1 . Ways to make a great first impression

You’ve heard it a million times already. But it really does take but a few seconds to make that all-important first impression（印象）. Here are some easy ways for you to impress your classmates or teachers.

*    1    

Before you shake hands with somebody, make sure that your hands are clean. The hand-shake should not be too strong or weak. Most people use their right hands, unless they have a reason to use the left.     2    

*Be on time

When meeting someone for the first time, arriving on time is as important as breathing. You may have an excuse, but that will leave the person who hardly knows you with a bad impression.     3     It’s better to be hanging around the place than be stuck in traffic.

*Introduce yourself and ask for names

Make sure you properly introduce yourself. Ask for their name in a polite way.     4    . This will increase the chances of their remembering your name in the future. Always remember to stand up when greeting someone and be sure to introduce them to anyone you’re with.

*Make good conversation

To get the most out of your discussion, try to find something common between the two of you.     5    . A person will feel more comfortable with someone they can relate to（产生共鸣）.

2 . Now many young people are travelling around the world on their own, not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone.

Kristina Wegscheider from California first travelled alone when she was at college and believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. “It opens up your mind to new things and pushes you out of your comfort zone.” Wegscheider has visited 46 countries covering all seven continents.

In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen, it is challenging. This is what drives young people to travel alone. It is seen as character building and a chance to prove that they can make it on their own.

Chris Richardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go travelling last year. He set up a website. The Aussie Nomad, to document his adventures. On the website he said he wished he had travelled alone earlier. “The people you meet, the place you visit, or the things you do, everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person,” said the 30-year-old man.

Richardson described travelling alone like “a shot in the arm”, which “makes you a more confident person that is ready to deal with anything”. He said, “The feeling of having overcome something on my own is a major part of what drives me each day when I’m dealing with a difficult task. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try. ”

The great 19^th century explorer John Muir once said, “Only by going alone in silence can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.”

8 . Although we're surrounded by millions of bricks every day, most of us don't think about them too often. For thousands of years, the humble clay-fired bricks haven't changed.

They're made from natural materials, but there are problems with bricks at every step of their production. Bricks are made from clay—a type of soil found all over the world. Clay mining is harmful to plant growth. In conventional brick production, the clay is shaped and baked in kilns(窑) mostly heated by fossil fuels, which contributes to climate change. Once made, bricks must be transported to construction sites, generating more carbon emissions. With so many bricks produced globally, their impact adds up.

Gabriela Medero, a professor at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University, decided to find solutions to that. With her university's support, Medero set up Kenoteq in 2009. The company's signature product is the K-Briq. Made from more than 90% construction waste, Medero says the K-Briq—which does not need to be fired in a kiln—produces less than a tenth of the carbon emissions of conventional bricks. With the company testing new machinery to start scaling up production, Medero hopes her bricks will help to build a more sustainable world.

The K-Briq will be comparably priced to conventional bricks. Additionally, as a new product, the K-Briq has been subjected to strict assessment and authoritative certification. Reusing old bricks is an expensive process and there is no standardized way to check the strength, safety or durability (耐久性) of recycled bricks. Medero says that K-Briq could solve both these problems. She claims that K-Briq is stronger and more durable than fired clay bricks.

Over the next 18 months, Medero plans to get K-Briq machines on-site at recycling plants. "This will reduce transport-related emissions because trucks can collect K-Briq when they drop off construction waste," says Medero.

Nowadays, more and more people have chances to travel, study, work or even live abroad. It is necessary for you to keep in mind these general    1    （rule） for polite behaviour.

If you    2    （invite）to an American friend’s home for dinner, first of all, arrive on time（but not early）. When you’re invited to someone’s home for a meal,    3    is polite to bring a small gift. Flowers or candies are always appropriate. If you have an attractive item    4    （make）in your native country, your host or hostess would certainly enjoy receiving that as a gift.

    5    （wear） proper clothes and a beautiful smile is simply not enough. Table manners are also of great    6    （important）. Do not open your mouth to talk, unless you have swallowed your food. Also chew food with your mouth    7    （close）. When you want to get the food that is at a distance, do not stretch your hands to reach    8    it. Instead, ask for the food to be passed to you.

Don’t leave    9    （immediate ） after dinner, but don't overstay your welcome, either. When your friends seem to be getting tired and running out of conversation, take their behaviour as a signal to leave. The next day, call or write    10    thank-you note to say how much you enjoyed the evening.

10 . Hugging a dog is one of the life's greatest joys. It is like experiencing a love drug, which is quite true.

Dogs and humans always interact with each other. And if you get to have dogs and hug them every day, you just might live longer than people who don't have to clean animal hair off their clothes, according to a pair of studies recently.

The studies, published in the journal Circulation： Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, suggest that dog ownership is linked to a 21% reduction in the risk of death-over the 12-year period studied-for people with heart disease. When you look at all the evidence around dog ownership and their health, it's pretty clear the signal is real.

We’ve known forever that owning a dog increases one's physical activity. Regardless of weather, you have to get out and walk the dog. Otherwise, you might stay home and watch TV. Owning a dog makes you spend more time outdoors, and time spent outdoors improves health. Owning a dog or interacting with a dog even for a short term also reduces blood pressure. And the biggest advantage of having a dog is what it does for mental health. We see very beneficial effects on depression and anxiety.

Many of us may not have a dog. And these studies have finally convinced someone to get one. We've thought of dogs as a form of comfort. The study forces a rethinking of pets in our society. We've started out with dogs as accomplices during hunts as hunter-gatherers. Gradually, we selected for traits of loyalty and friendship. At this point, many of us can totally see the basic reasons why dogs improve our sense of well-being, reduce loneliness and can be an improvement to our physical and mental health.