2 . The idea that you can use humor, laughter, and play to make you healthier probably seems too simple to be true. However, it is really true and simple. The sense of humor, laughter and play plays an important role in keeping you healthy.

Treat the blues with a sense of humor, which is closely tied to laughter. Laughter is infectious. Have you ever heard a big laugh of a young child and been able to keep yourself from smiling? When laughter is shared between people, it makes them closer to each other and increases their happiness. Smiling is the beginning of laughter and a smile is also just as infectious as laughter is. You can experience something by smiling at everyone around you, and you will feel happier just by sharing a smile, even with a stranger.

Play is an important part of making sure that we stay healthy. We are often encouraged to make sure our children play, and are told of the benefits of being out playing. However, what we often forget is that it is just as important for old people to make play be part of their life as it’s for children. Physical play is important for the old and it certainly helps prevent illness. While the studies are still in the early stages, the studies that have been done have shown that physical play certainly plays a part in preventing cognitive (认知的) falling.

Anyway, adding humor, laughter, and play to our life will influence us mentally, physically and socially and bring us many advantages. So we should make full use of humor, laughter and play to make our life more active, more interesting and happier.

3 . Nurses are required in all areas of the medical field from hospitals and nursing homes to schools and the armed forces, heading to a great need of certified nurses. Here are some best universities for a degree in nursing.

Simmons College

Simmons College is a private women’s college founded in Boston in 1899. Nursing is the top major at the school as well as the most popular. The nursing graduates from Simmons make about $ 58, 000 every year.

Villanova University

Villanova University is a research university located in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania. Named after Saint Thomas of Villanova, the school is the oldest Catholic university in Pennsylvania. Nursing is a popular major and is offered as an online degree as well. The nursing graduates from Villanova make about $ 63,000 every year.

University of California, Los Angeles

The UCLA School of Nursing is known for its excellent education provided by a group of leaders in the medical field. The four-year program allows students to be qualified nurses through classroom learning and clinical training. A nursing degree from UCLA leads to positions in many hospitals and clinics, with a yearly income of about $ 84,000.

New York University

New York University attaches great importance to real-world experience. Along with taking classes in school, students mainly work in the health care environment receiving technical training Additionally, Nursing students of NYU College have the chance to study in Abu Dhabi, China and other countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. The education from NYU will prepare students to help doctors treat patients, earning a yearly income of about $ 86, 000.

5 . A long time ago, on neighboring farms lived two brothers. But disagreement arose between them. It was the first serious one between them in 40 years of farming peacefully side by side. In the end, they fell apart.

One morning, a man with a carpenter’s toolbox came for some work. The elder brother said, “I just have a job for you. Look at that farm across the creek(河沟). My younger brother lives there. It was he who used his bulldozer(推土机) to dig the creek last week to upset me. So I want you to build me a fence, an 8-foot-high fence so I won’t see his place any more.” The carpenter smiled and said, “I see. I’ll try to do a wonderful job that satisfies you.” Then the elder brother left and went downtown.

At sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s jaw dropped open when he saw what the carpenter had done. To his surprise, there was no fence there at all! Instead, there was a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! What a piece of work! He saw his younger brother coming up to him with the hands outstretching. “You are quite a man to build this bridge after all I have said and done to you! ” The brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hands. When they turned to see the carpenter, he was lifting his toolbox on his shoulder, ready to leave. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other work for you,” said the elder brother. “I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but I have so many more bridges to build.”

6 . Recently, a group of scientists decided to find out what the funniest joke in the world was. This is obviously a difficult task, as no two people really agree about what is funny and what is not — especially when they are from different countries.

Here is the joke which the experts decided was the funniest joke in the world:

Two hunters were out in the woods. One of them fell to the ground. He didn’t seem to be breathing; his eyes were closed. The other hunter took out his mobile phone and called the emergency services. “My friend is dead!” he cried to the operator. “What can I do?” The operator said, “Don’t worry. First, make sure he’s dead.” There was a silence, and then a shot was heard. Bang! The hunter’s voice came back on the line. He said, “OK, now what?”

