People around us, especially our friends, have a strong influence on our lives. We all want to

believe that they are the best but sometimes it is not so. As you change over the years, people and your friends change, too. If you are following a path of growth, then you must be prepared to grow new friendships too.

Be open to meeting new people. No matter whether your life has changed or not, always be open to letting new people into your life. They are like a fresh wind on a hot day. They can inspire you. They can give you new ideas. They can become your new best friends. Don’t limit yourself to the circle of people you already know, or you will limit your own ways to grow.

Make sure that you are a friend that you would like to have. Are you always there for your friends? Do you help them? Do you actually listen to them? Can you accept and understand the changes that happened or are happening in their lives? Do you enjoy giving as much as receiving? Answer these questions for yourself first and see if you are the one who needs to grow to the level of your friends.

Explore new ways to make friends. New people won’t just suddenly appear in your life. If you want to meet somebody then you need to start exploring the world. You can make friends online. You can start a new hobby. You can just start talking to a stranger who seems interesting to you. Be the one who starts the relationship, not the one who is waiting for something to happen.

Are we more narcissistic than ever before?

Like the flower, narcissism(自恋) has continued to flourish in modern civilization, which has become such a part of culture. But narcissism in psychology is more than a single question can capture, which really has three types of narcissism. Problems arise when people discuss narcissism without identifying the form.

Grandiose(浮夸) narcissism is the outgoing, extraverted(外向) form. The narcissistic individual believes he or she is smarter, better looking and more important than others. And, of course, he or she gets special treatment for this fact. In fact, some of them can be very charming, likable and enjoy people. On the opposite side, narcissistic relationships are often not very emotionally warm or caring.

Vulnerable(脆弱) narcissism is the second flavor of narcissism. It is harder to see than grandiose narcissism. Vulnerable narcissists think they have the right to get special treatment and greatness but actually have low self－confidence and are not typically extraverted. Imagine someone living in his mumˈs small room. He spends his evenings watching X Factor believing he should be the next famous star singing act. Unfortunately, he hasnˈt the confidence to do it and instead becomes a net citizen, who posts offensive, controversial, or divisive materials on an Internet community.

The third form of narcissism occurs when narcissism is extreme and causes clinically serious problems in a personˈs life－marriages fall apart, friends are lost, a career is over. When this occurs narcissism can be identified as a personality disorder－narcissistic personality disorder (also known as NPD), containing a mix of both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Can you change narcissism or NPD? There is no simple answer to this. For grandiose narcissism, what I often do is suggest practicing caring and compassion, doing what you are passionate about rather than what gets you attention and being responsible for your mistakes as well as successes. For vulnerable narcissism I would add to this list with practices that reduce depression and anxiety. Develop a sense of belonging or a friendship network; participate in physical exercise; or practice a form of emptying your mind of thoughts and feelings. For NPD, there is no single, scientifically affirmed treatment of choice. But pay attention to the following. First, people with NPD are often reluctant to enter treatment because in their mind they do not have a problem—everyone else does. Second, it is challenging for doctors to keep individuals with NPD in treatment.

Narcissism is increasing and while social media hasnˈt been proven to actually create narcissism, it does give them a new platform to gain attention and admiration. Still, I remain optimistic that people can change if they are motivated, have the right tools, and know what type of narcissism they are dealing with.

Are we more narcissistic than ever before？

There is( 1 ) doubt that the world climate has been changing in recent years. Many people blame this change (  2)  gases such as carbon dioxide. Animals and humans produce carbon dioxide when they breathe. Many other human ( 3 ) (activity) also let off carbon gases. In order to solve this problem, one thing we can all to do is walking or

( 4 ) (use)a bicycle ( 5 )  possible. Of course, there are times when we need to travel long distance. In this case, public transport such as buses and the underground is always a ( 6 )  (good) choice than a private car or a taxi. At home you should use as little energy as possible. Turn off lights and anything else (7 )  (electricity) when not in use and its important to use( 8 ) (recycle) stuff as much as possible. Last but not least, ( 9 ) (plant) a tree every year because trees absorb the carbon dioxide in the air ( 10 ) (produce) oxygen.

 Shortly after moving from his hometown inIsraelto California at the age of 14,Roey Gabay faced a series of stressful events. His parents got divorced, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and he started high school while still learning English. Everything hit him at once.

Soon, Roey, once a casual gamer, was escaping with his laptop for up to 12 hours a day into a virtual world over which he had greater control: the online game called Defense of the Ancients. Sleep, schoolwork and a starting position on his high school basketball team were all affected. Everything was overshadowed(使黯然失色). It seemed like a routine he just couldn’t break.

  Roey believed that he was suffering from Internet gaming disorder. But he just didn’t know what to do. One day when Roey finally got home from the college library, he found his twin sister, Reut, waiting for him in the living room. It was around 1 a.m. on June 9th, the night before his finals. But she knew he hadn’t been to the library to study. And he knew she knew it. “Come here,”she said. “We need to talk.”

