Are you healthy? To find out, ask yourself some questions: Do I exercise every day? Do I ever walk to places instead of taking a car or a bus? Do I ever play sports for fun? Do I ever take stairs instead of the elevator(电梯)?     1    , you are probably unhealthy and need to start a fitness program(健身计划).

Exercise is very important.     2    . And it can also help control your weight. To exercise, a necessary step is to make a plan. A good plan should be fun. It should include(包括) both your arms and legs and it should help you build the ability to do exercise for a long time.     3    . In this program, you should think about the kinds of activities you like to do, what you think you are able to do, and when you will have time to do it. Good exercise program will include running, swimming, roller skating, playing soccer or tennis, or jumping rope.

So what are you waiting for?     4    . Do yoga, or taiji. Or join a gym or a running club, or just start walking half an hour every day. Every little bit helps!

【推荐3】Spending two or three hours playing outdoors each day can reduce a child’s chance of becoming short-sighted, a research shows. It challenges the belief that short-sightedness is caused by computer use, watching TV or reading in weak light.

The Australian government researchers believe that sunlight is good for people’s eyes. They compared the vision(视力) and habits of 100 seven-year-old children in Singapore and Australia. In all, 30% of the Singaporean children were short-sighted—this rate(比率) was ten times higher than Australian children.

Both groups spent a similar amount of time reading, watching television and playing computer games. However, the Australian children spent an average(平均) of two hours a day outdoors — 90 minutes more than the Singaporean children.

Professor Ian Morgan, from the Australian Research Council’s Vision Centre, said, “Humans are naturally long-sighted, but when people begin to go to school and spend little or no time outdoors, the number of short-sighted people gets larger. We’re also seeing more and more short-sighted children in cities all around the world and the main reason may be that city children spent less time outdoors.”

Daylight can be hundreds of times brighter than indoor light. But why does playing outside prevent us from becoming short-sighted? Scientists believe that natural light has a special chemical which stops the eyeball from growing out of shape and prevents people becoming short-sighted.

So be outdoors. It doesn’t matter if that time is spent having a picnic or playing sports.

【推荐1】Welcome to life in the future! You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. You’ve recently had a new anti-aging treatment (抗衰老治疗), so you look like a 30-year-old. And many people your age could live to be 120 now, so at 60, you’re not old at all.

Science has also found amazing ways to keep people healthy. Nanotechnology (纳米技术) can help improve your health. And if any part of your body is unhealthy, you can “grow” a new one in a laboratory (实验室).

As you get dressed, you say to your shirt, “Turn red”. It becomes red. In 2045, you can program clothes to change colors or sizes.

On the way to the kitchen, you want to call a friend. Your cell phone is by the window because it gets its energy (电量) from the sun. But you don’t need to pick up the phone. You can just touch your jacket to make the call.

It’s breakfast time. You reach for the milk, but a voice says, “Don’t drink that!” Your fridge (冰箱) knows the milk is old, and tells the supermarket to replace (替换) it. Ten minutes later, a new one will be sent back.

As you leave for work, the lights turn off (切断电路) by themselves. Your home goes into “sleep” mode (模式) to save energy. In 2045, cars drive themselves, so you just tell your driverless car where you want to go.

Will all this come true? Perhaps the future is much closer than we think.

【推荐3】In Canada and the United States，people enjoy entertaining(请客) at home. They often invite friends over for a meal，a party or just for a coffee and conversation.

Here are the kinds of words people say when they invite someone to their home：

“Would you like to come over for dinner on Saturday night？”

“Hey，we’re having a party on Friday. Can you come？”

To reply to an invitation，either say thank you and accept，or say you’re sorry，and give an excuse：

“Thanks，I’d love to. What time would you like me to come？”or “Oh，sorry，I’ve got tickets for a movie. ”

Sometimes，however，people use expressions that sound like invitations but which are not real invitations. For example：

“Please come over for a drink sometime. ”

“Why not get together for a party sometime？”

“Why don’t you come over and see us sometime soon？”

They are really just polite ways of ending a conversation. They are not real invitations because they don’t mention a specific(确定的) time or date. They just show that the person is trying to be friendly. To reply to expressions like these，people just say “Sure，that would be great！”or “OK，thanks. ”

So next time when you hear what sounds like an invitation，listen carefully：Is it a real invitation or is the person just being friendly?

【推荐1】We all know that smoking is bad for people’s health. But not many people know about the danger of second-hand smoke.

Second-hand smoke is the smoke that comes from the smokers’ breath. If people breathe in second-hand smoke from time to time, they could get sick from it.

But how serious is the problem of the second-hand smoke? The World Health Organization( WHO) did a study of 194 countries.They found that second-hand smoke causes about 600, 000 deaths(死亡) every year. That is about 1% of the World’s deaths.

Second-hand smoke is especially bad for children because their bodies are still growing. According to the study, about 165,000 children under the age of 5 die each year because of second-hand smoke. Most of these deaths happen in Africa and Southern Asia.

You can do something to keep yourself and other people away from second-hand smoke. You can ask the smokers, such as your parents, to smoke outside. And, if someone smokes close to you, you’d better hold your breath or just walk away.

【推荐2】Do you often compare yourself with other people? Whether it’s the number of goals you’ve scored at football or how many books you’ve read, it’s easy to compare yourself with someone else. It’s a natural behavior that helps humans learn from each other, live happily together and achieve more. However, it’s not always helpful and you can find yourself falling a comparison trap (对比陷阱).

Comparison can make us feel good and bad about ourselves. “Comparing up” means seeing someone is better than you and using that to encourage yourself to aim higher and try harder. However, sometimes it can make you feel rubbish about yourself and undermine your confidence. “Comparing down” is when you see someone who seems like they’re not doing as well as you. This might make you feel you’re doing well, but it can also stop you wanting to improve.

How do you escape (逃离) comparison trap? Notice how people make you feel and spend time with friends who celebrate your strengths (优势) rather than compare themselves to you. Find ones that make you laugh or show you lovely places instead. Finally, pay attention to your own achievements and how you can improve. The best person you can compete with is yourself.

Let’s make positive (积极的) comparisons. This means you value your own achievements and not someone else’s. Celebrate progress instead of the final result. It doesn’t matter if someone is better or faster than you, it’s important that how hard you try. Set some goals and pay attention to your progress. Instead of saying “I can’t do it”, say “I can’t do it yet”.