A smile shows that a person is happy. For example, a person may smile when he or she is happy with a grade on a test. Or a person might smile if a friend told a funny joke. 【小题1】 But smiles are more than just a way for people to show that they are happy. There are other good reasons to smile often.

First, it is easier to smile than to show unhappiness. 【小题2】 On the other hand, it takes 43 muscles (肌肉) to show unhappiness. So give the muscles in your face a rest and smile!

【小题3】 People may try to look nice on the outside by exercising or wearing nice clothes. However, there is a famous saying: a smile is the best thing a person can wear. That is because it is easy to be around someone who is smiling and happy. Almost no one wants to be around someone who is unhappy all the time.

Third, smiles are helpful. 【小题4】 If one person smiles, people around him or her want to smile, too. Similarly, when a person laughs, people tend to laugh with them. If a person is sad, the best thing to do is to share a smile or laugh. It is the easiest and cheapest way to cheer someone up.

Finally, smiling and laughing are very good for the body. 【小题5】 You’ll find that it will be hard to stay mad or sad for very long.

There’s always something deep in our soul that never dies. I moved to the small, busy town of Edison in New Jersey six years ago. It was during the second term of my fifth grade. My parents got new jobs and higher income, so they decided it was time to move from Woodbridge to a better, more educational town.

In the US, it is unnecessary to take a test to get into a “good” middle or high school. You just attend the school close to where you live. So, many parents will think about the quality (质量，品质) of the local school when they decide to buy a new house. My parents did the same. We finally chose Edison mainly because of the high quality of its school.

In New Jersey, an area with a good school usually means a concentration of Asian people. There are about 300 students in our school. 55% are Asians and just under half of that are Chinese. There are so many Chinese people nearby that we even have our own Chinese school.

Edison is an old town, just like thousands of others in the United States. However, I have treated it as my hometown. That’s where I spend much of my youth, and the memories there can’t be moved at all.

Empathy means understanding and feeling other people’s feelings. When you empathize (产生共鸣) with someone, you put yourself in their positions so you can understand them better. 【小题1】

Empathy can improve your relationships with other people. When you listen to people without judgment (判断，评价) and show them empathy, your friends, family, and loved ones will trust you. 【小题2】 When you empathize with someone, you’ll be able to pick up on their emotions and figure out the best way to communicate with them. In a word, you’ll raise your emotional intelligence. Besides, empathy can prevent and reduce interpersonal conflicts (人际冲突). When you empathize with someone, you’re less likely to be argumentative—even if you disagree. So how can we be empathetic?

【小题3】 Practice active listening when you talk to other people, and begin conversations with the aim of learning from them. Keep eye contact with other persons and fully face them while they are talking.

【小题4】 When listening to someone, consider their life and the problems they face. Then, think about how you might feel if you were in their positions.

【小题5】 Most people are more alike (相似的) than different, so it is almost always possible to find things in common with someone—whether it’s a hobby, shared value, or even a favorite book. When you communicate with people who have different backgrounds, it’s best to pay attention to their special qualities so as to get a better understanding of who they are!