Roey’s neglect of his school work had already cost him a scholarship to a prestigious university in California.And he was well on his way to losing his enrollment(入学) at East Bay. “This can’t keep going,” his sister told him. “ I know your potential. You’re throwing it all the way, and it’s killing me.”

  The confrontation(对抗) surprised him. He broke down and admitted he needed help. With his sister’s help, he went to theRestart Centerfor Digital Technology Sustainability—a retreat center outside Seattle. Now Poey is recovering from his Internet addiction there.

Ashley Power’s mother bought a computer for her when she was eight. When she was thirteen, she was surfing the Internet regularly, but she couldn’t find anywhere for teenagers to meet and talk. And one day she thought, “If I had my own website, I’d make it a really interesting site for teenagers.”

  So, when Ashley was sixteen, shelaunchedher own website, called GooseHead. Young people got excited when they searched on this website and step by step they introduced the site to others and made more friends. She had no idea how big a success it would be, but three years later, the site was the most successful teen site in the USA! It was getting 100,000 hits every day, and Ashley had about 30 employees.

  After a few years, the website closed down. Then Ashley, who lives in Los Angeles, was asked to write a book called GooseHead Guide to Life. It's safe to say that this is a book for teens that they'll enjoy. The book is about how to design a website and start a business. It begins with a section called “All about Ashley,” where Ashley tells readers what it is like to be the boss of a company when you are only sixteen. “I was so happy. But it was crazy in a lot of ways. I was stressed. I mean, I was only sixteen — I didn’t even have a car! If you were sixteen and you had your own company, you’d be stressed, too!”

In an interview Ashley gave advice to teenagers who wanted to start their own business, “Just be strong and have your dreams and work hard at them. And don’t listen when people tell you that you can’t do it, because I heard ‘no’ a lot. Just keep going until you hear ‘yes’!”

阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。

       Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school , I was driving to my parents' home in Missouri for Christmas．I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City. While I was standing in line at the cash register (收款台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas．

      I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured(冒出) from the back of my car．I stopped and wondered what I should do．A car pulled up（停下）behind me．It was the couple. They said they would take me．We chatted（聊天） and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card．I wrote them a thank-you note．Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them．Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful．

         Years later, I drove to a meeting in the morning．In late afternoon I found that I'd left the lights on all day, and the battery（电池） was dead．Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership（经销店） was right next door．I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom．

   "Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?" I asked and explained my trouble．They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it．They would accept no payment, so later, I wrote them a note to say thanks．I received a letter back from one of the salesmen．No one had ever written him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said．

"Thank you" - two powerful words．They're easy to say and mean so much．

Time management refers to managing time effectively so that the right time is allocated to the right activity.Time management is essential in every field of life because time is the precious resource one needs to accomplish a task. Every single moment that passes once will never come back again. Time management helps you do your task in time and use your time more productively. It helps you to identify the useless activities which can be avoided and how time can be saved. It helps you allocate proper time for a task and perform the task more efficiently.

A student’s daily routine is filled with a lot of activities. Some are related to his studies, some are essential for his life and some are for entertainment or physical fitness. Still some activities have no use and just waste time. Similarly if the number of the activities for entertainment exceeds what is reasonable, they waste the time of a student. These activities include using the internet for chatting, playing games, watching movies or listening to music for hours on end. Such activities are called “distracters” which distract one from one’s real purpose.\

Games and physical exercise are important for a student because they keep him fit in body and mind but game time should be controlled as it may waste his time.

No one wastes time intentionally. Time is always wasted in an insensible way. That’s why a student is aware of it until the days of exams come. So it is better to use the present time more effectively than cry over what you’ve done in the future.

As for a student, time management compromises (包括) various steps. It is not only necessary to allocate time for different subjects but also to identify right time for each such subject. ‘s more, to identify the distracters which become causes of wastage of time is of significance as well.

Take a pen and sheet. Write down all the activities you do in your daily routine. Calculate how much time you have for your studies other than other activities. Determine how much time a subject can take out of your total study time. See which subject need more time.

Time management

Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch. Sometimes they hold you up and sometimes they lean on you. Sometimes itˈs just enough to know theyˈre standing by. Friendship doubles your joy and divides your sorrow. A friendship is priceless and should be developed.

●Remembering the golden rule

Without a doubt, the greatest human relations principle is to treat other people like you want to be treated. When you show respect for your friends and gratitude for their friendship, youˈll be blessed in untold ways.

Whatever the cause of others’ rudeness, you donˈt have to accentuate(突出)the problem. A kind word or a gent le, understanding smile may help the person more than returned rudeness would.

● Considering enemies as friends

A friend looks after your own good. On the other hand, a foe(敌人)is someone who isnˈt interested in your well-being.

