Too many of us are waiting too long to live our best lives. We keep putting everything off until tomorrow. Then, before we know it, we find ourselves asking, "How did it get so late so soon?"

    So we'd better make today the beginning of our new life. Take time to realize what we want and need. Take time to love, laugh, cry, and learn. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are five things we should start doing today:

    Accept ourselves. The secret to happiness and success is the acceptance of ourselves. We will never become who we want to be if we rely on everyone else to qualify us.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So always go with ourselves, never against ourselves. Be who we were created to be and we will set the world on fire.

    Make ourselves a priority. To tell the truth, there are only a few people in this world who will stay 100% true to us, so we should stay true to ourselves. Put our own needs into the list of things to do.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Don't sit back and let things happen to us. Go out and make things happen. We are what we do, not what we say we'll do. Stop saying "I wish" and start saying "I will". Turn our dreams into plans.

    Do the work. We can't underestimate(低估) a person who always works hard. Be that person.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Always remember that the task ahead of us is never greater than the strength within us. Do what's right, not what's easy. Our dreams are worth it.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} We can't force things to happen; we can only drive ourselves trying crazily. There's a time and place for everything. So don't force what's not yet supposed to fit into our life. When it's meant to be, it will be. Work hard, and be patient.

A. Take positive action.

B. Enjoy every moment of life.

C. Life is shorter than it often seems.

D. Everyone has a different way of life.

E. Accept ourselves just the way we are.

F. Allow life to happen like it's supposed to.

G. In life, we don't get what we wish for; we get what we work for.

Saving money while traveling

    There are a lot of matters to think on before going out on a trip.  If you fail to plan the trip properly, then money will simply let itself loose from your pocket. Moreover, if you haven't planned a road map of your tour,  then confusion is quite inevitable (必然的). {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Package tours. Tours and travel agencies have attractive offers for tourists wanting to spend a couple of days on trips. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Once you have accepted the package tour, all your expenses during the travel will be greatly reduced. You can save a lot in lodging(住宿 ) and traveling.

    Inexpensive lodging. Never choose expensive lodging if your tour is a low-budget one. People tend to spend a lot booking luxury hotels (豪华旅馆),  and save little to enjoy other activities during the trip. This idea is absolutely not wise when spending limited money on the trip is your main aim. Moreover, the expenses increase quickly when your kids are with you. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You can use the money saved on good food and amusement.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The peak season is the time when rates are sky high due to the increase of millions of tourists who can afford to spend a lot of money. You, not being amongst this crowd that can spend generously, must book your holidays during the off season.

    A guide map. Make a guide map about the places to visit, expenses of travel and the activities to try. While planning you should also estimate (估计) your total expenses. Calculate the maximum amount and try to spend less than that. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Refer to the guide map while traveling and follow the money-saving travel tips as much as possible.

A. Reduce shopping.

B. Off season travel.

C. You must keep yourself updated with such offers.

D. This will help you to keep actual expenses below the estimated.

E. You can save lots of dollars when you don't have a credit card.

F. Therefore, book a fairly low-price lodge to save a few dollars.

G. So knowing some money-saving travel tips becomes necessary for you. 

    We Chinese are really particular about what we eat; meanwhile we are also concerned with how we eat. Along with the growing popularity of the manners in the workplace,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} The following are some Chinese table manners. Hope it would help you to get an idea on how to handle the table manners with high proficiency.

    At the beginning of Chinese dinner, the first wet towel served by the waiter is for the hands, not the face. Along with lobster, chicken and fruits would come a small basin in it some lemon slices or rose petals are floating on the water,{#blank#}2{#/blank#}When washing your hands, you should wet your fingers in turn and wash them quietly, then dry your hands with wet towel.

    You can introduce the features of Chinese food to foreign guests.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} and they can choose dishes as they like. Some people like to recommend food or even picking up dishes for the guests, but you have to know the foreign guests are not used to this; they may grow tired of your repeated advice.

    You have to pay attention to the manner when picking up food, only do so when the dishes come in front of you; do not pick up before your neighbors; the dishes should not be picked up too much at one time and you should chew your food slowly,{#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is a greedy performance to wolf down the food.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} For example, avoid touching the neighbor, be careful not to make the dishes out of the plate or spill the soup. Please do not make food noise when drinking the soup or chewing the dishes. Do not chat with others when eating. Do not spit the bones or the fish bone directly to the desk, you had better cover your mouth and pick it out on the plate with your chopsticks.

