Being polite is an important social skill. It can help you make friends, succeed professionally and show respect.

Greet people politely. You can be polite by offering a proper greeting. 【小题1】. It shows that you are in good spirits and are happy to see him. Also, shake hands to show respect.

Make small talks. Instead of jumping right into business. 【小题2】. Talk about their lunch, their kids or their day. Listen carefully and pay attention to what they are saying to you. Show them you’re interested by asking questions.

Congratulate other people on their successes. 【小题3】. If you meet a friend in the store who has recently graduated, gotten married, or gotten a new job, congratulate him.

【小题4】. Some topics can make people uncomfortable. You might hurt other people’s feelings if you talk about them. Try to keep your conversation in the pleasant areas.

Make eye contact (接触). When in conversation with someone, look them in the eye when you’re speaking. Keeping eye contact shows that you are paying attention. However, don’t stare at people. 【小题5】.

① As an old saying goes, “Laughter is the best medicine.” It’s true that laughter is really good for our health. So, the next time you feel stressed, try to laugh a lot. Develop a sense of humor and watch funny films.

② The Comic Relief charity, an organization that helps people in need, uses laughter to raise money. Every two years in spring, many English people put on a red nose, make a fool of themselves and do “silly” things to make themselves and others laugh. Examples of silly things you can do are:

③ Invite friends around to your house to watch funny films. They have to pay to watch the films—those with the most comfortable chairs pay more—and for food and drinks.

④ Hold a talent show at school and ask your friends and teachers to sing, dance or tell jokes. Sell tickets for the show to the rest of the school.

⑤ Have a red nose party at your house. All your friends come dressed in red—including a red nose—and you serve red food and drinks. If they don’t wear red clothes, they will have to pay a fine.

⑥ Get the students in your school to make funny sculptures (雕塑),using all kinds of materials. Sell tickets for your Red Nose Day exhibition and part of the money goes to Comic Relief.

⑦ The organization has helped people for more than 20 years. And how much have they collected since the first Red Nose Day? Over ￡600 million! The idea of Red Nose Day has traveled to other countries, too. In New Zealand, for example, people have made big red noses which they put on the front of cars and even buildings.

⑧ So you can try to laugh a lot and develop the habit of a sense of humor to bring people and yourselves more happiness.

New high school students in the US have more to worry about than their tests. Often, high schools are up to 10 times larger than middle schools! 【小题1】

In the past, American kids knew that high school would bring bullying( 霸 凌 ) from older students. Young students felt lonely and down.

【小题2】Schools are creating “teams” to make students feel welcome. Teams are made up of a few students from each grade. Teachers choose team leaders to act as role models(榜样). Within a team, older, students protect and advise the younger students, who will do the same for others later. The teams stay together for all four years of school. Some teams even create their own flags! At orientation (新生训练), students get to know the members of their team. 【小题3】 During orientation, experts guide students through “trust games”. In one popular game, a student is blindfolded(蒙起眼睛的) and led by a partner through some obstacles (障碍物). In this game, students have to find out about the interests and hobbies of their teammates.

Students can go to their team members with questions, problems and even friendship. 【小题4】