1 . Improve Your Relationships

Having stable and positive relationships in your life can make you happier and more fulfilled. Whether it's your friends, family, or significant other, improving a relationship can sometimes be confusing.     1    

Express your appreciation for the person.

    2     Notice the positive things that the person is doing and go out of your way to show your appreciation for them. You can also show your appreciation by remembering important events like anniversaries or birthdays.

    3    

If you hardly see each other or talk to each other, it can be difficult to maintain a relationship. Take extra time out of your day and devote it to the person that you want to improve relations with. Try to work around the other person's schedule so that you can spend the time together. You can share a meal, watch a show, listen to music, or go shopping with them.

Turn off distractions.

Distractions like a cell phone, social media, or video games can create a division in between you and another person. If you notice that you are always distracted, you should turn off your cell phone or computer and talk to them.     4    

Seek therapy(心理治疗) if you can't get along.

To fix or improve family relationships or relationships with your significant other, you can turn to therapy. If you notice that you and the person are always arguing over the same kinds of things, and nothing has worked, you should consider seeking therapy with them.     5     And family therapy may be able to restore bonds between family members.

At a time when we are all experiencing an extraordinary level of stress, science offers a simple and effective way to improve our own emotional （情感的）health.

To help yourself,     1    （ start） by helping others.

As     2     matter of fact, our bodies and minds benefit in a variety of     3    （ way）when we help others. Some research has focused     4     the “ helper's high. " Studies show that volunteering, donating money, or even just thinking about donating money can release （释 放）feel-good brain chemicals.

    5     （feel） responsible for other people also can help us deal with whatever challenges life brings. Emily Greenfield, an associate     6    （ consult） of social work at Rutgers

University, studied a concept called “felt obligation （义务），”   which     7     （measure） by asking people questions such as how obligated they would feel to give money to a friend in need, even     8     it meant putting themselves in trouble.

As it turned out, the people who had higher levels of “felt obligation” - meaning they were the type of people to sacrifice for others - dealt     9    （ well） with their own life challenges than others.

She     10     （note） that caring for others helped us to regulate our own emotions and gain a sense of control.

Last spring, the Art students League of New York, an art school, found its members effectively     1     (separate). Wanting to provide     2     opportunity for the students to dig deep within themselves, the league made an open call for contributions to the COVID-19 comics Anthology(选集).

Since then, people     3     (participate) in their contributions actively. The anthology brings together the works of 76 artists from around the world and is a     4     (person) glimpse into how each one interprets their experiences about this ongoing disruption in their     5     (life).

Although the news cycle of 2020 has been overwhelming(令人难以应对的), the events can     6     (understand) in a different way when selected through the hands of artists. The editor of the comics Kitchen threw     7     (she) into her work and she said, “The pandemic is     8     (extreme) frightening, but it is a fight worldwide. Everyone has access     9     expressing their inner thoughts with pens and ink, showing how the disasters can be defeated. ”

Art is one of the most important lenses ( 滤镜), through     10     society views itself and people grow.

5 . When I was seven, my parents explained to me that my sister would be different.     1     But now I realize I see the world in a much different way, all thanks to her.

Throughout our lives, my sister has often got stared at because she has Down syndrome (唐氏综合征), which makes her appear abnormal. There were times when I had to struggle with her.     2     I simply thought. “Everyone else is just staring and that is wrong. They should offer us help instead of staring at us like it’s a circus act (马戏表演).”

I had this in mind when I was traveling alone recently and saw a mother and a son with special needs at the airport gate.     3     They were heading towards the gate of their second departure of the day. The mother was obviously stressed out and trying to keep her son calm while some items were falling out of her un-zipped (拉开拉链的) backpack. The son was pulling strangers’clothes, and she appeared to be embarrassed about it. Then the boy began to scream, looking very scared and confused.

Some people gave the son and mother strange looks, the same kind of looks my sister and I would sometimes get.     4     I tried to help calm the boy down by assuring him he was going to see his grandmother as his mom kept telling him. When the boy finally calmed down, I returned to my seat. At the time, an older gentleman turned around and said to me. “I thought about doing what you did, but I just thought about it. You did it.”

