选择知识点

I like my close friends a lot, and yet, on an almost daily basis, they shocked me. I have a friend who thinks voting is a waste of time; I have another friend who never takes any arrangement to meet at a given time and place seriously.

It’s generally held that friends are people with whom we choose to develop relationships because we find their personalities agreeable, or similar to our own, but experience regularly is opposite to this. What is a friend, really? All that one can safely say is that a friend is someone one likes and wishes to see again.

The truth is that we don’t know our friends. Many studies show that we tend to think our friends agree with us more than they really do. The striking part is that the problem doesn’t appear to lessen as a friendship deepens. When the researchers Michael Gill and Bill Swann questioned students sharing rooms, they found that, as time passed, people became even more confident in the accuracy of their judgments about the other, and yet, in reality, the judgments grew no more accurate. Two people might become dear friends, yet possibly know little about many areas of each other’s inner lives.

This seems strange, until you consider, that many of the benefits that friendship provides don’t necessarily depend on perfect familiarity; they come from something closer to trust. Friendship may be less about being drawn to someone’s personality than about finding someone willing to keep you company, or lend an ear. A friend provides the “social-identity support” we desire. You needn’t be a close match with someone, nor deeply familiar with their mind. We don’t base friendships on what we learn about people; we decide what to learn about people, and what to ignore, based on having decided to be friends.

Perhaps there’s something moving about viewing friendship as an agreement to keep each other company, ignore each other’s faults and not probe (刨根问底) too deeply in ways that might weaken the friendship. Perhaps a true friend is someone who doesn’t ask many awkward questions.

To have a second child or not, this is a question.

A concern about only one child is whether one child necessarily means a lonely child. Many parents of only child feel guilty of their decision to have only child. There are no other children in the family for the child to associate with, which may lead to the child feeling lonely at times.

Another common argument against having just one child may be more spoiled than one with siblings. Many people believe that a single child will not have learned to negotiate with others, and respect the give-and-take involved in many relationships. Some think this may leave the child less capable of interacting well people his or her own age.

Despite these arguments, the number of parents choosing to have only one child is increasing in the world. For some single-child parents, the pressures of devoting time and energy to a second child can result in them selecting to have no more children. For other parents, the financial burden of having a second child may be the major consideration. Another important consideration is the increasing age at which women give birth to children.

Advocates of single-child families argue that there are advantages for the child as well as the parents. With just one child, the parents can give, and the child can receive, more quality time and attention.

However, there is no simple answer to the question of whether or not to have a second child. The circumstances affecting each set of parents are unique. The important thing, in the end, is to make a decision that both the wife and the husband feel confident.

D

    To have a second child or not，this is a question．

    A concern about only one child is whether one child necessarily means a lonely child．Many parents of only child feel guilty of their decision to have only one child．There are no other children in the family for the child to associate with，which may lead to the child feeling lonely at times．

    Another common argument against having just one child may be more spoiled than one with siblings．Many people believe that a single child will not have learned to negotiate with others，and respect the give-and-take involved in many relationships．Some think this may leave the child less capable of interacting well with people his or her own age·

   Despite these arguments，the number of parents choosing to have only one child is increasing in the world．For some single—child parents，the pressures of devoting time and energy to a second child can result in them selecting to have no more children．For other parents，the financial burden of having a second child may be the major consideration. Another important consideration is the increasing age at which women give birth to children．

   Advocates of single—child families argue that there are advantages for the child as well as the parents．With just one child．the parents can give，and the child Can receive，more quality time and attention．

    However, there is no simple answer to the question of whether or not to have a second child. The circumstances affecting each set of parents are unique．The important thing，in the end，is to make a decision t11at both the wife and the husband feel confident．

If you are looking to putting a tree in your home for Christmas, there is always one debate that seems to arise in most households: whether you want a real tree or fake tree. Year after year, as we find ourselves cleaning old pine needles (松针) for months on end, we decide that we will never get another real tree. So that begs the question: Which kind of tree is better?

There is certainly a lot to be said for real trees. There is something fun about gathering the family together, going to a Christmas tree farm, and selecting or even cutting down your own tree. Real Christmas trees have that lovely holiday pine needle smell and they look great in your home.

Of course, on the other hand, they also leave a complete mess behind and needles that seem to keep appearing for weeks or even months after the tree comes down. You must also find a way to deal with your real Christmas tree after you’re done, which may mean cutting it into pieces so it will fit in the trash. Many dustmen will refuse to take away a tree that is left beside your regular trash, especially if it is a big tree or an old, yellow one with falling needles, making it hard to pick up. They don’t want a face full of sharp needles any more than you do!

