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How to Survive Embarrassing Moments

    Have you ever done something embarrassing? At that moment, you probably wished you could disappear into thin air. Unfortunately, embarrassing things happen to everyone at one time or another. The good news? You can keep the damage to the minimum．Here's some help．

Laugh it off

    You're staring at your crush （意中人） so hard that you walk into a wall．You trip over your own feet and drop all your books．The best thing you can do? As long as you're not seriously hurt, laugh it off．Say like "Hey, I can teach you to do that if you want to!" or "It took me years to learn that!" By laughing at yourself, you show people you're confident and still in control of the situation．That's bound to make a stronger impression than the fact that you dropped a stack of books．

Move on

    Some situations are too personal to laugh off．Your underwear falls out of your backpack. Your bathing suit falls off in the pool．You pass gas while giving a presentation．Making a joke would just call more attention to what happened — and that's the last thing you want．What  now? You can just pretend nothing happened and go back to what you were doing, or you can acknowledge it with a "Oh, that was awkward" and then move on．

    If there's a joker who thinks it's a good idea to point out how badly you just embarrassed yourself, fix him with a glare and then go back to whatever you were doing．Tell yourself he's a  little bug on the ground, not even worth thinking about．Remind yourself that it's over, done．Move on．

Apologize and move on

    Some embarrassing situations pack a double punch．Not only do you embarrass yourself,  but you make someone else feel bad．You say to a friend that another friend is such a copycat, and then realize the copycat is standing right behind you．You imitate your teacher's unusual accent just as the teacher walks in．Now you're embarrassed and they're mad or hurt．

    Making a joke now would make the situation even worse, so don't go there．Although you might feel like running away or even crying, neither of those responses will make you look better．Instead, apologize, "I'm so sorry．That was really mean of me．"

    If you've been disrespectful to a teacher or a parent, accept whatever consequences without complaint．If you've hurt a friend, do your best to make it up to them．Once you've done all you can to make things right again, move on．If someone else brings it up, just say, "I feel bad enough about that —can we just let it go, please?"

    The next time you're stuck in an embarrassing moment, remind yourself that you're a strong person and you can get through this．Stay calm and act confident and the moment will pass．

    Difficult financial times don't mean your giving shuts down.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} There are so many ways to give back that won't hurt your wallet and will enrich your life.

⒈Pick up the phone

    Calling someone “for no reason” is an important opportunity to show them that you are thinking of them. You are taking time out of your busy day to reach out. Everyone needs someone to just listen sometimes. They may be filled with joy or sadness{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

⒉Write a note

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It is one thing to say it, but it can be even more meaningful to put it in writing. What if you made a commitment to write a thank-you note to someone every week?

⒊ {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    You never know what someone might be going through a painful divorce, a tough college semester, or just a bad day. Opening up your home will make someone feel appreciated. In addition, it costs less than going out. The leftovers from this dinner can be packaged up for homeless people. That's double giving!

⒋Set aside money from a daily routine to donate

    Giving doesn't have to mean a life full of sacrifices. You can still buy a burger or get your nails done{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Donate the money you saves: Even $ 5 can make a difference in someone's life.

A. Give a gift to the stomach.

B. Invite someone over for dinner.

C. To take your awareness to a new level, move beyond money.

D. But instead of buying much coffee every week, you can drink less.

E. While some people enjoy receiving gifts, all of us appreciate a kind word.

F. Instead, they allow you to examine how your time and money are spent.

G. Be there to celebrate their good news, or support them with sympathy.

    One day when I was 12, my mother gave me an order: I was to walk to the public library, and borrow at least one book for the summer. This was one more weapon for her to defeat my strange problem — inability to read.

    In the library, I found my way into the "Children's Room." I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf at random. The cover of a book caught my eye. It presented a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my secret sharer, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle.

    There on the book's cover was a beagle which looked identical to my dog. I ran my fingers over the picture of the dog on the cover. My eyes ran across the title, Amos, the Beagle with a Plan. Unknowingly, I had read the title. Without opening the book, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.

    Under the shade of a bush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very slowly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated from his family and who finally found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book. At the end of the story, my mind continued the final scene of reunion, on and on, until my own lost dog and I were, in my mind, running together.

    My mother's call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book, and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.

    I never told my mother about my "miraculous" (奇迹般地) experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.

    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.

    Although most parents don't like doing it after a long and exhausting workday, reading bedtime stories does make a positive influence on your child's emotional and mental health. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It helps to develop children's imagination.

Reading bedtime stories can develop your children's ability to form pictures or ideas in their mind. A healthy imagination makes their minds work well and teaches them to think quickly yet effectively. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    It improves children's language.

    Reading also improves your children's language. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They'll most likely use those words in the stories you read right after they hear them. Listening to many stories helps kids to express their opinions better.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Reading books makes people more learned. When children hear the stories you tell, they learn grammar and vocabulary, for example. It helps them be successful in school as they already know a lot from your stories. What's more, every story has its moral aspect and tells them what's good and what's bad.

    These reasons leave no chances of doubting whether to read bedtime stories to your children or not. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}They will thank you in future, I promise.

A. It fosters children's affection for reading.

B. It makes children knowledgeable.

C. Take a look at the best benefits of it and you'll never be lazy to do that.

D. So however tired you are, find time to read bedtime stories to your children.

E. Bedtime stories create just unforgettable moments.

F. They remember most words you say and enlarge their vocabulary.

G. They'll be successful in many aspects thanks to a wonderful imagination.

    The autumn wind woke me up from my dream. I took a deep breath and looked around. Suddenly I saw two people approaching me. As there was no one else in the park, they caught my attention immediately.

    The two people were getting closer and I heard them laughing. At first, this laugh made me annoyed as if they had broken my unity with this park and disturbed my thoughts. But all of a sudden, I noticed the age of them — they were old. I could not clearly identify their age, but the woman looked as old as my grandmother. She had grey hair, blue eyes, and a smile on her face. And all the time she was looking at HIM...

    "Jim, I think we should change the park. It's the same every Saturday. You know..." "Sus! Hug me."— that was all he said. He looked at her, smiled and gave her a hug.

    At this very moment, I saw an old but strong man who knew his wife, and no matter how often she could be complaining, he loved her! I imagined the many things they might go through together — so many hardships that might make them cry, all the problems that they might be experiencing right now and the probability that one of them would outlive the other. And the one that outlives will think the life they spent together was the most beautiful period of their life.

    They left, and I was sitting on my bench, shocked, and I had a special feeling in my heart. This feeling was hope! The old couple with all the complaints and tons of mistakes behind their backs made me realize that it was happiness that mattered in life. Eventually, all people would get old and die, and what made a difference was the person you had dedicated your life to. I made a wish — waking up one day, being old and feeling proud of being together with the person I loved to overcome all the obstacles ( 障碍) and fight for happiness.