How Do I Break the Ice?
Breaking the ice is an idiom that refers to the process of the interactions between two people who do not know each other to become more relaxed with each other. If you’re one who falls during those initial moments when you’re meeting someone new, you’ve come to the right place. Read on.
_____.
This is a great way to start conservation in almost any situation. You can see the weather, your situation, or a request you may have, such as asking for directions or assistance (Is it always that hot in February?” or “Do you know the best route to downtown?”)
Be a good listener
Show a sincere interest in what the other person is talking about. _____Smile and nod, when appreciate. Engage by asking follow up questions or inputting appropriate feedback to the conversation.
Be funny
Using a natural ability to make people laugh is always a good way to break the ice. If your humor is more of an acquired taste, you may want to tread carefully in the ice-breaking stage.___ ___
Share a fact
Facts are entertaining and interesting and can be great ways to break the ice at social and business events. You can use anything and everything from the weather to things about your city to current events. Make sure you know your facts, or else someone could correct you, which could be embarrassing.__ __
Stay positive
Try to maintain a smile and never frown when meeting someone new.___ __If a touchy or uncomfortable subject is inadvertently brought up, attempt to divert the conversation to a different direction.
State an opinion
This can be a little tricky, but also fun. Opinions work better in social situations like parties and sporting events. You can state an opinion about current events, work, the weather, or where you are at the present moment. You can talk about a movie, TV show, restaurant, or book.
| A．Maintain good eye contact |
| B．Open by asking questions. |
| C．Don’t ruin the conversation into negative grounds. |
| D．Make a special comment on a common event. |
E. Avoid making mean jokes about people.
F. Try not to stare at others while talking
G. If not, your intention is to spark a controversy.
A few things to do during weekends
to improve your life
Weekend at last! Something you’re so looking forward to after a tiring week at work. Here are several tips on how to make the most of your weekends.
Spend time with loved ones. Reconnect with family members or friends you neglected(疏忽) lately. Don’t do it out of guilt or because you have to. Do it because you want to. Reach out to them to see how they are doing. Return their calls if you were busy when they last tried to reach you. Talk to them. Listen to them. Be there for them.
Stay away from TV, iPad, iPhone and any other electronic devices. Unplug! Your brain needs to clear up from all the stress you’ve put on yourself during the week. Why not read a book instead? A paper one. Seriously, when was the last time you did that?
Laugh, laugh and laugh again. You can never have enough of it. Laugh is the best medicine ever. For example, it helps you manage stress, strengthen your immune system and you are 40 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack.
Express appreciation. Be grateful for your family, friends, health, the food you put on the table, the clothes you wear and the air that you breathe.
There you are. Doing a few things during weekends will have a positive long-term effect on your life. .
| A．Apply the “no technology” rule. |
| B．Pause and pay attention to your thoughts. |
| C．Friendship is the best source of happiness. |
| D．Don’t call them only when you need them. |
E. Put them into practice and you’ll beat the Monday Blues.
F. It benefits your mental and physical health in so many ways.
G. This is something you should be doing every day, not only on weekends.
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I had an experience once which taught me something about the ways people made a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I officiated(主持) at two funerals for two elderly women.. At the first home, the son of the deceased(已故) woman said, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son said, “If only I had not insisted her going to Florida, she would be alive today.
. It is my fault.”
When things don’t turn out as we would like them to, we tend to assume that had we done things differently, the story would have had a happier ending. Any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course, for example, keeping mother at home, would have turned out better.
There seem to be elements involved in our readiness to feel guilty. The first lies in our belief that the world makes sense---there is a reason for everything that happens.
The second is the thought that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen.. A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and calls the rest of the world to its tasks.
. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely abandon that childish thought that our wishes cause things to happen.
| A．That long airplane ride was more than she could take |
| B．After all, how could it have turned out any worse? |
| C．Life and dead is an unsolved mystery. |
| D．The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood |
E.He cries, and someone comes to attend to him
F.Both died a natural death
G. They believe that they are responsible for what has happened.
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How to Love Your Parents
Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling part of life．You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part, a source of who you are．__
Tell them you love them every morning．A gentle "good morning" and "I love you" will warm a coldest heart． Remember that they brought you into this world． Without your parents, we might still wander at an unknown corner in an unknown world．
Respect them more and cherish these moments．You can use these moments to learn from them, preparing yourself for when you're off on your own．It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents． Act calmly, cool off, write down your feelings, or talk to a friend．
Obey their requests． It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them．It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean．However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it's cold, raining, snowing, or too hot．Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes．Since you can forgive your friends, why not forgive your parents?
Keep company with them．Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them．Listen to their old stories and learn from them． You will find they are your teachers in this way or another．
Some people simply may not be able to love their parents．Seek help if you are being abused（虐待）in anyway．Parents do not have a right to harm you．
| A．Parents will in turn express their love to you． |
| B．Forgiveness is the key． |
| C．Here are some ways to love your parents． |
| D．There can be realistic reasons for this, family violence for example． |
E． Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can．
F． After this, share your feelings with your parents．
G． Please remember parents are as important as friends．
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A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is "loss of self". According to the study, even though boys would say "lose themselves in a romantic relationship", this "loss of self" is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. They won't tell that to their parents.
Dr. Marianm Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression.
She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self.
Parents should watch for signs of depression—eating or mood changes. . The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young.
.
| A．Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. |
| B．However, only maturity (成熟) gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects. |
| C．Puppy love (早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression (忧郁症) |
| D．Parents should forbid their children’s puppy love. |
E. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
F. If they see signs from their daughter or son, they need to give help.
G. Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly.
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What is a big dream?Or, is a big dream something that provides only entertainment? Children dream big dreams, but there are three barriers to realizing dreams. They often kill them before they ever have a chance to grow.
The Self
Immediately following the birth of a big dream, a negative self-talk takes over and gives all the reasons why it cannot happen. This inside voice is the ego (自我). It’s there for protecting and should be listened to. Most people are influenced by the inside voice. That’s why only a handful of people make their dream come true.
Family and friends are a lot like the ego. They want to protect those they love, so they will often list all the reasons why the big dreams won’t come true. Sometimes, family and friends destroy dreams of those they love most, out of their own fear of being left behind.
The World
If one gets past the first two barriers, one has to face the world. In the past, big dreamers were locked up and sometimes even killed when they were shown to the world. Fortunately, in most of the world today, big dreamers just get laughed at.
The way to realize a big dream is with confidence and action. When children have confidence and then take action, they will be ready to accept any failure. The truth is that every great dreamer whose dreams have never seen the light of success knows failure well.
| A．Family and Friends. |
| B．How big Dreams Die. |
| C．Does a big dream show one’s future? |
| D．They simply fail until they succeed. |
E. it is the last and the most terrible barrier.
F. Sometimes it is right, but more often it is wrong.
G. And their big dream is to be a rock star or a famous artist.