For each working person, the rarest resource is your daily time. You may feel like that you do not have enough hours in the day, only endless things to do. Of course, some of these things are not part of your job, such as other colleagues asking for your help or bosses making new demands.

    How can we reasonably refuse them?

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Just by doing the following three steps, you can usually make yourself and the other person comfortable while refusing them.

    Listen patiently to others' requests

    It's not simply hearing what the other person is saying. You have to stop what you're doing and carefully listen to what they say. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The point is to let the other person see that you are willing to help, and let them understand that you've already known their needs. In this way, even if you eventually refuse them, they'll understand that you are not available, instead of not willing to help.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    When we listen, we all hope that other people will come to a conclusion quickly. But when we speak, we instinctively（本能地）start from the beginning of the story. In fact, this way of speaking is not good for communication. So if you want to refuse somebody, just tell them No, and then explain the reasons why.

    Provide an alternative solution

    Maybe you really don't have the time to listen to the other person's request. In situations like this, don't just tell the other person that you don't have the time. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, you may say, “Sorry, I really don't have the time right now. Is it OK if we talk tomorrow morning?” In this way, although you refuse him, he still can feel your support.

    In conclusion, refusal is unavoidable, but you can choose the way to refuse. An inappropriate refusal may cause great harm to your working life.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Begin with conclusion when refusing.

B. Start from the beginning when refusing.

C. Even if your time is limited, it is best for you to do so.

D. Instead, you should give them a time when you would be available.

E. In addition, this willing-to-help attitude also shows leadership skills.

F. In fact, there has been a mature methodology (科学方法) for this matter since long ago.

G. An artistic refusal, on the other hand, may lead you to some unexpected benefits.

Make Stress Work for You

    Stress can come from all directions. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Rather than only looking for ways to change the stress-filled situations, look for stress that can work for you. These methods are suggestions to make stress work in your favor.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Colors of the walls, floor coverings, and furniture can reduce stress. Cooling greens and blues are positive colors that can reduce stress and create a sense of well-being.

    Choose friends carefully. Your choice of friends can be the key to stress reduction. Friends should be people who help us to increase our strengths and create solutions to stressful situations. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Stop and look at yourself. Take time to recognize signs of stress like anger, work and sleep habits. As you become aware of these signs, you are beginning to identify how to make stress work.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} We can accept what we cannot change by changing what we can make choices that are realistic, not out of reach.

    Don't say yes to everything. Recognize what your strengths are and focus on taking the time to do a project built on them. Taking on too many projects results in loss of control and creates stress.

    Maintain a sense of humor. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And laughing creates less wrinkles (皱纹) than worrying.

A. We live in a stress-filled world.

B. Leave time for the unexpected.

C. Accept what cannot be changed.

D. Create environments that reduce stress.

E. They support us and make us feel that we are not alone.

F. Laughing at oneself can release potential stress from the inside.

G. When you come across a difficult situation, stop and think of how to use it to make things better.

    If you are like millions of people around the world, the New Year brings with it new goals. But you get busy. Yet, your goal remains important. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Identify specific goals.

    As you identify your goals, be specific. If a goal is too general, it may be hard to pursue, let alone achieve it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} That's a fine idea. Yet psychologists might say as a goal, it is too general. To make the goal more specific, you could sign up for a regular exercise class.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Experts say writing down your goals is important. It gets the goals out of your brain and into the real world. Some psychologists suggest that writing a goal on paper is better than typing it on a device or saying it into your phone. Your brain receives information differently when it comes from handwriting. Writing has another benefit: You can post your goals somewhere as a reminder.

    Break down big goals into small ones.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Some can be quite big. And for those bigger goals, experts suggest breaking them down into smaller ones. Say you want to work for yourself. You decide to start your own comp any that supplies food for special events. That is a very big goal. But it is made up of many smaller goals. So, identify them, write them down and set for yourself time limits.

    Tell a friend.

