How to Enjoy Life As a Teen

    The "best years of your life"? Maybe not, but you can learn to make the most of your high school days.

    Learn to appreciate small things. Whether it's having a computer, having friends, having a good supply of food, a bed to sleep on, family that loves you, having a decent education or simply being born in this world, value it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Be happy, and life will reward you. Remember that these are the last few years you will be able to enjoy yourself without having to worry about the responsibility of an adult, but make sure you prepare yourself for when you do become one. When you actually become an adult, you'll learn to love that responsibility and you probably never want to go back.

    Choose your friends wisely. Unlike what many articles state, you don't have to be popular and have a gazillion friends to be happy. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try to have friends that like you who you are, not just because you are wearing a certain brand of shoes or something like that. These are people who shop at the same store as you; not someone who will sympathize with you when your dog dies.

    Keep your grades up. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This also sets you up to get into a college you want to go to, which in turn prepares you for a career you will enjoy, improving your quality of life in the future. You'll get cheap car insurance as well if you have at least a B or A average.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Participating in clubs, activities, and sports increases your chances of meeting new friends. While you only need 4 or 5 close friends, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to meet new people. Participating gives you something to do instead of sitting bored at home and wallowing in self-pity.

    Work at a job you can enjoy. Working is a great way co gain experience and to meet other people. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This will look great on your resume. If you can't find work, especially in this hard economic time, volunteer or make your own job.

A. Be sociable.

B. Remember the point of life is for you to enjoy it.

C. Find a hobby that is meaningful or practical.

D. In fact, many of the "friends" you have when you are popular are not true friends.

E. When you do get out of college, interviewing companies will look at your previous work experience.

F. Even though you want to enjoy your teen life as best as possible, don't idle away your time in school.

G. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your hard work pay off in the form of A's and B's (but mainly A's).

Happiness begins from appreciation

    If you are feeling that life just cannot be any worse for you, it can be challenging to think positive. When stressed, depressed, upset or otherwise in a negative state of mind because you are aware that misfortune keeps occurring, it is important to shift those negative thoughts to something positive{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    It is often very hard to think positive when so many things are negative, but be sure that someone, somewhere is worse off than you{#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you start with one small, positive thing and appreciate it during the course of your day, you will begin to move into a more positive situation and people will start showing up in your life. With appreciation, you will find that over time, you will change your outlook and choose to be happy, regardless of the events around you{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Begin and end each day with a “Thank you for this wonderful, glorious day!”

    When you see the rise of gas prices, say “I am so glad to have a vehicle in which to get around.”

    When your boss is too hard on you, say “I am grateful for my job as I know that many don't have one.”

    If you are having health problems, be grateful for what does work: “I really do appreciate it that my eyes see, my ears hear, my mouth tastes, my legs walk, my arms lift and my mind thinks and everything else works.”

    Write down what you're grateful for each day. In moments when you're feeling really down, read loud what you wrote previously{#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you practice this regularly, you will find your list getting longer and longer.

    The key is to move yourself into a positive thought and keep it there long enough to make it a moment of appreciation{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. This will certainly help uplift your spirits.

B. If not, you will only attract more misfortune.

C. It is of great importance to learn to be grateful.

D. The more you appreciate, the happier you'll be.

E. You have made some achievements in your career.

F. Here are a few common examples for you to practice.

G. You can choose to think differently by beginning with the smallest of steps.

    We often describe spring as a time of rebirth, renewal and awakening. However, when the weather turns warm, many of us suffer from spring fever Are we actually sick when we have spring fever? Originally, yes,{#blank#}1{#/blank#} When the weather turned warm, some people developed sore throats, headaches, or stuffy noses. The definition of “spring fever” slowly changed in the early 1800s, Now people come to use the term to mean a sudden increase of romantic feelings. Elvis Presley describes this feeling in the song “Spring Fever.” “Spring fever, comes to everyone. Spring fever, it's tune for fun. There's no doubt now, love is everywhere. Get up, get out, spring is everywhere.” These days, we use “spring fever to describe a restless feeling after the long, cold days of winter. But the word “spring” is not just a season.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Imagine that you are resting on the couch when suddenly you see a mouse run across the floor. You spring into action! You jump from the couch and run after the mouse! But you miss,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Audit works! But when you tell your roommate that you caught a mouse in a trap, tears spring to her eyes. You feel bad and awfully sorry, but she really should have told you about her pet mouse Charlie! After all, your apartment doesn't allow pets.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You say to her, “You can't just spring that on me! I'll need time to find another roommate!” But then you think that maybe it's for the best. Every time you see her, you feel guilty about Charlie, her pet mouse.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} She always expects you to compensate her for her loss of the mouse: she wants you to spring for lunch, spring for movie tickets, and sometimes even spring for groceries. When you spring for something, you pay for someone else.

