Snowblind—it’s a frightening word. Thankfully, it’s a condition that is totally preventable.

Snow blindness is a painful, temporary loss of vision due to overexposure to the sun’s UV rays. Essentially, snow blindness is caused by a sunburned eye.

【小题1】Though it is commonly called snow blindness, the condition can (and often does) occur in the absence of snow.

The terms “snowblind” and “snow blindness” have become popular because snow is highly reflective of ultraviolet radiation. 【小题2】Also, skiing, mountain climbing and snowboarding usually take place at relatively high altitudes, where the sun’s UV rays are stronger. Combined, these factors can double your risk of getting sunburned eyes, compared with being outdoors at lower altitudes in the summertime.

【小题3】Television journalist Anderson Cooper experienced snow-free snow blindness first-hand a few years ago when he spent a couple hours on a boat in Portugal without sunglasses and ended up “blind for 36 hours”, according to his report of the incident.

Not only can you become snowblind without snow—it can happen without sunlight, too! 【小题4】For example, sun lamps can cause temporary “snow” blindness if proper eye protection is not used.

【小题5】To relieve pain or discomfort from snow blindness, stay indoors and wear sunglasses. Keep your eyes well-moistened with artificial tears. For additional relief, use over-the-counter pain relievers. Be sure to use only pain relievers you know you can take without worry of an allergic reaction. You also may find that placing a cool, dampened washcloth over your closed eyelids is comforting.

Many teens may feel anxious sometimes. It’s the kind of nervousness that makes you bite your nails before a big test. We spend more time online than we should. We feel good about ourselves or bad based on how many Likes and Followers we get on social media. Young people are developing a false view of life.

On the screen, we see what people want to show us. People usually only post photos where they are looking their best. They are surrounded by friends and seem that they are having a great time. No one seems sad or lonely. In short, life is fabulous. But sooner or later, our young people compare their real life to it. They find that theirs doesn’t seem as fun or exciting and grow worried that they may be missing out.

No wonder teachers are reporting more anxious students. It’s reported that a lot more college students feel ―overwhelming anxiety. The percentage jumped from 50% in 2011 to 62% in 2016. Anxiety is now the most common mental-health problem in my country. It affects nearly one-third of teens and adults.

Certainly, we can’t blame it on social media alone. We expect too much from our children and a lot of these expectations aren’t reasonable. Their schedules are packed with sports, clubs and homework. They don’t have enough free time. We want our children to succeed, and we don’t care how much it costs.

As parents, we must have more balance. On one hand, we push too hard, and on the other hand, we make life too easy for children. We shouldn’t and can’t promise our children that they will always be happy. We shouldn’t try to protect them from the problems of everyday life. Let them solve the problems in person.

What makes a sense of humour is a difficult thing to tell. Different people find different things funny, and what may seem hilarious to some might be highly rude to others. However, having a good sense of humour is important for reducing stress and getting along with others. Therefore, it’s important to think about ways to improve your sense of humour.

Look for the funny side of situations. While it can be difficult at times to find the funny side in unfortunate events when you’re having a bad day, try to think about how the situation might look like to other people, and attempt not to get too angry. Laughing over minor accidents, trips and falls will help you in preventing the loss of temper that you will regret later.

Learn some basic jokes. Some people find it hard to remember jokes, and feel left out when others are telling them. It’s worth trying to learn a few jokes that you can pull out of the bag when you need to, or regularly think about how you can turn a funny situation that occurs in daily life into an entertaining anecdote (趣闻) for later.

Look at jokes or funny cards. There are many different kinds of funny cards available, which can be a great inspiration for finding ways to improve your sense of humour. Giving an appropriate funny card to friends and family on the right occasion will show that you have a good sense of humour and are thinking about them.

Learn from friends. Look at friends that you think have a great sense of humour.   How do they deal with situations, and what kind of jokes do they make? Is there anything you can take away from their actions?