Some people think only school children do not agree with their parents, however, it is not true.

    Communication is a problem for parents and children of all ages. If it's hard for you to communicate with your parents, don't worry about it. Here is some advice for you to bridge the generation gap (代沟).

    Don't argue with your parents. Don't get to your parents when you are angry. Your parents probably won't consider your ideas if you are shouting at them. And you can't express yourself well if you are angry. Go someplace to cool off. Make sure you understand why you are unhappy. Then think about what you want to say to your parents. If you don't think you can speak to them at the moment, try writing a letter.

    Try to reach a compromise (和解). Perhaps you and your parents disagree on something. You can keep your disagreement and try your best to accept each other. Michael's mother didn't agree with him about buying a motorcycle. They argued over it. But they finally came to a compromise. Michael bought the motorcycle, but only drove it on certain days.

   Of course, your parents might refuse to compromise on something. In these situations, it is especially important to show love and respect (尊敬) to them. Showing respect will keep your relationship (关系) strong.

    Talk about your values. The values of your parents are probably different from those of your own. Tell your parents what you care about, and why. Understanding your values might help them see your purposes in life.

    A good relationship with your parents can make you a better and happier person. It is worth having a try!

Next time a customer comes to your office, offer him a cup of coffee. And when you're doing your holiday shopping online, make sure you're holding a large glass of iced tea. The physical sensation (感觉) of warmth encourages emotional (情感的) warmth, while a cold drink in hand stops you from making unwise decisions- those are the practical lesson being drawn from recent research by psychologist John A. Bargh.

Psychologists have known that one person's feeling of another's "warmth" is a powerful determiner (决定因素) in social relationships. Judging someone to be either "warm" or "cold" is a primary consideration. "Much of this is rooted in very early childhood experiences. Bargh argues, "When babies' understanding of the world around them is shaped by physical sensations, particularly warmth and coldness. "Classic studies by Harry Harlow, published in 1958, showed monkeys preferred to stay close to a cloth "mother" rather than one made of wire, even when the wire "mother" carried a food bottle. Harlow's work and later studies have led psychologists to stress the need for warm physical contact from caregivers to help young children grow into healthy adults with normal social skills.

Feelings of "warmth" and "coldness" in social judgments appear to be universal. Although no worldwide study has been done, Bargh says that describing people as "warm" or "cold" is common to many cultures, and studies have found those feelings influence judgment in dozens of countries.

To test the relationship between physical and psychological warmth, Bargh did an experiment which involved 41 college students. A research assistant handed the students either a hot cup of coffee, or a cold drink, to hold while the researcher filled out a short information form. The drink was then handed back. After that, the students were asked to rate (评估) the personality of the assistant. Those who had briefly held the warm drink regarded the assistant as warmer than those who had held the iced drink.

"We based on our physical experiences even when we think abstractly (抽象地)," says Bargh.

    My neighbour is a doctor. He and his wife are some of the1people I have ever met. A few years ago, we started this kind of "favour war" where one of us would do something kind for the other, such as2up the driveway or building a shed, and next time the other would try to top it with another favour.

    Yesterday morning there was about 2 or 3 feet of snow on the ground and I3he shovelled (铲) my driveway for me when I was out on a business trip last winter. So I took out my shovel and took care of both our sidewalks and driveways because it was my turn to do a favour back. It took a while but I finished it and got into my car for work.

    That night I got a4on my door; it was my neighbour. He immediately shook my hand and thanked me for shovelling his driveway and sidewalk, so that he was able to get to work earlier and saved a boy.

    "As soon as I started the car early this morning, a(n)5came through that a young boy in our neighbourhood was seriously ill. 6my partner and I were only about 2 minutes away, but the closest ambulance (救护车) 10 minutes," he added. "A young boy got to live his life because you did me the favour earlier this morning."

    It wasn't too much7to shovel a driveway, but what I did got a young boy to see his family again, go back to school again and live his life again.

    No favour is too small. Even the smallest favour can make the biggest8.One favour will always be followed by another.

Travel Advice: We Answer Your Questions!

注意：1）电子邮件必须包括下面三幅图画所包含的内容;

2）词数80左右，开头和结尾已给出(不计人总词数)。

参考词汇：考试不及格 fail the exam; 熬夜 stay up late

Dear Nancy,

    How are you? I hope you re well.



 

    I'm really looking forward to receiving your reply soon.

Love,

Li Ping

Giving a Hand

    Jaime, a new immigrant (移民) of the USA, was going; to watch his daughter's first show in a school play. His daughter, Carol, was five years old. She was a student at the local public school. Carol did not have a very big role in the school play. She was just playing a rain cloud in a play about the drought in California. Carol had just one line. Her line was, "I am sad enough to cry about how dry the state is."

    Jaime and his wife made sure to arrive early so that they could get a, good seat to watch the show. They found seats in the front row. Before the show began, the schoolmaster made an introductory speech. The speech was about how hard the students and teachers worked together to make the play possible. At the end of the speech, the schoolmaster said, "Let's give the school staff a hand."

    Jaime，whose English was not very good, stood up when the schoolmaster said this. He knew that when people said "to give someone a hand", they meant they needed help. Jaime always wanted to help, especially at his daughter's school. Jaime thought maybe they needed help backstage.

    Jaime's wife put her arm in front of her husband. "Where are you going?" she asked in a low voice. "They need a hand," Jaime replied. His wife explained that "to give someone a hand" could also mean to applaud (鼓掌) someone. When you applaud someone, you clap your hands after their performance. You are not supposed to stand up and try to help others. "They don't need help. They just want us to clap," Jaime's wife explained. Jaime felt a little embarrassed. He sat back down and began clapping along with the rest of the audience.

    Jaime thought to himself that someone needed to give the English language a hand. How could one phrase mean two different things? He meant the English language needed help.

—I haven't made up my mind. I'll just look around.

—Well, no, to be _______________. I think it's quite silly.

—Sure, let me show you.