【推荐1】Assertiveness is the ability to confidently express your opinions, feelings, attitudes, and rights, in a way that doesn't infringe（侵犯）the rights of others.

Many of us are taught that it is not nice to consider our own needs above those of others. If someone says or does something that we don't like, we should just be quiet and try to stay away from that person in the future.

Why is Assertiveness important?

If you don't know how to be assertive, you might experience:

Depression—Anger, a sense of being helpless, hopeless, or of having no control over your life.

Resentment—Anger at others for taking advantage of you.

Frustration —Why did I allow that to happen?

Most people find it easier to be assertive in some situations than in others. This makes perfect sense. It's a lot easier to hold your ground with a stranger than with someone you love. But the more important the relationship is to you, the more important it is to be assertive. Assertive behavior leads to increased respect from others！

But before you decide to act assertively, you have to decide if you can live with the results. Although assertive behavior usually will result in a positive response (积极的回应)，some people might react differently.

How to be effectively（有效地） assertive:

Use "I" statements. Keep the focus on the problem you're having. "I'd like to be able to tell my stories without interruption." instead of "You're always interrupting my stories!”

Use facts, not opinions. "Did you know that shirt has a hole?" instead of "You're not going out looking like THAT, are you?"

Express ownership of your thoughts, feelings, and opinions. "I get angry when he breaks his promises. "instead of "He makes me angry. "

Make clear and direct requirements. Don't invite the person to say no. "Will you please?" instead of "Would you mind…?" or "Why don't you…?"

Keep repeating your point. Use a low level and pleasant voice. Don't try to explain yourself.

【推荐2】①Can a dog talk to a person? Of course not, you might say. But now you should change your common idea and listen to what your dog is trying to say!

②Not long ago, a smart dog told her owner (主人) how she felt through a special communication pad (通讯平台). She can shout some easy words like play, beach and park, and even “talk” in sentences!

③Let’s meet the smart dog Bunny. Her owner Alexis Devine taught her how to make up sentences. That’s right. Now she can use more than 40 words to tell her family how she feels. It’s said that Bunny is a superstar with over l,900,000 followers on TikTok (国际版抖音). And it’s all from a 45-button board (按钮板). Usually people use it to help people who have problems talking to others. ________.

④To teach Bunny different words, Devine needs to show how she uses them in talking. Here is how Bunny learned the word “outside”. Devine pressed (按) the “outside” button and said the word “outside” before letting Bunny out. When Bunny came in, she said it again. Three weeks later, Bunny could press the button by herself. One by one, Bunny learned to “say” something like a common person. She even uses the board to tell Devine, “Love you, Mom.”

⑤Devine decided to do this after seeing someone was successful in using the method to talk with her dog, Stella. “I’m not sure if Bunny really gets what I say, but it’s exciting to find it out.” Devine said.

【推荐3】Although the world develops much faster and better than before，the resources on the earth get fewer and fewer．In order to protect them，we must find ways to live a green life．Here are some steps for you：

Save water：

Water is the source of life．No water，no life．So it’s very important for us to save water．Not only should we protect drinking water and stop polluting it，but also make full use of it．

Save power：

It is necessary for us to save power．We can’t imagine what the life will be like without it．Everyone should do his or her best to save power．Don’t forget to turn off the lights when they are not in use．

Save forests：

They are useful．Please stop cutting trees down and use recycled paper instead．Our government has laws to punish those people who cut down trees．We should make our world a green one to live in．

Recycle useful rubbish：

Things like paper，plastic and glass can be recycled．Remember that everyone can do something to make a difference．

A survey made by China Daily last year found that eight of 10 senior middle school students were nearsighted, compared with 71.6 percent in junior middle school, 36 percent in primary school and 14 percent of 6-year- olds in kindergarten. Overall, 53.6 percent were nearsighted.

The growing prevalence of myopia is not only a Chinese problem, but an especially East Asian one. In South Korea 96 percent of people (below the age 20) have myopia. In Singapore, the number is 82 percent. However, in the UK it is about 20-30 percent.

Some scientists think it is not good that so many students are nearsighted. It brings much trouble in their life, such as in the bathroom, the glasses people wear are easily covered by heat, which makes it impossible to see everything. What do you think if you put your glasses down before going to bed, you can’t find them in the morning?

Several factors have something to do with the high rate of nearsightedness in China’s children and teenagers, including lack of outdoor physical activities, lack of enough sleep due to heavy homework and too much use of electronics products.

Biologists compared Singaporeans living in Singapore to those living in Australia. They found that 29 percent of the Singaporean students had nearsightedness compared with just 3 percent in Sydney. The main reason was once again, time spent outside.

“The big difference was the Chinese children in Australia were outdoors lot more than their matched peers in Singapore,” says Ian Morgan, a retired biologist at Australian National University. “This was the only thing that fit with the huge difference in prevalence.”

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【推荐2】Today some women are wearing the new high platform shoes that came into style (时髦，式样)not long ago. Young women enjoy wearing stylish clothes. They also enjoy being taller while they are wearing these shoes.