A. Dining manner should be gentle

B. Do not repeatedly urge the guests to eat

C. which is for hand-washing not for drinking

D. table manners are also demanding more attention

E. At last, you should learn how to become a gentleman

F. we should know how to be polite in some public places

G. which is not only good for digestion but also a part of table manners

    If you are hungry, what do you do? Have your favorite-meal and stay quiet after that?

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. But it never lets you know, because, you keep it busy thinking about your friends or favorite stars. So it silently serves your needs and never let itself grow. When mind loses its freedom to grow, creativity sets a full stop. This might be the reason why we all sometimes think "What happens next?", "Why can't I think?"

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Why reading but not watching TV? It is because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from childhood．Since it develops other aspects of our life, we have to take help from reading．

    Once you read a book, you run your eyes through the lines and your mind tries to explain something to you{#blank#}3{#/blank#}．Now this seed is unknowingly used by you to develop new ideas．If it is used many times, the same seed can give you great help to relate a lot of things, which you would have never thought of in your wildest dreams!

    This is nothing but creativity．{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Within no time you can start talking with your friends in English or any other language and never run out of the right words．

    So guys, do give food for your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}．Go and get a book!

A．Now what are you waiting for?

B．Reading can help you make more friends, too．

C．Just like your stomach, your mind is also hungry．

D．Why not do some reading while you are hungry?

E．Also this makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary．

F．The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed．

G．Hunger of the mind can be actually solved through wide reading．

    Daily overuse of media and technology has a bad effect on the health of all children and teenagers by making them more open to anxiety, and more at risk of future health problems.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many newer apps automatically show where the users are when they're used. This can tell anyone out there exactly where to find the person using the app.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They are also upset about their kids spending time on Facebook accounts instead of getting down to their homework assignments, and are afraid of what can come out of their online connections.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} One way is to make a “social media agreement” with your kids—a real contract they can sign. In it, they can agree to protect their own privacy, consider their reputation, and not give out personal information.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    In turn, parents agree to respect teens' privacy while making an effort to be part of the social media world. Parents also can help kids spend less time on the computer by putting limits on media use.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Avoid laptops and smartphones in bedrooms, and set some rules on the use of technology. And don't forget that setting a good example through your own virtual behavior can go a long way toward helping your kids use social media safely.

A. Trust their children more.

B. Keep computers in public areas in the house.

C. It's important to be aware of what your kids are doing online.

D. Besides, they promise never to use technology to hurt anyone else.

E. Spending too much time on social media can make kids feel upset, too.

F. Kids also can face the possibility of meeting the wrong person lace to face.

G. Parents often say that kids would rather be online than hang around with them.

My first career had been related to audiology (听力学)—one that allowed me to work part time while tending my growing family. But when my children grew up and left home, I found myself longing to be outside, not in a soundproof room in the hospital.

    So I began attending classes at the local university, hoping that might lead me to a new career. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} "What gave you pleasure as a child?" the counselor (顾问) asked. I thought for a while before responding, "Playing outside in the woods." Our discussion eventually led to a second master's degree, this one in zoology, and the job as a naturalist at a state park. I was 44 years old. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    But as I climbed the career ladder, my time in the field disappeared. I was chained to a computer screen. In the back of my mind, the career counselor's question sounded again. "{#blank#}3{#/blank#}"

    Shortly thereafter, an opportunity presented itself: a 4-month field research project at a university in the Netherlands. I found that field research allowed me to play in the woods again, but with a new purpose.

    At the end of the project, I was invited to participate in the "sandwich" Ph.D. program, in which students do research in their home country while receiving support and instruction in the Netherlands. I was 60 years old. I didn't think that earning a Ph. D. would further my career. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Still, my colleagues raised their eyebrows. "{#blank#}5{#/blank#}" they asked, "It is all about the journey," I responded.

A. What gave you pleasure as a child?

B. I also went to see a career counselor.

C. What do you intend to do with a Ph.D.?

D. But I wanted to follow my new passion.

E. But when it was no longer right, I changed direction.

F. Can you believe you're actually getting paid to have this much fun?

G. And I was delighted to once again experience the joy of being outdoors.