increased with the developments in building materials and in heating and air conditioning systems. In addition to poisonous gases that come from paint, other materials like dust and perfumes used in household products such as washing powder are recycled continuously through the house, winter and summer.

Unlike the days before central heating or before whole-house air conditioning, these materials and chemicals cannot get out of modern homes. Most  often, they cause breathing  problems in the members of the family with the least-developed autoimmune(自身免疫的) systems. Proper venting (通风) and use of environmentally-friendly building materials and carpeting can help reduce the presence of these chemicals.

    The Outdoor pollution

    Researchers have also established outdoor pollution's role as a probable cause of asthma. Asthma has been proven to result from some fuel products. Smog and the small matters carried by it have been recognized as a factor which leads to asthma since the 19th century when London saw more and more diseases in the industrial population. Industrial pollutants and other chemicals which are produced in water treatment and open treated water like that found in the swimming pools also contribute to increased cases of asthma as well as other illnesses.

    Those most affected by the increase of industrial and environmental pollution are children. Although much has been done to control the levels of pollution in the US, there still remains much to do as it is a worldwide phenomenon. Until an international effort can be made to limit carbon emissions, the occurrence of environmental asthma will probably continue to increase.

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。

    New discoveries suggest that trade between Europe and Asia along the Silk Road probably began many centuries earlier than once thought. The findings add a fascinating new page to the epic(史诗）of the Silk Road, which spread far and wide in no time.

    The latest and most surprising discovery is pieces of silk found in the hair of an Egyptian mummy from about 1,000 BC, long before regular traffic on the Silk Road and at least one thousand years before silk was previously thought to be used in Egypt. Other research may extend human activity along this route back even further, perhaps a million years to the moving of human ancestors into eastern Asia

    The official origin of East-West trade along the road is usually placed in the late 2nd century BC when an agent of the Chinese Emperor Wudi returned from a dangerous secret mission across the desert into the remote high country of Central Asia. The agent, Zhang Qian, traveled as far as Afghanistan and brought back knowledge of even more distant lands such as Persia, Syria and a place known as Lijien, perhaps Rome. Historians(历史学家）have called this one of the most important journeys in ancient times. His journey opened the way for what have been thought to be the first indirect contacts between the ancient world's two superpowers, China and Rome. Chinese silk, first traded to Central Asia for war horses, was soon finding its way to the markets of Rome through a network of businessmen.

    But the new discoveries show that Chinese silk apparently existed in the West long before the Han emperor started organized trade over the Silk Road. The research could change thinking about the early history of world trade and provide insights into the mystery(谜) of just how and when Europe first realized the glorious culture at the other end of Eurasia.

    Regret is as common an emotion as love or fear, and it can be nearly as powerful. We feel it when we either blame ourselves for things that turned out badly, or hope to get rid of the bad effects of a choice we made in the past. The effect regret has on our lives and how we deal with regret are equally important.

    In some cases, regret can be disastrous. In 1995, a British man who regularly played one set of lottery (彩票) numbers forgot to renew his ticket during the week that his numbers came up. He was so filled with regret and self-blame that he killed himself. While this is an extreme result of regret, it can have many other lesser effects on the mind and body that can still seriously affect our lives.

    According to recent research, women have more regrets about romantic relationships than men do—not surprising, since women "value social relationships more than men". In collectivist (集体的) culture where many aspects of life are arranged, people feel less regret, since many choices were made for them. There was an even split between regrets about inaction (not doing something) and action (do something you wish you didn't). The research found that some regrets are more likely than others to stay over time: people tend to hold on longer to the regret of inaction or the chances they have missed; meanwhile, regrets of action tend to be more recent.

    Held inside for too long, regret can affect people's physical health. If one fails to learn and grow from past mistakes, deep feeling of regret can stay locked inside, having a negative effect on his life. This can be harmful to relationships, careers, and many other aspects of life. Besides, too many regrets can lead to sadness, which may require doctors' help. Therefore, it is important that we understand what regret is and how we can learn to deal with it.

    To cope with regret, be aware that it is there for a reason. Our brain is telling us to take another look at our choices because they may be having negative results. Take "I can't believe I crashed my car. I'm so stupid." and turn it into "I'm so lucky I didn't die in the accident. How wonderful!" However, when the situation can't be changed, and there is nothing left for us to do, we have to let go of the situation and forgive ourselves.

    We have to see the mistakes we make as necessary lessons in life. If we can learn from them and make changes, we can turn our regrets into passive actions. We can use them to improve, guide, and shape our lives for the better.