---She ________ the flowers in the garden

—Yes. But if it __________ , we’ll visit the museum instead

    One day when I left a bookstore and walked on the street, I saw a woman standing outside the post office. She looked pale and worried. I stopped and asked if she needed help. She told me that her foot was hurting and she had to go to the hospital right away, but there was no taxi. I wanted to make a trip to a food store later that day. I asked the woman where she was going. She told me the name of a hospital which was actually on the way to the food store. So I said, "My car is parked nearby. How about my giving you a ride? It will save you some time and money." She agreed gratefully.

    When we got to the hospital, she thanked me again and again. Then I went to the food store and picked up what I went for. As I was waiting at the checkout, the man behind me said that he had a coupon(优惠券) for 20% off anything in the store. He gave it to me because he had an extra one and he wanted to do good things to others! I thanked him and let him go ahead of me in line to check out.

    Each action creates ripple(涟漪) that finally comes back to us. Do you believe it?

    There is an old saying in English, "Laughter is the best medicine".  Until recently, few people took the saying very seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to study laughter and the effects(作用) it has on the human body. They have found evidence that laughter really can improve people's health.

    Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart rate and the rate of breathing. It also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be helpful.

    Other tests have shown that laughter appears to make the effect of pain on the body less. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group which could bear the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can make pain less seems to be that it helps to produce endorphins( 内啡肽) in the brain. These are natural chemicals which make both stress and pain less.

    There is also some evidence to suggest that laughter helps the body's immune system that is the system which fights infection(感染). In an experiment, one group of students watched a funny video while another group served as the control group--in other words, a group with which to compare the first group. Doctors checked the blood of the students in both groups and found that the people in the group that watched the video had an increase in the activity of their white blood cells that is the cells which fight infection.

    As a result of these discoveries, some doctors and psychiatrists(精神病学) in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they try to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce good effects similar to those caused by laughter.

    Healthy eating doesn't just mean what you eat, but how you eat. Here is some advice on healthy eating.

    Eat with others.  It can help you to see others' healthy eating habits.  If you usually eat with your parents, you will find that the food you eat is more delicious.

    Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry. Have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty-- sometimes you are just thirsty, you need no food. Stop eating before you feel full.

    Eat breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After you don't eat for the past ten hours, your body needs food to get you going. You will be smarter after eating breakfast.

    Eat healthy snacks like fruits, yogurt or cheese. We all need snacks sometimes. In fact, it's a good idea to eat two healthy snacks between your three meals. This doesn't mean that you can eat a bag of chips instead of a meal.

    Don't eat dinner late. With our busy life, we always put off eating dinner until the last minute. Try to eat dinner at least 3 hours before you go to bed. This will give your body a chance to digest most of the food before you rest f6r the next 8---10 hours.