Are you stressed? Your dog can probably smell it, according to researchers from Queen’s University Belfast in the UK.

The researchers carried out a study to find out if dogs could tell the difference between a person’s normal smell and how he smells when he’s stressed.

To do this, they first collected breath and sweat samples(汗液样本) from human volunteers. To make sure the samples work well, the volunteers were all non-smokers and didn’t eat or drink anything in the hour before the study.

The team then collected samples after the volunteers completed a difficult maths task. The volunteers were asked to report their stress levels before and after the task. The researchers also checked the volunteers’ stress levels before and after the task by taking their heart rate(心率) and blood pressure(血压). In total, 36 out of 53 volunteers reported feeling stressed because of the task and had increased heart rates and blood pressure.

Then each person’s relaxed and stressed samples were shown to four dogs—Treo, Fingal, Soot and Winnie. They were asked to find the stressed ones. Surprisingly, the results showed that the dogs got it right nearly 94%. “It was interesting to see how the dogs were good at smelling people’s feelings,” said Clara Wilson, one of the researchers. “I hope we can discover even more about these gifted animals and what they can do.”

Ms Wilson also added that the study could be especially useful in training service dogs, since some of them work hard to help reduce stress.

It’s completely normal for friendships to be tense (紧张的) at times, because two people don’t necessarily share the same tastes, ideas or ways of seeing or doing things. If you and your friend disagree about something, the two of you might not listen to each other or understand each other.     12     When that happens, it’s important to deal with it. Here is some advice that might be helpful when you deal with it. Be committed (坚定的). It’s important to show that you’re open and committed to solving the problem together. It’s not a competition, with a winner and loser, it’s a process you go through together.

    13     Start by identifying (确认) the situation that you’re having a problem with and what you’d like to change (for example, “I prefer to be spoken to politely, not in this way...”)

Name your feelings. Tell your friend how the conflict makes you feel (for example, “...it makes me very angry...”). Find out possible solutions. Together with your friend, find out possible solutions.     14     At this stage, any idea is a start, so write them all down!

Assess (评价) the solutions. Together with your friend, assess all the solutions. Are any of the solutions realistic? Do any of them satisfy both of you? Will any of them solve the problem?

Come to an agreement. Together with your friend, choose the solutions you prefer and come to an agreement.

Reassess. Some time later, check if the agreement has been respected and if the problem has been solved.     15     If the solution you choose hasn’t worked, you can try another.

It was raining and nearing dark. I was late for an appointment (预约) in a nearby city ________ I knew only by GPS. And now my ________ has died. The usual interstate (洲际的) exits were closed. I didn’t know how to get where I was going or how to make my appointment know I was likely not going to make it there. I ________ at a KFC in a poor part of town and walked up to what appeared to be a mother and her teen daughter.

“I’m sorry but is it possible for me to ________ a number on your phone and then call the place and let them know I’m lost?” She handed me her phone and then told me I was ________ she had her phone, for it was getting ready to be turned off because she didn’t have enough money to ________ the phone bill.

The young girl and her mother didn’t pay me more ________ when I made a call. The appointment told me how to get there by another ________.

Before I left, suddenly, I reached into my ________ where I don’t usually have cash (现金) and pulled out all I had, a $20 bill. I gave it into the mother’s hand and then turned to leave quickly before seeing she was crying and her daughter called ________ me, “Thanks, sir. You have no idea how you just helped us.” And yet, they really helped me.

44. Teens Around the World是一个国际青少年交流网站，近日有人发帖，假设你是李华，请阅读原帖后，结合自己的生活经历，用英语跟帖。

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Li Hua,

China