You want to be happy, who doesn't? However, whether you procrastinate(拖延), feed negative self-talk, or don't rest your mind, you lower your potential to create happiness.

Procrastination

    You aren't in deadly danger if you procrastinate, but your system doesn't always take this information on board. You still react as though you are anxious and produce stress chemicals.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Your ability to see the big picture of life is reduced when you procrastinate. Therefore, you don't see as much joy.

Negative self-talk

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Taking notice of what goes on in your head and putting positive change in action makes negative self-talk useful. Nevertheless, most people don't recognize negative self-talk as a pointer; they feed it until it grows out of control.

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    Your mind contains an incredible amount of information and is more powerful than any computer many times over. However, if you give it too many tasks, you shut out peace of mind.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Thought-overload results in physical symptoms, like a racing heart and shortness of breath. Additionally, you might have sleeplessness, digestive problems and other symptoms of stress that reduce your happiness.

    If you want to increase the odds of being happy, don't procrastinate. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Similarly, don't overload your mind, give it a rest and you will soon notice you are happier.

    Eyesight（视力) plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment, the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight, but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight：

    Schedule（安排）yearly exams(检查). {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Experts advise parents to bring babies 6 to 12 months of age to the doctor for a careful check. The good news is that millions of children now can have yearly eye exams and following treatment, including eyeglasses.

    Protect against UV rays (紫外线). Long-term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it's extremely important to wear sunglasses. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Give your eyes a break. Two-thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Experts recommend that people practice the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins (维生素) C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.

    Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses (隐形眼镜). Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical guidance for wearing contact lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Otherwise, you may have problems such as red eyes, pain in the eyes, or a more serious condition.

A．Eat your greens.

B．Eye care should begin early in life.

C．They can properly protect your eyes.

D．Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins.

E．Parents usually don't care about their own eyesight.

F．Always follow the doctor's advice for appropriate（适当的）wear.

G．This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness.

Tips for Staying Sharp

    It's not abnormal to feel out of it from time to time or perhaps you're feeling a bit sluggish(迟钝的)when it comes to remembering things. If you're worried about your forgetfulness, try out these five tips to stay sharp.

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    You've probably heard the term “you are what you eat.” If you decide to eat sugary foods that are heavy with fats then expect to feel lazy and have no energy. But if you decide to eat fruits, vegetables and make other healthy eating decisions you'll find that you're full of energy.

    Never stop learning

    Challenge yourself constantly---whether it is puzzles, reading, cooking or other tasks that will keep your mind working. If your mind is always learning new things and active, you'll realize that it's much easier for you to learn new things and to function. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Stay fit

    Being in good health and staying in shape is a big part of staying sharp. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you choose to be lazy then your body is not going to give you the energy that requires remembering things and completing tasks. However, if you put forth the effort into being health then your body will expel(释放)the energy you need to achieve your goals.

    Ensure enough sleep

    Be sure to get the necessary amount of sleep that your body needs to function on a daily basis. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It also helps your body build up an energy reserve so you can improve your ability to focus and avoid distractions.

    Socialize more

     {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Social interaction will help you develop multitasking, problem solving and other skills that are necessary in life to keep your mind sharp.

A. Feed your brain

B. Avoid eating too much

C. Your body will only give you what you put into it

D. Lack of sleep contributes to tiredness and slow reaction

E. Conversations require individuals to stay aware and active

F. According to studies, sleep helps strengthen and recover your memories

G. Remember you brain is a muscle and if you want to get the most out of it, you must use it

    Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States and Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes which will give them a head start in life.        {#blank#}1{#/blank#}So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.

    Parents can see that their children's skills differ. Some children are very skilled in some areas while poor in others. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills that they need to be confident, happy and clever.

    Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework. Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully step by step. The result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and lots of self-confidence.

    Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to repair them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}And that is more important.

A. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.

B. The more cost in education, the better the result will be.

C. Cooking requires patience and time.

D. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today's children are badly off for self-respect and self-confidence.

E. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is.

F. These activities are not only teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind.

G. Thus, the more the children use the computer, the better the result will be.

    It should come as no surprise that the more stressed parents are at work, the greater the burden on their family is. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} After all, the more time parents spend working, the less time and energy they have to plan and prepare healthful meals. Previously, most studies have focused on the role of working mothers while fathers were ignored. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It adds a new wrinkle to the relationship between work stress and family nutrition. Mom's work related stress is still a central factor in how well families eat because they typically do most of the food shopping and cooking {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    The study finds that when mom or dad experience high levels of work related stress, their families are eating one­and­a­half fewer family meals per week, and the parents themselves report eating fewer fruits and vegetables, more fast food, and are less likely to eat breakfast regularly.

    It's worth noting that the study looks mainly at low income families who belong to ethnic or minority groups. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But the implications are wide­ranging.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Teaching kids, especially teenagers, to help with grocery shopping and to cook actual meals, instead of just putting a frozen pizza in the microwave, could be an important piece of the puzzle in helping families improve their eating habits.

A. But dad's work related stress has a large impact, too.

B. As to family nutrition, the entire family plays a role, even kids.

C. Yet, the kid's stress may affect the families' nutrition, too.

D. So the findings don't necessarily apply directly to other types of families.

E. It's also probably not a surprise that this can negatively affect a family's nutrition.

F. Now, a study looks at the family as a whole and at the role of fathers in particular.

G. It is parents who give their kids a good model to develop a good eating habit.

    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 it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind which can be found on a map. She can drive straight there surely without any wasted time of 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 drives 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 usually 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 them through.  

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

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

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

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

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

G. Because everybody should have a goal in his mind.