Many of us are so busy with work, school and home life, which often cause there is no time left to do something that you enjoy. What follows are some ways to carve out that essential time you need to slow down, enjoy life and relax yourself.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Try to save certain weeknights just for you. If others ask you to do things those nights, just tell them you have plans. Use the time for gardening, reading, exercise, thinking or the ultimate luxury of doing nothing!

    Monthly Treat. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It could be on your lunch break, a weekend or it could be leaving work early. Maybe you get a spa treatment, go to see a movie, a haircut, play golf or whatever treat you're always thinking about but rarely get to. Schedule it in and it will happen!

    Buy Tickets in Advance. Sports, theatre, concerts or any other event you would enjoy. Schedule the plans with a friend later. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Huh? Yes, many of us stay at work late on a regular basis. If this is you, make it a point to leave work exactly on time at least once a week, if not more. And then enjoy that time! Leave work at work.

    Join a Group. Here are some ideas of groups that can allow you some time away from work and home: singing group, gardening group, astronomy society, book club, biking clubs, ski club, etc. What are you interested in? Strike while the iron is hot. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you can't find a club, consider starting one yourself!

A. Leave Work on Time.

B. Evenings with Yourself.

C. Having the tickets already in hand will force you to make it happen!

D. Listen to your favorite music!

E. Look up a club in your area today and join!

F. Take an Adult Education Class.

G. Schedule a treat for yourself once a month.

Get a Thorough Understanding of Oneself

    In all one's life time it is oneself that one spends the most time being with or dealing with. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    When you are going upwards in life you tend to overestimate(高估) yourself. It seems that everything you seek for is within your reach.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's likely that you think it wise for yourself to stay away from the outer world. Actually, to get a thorough understanding of oneself, you may as well keep the following tips in mind.

    Gain a correct view of oneself. You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too much, for dreams can never be fully realized. You may be courageous to meet challenges but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Self-appreciate. Whether you compare yourself to a towering tree or a blade of grass, a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of nature.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you earnestly admire yourself you'll have a real sense of self-appreciation.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}In time of anger, do yourself a favor by releasing it in a quiet place so that you won't be hurt by its flames; in time of sadness, do yourself a favor by sharing it with your friends so as to change a bad mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by getting a good sleep.

    Get a full control of one's life. Then one will find one's life full of color1 and flavor.

A. But it is precisely oneself that one has the least understanding of.

B. As long as you have a perfect knowledge of yourself, there won't be difficulties you can't overcome.

C. When you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself for your own incompetence.

D. It has its own value.

E. Especially if it is well within your reach, you are just too blind to see it.

F. Do oneself a favor when it's needed.

G. Do yourself a favor when you resist the attack of illness.

    Why is setting goals important?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow you to make your life happen.

    Successful people imagine how their life should be and set lots of goals.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}It's like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of in this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind which can be found in a map. She can drive straight there without any wasted time or wrong turns. The other driver has no goal, or destination or map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she drivers aimlessly around. Never getting anywhere, just using up gas. Which driver do you want to be?

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren't difficult to set, and they aren't difficult to reach.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}You are the one who must decide what to achieve and in what direction to aim your life.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power. Like a contract with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget. Also when you write your goals in a particular way you are able to make yourself continuously aware of situations that will bring you nearer to your goal.

A. Winners in life set goals and follow through

B. It's up to you to find out what your goals really are

C. By setting goals you are taking control of your life

D. Because everybody should have a goal in his mind

E. It's difficult for a driver to reach his destination without a map

F. Because goals can help you do, be and experience everything you want in life

G. Research tells us that when we write a goal down, we are more likely to achieve it

    Any exercise is good exercise, but when it comes to losing weight, it's hard to beat running. After all, running is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories and get fit without having to restrict your diet. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you're not a runner yet but interested in losing weight, here are four reasons running can be the best exercise for weight loss.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}When comparing running with walking the same distance, studies find that running will lead to greater weight loss, most likely because your resting energy expenditure stays elevated(高的) after you run. In a long-term comparison study of runners and walkers, calories burned through running led to 90% more weight loss than calories burned through walking.