This is perhaps amusing. Culturally, it depends on us knowing that often hunters are not considered to be very intelligent people, and that often they are quite violent. But perhaps this is not so all over the world. It’s also quite a black joke — a joke about something that isn’t really a funny subject. The experts also found the second funniest joke in the world. Here it is:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson went on a camping trip. After dinner, they went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes woke up. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

“I see millions of stars, Holmes,” replied Watson.

“And what do you infer from that?”

“Well, there are billions of stars... we are a small part of the universe.” “Watson, you idiot! (笨蛋)” he said. “Someone has stolen our tent!” I personally think this is better.

Can scientists in the end decide what is funny? Some things are much too complicated, even for scientists.

9 . Learning to say “yes, and”

When I first heard about the improvisation (即兴交流) class, I was hesitating. As a quiet and shy girl, I feared improvising in front of strangers. However, I knew I wanted to work as a science communicator after finishing my Ph.D., so it seemed like a perfect chance to learn how to speak and communicate with others effectively. I signed up, knowing the experience would give me help.

During our first class, we learned an important concept of improvisation: “yes, and.” It means that, as improvisers, we’d better accept what fellow performers say. If someone says that rhinos (犀牛) are librarians, for example, then rhinos are librarians. We do not question the logic; we say “yes” and then continue with the scene as if nothing is wrong.

The first few scenes were hard, but as weeks turned into months, I became more comfortable and even started to enjoy our classes. I became better at listening, relating to my conversation partners, and communicating clearly in the moment. Once when I was giving a presentation about my science, an audience member surprised me with a question that didn’t grow out of the information I’d presented. Instead of getting confused and nervous, I took the “yes, and” approach—accepting the question and letting my mind focus on why it was asked. That helped me find an appropriate answer. I got pretty excited about it.

The benefits of improvisation go beyond communication. Before attending the class, I would get stuck when my experiments produced unexpected data, thinking that I had made a mistake. But now, instead of getting discouraged, I will stay open to the possibility that the results are real, keep exploring the data and end up identifying a new type of cell—one that isn’t behaving as expected.

I think all scientists can benefit from this lesson. If the data say rhinos are librarians, then it’s worth finding out whether rhinos are, in fact, librarians. As scientists, our job isn’t to challenge data that support, a preconceived story, but to say “yes, and.”

10 . It is dark now when I begin my early morning walk in the woods. And now that autumn has marched into winter, darkness persists well beyond my 6 a. m. start time.

Paths have become familiar after years of hiking. But rocks and tree roots have magically appeared from previously ________ ground.

Certainly I hit my toe against or ________ on some unseen barriers. Fallen branches from last night’s storm ________ in wait. Layers of autumn leaves create a false floor through which my trusting footsteps ________. Sometimes a piece of moon donates some ________ to the mystery path. But when skies are dark, there are no ________ clues for where I step.

My very first night hike was during summer camp on a warm August night in the woods. Our leader ________ bright flashlights so we would not scare away the night creatures we hoped to find.

“See with your ________，” the leader told us over and over again.

________， that advice took effect. With ________ and courage, it didn’t take long before our feet became ________ to the ground’s textures(质地) and irregularities. Toes learned to ________ for barriers before trusting full weight on feet. Holes and dips in the ground were detected in ________ of possible fall…

But mistakes ________ happened. My foot got caught on a trip and I fell. Since the pace was ________， there was little damage except to pride. Once ________， I paused to feel the firmness of earth beneath me.

On my way home, as dawn ________ day, I thought about how similar night hikes were to journeys through life.

The same rules often ________ for both: slow down, concentration, “see” with new senses —and don’t be ________. Although the path is full of ________— hidden barriers, false surface, wet floor — the earth is solid and firm beneath. It is the nature of night ground. It is the nature of life.