But doctors are not very happy with the platform shoes. Foot specialist report that many women hurt their feet by wearing them. These specialists say that if you turn ankle when wearing a normal shoe, the foot can easily return to its position. However, if you fall while walking on a high platform shoe, your foot may turn so far you will break.

There is also a possibility that these shoes cause backaches. Many platform shoes have high heels (跟),and women who wear them say that these shoes sometimes make them feel tired.(It has been found that people use more energy when walking on high-heeled shoes.)

Because the platforms are very thick and stiff (硬), these shoes could cause auto (汽车) accidents. The driver might not be able to feel the difference between the brake (闸) and the accelerator (油门踏板). Also, if the platforms are very high, and if the driver has to stop the car quickly, she might not be able to move her foot to the brake in time.

Women are not alone in wearing platform shoes. Many U.S. shoe stores sell platform shoes designed for men. Doctors continued to warn people about the dangers of wearing them. A high style is not always a safe style.

【推荐3】Jordan was born with a disability. But she says her difference doesn't hold her back—it makes her amazing.

When Jordan was having a new dance class at the age of 8, she noticed that some kids were staring at her. The kids were looking at her left arm. It stops above the elbow(肘部).

Each year, about 2,000 babies in the United States are born with limb differences, like Jordan was. That means they are missing all or part of an arm or a leg. With only one hand, Jordan has a tough time doing certain activities like tying her shoes. She sometimes uses a prosthetic(假体)arm to help her ride her bike.

Jordan attended camps for kids with limb differences. Three years ago, she was a special workshop. She was challenged to design a new prosthetic arm—one that would turn her disability into a "superpower".

Jordan worked with designers. They used a 3-D printer to create a prosthetic arm shaped like a unicorn's horn(独角兽的角). "It was really cool to show that you can build onto your difference to make it awesome," says Jordan.

In 2017, Jordan and her mom formed an organization called Born Just Right. They want to help other kids with limb differences. "We want to show kids that anything is possible," Jordan says.

Sure, people still sometimes stare. But Jordan uses those moments to educate others, "Your differences are amazing and you never know what amazing things you can do with them."

【推荐1】Cabin hospitals save more lives

Feng Bangli, from Wuhan, Hubei, began to have a fever at the end of January and suspected that he had been infected with the virus. He tried several times to be admitted to a hospital but failed. He finally gave up and stayed at home, taking drugs given by doctors.

“At that time, too many patients were waiting to see doctors at every hospital, and it was not possible for me to get a bed,” said Feng. Days later, with the community staff’s help, Feng tested positive for COVID-19 and was sent to a makeshift hospital (临时医院) for treatment.

“Without such makeshift hospitals, many COVID-19 patients like me may never have found a bed,” said Feng.

Like Feng, over 12,000 COVID-19 patients in Wuhan received treatment and care at 15 makeshift hospitals. These hospitals were mainly used to receive patients with mild symptoms (轻症).

“Building makeshift hospitals was a key decision made in such an important moment when Wuhan was facing a formidable task of epidemic (疫情) control, and it has played an important role in both prevention and treatment of the disease,” he said.

“Makeshift hospitals have greatly eased pressure and made it possible to treat and isolate people in need,” said Xu Junmei, vice-president of Wuchang makeshift hospital.

Makeshift hospitals have now been copied in other countries. Eight makeshift hospitals are being built in Tehran, Iran, to fight against the virus. The one changed from the Iran Mall, the largest shopping mall in the country, is expected to have a total of 3,000 beds, according to People’s Daily.

On March 29, New York changed a grassy meadow in Central Park into a makeshift hospital, where it will provide 68 hospital beds.

“Considering the ways we can increase hospital capacity right now is very important,” says Dr Andrew Ibrahim, a surgeon at the University of Michigan told Architecture. “If hospitals can’t receive more patients, new facilities need to be built up.”

【推荐2】Tom is a twelve-year-old boy. He is lovely and smart. He is always the best in his class. But his classmates wouldn’t like to play with him because he has AIDS (艾滋病) like his parents. Even some teachers always keep away from him. Tom felt sad.

One day he returned home with tears(眼泪). He told his mother he fought with a boy because the boy said something bad about his family. His mother cried, “What did my son do? Why?”

Now many people are afraid of AIDS because they know little about it. It is not so dangerous as we think.

In fact, it’s safe to eat and play with them. They need our love and understanding because they are the same as us.

“USA? Britain? Which country is better to study in?” We often have such discussions. As China opens its door, it is a dream for many Chinese students to study abroad. They want to learn the outside world.

It is true that studying abroad can help students develop themselves:

◆    1     After two years’ study and live abroad, most of the students can speak English very well.

◆    2     The students become more confident and knowledgeable. Some of them even graduate from the most famous universities in the world, so they are welcomed by many companies.

But there are problems that should be considered:

◆    3     Students must spend a lot of time learning another language.

◆    4     There are reports about Chinese students abroad running into an ocean of difficulties and giving up finally. When they have to take care of themselves, it is harder for students to learn well at the same time.

◆    5     For most Chinese parents, the cost of studying abroad is very high. But is worth it?

So when you wonder which country is better to study in, think it twice.