Five Ways to Control Your Anxiety

    How can you find some enjoyment and keep your anxiety in control? Try the following five steps for a less anxious you.

    Stop comparing yourself to others. When you compare your life to others', you are giving up your power. People have success or failures at different points in their lives. You might think others have better lives, but you don't have the full story. Next time you begin to compare yourself to someone else, tell yourself this, “I only compare me to me.” {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Be grateful. Gratitude is the secret to a happier, less anxious you. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you practice gratitude, you start training your brain to pay attention to all the wonderful things about your life and doing so improves your mood little by little.

    Forget perfect. Going after perfection sets you up to feel defeated. Accept that you will have days that are far from perfect and learn to laugh at the funny things that go wrong at the wrong time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

    Move your body. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} I'm sure you'll feel better--especially if you exercise regularly. Doing exercise will give you a sense of achievement that you can use to deal with other difficulties in your life.

    Connection with other people. If you struggle with anxiety, you may not feel like putting yourself into social situations, but isolating(使孤立)yourself socially is the worst thing you can do. Connecting with others can help you realize everyone has struggles and that people are there for you.

   {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Connection can help you improve your mood.

A. Life is so much more enjoyable when you expect less of it.

B. Make sure you aren't going around trying to please everyone.

C. It is scientifically proved that exercise can improve your mood.

D. See a friend, call a family member or just smile at strangers passing by.

E. Pen and paper can provide you with a special place to express your feelings.

F. When you take time to enjoy all the good things, you can't help but feel good.

G. Only by competing with yourself to be a better you can you get where you want to be.

Five Steps to Better Handwriting

    Some kids love handwriting, but others hate when it's time to put their pen to paper. Maybe they are worried about their handwriting. Are you one of them? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are five steps that really work!

    Get a great grasp

    Try this—hold your pencil at the top and try to write your name. Pretty hard？But when you hold your pencil the correct way, writing is much easier. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Hold it in place with your thumb, and your index(食指) and middle fingers.

    Let the lines be your guide

    Lined paper is your friend！Those lines can help you create letters that are the right size and proportion(均衡). {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Also be sure to fill up the lined space completely. Those capital letters should be from the bottom line to the top one.

    Slow down

    If your writing is hard to read, try slowing down a little. If you rush, it's hard to control where you stop and start your letters.

    Lower the pressure

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} That makes it harder to make the smooth lines. Try easing up and don't hold the pencil too tightly.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Lots of games require you to write or draw pictures. So even though it's not schoolwork, you're still using the skills you need to control your pen better.

A. Play games.

B. Ask for more advice.

C. So "a" should be half the height of a capital "A".

D. You've been writing since you were a little kid.

E. Some kids press down really hard when they write.

F. The good news is that just about everyone can improve their handwriting.

G. The best way to hold a pen or pencil is to let it rest next to the base of your thumb.

Suggestions for cooking on a Tight Schedule

    In my opinion, there are three main reasons why people don't cook more often: ability, money and time,{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Money is a topic I'll save for another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three suggestions for great cooking on a tight schedule:

    ⒈Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I'm already hungry and there is nothing ready to eat. So think about of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials ready?{#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    ⒉Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread? {#blank#}3{#/blank#}it takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#}This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

    Hopefully that gives you a good start.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} and don't let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Cooking is a burden for many people.

B. Make three or four instead.

C. Ability is easily improved.

D.A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.

E. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.

F. Try new things.

G. Understand your food better.

    A volunteering vacation can be a meaningful way to spend your time off, but to make the trip satisfying both for you and the cause you are supporting, several factors need to be considered. Here is some advice on planning the ideal vacation:

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There are hundreds of causes to volunteer for, and finding one close to your heart will lead to a more worthwhile trip. Possibilities include wildlife conservation, education, environmental protection, health and nutrition. Also, consider any personal and professional skills that you can contribute. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Choose your destination and setting. Your volunteering trip will be more enjoyable if you use it to reach a favorite destination. If Southeast Asia is on your mind, helping with tree-planting programs in Bali would benefit the environment and let you appreciate the scenic island. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Is volunteering outdoors in a hot or snowy climate appealing, or do you prefer being in an air-conditioned office?

    Ask the right questions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Be aware that most volunteering programs require a weeklong commitment. Ask other questions like: How many hours of work per day is required? Are there days off? Will you be working individually or as part of a team? And what are the goals of your efforts? {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Ask if the cost includes only accommodations or meals and transportation too.

A. Figure out your cause.

B. Find a well-respected organization.

C. And think about the surroundings you want.

D. Your duty there is to help, as well as to rest and relax.

E. The more you know about your trip, the more successful it will be.

F. Despite the word “volunteer”, these vacations usually cost you some money.

G. If you're a doctor, for example, working at a health clinic could be an ideal fit.

    Zoey admits it was a little sad saying goodbye to her fish. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Zoey's class at Hawthorne Elementary School spent most of the school year raising the fish from time they were nothing more than little eggs with eyes.

    The program the Hawthorne kids took part in is called" Trout in the classroom". {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The kids at Wilson Middle School in Fishersville took part in the project, too.

    "I got to feed them every morning and watch them grow up," said seventh-grader Lauren Clayton. We have to protect them, or some of the fish could go extinct." Lauren was right. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} But later, pollution, overfishing and loss of natural habitat have pushed some species to the danger of extinction.

    Thanks to the kids in the program, trout are being reintroduced into rivers and streams across the country. And by doing that, the kids are helping to restore there local ecosystems—the natural balance that existed before human disturbed it,

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Because the fish are in their classrooms, the kids are responsible for making sure there is cool, clean water, proper food and proper living conditions in the tanks.

    By the middle of May, they were "as big as a finger." That is, they are old enough to be released into Oneida Creek." Remember to swim back here to meet us and eat the food we bring little trout". {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Moving into a new home in a new neighborhood is an exciting experience. Of course, you want to make sure that you become an accepted and valuable part of your new neighborhood. The easiest w ay to achieve this is to make sure you behave yourself as a good neighbor should. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Perhaps one of the most important things you can do as a good neighbor is to keep your property(房产)neat, clean, and in good repair.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} By choosing to keep the outside of the home in great shape, you will help to improve the look and feel of the area.

    Second, take the overall appearance of the neighborhood seriously. When going for a walk, take along a small garbage bag. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This small act will let your neighbors know that you care about the area.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If a neighbor is going to be out of tow n, offer to collect mail and newspapers. If a neighbor suffers an illness, offer to do the grocery shopping. Let them know that you are there to help in any w ay that is acceptable, while still respecting the privacy of your neighbor.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} By follow in g the basic rules of respecting others, taking care of what belongs to you, and taking pride in the appearance of the neighborhood in general, you will quickly become a good neighbor that everyone appreciates.

A. In general, keep an eye on their property while they are gone.

B. A good neighbor is also one who likes to help out in small ways.

C. Being a good neighbor is more or less about considerate behavior.

D. Sometimes neighbors may go to the supermarket together to do shopping.

E. If you come across waste paper throw n out of a passing car, pick it up.

F. People tend to take pride in keeping everything in their street fresh and pleasing.

G. Here are a few tips to help you win over everyone in the neighborhood quickly.