To be honest. I didn’t even really regard what I did as something different or good.     5    

6 . Don't brag(炫耀)，but be proud of what you've done. These two pieces of advice were tough to balance before Facebook existed.    1    We are unable to draw a line between a humble bragging and a straight-up bragging. But we certainly know that oversharing doesn't do your friendship any favors.

Social media like Facebook bring us convenience.    2    Once upon a time, only your family and close friends would be there to see you eagerly open presents on Christmas morning. Now the photo you take on your iPhone will likely become a touch-up Instagram in about 15 seconds. Maybe you just post it subconsciously. But your sharing behavior could easily be considered annoying or even narcissistic(自恋的).

    3    Maybe we should all be asking ourselves the question before hitting the share button. As our personal fame grows alongside our social media presences, so does the number of people we could potentially impress or bother.

According to Therapist Jessica Michaels, providing "emotional context" may help prevent what might be seen as a bragging. Think about how you say something, not just what you say. Frame it in a way that makes it more of a sharing idea. For example, if you plan a party for Christmas, you could post "Hey friends of mine! Let's plan this together. Maybe we could all go." instead of saying "Oh I can't wait to enjoy my party."     4    

Remember, the original intention behind social media is a connector, and your true best friends definitely do want to know when things are going good for you. Next time when you post a photo of your fantastic winter vacation, for example, make sure to tag your friends.    5    

A little bit of social media love goes a long way!

As a child, Obaida Omar    1     (narrow) escaped the enemy’s invasion of her native Afghanistan, walking for weeks through the mountains. Now a mother of three and Islamic Center of Rochester board member, Omar provided first-hand experience of what it means to be a child made     2     (home) by war as the keynote speaker at the “Dinner for Peace”     3     (host) by the Student Association for the Development of Arab Cultural Awareness last Saturday.

About 250 guests attended the dinner, the proceeds(收益) of     4     will go to education for children affected by the Middle Eastern refugee crisis.

“Children did not create this conflict,     5     they are its greatest victims,” said Alanoud Alzaid, the group’s president, who gave the opening speech at the dinner. “Tonight we have raised roughly $3,000 in profit, which means over 1,000 children can get the education they deserve,” he said. “    6     you, tonight would not have been possible.”

    7     (entertain) the audience, the Yellow Jackets kicked the night off with a     8     (select) of lively songs. The Sihir belly(肚皮) dancing group also performed, with pride and authority in their costumes of shining gold and bright coral colors.

“We     9     (plan) this for two months now. It feels wonderful to see such an amazing turnout. It brings back the human element, making you remember that we’re all the same.” said Gabby Stillman, an     10     (eleven) grader.

On the whole, the dinner was a success. The audience was also full of praise.

8 . Many people confuse hard-working people with workaholics(工作狂). How could a person tell that he/she is a workaholic? A workaholic works long hours, at the expense of personal relationships and health. When not working, they’re thinking about work. Work influences their mood: when work is going well, they’re up; when work is going less well, they’re down.

Working, or simply being busy, can be a hard habit to break. When workaholics aren’t busy working—or doing something to promote their work—they feel anxious and guilty. They hang onto jobs for dear life and do everything they can to make sure they’re essential.

There is a link between health problems and workaholism. Just because work itself is a respectable pursuit(追求) doesn’t mean that an addiction to it is any less damaging than other sorts of addictions. A number of studies show that workaholism has been associated with a wide range of health problems, such as anxiety and heart disease.

Besides health problems, being a workaholic brings other negative effects as well. A study published in the American Journal of Family Therapy found that working too much negatively influenced an employee’s marriage. This isn’t surprising, since if you’re married to your work, it can be difficult to be married to anything, or anyone, else. There have also been studies looking at the influence of workaholic parents on their children and the news isn’t good. Adult children of workaholic fathers experienced more depression and anxiety and a weaker sense of self.

However, there are also many positive aspects to working hard and to an increasing devotion to career. Hard work can bring great rewards. For many, it’s how they develop feelings of self-worth and confidence and purpose. If you have a workaholic in your life, you might point out the things he or she is missing out on while at work, whether it’s a child’s soccer game, a good book, or a yoga class. Seek to understand why the person feels the need to work so much and support them in finding a solution.