    Telling someone your goals is also helpful. If someone else knows about your goals, you are held responsible for any progress or lack of progress. You feel the pressure of your friend's op inion of you. That can be a big pressure! {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Write your goals down.

B. Not all goals are created equal.

C. Keep your life goals as a reminder.

D. Say your goal is to get in better physical shape.

E. You are bound to achieve your goals if you are determined.

F. So how can we find time to work on these larger life goals?

G. Many people do not want to let others down, especially friends and family.

Five tips for safe running

    We all know that exercise is good for our health. But some kinds of exercise may be better than others. Running, for example, may help to protect against heart disease and other health problems.

    Running is good exercise, but it can be hard on the body. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Take it easy. Do not run too much, too soon or too fast. Most people get running injuries when they push themselves too bad. The body needs time to get used to increases in distance or speed. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Listen to your body. Most running injuries do not come unexpectedly. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They may include body aches, sore muscles (肌肉酸痛) and pain that does not go away.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} There is no single best shoe for every runner. You should find the shoes that offer the best fit and support for your feet. More importantly, you should replace your shoes every 500 to 800 kilometers.

    Take good notes. Take time after each run to write down what you did and how you felt. Look for patterns, things that happen over and over again. These notes will help you find the best exercise for you.

    Cross train. As we said earlier, running is hard on your body. So physical fitness experts suggest some form of cross training to improve muscle balance and to help you stay injury free. They say swimming, yoga, and riding a bicycle are good exercises to combine with running. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    You may not realize it, but you are doing more than just studying when you are at school. The school is also the place where you learn how to get along well with others. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} What can you do if you just don't like one of your classmates?

    If you discover that you have problems getting along with your classmates or friends，the most important thing to learn is tolerance(宽容). {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We cannot change the way that other people do, so it is important to learn to live happily with them.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Knowing others constantly makes us understand others, differences. Something different does not exactly mean that it is bad. Tolerance teaches us to keep an even temper and an open mind.

    You need to remember an old saying, "Treat others how you want to be treated." You would like to be treated kindly by your classmates, so it is important to treat them kindly too. If you tolerate something, it does not mean that you have to like it. No one is asking you to change who you are or what you believe in. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    It is important to practice tolerance because it will make everyone's life easier. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The world is very different, and practicing tolerance in your own school and city can help make a difference.

A. Learn to accept people for their different abilities and interests.

B. Tolerance will make everyone get on better with each other.

C. So it is important to learn to get on well with others.

D. Tolerance is the ability to realize and respect the differences in others.

E. Tolerance is a useful tool in everyday communication.

F. But this is not always easy.

G. Tolerance just means that you should respect the differences in others and not try to make them change.

How to be a Good Listener

Being a good listener can help you see the world through the eyes of others. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Good listening skills can provide you with a deeper level of understanding about someone's situation. If you want to know how to be a good listener, read on to get started.

·Place yourself in other people's shoes.  It's easy to only consider the impact of the other person's "telling" on you. But you must open out and look at the problems from the other person's view. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

·Avoid comparing the person's experiences to your own. You may think that the best thing you can do to really listen is to compare the person's experiences to your own. But this type of thinking actually makes the person feel like you're not really listening at all. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} That means that you're focusing more on yourself than on the person's situation.

·{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Some people think that, when they're listening, they should find a quick and easy solution to the person's problem. According to the research, it is totally wrong to do so. Instead focus on absorbing everything the person is saying to you. Only after that can you really try to help.

·Know what not to do. Knowing what to avoid when you're trying to be a good listener can be almost as helpful as knowing what to do. If you want the speaker to take you seriously, you'd better not interrupt in the middle of a point. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Make eye contact with the person so that he or she realizes that you are listening with interest.

A. Don't try to help immediately.

B. Avoid saying "I" or "me" a lot.

C. Try to solve the person's problem quickly.

D. Don't try to change the subject even if it's a little uncomfortable.

E. If so, you would see your way through the problems much faster.

F. Therefore you'd better listen to what the person is saying carefully.

G. It enriches your understanding and expands your capacity for empathy (同情).