Jack and Emma were best friends who shared a deep love for cycling. Jack was a freewheeling and fearless biker, while Emma was more cautious and methodical. This difference in their personalities often led to arguments, but they always managed to resolve their differences and come out stronger than ever.

One sunny afternoon, Jack suggested they go for a bike ride to explore the newly opened dirt track in the woods. Emma, who was still doubtful about the unknown path, tried to talk Jack out of it, but he was determined. Finally, she agreed to go along, hoping that nothing would go wrong. As they cycled along the dirt track, the landscape was filled with fallen trees and holes. Jack, who was in front, ignored the obstacles (障碍) and continued on his way. Emma, following behind, tried to avoid the obstacles but hit a slippery log and fell off her bike. Emma’s left knee was injured.

Emma was annoyed. She blamed Jack for not being more careful and accused him of putting them in danger. Jack felt guilty and apologized, but Emma was too upset to listen. She stormed off on foot, leaving Jack alone with her bike.

Jack stayed behind to repair Emma’s bike so they could continue their ride. When Emma returned, she found him patiently repairing her bicycle. His face was filled with concentration and care, and even though he didn’t say anything, his actions had expressed his intentions. Emma was moved and realized that Jack didn’t intentionally hurt her and there shouldn’t be any conflict between them.

That evening, both Jack and Emma couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort in their hearts. They missed each other’s company. Both knew that they needed to talk about what had happened but neither wanted to be the first to initiate the conversation.

Finally, Jack couldn’t bear the thought of losing his best friend.

The next day they met at the riverbank, both feeling nervous.

3 . Sometimes it’s easy to get overwhelmed (不知所措的) with parenting. We worry we aren’t doing enough for our children, so we give more. Then we worry we are doing too much, so we pull back. Then we stress out. So if you’re worried about being a better parent, worry no more.     1    

●Have a “yes” day. So much of the relationship between a parent and a child is saying no. “Can I wear my shorts to school?” “No, it’s 30 degrees outside.” “Can I walk in the rain?” “No, we just blow-dried your hair.” As a parent, most of the time it’s easier to just say no. So for one day, say yes as much as possible.     2     Let your children know you are saying yes to have more fun with them today.

●Go on a nature walk. The fun part of a nature walk is that you get to do something completely different with your child—something you don’t get to do every day. Before you go out adventuring, get out a bird book, print off an insect guide and go on a long walk. Try and learn together and explore together.     3     Don’t rush and just enjoy your time together.

●Let them dress you up. For one day, let your child dress you up!     4     Let their imagination flow, and get into character once your children have picked your outfit. Then, take it one step further and go out to eat together. Don’t suggest in any way that you look unusual. Just enjoy it.

●Go through old pictures. There is nothing that makes someone feel more loved like going through old memories. Children love to hear stories about themselves. Take an hour, sit down and open up their baby book, a picture album or a Facebook album. Go through the pictures one by one and tell your child about that memory.     5    

5 . On little Connor Crites’s very first day at elementary school, something unbelievable happened. The young boy, who has autism (孤独症), found the ________ school day unbearable. Connor, feeling distressed, curled up (蜷缩) in a ________, shedding tears instead of communicating with others. ________, the day took an unexpectedly heartwarming turn, making Connor ________ the school with confidence, all thanks to a newfound friend.

The friend was Christian Moore, a second-grade student with a ________ heart. Christian noticed Connor’s struggle, so he ________ the teary-eyed youngster and offered him ________. With his compassionate gesture, Christian took Connor’s hand and led the way into the ________. Right there and then, the bond between them formed ________ and turned them into best friends.

Christian’s mom, Courtney, witnessed the ________ scene and was deeply moved by her son’s act of kindness. She captured the heartwarming ________ in a photograph. Touched by the gesture, she shared the picture on the social media with high hopes of ________ others, especially kids.

This heartwarming incident is a perfect ________ that extends beyond Connor and Christian. It ________ a good lesson for everyone. The story of the two young friends is a perfect example of kindness, teaching us that compassion knows no ________.

6 . There’s a long line of research showing that when we make contact with people who’re socially different from us, we tend to feel less prejudice towards them. According to the contact theory, contact seems to work best for reducing prejudice when the contact is generally positive. But what happens when the conditions for interpersonal contact may not be ideal? For example, what if you feel threatened in some way by a group of people you see as “the other”?

Researchers from Ghent University in Belgium analyzed the results of 34 studies surveying nearly 64,000 people from 19 countries to see how intergroup contact affected their viewpoints about “outgroups” under conflict situations. For example, people were asked to report on how they viewed other groups. The researchers also had data from the surveys that measured attitudes towards outgroup members, such as how positive people felt towards them and how much they could trust them.