    Running is time-efficient. Even if the myth that running a mile and walking a mile burn the same number of calories were true, running is a considerably faster way to burn those calories.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    Running is convenient. Though many of us have accumulated a vast arsenal（武器，装备） of GPS gadgets and tech tees over the years, little is actually required to go running. You can do it alone. You can do it almost anywhere. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For this reason alone, running is the best workout for weight loss because it's cheap and accessible, and there are fewer barriers to maintaining a routine, even while traveling.

    Two words: runner's high. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Fortunately, studies support what many runners have experienced on an anecdotal level—running can actually get you high. Scientists have found links between moderate to intense exercise and morphine-like brain chemicals, which explains the occasional flood of thrill that rushes over you during a hard run. That happy sensation you had after your last race makes you want to go for another run, right?

A. Cultivate the good habit of running.

B. Running works even when you're at rest.

C. You will never stick to a habit if you don't like it.

D. The first rule of exercising for weight loss is that if you don't enjoy it, you won't stick with it.

E. You don't need any equipment beyond a pair of running shoes.

F. If you're already a runner, keep on.

G. Most people can run two or three times as far as they can walk in a given amount of time.

Cats in ancient Egypt

    Many of us love cats. They are beautiful, soft, clever and loving. The ancient Egyptians(埃及人) considered cats, also known as Mau, to be very important. They honored them with great respect. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For one thing, cats helped people by keeping their homes free of mice, rats, and snakes.

Without cats Egypt could not have been the important grain-growing(谷物种植) center that it was. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Though I don't know what other pets the Egyptians had, cats were probably the most important. Cats were also trained to help hunters. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    The Egyptians loved cats so much that Bast, an Egyptian goddess, was pictured in the form of a cat. Bast appeared in artwork. She was the protector of the house. This idea made a special connection between cats and children. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The safety of all cats was of great concern to ancient Egyptians. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Foreigners sometimes took cats out of Egypt secretly and took them to other lands. Egyptian soldiers were sent to pick up cats found in other countries and bring them back home to Egypt.

A. There were good reasons for that.

B. Two types of cats appeared in ancient Egypt.

C. In grain fields, cats helped catch rats and mice.

D. They were able to help pick up the wounded birds.

E. There were even laws against getting a cat out of Egypt.

F. Anyone who killed a cat on purpose would be put to death.

G. That's why most Egyptian families had cats for good luck.

Tips to fight summer weight gain

    When we think of summer, most of us think of outdoor fun. So it seems like we should naturally lose weight over the summer — not gain it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Lots of summer activities can work against our efforts to stay at a healthy weight. The good news is that it's easy to avoid problems if we know what to look out for.

    Get going with goals. When we don't have a plan, it's easy to spend summer moving from couch to computer, with regular stops at the fridge. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Just be sure to plan for some downtime so you can relax a little!

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} With school out, we lose our daily routines. If you don't have a specific job or activity to get up for, it's easy to sleep late, watch too much TV, and snack more than usual. Make sure your summer days have some structure — like getting up at the same time each day and eating meals at set times. Plan activities for specific times, like exercising before breakfast, for example. If you have time on your hands, offer to make dinner a couple of nights a week so your family can enjoy a sit-down meal together.

    Think about what and how you eat. Summer means picnics and barbecues — activities that revolve around an unlimited spread of food. Pace yourself. Don't overload your plate. Avoid going back for seconds and thirds. Choose seasonal, healthy foods like fresh fruit instead of high-sugar, high-fat desserts. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Stay busy. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In addition to helping you avoid the cookie jar, filling your days with stuff to do can give you a sense of accomplishment. That's especially true if a dream summer job or planned activity fell through. Limit your screen time — including TV, computer, and video games — to no more than 2 hours a day.

A. Stick to a schedule.

B. Plan more activities.

C. Appropriate summer eating sets you up on the right track!

D. Most of us, however, don't take summer weight gain seriously.

E. In reality, though, summer isn't all about beach volleyball and water sports.

F. When we're bored, it's easy to fall into a trap of doing nothing and then feeling low on energy.

G. Avoid this by setting a specific aim, like volunteering, mastering a new skill, or working at a job.