    These expressions are really cool, aren't they? Next time, you can say to a friend, “I have spring fever. Let's leave early and go to an outdoor cafe, I'll spring for coffee.”

A. Things art conning to life in spring!

B. Your roommate turns her back on you.

C. It is also a verb that means something happening or appearing quickly.

D. Spring fever used to refer to an Actual illness.

E. Then unexpectedly, your roommate is moving out tomorrow.

F. That night you spring a trap with some cheese in it

G. Even so, she constantly annoys you.

    Do you know that you have “body amour（防弹衣）”? Yes, you do. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are three protective body parts and how they work.

    Skin

    Your skin might not feel much like the outside of an armoured tank, but it really gives you a lot of protection. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Skin also protects our bones, muscles and insides by covering them up. Our skin may not be that tough when we touch it, but it can be very tough when it counts. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The skin may get scraped（擦伤）and become bruised（青肿的）, but it helps to keep our bones safe so that they don't break easily.

    Eyelashes（眼睫毛）and Eyelids

    The little soft eyelashes attached to our eyelids are constantly working to blink（眨眼）away dust that would hurt our eyes. Our eyelashes and eyelids use reflex actions to close when danger comes near. Actually if we had to tell our eyelids to close, we could not do it fast enough to offer any real protection for our eyes. When our eyes and brain notice something that might be dangerous, they use lightening fast reflexes to close.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    Hair

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This is a kind of body amour that is very useful, since the sun shines down on our heads all day. Without this covering of hair it would be easy for us to get sunburnt on the top of our heads. We lose about 50 individual hairs from our scalp every day. But most of us have lots of new ones that are replacing them.

A. Think about what happens when we fall.

B. This protection keeps our eyes safe and sound.

C. But you might not know how the armour works.

D. Some of your personal armour might affect you.

E. The hair on our heads protects our soft scalps（头皮）.

F. By closing eyes, your eyelashes block out light closer to you.

G. Our skin is the biggest organ in our entire body and it helps to keep us safe.

Being a superhero to others

    Ewan Drum has always liked superheroes. He likes how they help people. At age seven, he told his parents, “I want to dress up like a superhero and help the homeless.” {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Wearing his red superhero cape (斗篷), Ewan helped pass out 70 bag lunches to hungry people in a park in Detroit, Michigan. That's how Super Ewan was born.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}People donated(捐赠) money and supplies (供给物), and Ewan took them to those in need.

    When someone donated jugs(大罐) of water, Ewan and his family drove their car to get even more. They took the water to Flint, Michigan, a city that had unsafe drinking water. Another time, a businessman donated six turkeys(火鸡) for Thanksgiving. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}“In the end”, he says,“ we gave 64 turkey dinners to families all around Detroit.”

    Ewan has a motto: Everyone can be a superhero to someone. At an event called the Hero Round Table, Ewan told the audience, “It's not hard to help people. You can keep some socks and food in your car to help people in need. You can help a neighbor with doing the garden. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} ”

It's been several years since Super Ewan started his task. Every month, he still visits the same park to hand out clothes, food, and supplies to people who are hungry or homeless —his Super Friends. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    “No matter what, ”Ewan says, “I will always keep helping people.”

A. News spread about Ewan's act of kindness.

B. This superhero says he'll never take off his cape.

C. Ewan says he wants more adults to act like superheroes.

D. Every little thing helps and can make someone feel happy.

E. A few months later, Ewan's family planned a day of giving.

F. Several days later, his parents drove to Flint and helped him raise a lot of money.

G. With his parents' help, Ewan asked for more turkeys through the Internet, plus side dishes.

    Whether you're flying to an island paradise or traveling for business, these packing tips will help you minimize time and maximize space.

Start with the right-sized suitcase

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. But if you can't travel light, it's best to choose a bag that can easily accommodate everything you need. Trying to force a full suitcase to shut is a waste of time and energy, especially since you may return with even more stuff, if you like to buy souvenirs.

    Lay everything out before starting

    Lay everything you're taking out on the bed, so you can see exactly what you need to pack and spot any missing items promptly. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. For folded items, putting layers of tissue between each item will cut down on wrinkles.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Begin by putting rolled items in a layer at the bottom of your suitcase. Cushion fragile items like perfume bottles in the middle. Plan to put items you need on arrival at the top end of the case. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    Finish with a large top layer

    Lastly, lay a large item like a towel over the tops and tuck it in around the sides. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It's much easier to close the zipper if you don't have items like belts or laces.

A. Pack your suitcase in layers

B. Then fold or roll each item of clothing

C. Take a moment to assess your needs for this trip

D. So they'll be easy to find when you need them

E. For a short trip, a small carry-on bag is ideal

F. Get everything ready before you start the actual packing

G. This will stop items from sliding around during the journey