After analyzing the data, the researchers found strong feelings of threat were associated with more negative views of outgroup members. But having contact with outgroup members still reduced prejudice just as much under those unfavorable conditions. To Jasper Van Assche, the lead author of the paper, this suggests contact theory holds even under conflict situations.

Van Assche says that contact is so powerful probably because just being around people from an outgroup affects how we think and feel about them. As we become accustomed to even the me re presence of people from other groups, that can reduce our anxiety, especially if the encounters are positive—and that can lead to warmer feelings. Also, contact can enhance our knowledge about others’ customs and practices, so that they don’t seem so foreign or “other” to us.

Van Assche hopes his research can lead people to see the benefits of integrating the spaces where they live. This could be done through top-down methods, such as the government requiring school integration, but also from the bottom up. For example, suggests Van Assche, communities could create low-cost, low-key events that bring people together, helping to promote tolerance.

7 . Active listening is a communication skill that involves going beyond simply hearing the words that another person speaks but also seeking to understand the meaning and intention behind them. The word “active” implies that you are taking some type of action when listening to others.

Be fully present

Active listening requires being fully present in the conversation. It enables you to concentrate on what is being said. Being present involves listening with all your senses and giving your full attention to the speaker. To use this active listening technique effectively, put away your cell phone, ignore distractions, and shut down your internal dialogue.     2     And let everything else slip away.

Pay attention to non-verbal cues (非言语暗示)

As much as 65% of a person’s communication is unspoken,     3    . This involves not folding your arms, smiling while listening, leaning in, and nodding at key points. It can also be helpful to pay attention to your facial expressions when active listening so that you don’t convey any type of negative response.

Keep good eye contact

When engaged in active listening, making eye contact is especially important. This tells the other person that you are present and listening to what he or she says.     4     At the same time, you don’t want to use so much eye contact that the conversation feels strange. To keep this from happening, follow the 50/70 rule. This involves maintaining eye contact for 50% to 70% of the time spent listening, holding the contact for four to five seconds before briefly looking away.

Be patient

Patience is an important active listening technique because it allows the other person to speak without interruption. Being patient involves not trying to fill periods of silence with your own thoughts or stories. This also requires listening to understand, not to respond.     5     Also, don’t change the subject too abruptly as this conveys boredom and impatience.

The International Public Speaking Competition, the largest of its kind in the world, takes place in London in May each year. This year, two Chinese students took part in the competition and     1     (impress) the judges and audience with their English-language ability. “We were all     2     (amaze) at their ability to express     3     (they). It’s excellent English,” said Lucia Dumont Renard, one of the judges.

When     4     (ask) about their feelings, the two Chinese students said that they were very excited and proud. “I think I generally did a great job. I expressed all of the thoughts that I meant     5     (express), and I’m very proud to stand among all the international     6     (competitor),” said Liu Bowen from Peking University. Wu Dongxu comes from Hangzhou and he talked about his hometown during one speech in the competition. He said, “I think this is     7     valuable opportunity for me to come here, to say something about China, and to introduce China to the outside world.”

More     8     (important), the two Chinese students believed that the competition was much more     9     simply presenting speeches. For them, the competition was a very memorable journey of cultural communication. And it enabled them to meet young people from other parts of the world to make friendships     10     will last a lifetime.

10 . We’ve all had things to apologize for. Whether on the playground or at the office, intentionally or not, we’ve hurt people. Research shows that apologies benefit us in many ways, which can reduce stress and ease heart rates, as well as boosting relationship well being and cooperation.     1    

Like so many other habits that are good for us, apologies must overcome our own mental barriers. When people know they’ve made a mistake and hurt somebody, they may still remain silent in the face of their wrong doings.     2    

First, the offender (冒犯者) may not be concerned with the relationship, especially if they have little empathy for the other person. The second barrier is the perceived threat to one’s self-image. Some people fear that apologizing will be both humbling and prove that they aren’t a good, moral person.     3     They worry that the offense is too great or that the offended won’t forgive them.

While this too is a possibility, in most cases the opposite is true, because people have a tendency to overestimate the negative consequences of apologizing and underestimate the benefits of apologizing. But once we’ve actually apologized, we both feel better, and it can really have a positive impact.

    4     Sometimes, it’s only the beginning of a settlement, for the other person may need time to forgive, or forgiveness may not come at all. That’s okay, because a true apology doesn’t come with the expectation of forgiveness. It’s not a confession (忏悔) by which you clean your morality by unburdening your mistakes on another.

    5     It says you’re sorry you hurt them, that the relationship is important to you, and that you will do better in the future.