With a fake Christmas tree, there is no mess, but there is also no Christmas smell and no exciting trip to the Christmas tree farm. Of course, these trees look the same in appearance as a real tree when decorated. Many of them come already with lights, so using that old, messy string of lights will be a thing of the past. For some people, a can of pine air freshener is enough to recreate the pleasant smell of a real tree.

As to which tree is the better choice, it is really a matter of personal preference. Both real and fake trees certainly have their benefits, and knowing which is better for you this Christmas really depends on what your family wants.

a.providing more fun

b.easy to clean up

c.giving off a natural smell

d.easy to decorate

   Getting enough sleep is important for everyone. If you don't sleep well at night, you aren't going to study well during the day. Good sleep is also important for your health. If you don’t have a good sleep, you may get ill.
   Some people go to sleep easily. Other people can't. A lot of things can help you go to sleep easily and get a good sleep. Doing some exercises during the day can help you go to sleep. Walking, running and bike riding are good exercises. You can also play ball games, like basketball, soccer or tennis.
   Before you go to bed, you shouldn't drink coffee or eat chocolates. Drinking a cup of warm milk may help you go to sleep. Many people also find that listening to quiet music helps them go to sleep. Please take a warm shower before you go to bed. It can also help you relax and go to sleep.
   Follow the advice and have a good sleep every day, so you can wake up (醒来) happily in the morning and maintain good health.

The technology is great. Without it we wouldn't have been able to put a man on the moon, explore the ocean's depths or eat microwave sausages. Computers have revolutionized our lives and they have the power to educate and pass on knowledge. But sometimes this power can create more problems than it solves.

    Every doctor has had to try their best to calm down patients who've come into their surgery waving an Internet print-out, convinced that they have some rare incurable disease, say, throat cancer. The truth is usually far more ordinary, though: they don't have throat cancer, and it's just that their throats are swollen. Being a graduate of the Internet “school” of medicine does not guarantee (保证) accurate self-health-checks.

    One day Mrs. Almond came to my hospital after feeling faint at work. While I took her blood sample and tried to find out what was wrong, she said calmly, “I know what's wrong; I've got throat cancer. I know there's nothing you doctors can do about it and I've just got to wait until the day comes.”

    As a matter of routine I ordered a chest X-ray. I looked at it and the blood results an hour later. Something wasn't right. “Did your local doctor do an X-ray?” I asked. “Oh, I haven't been to the doctor for years,” she replied. “I read about it on a website and the symptoms fitted, so I knew that's what I had.”

    However, some of her symptoms, like the severe cough and weight loss, didn't fit with it-but she'd just ignored this.

    I looked at the X-ray again, and more tests confirmed it wasn't the cancer but tuberculosis (肺结核) -something that most certainly did need treating, and could be deadly. She was lucky we caught it when we did.

    Mrs. Almond went pale when I explained she would have to be on treatment for the next six months to ensure that she was fully recovered. It was certainly a lesson for her. “I'm so embarrassed,” she said, shaking her head, as I explained that all the people she had come into close contact with would have to be found out and tested.  She listed up to about 20, and then I went to my office to type up my notes. Unexpectedly, the computer was not working, so I had to wait until someone from the IT department came to fix it. Typical. Maybe I should have a microwave sausage while I waited?

Driving safety is said to be influenced by the songs or music drivers are listening to on the roads．Top ten safest songs to drive to are Come Away With Me by Norah Jones，I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith and Tiny Dancer by Elton John．Each of the songs has an optimum tempo(最佳节奏)for safe driving，imitating the human heartbeat at around 60 to 80 beats per minute．The Scientist by Coldplay and Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me a River also appeared in the top 10．

    The study，conducted at London Metropolitan University，also revealed(表明)the type of songs that cause motorists to drive dangerously．Unsurprisingly，music that is noisy increases a  driver’s heart rate，which can be deadly．Fast beats cause excitement that can lead people to concentrate more on the music than on the road and to speed up to match the beat of the song． Styles of music were also measured during the experiment and revealed differences between Male and female drivers．Hip－hop made a female driver drive far more aggressively，speeding up faster than male driver．The heavy metal music caused the fastest driving among males in the group while the dance music had the same effect among women．The male and female drivers who listened to the classical music drove the most irregularly．

    The experiment involved eight people driving 500 miles each using the confused．Com MotorMate app，which monitored driving behaviors through GPS technology．