Yet some students view their teachers as enemies. However, a studentˈs success in school partly depends on the teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom. Instead of being an enemy, a teacher who corrects you and helps you to achieve can be the best friend you ever had.

So change this kind of thinking and adjust yourself a little, both of you are better off.

● Making friends by being an optimist

Do you enjoy being around a pessimist, someone who is generally described as being able to brighten up a room just by leaving it? The answer is obvious. Most people have a preference for being around people who believe that tomorrow is going to be better than today, rather than people who believe that today is even worse than yesterday.

● Capturing the pleasing personality

How do you develop a pleasing personality? Here are some steps you can take:

Smile when you see someone. You donˈt have to give a wide grin — just a pleasant, friendly smile.

Speak in a pleasant, upbeat tone of voice. Talk to people as if they are good friends, even if they donˈt really fall into that category yet.

Take a course in public speaking. The ability to express yourself attracts favorable attention from many sources.

Develop a sense of humor. Pick up a couple of joke books. This makes you a little more outgoing and friendly.

● Donˈt criticize unjustly

Instead of criticizing others all the time, take the humane(人道的)and sensible approach. Look for the good in others. Encourage them. Build them up.

To conclude, most people seldom think through each situation completely and consider the other personˈs point of view. If you take the time and effort to do this, youˈll end up befriending more people.

   Almost everybody in America will spend a part of his or her life behind a shopping cart(购物手推车). They will, in a lifetime, push thechrome-plated contraptionsmany miles. But few will know—or even think to ask—who it was that invented them.

Sylvan N. Goldman invented the shopping cart in 1937. At that time he was in the supermarket business. Every day he would see shoppers lugging(吃力地携带) groceries around in baskets they had to carry.

One day Goldman suddenly had the idea of putting baskets on wheels. The wheeled baskets would make shopping much easier for his customers, and would help to attract more business.

On June 4, 1937, Goldman’s first carts were ready for use in his market. He was terribly excited on the morning of that day as customers began arriving. He couldn’t wait to see them using his invention.

But Goldman was disappointed. Most shoppers gave the carts a long look, but hardly anybody would give them a try.

After a while, Goldman decided to ask customers why they weren’t using his carts. “Don’t you think this arm is strong enough to carry a shopping basket?” one shopper replied.

But Goldman wasn’t beaten yet. He knew his carts would be a great success if only he could persuade people to give them a try. To this end, Goldman hired a group of people to push carts around his market and pretend they were shopping! Seeing this, the real customers gradually began copying the phony(假冒的) customers.

As Goldman had hoped, the carts were soon attracting larger and larger numbers of customers to his market. But not only did more people come—those who came bought more. With larger, easier-to-handle baskets, customers unconsciously bought a greater number of items than before.

Today’s shopping carts are five times larger than Goldman’s original model. Perhaps that’s one reason Americans today spend more than five times as much money on food each year as they did before 1937—before the coming of the shopping cart.

Anything that poses a challenge or a threat to our well-being is a stress. Some stresses get you going and they are good for you - without any stress at all many say our lives would be boring and would probably feel pointless. However, when the stresses undermine both our mental and physical health they are bad. Here we shall be focusing on stress that is bad for you.

Stress is the feeling we have when under pressure, while stressors are the things we respond to in our environment. Examples of stressors are noises, unpleasant people, a speeding car, or even going out on a first date. Generally (but not always), the more stressors we experience, the more stressed we feel.

When we are stressed the following happens:

Blood pressure rises.                            

Breathing becomes more rapid.                         

Heart rate (pulse) rises.                             

Muscles become tense.

We do not sleep (heightened state of alertness).

Most of us have varying interpretations of what stress is about and what matters. Some of us focus on what happens to us, such as breaking a bone or getting a promotion, while others think more about the event itself. How you see that stressful event will be the largest single factor that impacts on your physical and mental health. Your interpretation of events and challenges in life may decide whether they are invigorating or harmful for you.

There are three broad methods you can follow to treat stress.

Self help for treating stress

Exercise has been proven to have a beneficial effect on a person’s mental and physical state. For many people exercise is an extremely useful stress buster.

Alcohol and drugs will not help you manage your stress better. Either stop consuming them completely, or cut down.

     If your consumption of coffee and other drinks which contain caffeine is high, cut down.

Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Make sure you have a healthy and balanced diet.

Talk to you family, friends, work colleagues and your boss. Express your thoughts and worries.

Stress management techniques

Stress management can help you to keep away from the source of stress, change the way you view a stressful event, and lower the impact that stress might have on your body. Stress management therapy will have the objective of pursuing one or more of these approaches.

Medicines

   Doctors will not usually prescribe medications for coping with stress, unless the patient has an underlying illness, such as depression or some type of anxiety. If that is the case, the doctor is actually treating a mental illness. In such cases, an antidepressant may be prescribed. Bear in mind that there is a risk that all the medication will do is mask the stress, rather than help you deal and cope with it.