One day two young men are walking in a big forest. One is fat , and the other is thin.” We are good friends. We must help each other. If we meet any beast(野兽), I’ll help you,” the thin man says. “I’ll help you, too,” the fat one says. They walk on. After a while they hear a great noise. It is a big bear. It is coming this way.

The two young men run away quickly. One of them climbs up a tree, and hides among the leaves. He forgets all about his friend. What about the fat one? He is too fat to climb up a tree. So he throws himself on the ground, closes his eyes, and pretends（假装） to be dead. “ The bear will think I’m dead,” he thinks to himself.

Soon the bear comes up to the fat man, and even puts its nose to his mouth and ears. The fat man holds his breath.

The bear thinks he is dead, so it goes away, because bears never touch the dead. The man in the tree comes down. With a smile he asks his friend, “ The bear puts its nose so close to your ears. What does it say to you?”

The friend answers, “ The bear says, ‘ Don’t trust your friend. He runs away from you when you need his help most.”

The holidays are the best time to ask the elders in your family for advice. For most people, the approaching holiday season includes more time with the extended family, including the elder generation.

Unfortunately, older adults are often unseen in the popular media. Yet there's a big body of evidence that shows the benefits of older adults' wisdom and the value of developing communication across generations.

First, over the course of human history, older people have played very important roles as advice-givers. Anthropological (人类学) research shows that survival in pre-literate societies was dependent on the knowledge of the oldest members.

In recent times, most of the researches about intergenerational communication occur within formal programs, such as ones including older adults in public schools or having youth visit assisted living facilities. Also, you can apply many of the lessons of the researches to your own family gatherings.

There is clear evidence that it is good for young people to spend time with older adults. The youth who participated in intergenerational programs showed more respect toward older adults, less anxiety, and higher self-esteem. Research also shows that interacting with younger people is good for older adults. A systematic review found that older adults who participated in intergenerational programs were likely to experience more satisfaction with their lives, higher self-esteem and fewer symptoms of depression. Interactions during intergenerational programs can be positive even when an older adult is experiencing memory or cognitive problems.

Having children teach computer or video games to the older generations can be a fun way to spend time together. A study found that intergenerational games can help family members to bond. Another idea is to encourage the youth to ask older family members for their advice about life.

The youth can ask older adults specific questions about the lessons they learned from their life experiences.

The take-home message is that time with older relatives is one of the true gifts of the holiday season. Make the most of it by spending time with the older generation!

Friendship needs care and attention to keep it in good health. Here are five ways to sustain (保持) long-distance friendships.

Long-lasting friendships share the characteristic that both sides equally contact (联系) and share with one another. With busy schedules, squeezing in phone calls can be a challenge. 【小题1】.

Make sure you have communicated with your friend about how frequently each of you wants to be contacted and what method works best for you both. 【小题2】. There are alternatives to constant written communication, such as leaving voice messages or having a group chat.

【小题3】. The friend who is remaining needs to be sensitive to all the additional time demands placed on the friend who has moved. The one in the new environment should be sympathetic to the fact that your friend may feel abandoned.

Anniversaries and birthdays carry even more weight in long-distance friendships. Although technology might make day-to-day communication possible, extra effort goes a long way on special days. Simply keeping a diary that keeps track of friends’ birthdays and other important dates will make sure nothing slips by you.

【小题5】, but long-distance friendships — even close ones — may require more conscious effort to sustain. Try to seek out chances to renew friendships. How to do it? Just spend face-to-face time together whenever possible.